First Day of School

Mom and the kids had to go back to school a week before dad this year, so dad was able to drive the kids to their first day. He didn’t feel like walking all the way to the building in the rain though, so he caught some photos to show the lovely weather on the first day of school.

Camping with Their Buds

We finished off our summer break with a camping trip at Blackhawk Lake. Alstan and Elsie had been talking about getting together with their friends from Lisa’s (their babysitter) all summer. We finally got something planned for the very last weekend before school started. They had a great time biking, fishing, swimming and just plain playing ‘til the sun went down.

The bottom photo is of Alstan after he fell off the dock.

Cousins

Over the weekend we went to Carrie’s youngest’s dedication. That gave Alstan and Elsie quite a bit of time to play with their little cousins. I think they all wore each other out, but had a great time.

High Diving Board

Alstan has had this on his mind all summer and finally conquered it! After a few false starts and lots of encouragement from his friend on the sideline, he made his jump.

Trip to Sioux Falls

We just got back from our trip out to Sioux Falls. Our annual visit to Grandma and Grandpa Van’s house ended up being a family reunion/Celebration of Life for Mark. While it is sad to be brought together by loss, it was also nice to see everyone. The kids loved playing with their second cousin, Paislyn.