The HENDRICKSON Family: Summer Fun Times

Here are some of the other FUN things that we got to do this summer, month by month...
June

Botanica

The girls went to Botanica with Silas and I for his Garden Sprouts class. This month's class was called Birds In The Garden. We learned about different birds, their nests, their eggs, and the sounds they make.

Silas got to make a bird nest in a bowl to bring home and put outside. The thought was that maybe some birds would come take things out of his bowl to make a nest around our yard. I am not actually sure that happened. He put his bowl on the porch at our new house and the wind blew it all over a few times. He collected it all as best he could each time it got blown away, but eventually most of it blew away or I threw it away.

We walked around the gardens, played the big instruments, and looked at the fish.

Clint Black and John Michael Montgomery Concert

On a Saturday evening in June we went to a concert in a park in Andover. There was a million people there. John Michael Montgomery was first. He sang a lot of his good songs that I remembered from when I was in high school. We each had a snow cone from one of the food trucks....for dinner. They were probably the most expensive and yummiest snow cones ever. We were all hungry.

Unfortunately the Clint Black portion of the concert had to be cut short due to bad weather headed our way, lightning and lots of rain. We walked about a half mile to a mile back to our vehicle carrying our chairs with the crowd of a million people. As we got in the vehicle and started to drive away it started to rain down on us, hard, even making it very hard for us to see well as we drove slowly home.

Little Snake

Silas found this little snake in a Tupperware container under the bleachers at one of Sarah's softball games in June. He brought the container to me and asked if I would help him get it out. NO WAY, buddy, I said nicely, but firmly. I don't do snakes. At all. Ever. There was a nice girl that was sitting close to us that helped him out though. I think the snake was a little upset at being closed in that container, but didn't seem to mind Silas carrying it around and holding it for the next 45 minutes till I finally talked him into letting it go in a field.

Silas is getting pretty brave about bugs and critters. This could be good or bad.

Swimming Lessons
All three kids took swimming lessons in June. Phoebe was in level 2. Silas was in level 1. And, Sarah was in level 4. They each did well learning to be better swimmers and practicing their swimming strokes and skills.

Below, Silas coming down the big blue slide and Phoebe swimming across the pool by herself.

Flip-flops and water shoes = Pool ready

Popee and Nanee came and watched lessons one day to see how well they each were doing.

Sarah went off the high dive a few times during the 2 weeks of lessons.

She is becoming a good swimmer, getting better at diving, and can hold her breath for longer amounts of time.

Phoebe likes going down the big blue slide too. She went off the high diving board 1 time.

On the last day of lessons Silas was feeling brave and even went off the high dive like his sisters!

Daddy was able to come and watch on the last day of lessons.

July

4th of July Fun

The kids participated in some small town 4th of July fun activities this year. First up the Frog Races! Silas and Sarah each took one of our toads to race. We were a little out of our element this being our first Frog Races... There were several kids there with huge Bull Frogs.

Silas's toad jumped well, but just wasn't quick enough to beat a big long-jump'in Bull Frog.

Sarah's toad didn't take off very quickly and was beat by the Bull Frogs too.

Silas is determined to participate in the Frog Races again next year, but to have a Bull Frog instead of a toad.
Next up, was the raft races at the pool. The kids were divided by age divisions. Silas's age group went first. They were supposed to jump in from the side of the pool onto their raft and paddle all the way across the pool. Silas had a hard time getting on and staying on his raft. A lifeguard helped him get on.

Once on, he didn't want to let go of the raft to paddle, so he just kicked one leg. Hilarious!

Phoebe went next. Of course she got the yellow raft...

Paddle Phoebe! Paddle!

Sarah went last. (pictured below on a pink raft on the far right)

She dominated her first race, making it look easy.

Then she had to go again against the winners in her age group.... (blue raft this time)

She did not do so well this round, but smiled the whole time. I think she just wanted to stay in the water and swim.

That evening we met up with some of our friends and watched the fireworks together.

Below, Hannah, Sarah, Silas, Quinn, and Sophia.

Little Green Stick Bug
One evening we found a little green stick bug at our new house. We managed to catch it and brought it home to take a closer look at it the next day and then let it go on some of our flowers.

Ice Skating
Popee and Nanee came one day in July to go ice skating with us. The kids had never been ice skating before, and it had been a very long time since Popee or I had been. We posed for Nanee to take our picture before heading out on the ice.

We all did alright. The kids and I stayed close to the wall for a lot of laps. Each one of them had some hard falls to the ice. A few days later Phoebe's elbows were still black, purple, and blue and very sore.

Sarah took right off, like the athlete that she is, venturing away from the wall and trying to go fast. You can see by the ice on her pants though that she had her share of falls that day too.

Popee got Phoebe to skate away from the wall more and more as we were there. She got better and better as she skated along listening to Popee.

Silas was the slowest skater of us all, and he fell a lot. After awhile he really just wanted a chance to skate with Popee but couldn't catch up with him. Finally Popee slowed and waited for him, then did a lap or so with him.

It was a fun day for all of us! We were glad you could come skate with us, Popee!

Little Green Frog

Eric found this little green frog with sticky feet in our flowers. We did not know what kind it was, but the kids liked looking at it. Silas and Sarah both held it.

Popee's Birthday

We celebrated Dad's 68th birthday at the end of July. We took him out to eat at Olive Garden.

August
Another Stick Bug
Silas found another Stick Bug at our new house in August. A bit bigger and brown this time.

Zoo

The kids and I went to the zoo one cool morning. We picked up some breakfast at McDonald's and had a breakfast picnic there before we started looking at all the animals.

There were two baby Buffalo and two baby gorillas.

There was a crazy Turkey that really liked Silas. It kept "talking" to him and followed him back and forth along the fence line for about 10 minutes. Just back and forth, and back and forth.

This Rooster wasn't scared at all of Sarah.

Caterpillars to Butterflies
Our neighbor gave Silas some caterpillars off of one of her plants in her herb garden. He watched them each day until they all went into their cocoons.

Then one day, we went outside and they were all coming out of their cocoons. One one day, and a couple more a few days later, and then a few more a few days after that.

They are Swallow Tail Butterflies.

This one didn't fly right away. I think his wings may have still been drying out a bit. It climbed all over Silas and he and Sarah took turns holding it.

We let them all go out by our flowers.

Fishing with Popee
A few days before school started we took one more trip to visit Popee and Nanee. Popee took us fishing at the park one evening.

Silas was excited because he caught a little Red Eared Slider Turtle. Popee easily got it off the hook and Silas let it go back into the water. He also caught a bunch of little Perch.