Holiday World was great this year. I'll limit it to 16 pictures!:)
We've discovered a new strategy for this place. We try to go early in the season and on an overcast day. 50% chance of scattered thunderstorms...we'll take it. Last year, we waited too late in the season to go and spent much of our day waiting in long lines in the sun. With the scattered thunderstorms, the crowds were down quite a bit, and we hardly waited in any lines. We were able to ride our favorites a few times each. It was perfect!
Downside of a five person family- somebody has to ride without a partner :(
We did have to wait out the storms for about 45 minutes in the afternoon. It wasn't bad at all though. Once they reopened the rides, we felt like we had the place to ourselves!
Scott's favorite ride...(see what I mean about the place being empty?)
Natalie's favorite ride...
Kate's favorite...who needs rides when you can hug alligators and give high fives to puppy dogs?
Fun day!
I love having all three of the kids home. I'm already secretly sad about next school year when two will be gone all day. :( Trying not to think about it too much yet and just enjoy each day together. I've been enjoying listening to all of the silliness and giggling that the three of them share.
Hooray for friends, and hooray for friends with pools!
Hooray for more friends, and hooray for friends who invite us to be their guests at a skating party.
Hooray for swim lessons! These fish LOVE it!
Hooray for Magna-tile towers that do not get knocked down by the three year old! Such restraint!
Hooray for more garage sale costumes, and hooray that Jon was gone when I snuck them into the house. ("But Jon, we really NEEDED bumblebee and Clifford costumes.")
Hooray for making slime on a hot afternoon, and hooray for kids who still think it's great even when it doesn't turn out correctly.
And as always, hooray for fun, busy days that lead to this...
Scott turned 8 years old a couple of weeks ago. He requested another John Deere/Gator birthday party.
He had some kind relatives who showed up to our ticket booth to select a ride.
Brave Aunt Kristen even went for Round 2 on the gator rides. Scott
enjoyed it (although this year, instead of sitting on the guests' laps
during the ride, he had to ride in the dump bed.) My baby isn't so
lap-size anymore.
Both Scott & Natalie chose birthday cookies this year instead of birthday cake...I think my plan worked...start them young and win them over to the best birthday treat around!:)
A couple of years ago, I hung something from the ceiling to surprise Natalie on the morning of her birthday. Each year since, both Scott and Natalie have expected something to be hanging from above when they wake up. They both drop subtle hints the night before...just to make sure I don't forget. It's a tradition that I kind of wish wasn't started, but is going to be hard to break since they both seem to associate it with a birthday morning. Soooo...as pictured below, Scott woke to find tractors hanging from the fan.
Someone was enjoying the great view we had of the tractor planting the field!
Happy Birthday, Scott!
Natalie reverted back to one training wheel. Better lean to the right!
Tiger in the cafe
Scott's dinner creations...be sure to notice the Cracker Barrel "LINDSEY" apron. I worked long there long enough during college to get my name sewn on the apron before quitting. A treasured keepsake!:)
Scott has been coming up with new ways to tow his sisters around the driveway. He even used bungee cords to secure Kate to her seat. Eek!
I forgot to document Natalie's dance recital from awhile back. She certainly enjoyed her year of dance classes again!
After finishing a meal, I turned to Scott and asked, "Do I have anything in my teeth?"
Scott took a hard look and then calmly replied, "Just plaque."
Never know what you'll see when you step out onto the back porch. Spiders...frogs...runaway HORSES!
I'm trying to recruit Natalie to stay home and homeschool Kate next year.
Nifty Natalie turned SIX near the end of May. She really wanted a "friend party" and talked about it for the past 11 months. I've banned her from planning her seven year old birthday party until at least March of 2017. :) She had a fun time with her cute, little kindergarten friends. Kate tagged along too and loved every second!
Scavenger hunt with Kate doing her best to keep up- snow boots on the wrong feet and all
I was able to be a chaperone on Scott's field trip to the zoo. We had a good day!
The kids have been making some adult like comments lately that have made me smile (and roll my eyes)...
Kate: I have so many problems.
Scott: It seems like I clean an area and it's clean and then I come back and it's not clean.
Scott: Can I sleep in tomorrow? I've been wanting to sleep in for a long time now, but people keep waking me up. (STORY OF MY LIFE FOR THE PAST 8 YEARS, SCOTT! And YOU, Scotty-boy, have been one of the culprits!!:)
Kate: I heard the Dakota alert go off. (our driveway alarm)
Me: Thanks for telling me.
Kate- That's what I'm here for!
Sprinkler fun!
Jon and my dad whipped out another shed. Neither wish to quit their day job!;)
The kindergartners had their annual KINDY 500 on the last day of school.
Natalie was very excited about this day! She lost her shoe and took a tumble on lap two. I was worried that this would put a damper on her excitement. However, when we got home, and Jon asked her how it went, she genuinely said that it went well and that she thought she won. :) In kindergarten, I guess everyone is a winner!:)
Natalie let Kate run a lap after the official races were over.
Natalie and her wonderful teacher...we will miss her!
Someone is excited to have her sister (and brother) home for the summer!
