No summer is complete without a few weeks at Grandma's house, full of cousins from all over. I am grateful that many of my siblings live close to my parents, and that those of us who live farther away arrange to be in Ontario for at least a few days at the same time every summer. It is always the highlight of the summer for my kids.
I think we have spent the last 4 Fourth of Julys at my parents. Having that many sparklers among 26 grandkids can be a little scary.
Sophie is right in between Hattie and Anna, making her the perfect playmate for both of them
My mom has a great selection of Berenstein Bear books, which get strewn about the house all summer. She is great at reading to them every day.
We drove up to McCall, and while I was packing the car and getting ready to go, Hattie made this treat for me. Notice the Ritz cracker hoisted on the cup of craisens like a lemon wedge. Apparently she has picked up bits and pieces of the Food Network shows that we love! Presentation is key!
Of course, Grandpa's chickens are always a highlight and chicken races are the most fun. Each kid grabbed a chicken, then they chased them all over the lawn while trying to get their chicken back in the coop.
Niels was 4 months old here...crazy to see how he changes so fast!
Paul spent the first 2 weeks with us in Ontario, but then he had to start work mid-June. So Niels and I drove 27 hours with him across the country. This was the GPS when we got on I-80 outside of Odgen, Utah...depressing to be on the same road for 875, only to veer to the left and stay on I-80!
We drove 17 hours the first day, stopping in Lincoln, NE so that I could see one of my best friends, Melissa, before she headed off to work. It was a quick visit, but I was so glad to see her. We also detoured in Iowa and stopped to see Laura and Aaron for a few hours. After arriving in Milwaukee, Niels and I stayed for 1 day before flying back to the girls in Ontario.
We were able to complete a session of swimming lessons while we were there...both girls loved it! I did notice that Hattie performs better for another teacher than for me - when I asked her to show me what she learned when we were home in Mom's pool, she would suddenly be scared and not do anything.
My mom and I sang a musical number in church one day...this is Hattie's portrayal!
She must be really tired to fall asleep like that.
And sitting at the pool a bird landed on my dad's head! He was even able to snatch it in his hands and let the kids pet it.
We also held a sawdust dig - we threw in a bunch of coins and let the kids search for them. They loved the mess and trying to find their own money :)
Paul's side of the family had an Iverson reunion over in Preston, Idaho while we were in Ontario. Not excited to drive 5 hours alone with my kids to only attend the reunion for 24 hours (I had other commitments in Ontario preventing me staying longer) my dad offered to fly us over, since he had some business to do on that side of the state. My girls loved it! I was worried the small plane might be a bit scary for them, but they loved being able to change seats and wear the earphones to talk with Grandpa.
The reunion was "Angry Bird" themed, so each team build their own fortress and the other teams had a bunch of catapults and trebuchets, scoring points for the number of pieces you knocked down.
Hattie didn't want to get out of the big hamster ball at the lake.
It was a great summer...too fast. The kids and I finally left mid-July, happy to be reunited with Paul after 4 weeks apart.
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