Stitches

No more hiking for a while. Alstan slipped while sitting on the edge of the porch and cut open the bottom of his foot on the edge of a rock below. Seven stitches later, and he will not be up for much movement that involves putting pressure on his foot.

Hike

We decided today would be a good day to get out of the house for a hike. We did good to stay away from people on the back hiking trails, but the area by the waterfall was packed. Next time I think we’ll just avoid that area. 

The kids also made lunch for dad. Alstan started the grill by himself and did all the grilling!

Father’s Day

The kids made dad breakfast in bed to start the day out right.

Testing the Camper

We haven’t been able to get out camping, but that didn’t stop the kids from enjoying the camper. They decided to sleep out in the driveway. Without mom and dad, they were able to set up an entertainment area and a sleeping area.

Visiting Grandma and Grandpa Zielicke

Today we drove up to visit the farm for a day. It was so nice to see grandma and grandpa. Elsie and Alstan were happy to see all the farm cats as well.

Biking

We met Aunt Nette in Barneveld today for a bike ride and lunch. We were able to keep our distance while enjoying time together outside!

Cove

Shortly after we moved into the house Adam spent his summer transforming this space next to our house from a weed patch into a cozy little cove. Most summers we don’t get much of a chance to spend much time down there, but this summer we are making up for lost time. It is has been a lot of fun chilling together at the end of our day.

Family Bike Rides

Since the kids can bike a bit further now, we have done a few more family rides. We enjoy packing a lunch and then stopping somewhere along the path to eat. So far our longest trip has been twelve miles.

Daddy’s Birthday Cake

I think the pictures speak for themselves. It seems Elsie is going to take over for mom as the cake maker in the family.

Pottery Lessons

Elsie decided that a rainy day in May was a good day to teach daddy how to throw a pot on the wheel. She was a good teacher!

Foxes

We spotted three baby foxes playing out next to our neighbor’s shed. 





One of them has joined us for a couple of pit fires!

Last Day of School

Elsie started her summer break by having a virtual nail party with Aunt Nette and Aunt Carrie and her girls. Alstan hung out with us for a while before getting bored and moving on.

They both were excited to use their math books as fire starter to celebrate the start of summer vacation. Poor dad, the math teacher, had to sit by and watch.

Fifth Grade Graduation

Well, they didn’t have a ceremony since school was out, but Alstan’s teacher did drop off a surprise this morning. It is hard to believe he is going to be a Middle Schooler next year.

Baking from Scratch

We did not have any box cake mix, so Elsie decided to try a recipe from Pinterest. While Alstan is less into baking, he got sucked into the decorating. He watched from the sidelines originally just to see if he could sneak some frosting, but it didn’t take long before he was excited to help Elsie design a Spring Cake complete with a robin and its nest while a snake wraps itself on the branch.