Farming at the Fair

Tonight we went to the Iowa State Fair! One of Everly's favorite stops was 'Little Hands on the Farm'. She got to plant and harvest veggies, feed and take care of livestock, and complete other farm chores.

 

Ralphie helped too

At the end she sold her items at the farmers' market and got a dollar to spend at their grocery store.  Hard work pays off!

Hot Air!

Last night we went to the Indianola Balloon Classic to watch the balloons come in! It was a beautiful evening!

These three balloons were inflated and took off right in from of us!

 Here they come! All of these balloons were coming in to compete and then landed in Balloon Field.

 

 

 Once they landed they stayed inflated and waited for it to get dark enough for

Nite-Glow!

Everly was excited to get up close and see them! They ended up being a bit bigger and louder than she thought... so we got up close, just from a distance :)

Dress Like a Cow...

...and get free Chick-Fil-A today!!!

Look at that cute cow [the short one :)]

Day with Daddy

Dustin was able to take a day off work this week so we used our time to the fullest!
First stop: the zoo!

 

We also went to the new splash park at Legion Park in Valley Junction. Everly had a blast exploring the sprinklers and fountains!

 

Fun day!

Summer Vacation!

Everly was very much looking forward to this vacation and riding on an airplane again.  We even made one of those chains like you do at Christmas to count down the days :) Well, she finally made it and the airplane rides didn't disappoint!

 

 This year we stayed in a cute little town just north of Boston, MA called Newburyport.  It was fun seeing the differences between the Midwest and how New Englanders live on the coast. 

 

Home sweet home

 

 There was a nice neighborhood park that Everly frequented that overlooked the Merrimack River.

 

 

 

 Oh, the ocean.  I think Everly and I could've stayed there forever!  Being early June, the water was still pretty chilly though...

 

 

Sand castles with Pa

 

We went into Boston for a day of sightseeing. 

 

 

We climbed 294 stairs to get to the top of the Bunker Hill Monument.  Cici and Alex helped carry Everly so we all could enjoy the views from up top! 

 

Everly standing in history...Here she is next to some canons on the ship the USS Constitution.

 

 

 

 

Taking time to play in the fountains...

Anyone heard of Ming Tsai? He's a chef with a cooking show on PBS and we went in search of his Boston restaurant.  We just wanted to try some yummy, 'famous' food, but surprise to us, he was there and we got to meet him! A few people in our party were a little star-struck  :)

 



Boston Tea Party



 

Last stop!  Everly loved riding the trains in the subway in Boston and purple commuter train back to our house!
 

 



During our time in Newburyport we enjoyed our annual game of minigolf.  Everly had her own ball and club this year!  She also was very helpful and brought everyone back their ball once it was hit :) 

 

 

 

 One day, the boys tried their hand at kayaking.  We had fun watching them go out into the wide open waters and paddle back in.  They were gone about three hours and got to see some harbor seals and nesting birds along the water.  Everly said she's ready to go kayaking next year...

Here are Evie and Mimi waiting for them on the boardwalk.

 

 

The boys and their kayaking guide

 

On our final evening we participated in a 5K run/walk for the 1st Lieutenant Derek Hines Soldiers Assistance Fund. Derek is a hometown hero who died while serving in Afghanistan in 2005.  We were able to meet his parents and are thankful we could learn his story and hear about all the work they're doing.

The runners

 

Finished!

 

 And finally...we made one very last midnight romp to the ocean to say goodbye right before we had to fly home. So wonderful!

 

 

We had such a wonderful time and are so blessed to have spent this week together!