Holliday Park on a Fall afternoon

I've had some requests for fall family pictures, and I had kept hearing about this Holliday Park being great. Thursday morning the kids and I checked it out- WOW!!! Dad ended up taking a half day off work, and we spent the whole afternoon hiking and playing on their gargantuan playground. The park lies right along the White River. It was so beautiful- we couldn't believe this gem was right in the middle of the city, and we never knew about it! I'll definitely be coming back here for pictures:) Their playground is made up of 3 systems really... a smaller one for toddlers and crawlers, a medium size one for around 4 or 5 to 8 (I would guess anyway), and a huge 2.5 story high structure for big kids! The slides are high and steep. Natalie went down the tube one... we had to catch her at the bottom (kids were shooting out at the bottom and landing on their rears)! Here are some pictures of our day.

A little behind...

Wow! I have not posted in over a month. It doesn't even take that long to do a quick update, but I will say that last 30 or so days are probably our BUSIEST of the year. We've had conventions, Natalie's birthday, a trip to Canada, school starting, Jack's birthday, apple picking, my Thursday night photography class, I shot my 1st wedding (and have a second this Saturday). Needless to say I could go on an on. I tried to catch up on a couple of our friends blogs, and someone else said, a picture is worth a thousand words- even if we sometimes don't have time to tell the story, posting a picture doesn't take long. Although, I wish I was more faithful at tagging my photos- I feel like I spend more time looking for them then posting or writing... anyway, I'll post some pictures of these events and let you figure out the story yourself. If you have questions about what's going on, you'll just have to ask!

Natalie's 1st soccer game!

Natalie had her first soccer game Saturday! She was a bit timid with all the people there watching, but by the end she was ready for another game:) I ran around with her the first half (the parents can be on the field in the Pele league), and Rob ran around with her the second half. Of course the snack they past out at the end was a big highlight as well. Multiple colored fishy crackers and a Capri Sun- both things she never gets at home! She was so cute with her pink soccer ball, pink cleats, pink socks, and pink shin guards. Hopefully I'll get better pictures of her getup at the next game- September 6th:)

Jack's 1st Haircut!

What fun! I have trimmed Jack's hair myself 3 times, but I had to take him to Cookie Cutters to get his first big boy haircut! I had never taken the clippers to the back, and his hair was getting wet from sweating whenever we went outside. To be comfortable this weekend, he really needed a cut. Shoals is usually HOT HOT HOT! Although the high down there for today is 83 and the low 58- not too shabby:)

Feeding the Giraffes

Rob took Friday off, so we took Nana and Papa to the zoo! Natalie was their expert tour guide (since she goes almost every week, she really knows her way around!). Nana and Papa wanted to see the animals that aren't at the Winnipeg zoo, so our tour included Oceans and the African Plains. We saw sharks, jellyfish, sea horses, seals, penguins, walruses, dolphins, zebras, giraffes, lions, rhinos, baboons, elephants, kangaroos, and on and on:) Natalie showed Papa and Nana how to be brave and pet a shark! She showed them how to feed a giraffe a piece of sweet potato, and she took them to her favorite show... the DOLPHIN show! I guess the one thing I was impressed with was a couple week old baboon nursing while it's mom walked around... it sure had to hang on tight!

County Fairs

Haven't done anything too exciting in the last couple of weeks. We did go to the Hancock County and the Boone County fair. The kids really love seeing the animals, we all love the food, and Rob enjoyed the Demolition Derby and the Mud Bog! I wish I had taken my camera but... just another thing to pack and haul around. (Sometimes I feel like a pack mule.) Otherwise, we've been inside a little bit more because it is horribly hot and muggy. Jack gets overheated easily still. We did go to the pool with Grandma and Aunt Jackie last Thursday. They have a waterslide that Natalie went down (on Mom or Auntie's lap). Sunday, we had dinner at Grandpa and Grandma's. Jared, Melissa, Teresa, and Randy Satterfield were there. Natalie latched on without any trouble:) These couple shots were taken on a day when we were cleaning up Natalie's room. There was some nice natural light coming in her huge window. The next entry should be way more exciting because Papa and Nana should be here tomorrow!! "a woooo hoooooo," chants Natalie....

Connor Prairie

Glorious Fourth

What a great long weekend! Friday morning, we had my Aunt Darlene and Uncle Skip over for the annual Woodruff Place 4th of July parade. It was drizzling, so it wasn't quite as spectacular as it has been in the past. Natalie loves to see the mounted police, so she was a little bummed out they weren't there. Rob grilled burgers for lunch, and then the kids (including Jackie) had a good nap. We headed over to Mom and Dad's for supper where Melissa, Jared's girlfriend, made us a fantastic supper. We headed back downtown for the fireworks display. Thankfully the rain had stopped. A light breeze dried things up and kept the mosquitoes away! I had to take pictures of the fireworks for my photography class, so that was fun. Saturday, we had a late, big breakfast and went to Connor Prairie for the day. They had a Fourth of July celebration. We tasted homemade ice cream, dipped candles, petted baby chicks, lambs, calves, and goats, saw a musket demonstration, heard readings from the Declaration of Independence, watched a blacksmith make a nail, watched a paper balloon launch, did face painting, etc. etc. It was a fun day! Kids had a longgggg nap! Sunday was very low key- had meeting, a potluck, and just chilled out at home. Monday, Rob stayed home from work, and we did lots of running around. Natalie got her cast off!!!! We saw Audrey and her baby, went to the grocery store, Sam's Club, etc. etc. It was hard for Jack, Natalie, and I to see Dad go back to work this morning. We could get used to having him home!

9 Months

Jack turned 9 months last week! We had a little photo shoot this morning to document this milestone. Between us, my assistant (Natalie with her Little Tykes camera)and I, we got some pretty good shots. Jack also had his 9 month check up today. He is now 29 inches and 21 pounds! We got him home just in time for a lunch of watermelon and yogurt before his nap. He has always been my better napper... nurses a bit and is out for a good 2+ hours... but NOT today! He slept for about 15 minutes and that was it! I suppose he is showing me that he is not a baby anymore? at 9 months? doesn't need a nap? HA! HA!

The Strawberry Patch

What a beautiful day for strawberry picking! It was about 65 degrees and sunny with a light breeze... we made some very special memories! My friend, Raelynn, found this place, Spencer's Orchard. They welcome and love kids, knowing they will have fond memories of their strawberry picking days and bring their own kids one day. Natalie came home with a red face, red hands, and a red shirt- evidence or more eating than helping. Maybe that's why it was taking so long to fill a flat:) Aunt Jackie even rubbed some strawberry juice on Jack's face for effect. I can only imagine what they will look like after going back in July to pick BLUEberries!

A real trooper

Our Natalie is one tough little kid. She broke her radius and her ulna (both arm bones) a week ago today. Friday night she tripped on the edge of the slide and landed on her arm funny. Natalie didn't cry excessively when it happened... just wanted to be held. She went all weekend with only a splint to immobilize it but never let the pain slow her down any. (Although, I think it hurt at night because she kept waking up.) Her dad left for a business trip on Sunday (which always bums her out), and Aunt Jackie (who has been staying with us while our parents are in Germany) left for basketball camp on Friday. Natalie's tough facade finally crumbled on Friday morning when we dropped Jackie off. Friday was a hard day for us... you know the kind when they weep over anything and everything that happens. Needless to say, Dad came home Friday night and that made everything better again. If you could see her face to face, she would hold up her arm and say, "I have a purple cast on my big, big ouee!"

Dedication

I've always been curious about starting a blog but figured I probably wouldn't stick with it. Well... I've decided it will just require some dedication, so I've decided to dedicate 15 minutes a week to this for family and friends that are so far away. Natalie broke her arm on Friday, and I realized it takes a lot of time to relay such a story. By the time we phoned and emailed Don and Loretta (Rob's parents), Julie (Rob's sister), and my parents (who live only 20 miles from here, but are currently traveling in Germany), I know I easily could have blogged the story in about a third the time so... I am not saying I won't email or talk on the phone anymore, but... I do know this could help people feel more connected and involved in our lives. Hopefully, I won't have a broken bone to blog about every week! But the small, everyday moments are so easy to miss out on when you aren't right there, so I would like to dedicate this blog to Nana and Papa. I purpose to do better!