Block Party and VBS

The Annual Block Party was a ton of fun!  The fire department was able to join us for a bit and again let all the Mom's climb aboard for a fun picture. 

The kids love climbing into the truck and checking it all out. 

And making their way to the top for a fun picture.  

Say Cheese!

The party went let and everyone had a blast! 

The next day the kids put on a magic show.  

And the following week we had VBS.  I was a Shepherd in Will's 2nd grade group this year.  He was selected to help with the bible story one day.  He did a great job!

A Day Trip To Ames

We decided to take a day trip to Ames and the Iowa State Campus. Both my dad and brother Josh are graduates of ISU, so we thought it would be fun to show Kate and Will where they went to school.  Rieman Gardens had a Lego Display over the summer that Will was really excited to see! 

A deer and a fawn completely made out of legos!  Super cool! 

Iowa State has an architecture school that I believe designed this playground piece.  Now everyone who knows us knows that Brett and I ARE Big Hawkeye Fans, hence the reason we went down to Missouri for college.  Brett wasn't going to give ISU "a dime of his money!"   He wasn't interested in going to campus at first because of his Hawkeye blood, but came around to the idea after a bit. 

It was a really warm day!  This water fountain was a hit. 

We found a Starbucks on campus to stop and get a nice cold drink and sit down for awhile.  Kate and Will are in love with the chocolate chip frappuccino's. 

Before we left we found the bell tower and this fun tree to sit in.  Papa told us that he may or may not have kissed a few girls under the bell tower :)

4th of July Fun!

We started out our Independence Day Celebration with the West Des Moines Parade on July 3rd.  We were able to find a great spot to sit with our friends & catch a lot of candy. 

Lots of politicians in the parade in 2016.  

We headed back to Williamsburg the morning of the 4th for the kids carnival on the downtown square. 

They love riding the horses. 

And petting the horses. 

We decided to do a Xmas in July theme for our Parade Entry this year.  Will was Rudolph. 

Kate was a super cute elf. 

Nana jumped between an elf and Mrs. Clause in the cab of the truck with Papa aka "Santa Clause." 

We love throwing candy to everyone from the back of Papa's antique dump truck!

We stayed overnight at Nana & Papa's.  Then got up for a nice relaxing morning before heading back to Des Moines. 

College Reunion!

We were able to actually find time in June to head down to the Lake of the Ozarks for a fun weekend with some of our college friends and their kids.  WOW has our group grown!

Before we left, we decided to pack up a snack pack for everyone.  I despise stopping at gas stations for little expensive snacks along the way!  So my solution was for each kiddo to put together a snack box to munch on in the car.   

We stayed at Grandma and Grandpa Schaefer's condo.  We love sitting out on the balcony in the morning and eating our breakfast!

Brett had to squeeze in a little work while we were there.  The luxury of being able to work from anywhere I guess :)

We took Grandma and Grandpa's boat out for a lot of boat rides.  Super Fun!!

Love this picture!! 

Such as Stud!!

They love taking a turn driving the boat.  

Keep Your Eyes Straight Ahead!

Will was in love with our friends new baby!   

He told me he would be a great big brother!  Oh Honey, I'm sure you would but  I don't think so :)

The Trunk Family.  Brett and Jon were roommates every year through architecture school.  

All the kids loved jumping off the boat into the lake. 

A long weekend packed with fun and little sleep until we pulled onto the road to head home.  

Father's Day!

Kate and Will LOVE making things for Brett for Father's Day! 

Will made a clay owl in Art Class for Brett to display in the house. 

And after 11 years of using an old broken wheelbarrow, we decided it was time to surprise dad with a new wheelbarrow. 

Will was very eager to push the wheelbarrow around the yard. 

Kate and Will had an outdoor swim meet at Grinnell.   It's always fun competing outdoors for a change of pace.  

Ready, Set....GO!

And.....  the kids always enjoy a visit to the car wash down the street.  If you go inside while the car is getting cleaned, you can spray your car with the squirt guns and snack on a bag of popcorn while you wait!  Super cheap entertainment!!