Alaska!

We had the most wonderful adventure up in Alaska last week, visiting Kurt & Anne's sweet family! We squeezed in a lot over the week...

First, we camped on the ocean in Seward with the whole crew! And got our first taste of the midnight sun.

We visited the Seward Sealife Center.

Scoped out the  beach for critters the next morning.

And walked the marina.

We hiked up to Exit Glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park.

We returned to Kurt & Anne's to wash up and reload for Denali National Park.

Where we took an 8 hour bus ride through the park to look for wildlife! We saw moose, grizzly bears, caribou, and snow shoe hares.

We were blessed to glimpse the top of Denali (or Mt McKinley) all 3 days, including the 4th of July!

The girls did a ton of jumping WITH water balloons over the week, and loved every minute of it :) Piper, Bryndel, Hadley, Emma, & Thad pictured here, Clay below:)

We also hiked up into Hatcher's Pass, and Kyle did brave those ice covered waters of Summit Lake for our amusement.

God's artistry was on spectacular display the whole week. It was unimaginably beautiful, and we felt so fortunate to experience it all.

Thee very best part of the trip though, was the precious time spent in Kurt & Anne's backyard with the whole family. What a blessing! Thanks for having us, and for being such wonderful hosts!! We LOVED our Alaska adventure.

Lake Vacation

Grandma graciously let us stay at the lake while she was on vacation herself. It was lovely!

We tried a lite fishing off the dock, and could feel Grampie smiling down on us :)

Lots of good sister time - on the dock, in the porch, in the hammock, in the pool, on the boat.

Thanks for having us, Grandma! Next time we want to hang with YOU :)

Summer is Here!

It's time for reading parties on the porch.

Outdoor time with your sisters.

Watching Piper play softball.

Piper even got TWO hits in the same inning with Paige & Luke in the stands.

Helping out at church with the building expansion project. 

Picking strawberries.

Kyle & I got a night away in La Crosse, thanks to auntie Kim!

And celebrating Kyle on Father's day by doing a little hiking at Brunet Island State Park.

We are so thankful forKyle, and of course the wonderful examples our own dads left on our hearts. Summer is off to a great start!

End of the School Year 2018

The girls finished out the school year with flourish and excitement!

Hadley was awarded the Presidential Education Award at the promotion mass (pictured with BFFs Rebecca & Sydney). Recipients must have all As in the core subjects in 4th & 5th grade, and have scored 85% or higher on a standardized test in reading and math.

Piper showed us her creativity at the end of the school year Poetry Cafe.

Grandma came to be a part of the final school days too!

Piper with BFFs Jane, Casey, & Emilia.

Hadley performed a beautiful piano piece at the school talent show before arriving at the school picnic.

Hard to believe we have a middle schooler in the house!






We finished out the school year festivities by celebrating Sydney's graduation. Now, it's time for summer!

Memorial Day Weekend 2018

We had a great visit from Auntie Bev before the holiday weekend even began. We always enjoy having her stay with us!

With the weekend temperatures forecasted to be in the mid-upper 90s, the only logical place was at Grammie's lake!

We squeezed a lot in! From swimming to dilly bars, celebrating Grandma Joan's 80th birthday, visiting Opa in the rehabilitation home, and even letting Grandma chauffeur us in Grandpie's boat! It was some great cousin time.

Thee best way to usher in summer! Thanks, Grandma :)