Minneapolis, Day 2

We all piled into the Novak's SUV and headed off to an amusement park near Minneapolis called Valleyfair. It was the first real amusement park experience for Campbell and Kellen. They both seem to have a bit of thrill-seeking in their blood, which we know for a fact did not come from Andy or I.

The Warner boys
The Novak boys

Smiling at the beginning of the day, but would we be smiling still at the end of the day???

The boys just couldn't quite catch up to the girls.

Snuggling with Snoopy

Andy and I did manage to be able to ride the kiddie rides, but even that was pushing our limits a little bit.

Best buddies!

Maddie and Campbell (on the far left) riding their favorite ride, the Frog Hop.

Kellen and Chase in a pink ladybug!

Maddie is the real thrill-seeker in the bunch. She, Pam and Campbell liked riding the teacup ride. Andy and I couldn't have ridden this without very bad results for everyone!

Enjoying their smoothies

One of the last rides

It was a fun day for all, although we had some very tired children on our hands who all fell asleep on the way home!

A Day on the Water

Our day on Lake Minnetonka started with a quick cat nap for Kellen, as we headed out to the Big Island.

Two of the prettiest little ladies on the lake.
Three little ornery ones!
The kids went onto the boat we tied up with, and we captured a picture. They even made a new friend.

We found some time for some fishing off the back.

Campbell and her Momma

The little grumpy guys

That evening, we went to the Novak's block party in their neighborhood. They had face painting and lots of games.

Campbell and Maddie got one, too.

And So It Begins...

We finally got to have our summer vacation. Liv has had a busier year with work and more travel than normal, so this vacation was one we were all looking forward to. We decided to head up to Minnesota to visit our friends, the Novaks, and then head back to Chicago to visit Liv's friend and roommate from college, Meg and her son Nolan.

This picture was taken at the Wisconsin Dells, a quick stop for lunch on the way up to Minnesota. This was the "famous belltower" that tells a story about a little boy who leads a bunch of children off a cliff... not quite a kid-friendly story! Relaxing on the trip up to see her friends, Maddie and Chase.
We couldn't find Kellen's sunglasses, so he was just happy to wear Sissy's!

A couple of happy kids... not in the car anymore and eating a whole honey dew melon.

Then, there was the promise s'mores after dinner if they cleaned their plates.

Here is trouble. We are glad that Chase lives in a different state because we know what trouble his dad and Kellen's got into when they were younger !!!

Enjoyin' their s'mores!

It was time for a bath in the jetted tub with lots and lots of bubbles! Again, here is trouble!

Maddie and a tired Campbell

Hawaiian Day

A couple days later, it was Hula Day at school. Good thing Memaw gave the kids these outfits for Christmas! They were the talk of daycare with their matching outfits.

Dancing!

School Spirit Day

It was school spirit day at school, and the Warner kids wore their red and white very proudly. They have official IU jerseys and shorts, and of course, they had to wear them. (Mom was pushing for the Butler Blue, but the IU blood runs pretty deep.)

4th Generation Friends

I love these pictures... it's a shot of 4 little ones, who are 4th generation friends. Their great-grandparents were friends; their grandparents were friends; their parents are friends; and now, they are friends, too. It's a pretty cool thing- the Warners and the Joneses.

Catching Up with Campbell

One of the highlights for the summer was Campbell getting a bike from Memaw. Memaw found this princess bike at Goodwill for a steal, and Campbell thinks it's pretty cool because of the princesses on it.