Tipping back a nice cold (root) brewski on the lake. (Of the three cousins, Sophie was definitely the one who enjoyed herself the most on the boat. Cole was too tired. Kate just thought it was too noisy & windy.)
A spin on the jet ski.
Not only were there fun grown-up toys to play with, but...lots of fun toys for the kids. Even a sandbox!! We had a great time! Thanks Darrell & Twyla!!
One thing that we like to squeeze in as often as possible is a trip to a local park. Here Uncle Daniel gives me a push on the swing.
Mom always likes to make sure we get in our daily quota of sweets, so here we are indulging at the Prairie Queen.
A necessity for a trip to the farm: a family shot on the tractor. I must have been the only one smelling the pig farm up the road. It may be a small nose, but it works!
I take my turn on the tractor. Note the John Deere t-shirt.
You can tell how excited that Sophie & I are to have gotten to go on a trip to Iowa to visit Daddy's family. Not only is travelling fun, but we get to go to Orange City which is (as you can tell) a very cozy Dutch-feeling city. Complete with woodenshoes & windmills! What more could a Dutch girl ask for?
We got to go visit Uncle John & Aunt Lynae who have the most fun toys imaginable. They have a very large playhouse with all kinds of toys. Sophie hit the jackpot with her jewelry finds.
Here is: Aunt Christina, Uncle Daniel, Daddy, & Uncle Joel.
We also were so very excited to be able to go to the farm! Here we are riding a merry-go-round of sorts.
Daddy is always fun because he is so goofy. Here he is making a pose with the beautiful sunset behind him.
When Daddy flew back into town, we decided we should do something extra fun & special with him. So...we went to the safari park. It was so much fun. You can see here I am just giddy with excitement about feeding this crazy looking cow.
Mom said she thought all that animal tongue & saliva was a little too much for her. But, my grandma is so brave, she did it anyway!
So, how many of you can say you've touched a giraffe's head??
Sophie gets an up-close look. (I hope you notice she isn't quite touching him.)
Here Opa is holding me in front of a family of meerkats.
On Tuesday morning, before Opa & Grandma's flight back to Texas, we decided to go out to eat at the Original Pancake House. Mom says she is never sure whether to be impressed or a little scared when Sophie is wielding her fork & knife like this.
Saturday morning, we went to one of our favorite places...Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens!! Aren't we a good looking bunch?? 
Grandma & I wave from the bridge.
Mommy says it is naughty to put our feet into the water, but I think it is a whole lot of fun. I am just glad both Daddy & Grandma like to break rules.
Grandma is telling Opa something very interesting here. I can't remember what exactly it was...as you might be able to tell, I am starting to fade.
Ah! Refreshed after a nice nap & some food (of course). We head out to the US National Whitewater Center & are all smiles again.
Is this an entertaining book or what??? (No, Sophie is not some freakishly large child. It's a wierd camera angle. For the record, she is only one pound less than Kate.)
To save calories when eating donuts, Sophie recommends drinking water. 
This weekend we drove up to see Uncle Neil & Aunt Rebecca in Delaware. This is Uncle Neil & Daddy at a posh restaurant in Philadelphia called "Pod."
Here is Kate inside of the play mansion. The top floor had dolls, doll houses, blocks, & some other toys. The ground floor had a train and a couple of little play houses. The basement was full of ride on toys.
The cool thing is we happened to be there on the 110th birthday! So, we got free birthday cake & water ice. There were also face painters, balloon animal makers, bubbles, and free tattoos. Here you see Sophie befriending the Rita's water ice guy.
After all that exertion, we needed some food. So, we went to a pizza place called "Mix." It was so delicious!! Here's Sophie patiently waiting her piece of pizza.
Saturday afternoon we went swimming at some friends of Uncle Neil & Aunt Rebecca's. They were on vacation, so we had the pool to ourselves. Here Kate & Daddy squeeze in a nap.
You just never know who you might bump into when you're in downtown Belmont.
I told Micah it was a mistake to ask one of these two jokers to pour him a glass of orange juice. 
This weekend we got new bunk beds! Our new beds came from our friends the Mulls. They are very exciting & we love to sleep in them. Here you can see Sophie plotting some mischief.
Aha! That's what it was - a visit from the tickle monster!
All worn out & time to go to sleep. 
Oh my goodness! I can hardly contain my enthusiasm! Not only do I love making cookies, but I LOVE making silly faces for the camera!!
Kate in action - smooshing the sugar cookies with a sugared glass.
Sophie here. Doing a quick inspection of the little French cafe where we are eating dinner tonight. Daddy & Mommy might be more interested in the food, but I like to know I am eating in a clean establishment.
Passed! (They got extra points for giving a free cookie to a cute little girl with a pink polka-dot dress.)
Here is Kate with a little high cuisine of her own making. She gets a magazine from Opa & Grandma that had lots of snack ideas. This is ladybug apples.
Kate taught me to wear my dress this way (around my waist instead of over the shoulders). I thought with all this extra skin showing I needed to do something to accesorize. 
