Damon Comes to Play

Last Friday Damon came to spend the day with us. It was a day full of basketball, football, and swimming!

Just Look at this Beautiful Rose Bush!

Oh, and there's a pretty cute boy standing next to it. Why is he so happy you ask? Because he just got done running two-and-a-half miles (chatting the whole way, because he's one of THOSE people).

Father's Day 2011

Every year Matt's wish for father's day is that we don't host father's day. His other request is blueberry muffins for breakfast. Done and done!

For lunch we went to my parents' house, where Karl got to run around like a wild man with his cousins. I tried taking pictures, but for some reason the six boys did not want to stand still. I did get a good shot of Dad doing the grilling, though.

Later we went to Pam and Fred's. The four Minnesota cousins put on a splendid recital, and afterwards served a splendid dinner to their parents (what made it so splendid was that we didn't have to be in the kitchen supervising the prep work; these cousins can be wild too!). Unfortunately Emily didn't get the word that this was a barefoot occasion.

Yay for Summer Vacation!

Yesterday was the kids' last day of school, which means that summer started for them the second they stepped off the school bus (my summer started on June 1st, and Matt's started Memorial Day weekend; we all have our season rules in this family).

Incredibly enough, it was warm enough today to get out the Slip 'n Slide. Once the pool opens on Sunday, we'll be there every chance we get. The Slip 'n Slide, though, proved to be a good way to start summer vacation.

Hittin' the Trails

Soccer season has begun, and for Laura that means a lot of sitting around watching Karl play. Luckily Oma and Opa saved her from soccer boredom yesterday and they went on a bike ride on the trails in North Branch. Now that Laura is a biking pro, the possibilities are endless!



Seeing the kids ride their bikes this spring made us realize how much each of them has grown over the winter. Tomorrow we're shopping for two new bikes!

Karl's Guitar Recital

Yesterday was Karl's guitar recital, and this year Matt was just as nervous as Karl was because they played a duet! As you can see, they both did a very nice job!



Matt and Karl with their teacher, Doug Smith. The audience thought it was very sweet when Doug told them that he remembers teaching Karl's dad when he was seven.

Karl's Track and Field Day

This year the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders got to have a track and field day at school. Needless to say, Karl was a little pumped. I was pumped too, because it confirmed my suspicions that we have a bona fide runner who lives in our house!

Karl and his friend Nick are the two fastest runners in their grade.


High jump

"Rubber Duck Relay"

Good job Karl! You are a rockstar runner!