Saturday, July 26, 2014

Family Camp

We just returned from a magical week at a magical camp.. complete with a magical family helper.  This place is for real, yo... check it out!  We spent the week eating delicious food (that I didn't have to plan, prepare, serve, or clean up), doing super fun activities (that I didn't have to come up with), hearing great teaching, and participating in fun and meaningful worship.  ON TOP OF THAT, we were assigned a family helper who hung out with us the whole week and helped us out in anyway we needed or wanted.  She helped us unload the car, played with the kids, helped the kids get their food at meal times, cleaned our dishes and table, sat with the monitor while Charlie slept, changed diapers, and MORE.  This camp is officially on our agenda every summer from now on.  The directors are so gifted at loving and serving and they teach their staff to serve well too.

The other awesome part is that we were there with lots of family.. both my sister's and brother's families were there as well as one of my cousin's family!

Family selfie on the way to camp!

Our helper was awesome and the kids loved her!  We wanted to take her home with us.

Archery

The girls took a horse class each day called Little Dudes.  They learned how to approach a horse, mount and dismount, brush it, make the horse start and stop, turn it, and even trot!









The bungee trampoline was a huge hit!  They girls did this at least once a day!


Emma decided to tackle the cargo net.  She rocked it!






The adults took a kayak trip down the Mississippi River... so fun!

Relaxing and reading in the hammocks in the middle of the day while someone played with our kids... seriously, it really happened!


Date night!  It's a scheduled event for the week... the parents head out and the helpers have special activities planned for the kids and then feed them dinner and put them to bed.  They think of everything!

Tubing was another fun activity!



Proof that Charlie came with us!  :)

Emma rocked ice blocking!  Think sliding down a hill on a giant block of ice.



Check out this hilarious slow-mo video of Emma.



Charlie's first experience with sand!

Not pictured:  lots more fun at the lake - canoeing, swimming, jumping off the rope into the water, blobbing, water sliding, digging in the sand.  Another highlight that I don't have photo evidence of is the night zip line.  The adults went on this adventure together...  it was terrifying and exhilarating!  Zip lining 50 feet above a valley in the pitch black night.  You had to hike up a hill and then climb a tree to get to this eensy weensy platform.  Just getting to the start was an adventure! Then you had to get up the courage to jump off said platform.  It.was.freaky.  I screamed the entire way.   Super fun, though!

I'm not even kidding when I say this was the best family vacation we have taken since having kids.  You all really need to join us next summer.  Thanks for an awesome week, Village Creek!  Can't wait until next year.

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Update on life in IA!

I'm a totally lame blogger right now.  I don't know what it is lately (I'll blame it on our homelessness) but I just can't get back into the groove right now.  Instead I'll leave you with some pictures of what we've been up to over the last few weeks.

The kiddos had a super fun week of VBS with some friends.

Charlie's been his usual super chill self.

We've played a little soccer.

We love the free splash pads all over town.


We're soaking up fun times with our cuzzies!

Savoring this summer before we send C Bear off to KINDERGARTEN.  

Lego building with Grammy!

So fun spotting Herky all over the place in Iowa City!  (The first time we saw one, Emma exclaimed, "Look Mom!  Turkey!")

We love free fun!



and free face painting!

We are staying busy, reenergizing with time with family and friends, looking forward to our new house, missing our GA friends, and enjoying our last two weeks here.  Then we're headed to what is rumored to be the best family camp around.  (Each family is assigned a high school helper to help with your kids for the entire week.  I hear it's amazing!  You should all come with us next year.)  And then it'll be time to move in!  That's all for now!   

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Fourth Fun!

As if five extra people isn't enough for my parents, my brother's family of five came to spend the weekend of the 4th in Iowa too!  With my sister down the street, we were able to spend lots of fun time together with the entire crew.  I'll admit - much of the time is pure chaos (seven big kids, two babies, and eight adults!) but we all had fun!



We had fun making festive treats! 



Hot tubbing!


Who can resist a GIANT cotton candy?  Anni was sweet & shared with all her cousins!

Fun at the fireworks!  Grammy came prepared with glowsticks for everyone.


These kiddos stayed up until 11!  That would be an official record for the Shoe girls.


Emma and Evy are a hilarious combination.

Emma fell asleep playing the iPad on the wood floor.  She was exhausted after a super fun weekend!
Thankful that Grammy and Babu hosting TEN extra people and included us in all the fun going on for the 4th.  It was a great weekend!

This one




She cracks me up on a daily basis.  Life is so fun with her around.  Emmsie keeps us laughing basically all the time.  Thankful for her sense of humor to add to the drama of our life!  ;)

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Happy Half Bday!




Little man is SIX months old, halfway to one!  This was a big month for him.  He moved to Iowa, starting babbling ('da da da da' all day long!), started solid foods (so far he's had rice cereal, sweet potatoes, green beans, peas, avocado, bananas, applesauce, peaches, and pears), is working on sitting up, stopped sleeping through the night (grrr!), went swimming for the first time, and met his new pediatrician in the Chicago area.

Even though he is up MULTIPLE times each night (I'm blaming it on staying in hotels and other people's houses all the time!), he is the sweetest pumpkin.  I would appreciate a little more sleep at night though.  Someday, right?    

He's 17 lbs, 4 oz and 26 1/2 inches long.... 50% all around.

Happy half Birthday, Charlie boy!