Samantha's First Dance Recital

Samantha had her first dance recital on Saturday, June 12th. She was on cloud nine the whole day!! :) My friend Mandy came over and did her hair before the 1st show (she had to perform in 2 shows that day - 3:00pm & 7:30pm). Keep in mind that I am "hair challenged" and I am not the best at doing Samantha's hair, so I brought in the experts (and Mandy has 2 boys and no girls to pamper). :) Mandy put makeup on Samantha and gave her some special perfume (which Samantha LOVED). Clair went to Great-Grandma Holman's house as we knew she wouldn't be able to stay quiet for a 1 1/2 - 2 hour show! Alden got to come, and didn't do as well as we expected, but he stayed relatively quiet by playing with Doug's iPod touch during the show. We gave Samantha a rose at the 1st show and she thought that was pretty neat (however Alden didn't think it was fair that Samantha got a rose and he didn't, so we had a fight on our hands)! Grandma & Grandpa McKnight, Aunt Jodi, Auntie Debra, Unlce Greg, Cousin Jamie, Great Grandma & Great Grandma McKnight, Doug & I, Alden, Jannelle, & Rae Lynn were all the 1st show to watch Samantha. She did sooooo good! She was right on beat the whole show! We went to Grandma McKnight's house for a quick supper between shows and then I took Samantha back for the 7:30pm show and Doug kept Alden & Clair. My dad, Great Grandma & Great Granddad Holman, and my friends Mandy & Amanda came to watch Samantha for the late show. Mandy brought Samantha 2 pink carnations and Samantha was once again on cloud nine! Samantha did really good at this show, but you could tell it was past her bedtime and that she had already had a long day! She can't wait for September to get here so she can do dance again! :)

Debra's Ordination

Auntie Debra was Ordained as a Methodist Minister on Friday, June 11th in Lincoln. We all made the trip for the 2 HOUR CHURCH SERVICE!! :) I forgot the bag of toys/entertainment for the kids in Plattsmouth and didn't realize it until we were already in Lincoln! We used everything we had to entertain the kids during the service including keys, watches, etc! Surprisingly, all of the kids did really well and were very quiet the whole time. Especially since the service started at 7:30pm and their normal bedtime is 8:00pm! Clair was probably the loudest of all of them! :) Thank goodness that Debra's church in Omaha was in charge of the whole service because they played drums and had instruments and an awesome choir director to entertain the kids and us! We were all very proud of Debra! Afterward, we talked outside the church and then headed for Plattsmouth. We didn't get home until midnight and the dance recital was the next day!

Alden's New Bike

We got Alden a little bike with training wheels this spring! This was the first time he was able to try it out. We went to Grandma & Grandpa McKnight's house @ Copper Dollar Cove to ride them because our driveway is not exactly the best driveway for riding bikes. :) We took Clair's Exersaucer outside so she could watch them too! (Her hair got a little crazy, so we had to take a picture of it blowing in the wind. :) Samantha actually pedaled her bike and only had trouble with the tight turns - which is all SO MUCH better than last year. :) Alden didn't quite get the hang of the whole "pedaling" thing, but the did think he was pretty special on that bike! :)

Sand In The City

We went to Sand In The City in downtown Omaha by Quest Center on Sunday, June 6th. This year was not quite as fun as last year. It was in a different location because of the new baseball stadium and that meant more walking for the kids. The kids still really liked looking at all the neat sand castles that the businesses as made. Samantha's favorite was the one with the Baby from Toy Story 3. Alden's favorite was the one with the piggy bank "Ham" from Toy Story 3. (Can you tell they are very excited about the release of Toy Story 3!! We all are!!) We let the kids vote for their favorite. You have to buy sand dollars and they get to vote by placing the sand dollars in the tub for your favorite sand castle. We also took a picture of the HDR - Omaha Public Library's sculpture, so that Uncle Greg could see what his company did. Clair liked it all - she just enjoyed being out of her car seat!

Memorial Day Zoo Trip and Afternoon @ The Beach

We were at the Henry Doorly Zoo front gates when it opened at 8:30 on Memorial Day. We know that it just get more crowded as the day goes on, so we only planned to spend a few hours there. We went to the aquarium first and took pictures of the kids with the penguin statues. Clair was awake at the zoo for the 1st time! It was exciting for her to see the penguins swim in the water! It was also Doug's first zoo trip of the year! We also saw the giraffes, zebras, Madagascar Exhibit, bears and gorillas. We left the zoo and went to Fazoli's and then headed to Doug's parent's house after naps. Doug rode his bike out there and we met him out there for some fun in the sun. We put on our swim suits and put our toes in the water for the 1st time this year. Doug went knee boarding with Joel & Beth and the kids got to ride in the boat. I stayed on the beach and buried Clair's legs under the sand! She loved the sand and didn't try to eat it! (both of our other kids tried to eat it) She loved to pick it up and watch it go through her fingers!

Memorial Day with Mom, Chris, Grandma Farmer, & Richardson Family

We drove to Pawnee City on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. We met everyone in Summerfield, KS, but on the way there we stopped in Pawnee City to decorate my Great-Uncle Clair's (this is who Clair is named after) grave and to see the flags around the courthouse that represent the veterans. Our family has 3 different family members with their names engraved on the markers: Harold "Clair" Richardson; Harold E. "Bud" Richardson; and John Richardson. Then we went to Summerfield and decorated the graves of my Grandpa Keith Richardson, my Great- Grandparents Sophie & Bill Ehmen, my Great-Aunt & Uncle Erma & Joy. Next we all went to my Uncle Harold's cabin. It was an experience for us driving our mini-van down a real dirt road. We got lost a few times and I felt we almost drove off the road a few times and I certainly screamed a few times! I really am a "city" girl! :) We had a nice BBQ and I made my traditional "Wave Your Flag" Jello/Dessert! Samantha & Alden played with Macy and had a blast! We headed towards home at the 1st sign of rain and it was nap time, so it was a peaceful ride home for us! : )