The HENDRICKSON Family: July and August Fun

JULY

We watched the local fireworks we some friends on July 4th.

The county we live in ordered a mask mandate in July. Masks are required in public buildings and in places that may be crowded and people are unable to socially distance 6 feet apart. Whether we agree with this mandate or not, we want to me good examples to those around us and especially to our children. We are following the rules set forth and will be respectful to those in authoritative positions. We did not have a mask that fit Silas very well at first so he wore this navy bandana, (like a little bandit). I did not have it tied tight enough one day while we were out shopping, so after telling him 32 times to quit touching his face and bandana, I tied it up on his head like this... (pictures below). This worked well. It was tight. He quit touching it. And, several people in the store got a good laugh at his masked appearance.

We found this little Box Turtle in our yard early one morning. The kids enjoyed looking at it and feeding it lettuce and June Bugs that day. Later that evening we put a small x on it so we would be able to recognize it if we found it again, and then released it back into an area of our yard.

We went to a showing of the "SANDLOT" movie with a big group of our friends. A local theater is letting individuals request movies, and rent the whole theater as long as you have a minimum of 20 people come to watch the movie. It was a fun afternoon. Below, just a small picture of some of our friends that were able to go to the movie too.

We enjoyed another short trip to Dad and Mom's house for some fun. The first evening we were there we got to go fishing southeast of town at some big farm ponds. It was a fun evening.

Phoebe hooked into a big Channel Cat right away!

Popee helped her hold the pole and get off the dock and down closer to the shore to reel it in.

It was about a 5 pounder!

Sarah caught several Perch and Crappie.

Silas also caught Perch and Crappie. He also started baiting his own hook that night with minnows, holding fish, and attempting to take them off his own hook...all by himself!

Phoebe caught some Crappie too.

Fishing with Popee (my Dad) is always fun.

We got some good laughs one night at Mom and Dad's house as we brought boxes up from the basement and went through some things. The Halloween costumes were great! We thought some of it was so funny we had to facetime Lindsee to show her and give her some laughs too.

We found several old wigs that provided funny hairstyles along with funny clothes.

We went camping two nights at Melvern Lake towards the end of July with friends. Dad came out to join us and pulled some of us around the lake on the zip-sled and on the tube in the afternoons and evenings.

Silas is getting pretty daring on the zip-sled. He kind of reminds me of my brother, Matt, as a kid on the zip-sled. Matt would have tried just about any trick out there in the water too. He was never scared of falling off that sled or crashing into the water hard.

As the sun went down that night, we headed back to our campsite for a yummy lasagna dinner and some laughs with our friends. Silas and Eric stayed up late fishing while the girls and I headed for bed in our tent down by the water. It was a calm evening and we could see lots of stars in the sky.

The next morning the kids were up and in the water early. Our friends had a new "lily pad" for the kids to play on out in the water. They all had fun climbing on, trying to stand, and pushing each other off into the water over and over.

We enjoyed some games of "Bottle Bash" after lunch that day.

The kids, after lunch, ready to swim some more! Left to right, Abigail, Shawna, Felicity, Sarah, Phoebe, and Silas.

Steve and Traci brought the Jet Ski and lots of floaties for the everyone to use.

The view of our (tent) campsite from out in the water.

The kids and a few adults really loved getting to zoom around in Popee and Nanee's boat and ride on the tube. For some of them it was their first time to be in a big ski boat and to get to ride on a tube. I think they all loved it.

Our family had a great time together, getting away, being outdoors, and hanging out with friends.

In mid July, Eric and I took the kids to a new place here in Wichita call Splash Aqua Park. It is a place with huge floating inflatables that you climb on, slide down, swing around on, fall off of, and just have a lot of fun with friends and family there. It is a little expensive in our opinion, but it was something we had promised our kids we would try at some point this summer, so off we went to give it a try. IT WAS A LOT OF FUN!!! For real. (When you pay you reserve a time slot of 1-2 hours of water time. Life jackets are required and provided for every participant.) Unfortunately, we did not get any pictures of ourselves while we were there, but they do have a website.

Here is a link to their website to view what it is like, prices, and get other information.

Click here - Splash Aqua Park ICT

About halfway through our time there the girls and I decided to race each other from one spot on an inflatable to a huge slide a good distance away. I was bound to win. I took off running and slipping a little to get there first. I was in the lead with Sarah close behind me when I took a turn (slip) for the worse... I heard and felt a pop in my left ankle as I fell off the inflatable and splashed into the water. IT HURT SO BAD. I tried not to cry as I told the girls to just find Daddy, because I wasn't sure if I had broken it or what. Eric got to me and jumped in the water, but obviously couldn't do much since we were in the water, a long ways from the shore. He offered to pull me around to the shore as I just floated there, but I didn't want anyone to touch me so I slowly made my way to the land myself and hobbled out to sit and wait. My ankle was swelling and felt hot. It was difficult to walk. We iced it that night, and to the doctor I went the next morning. Boo!!!!! It was badly sprained and had torn ligaments on the outer left side. Doctor said at least 6 weeks of low activity and wearing some sort of boot or brace while it attempted to heal itself. So I got really sad. I have never had an ankle or leg injury of any kind. I had been working really hard running every morning to get back into shape, and I was really excited for some more water skiing this summer...just like that all my active summer plans for myself were cancelled too...just like most of the other great exciting things that should be happening in 2020....

Then, I had a little surgery on my left arm. I had three cysts that were getting bigger and one was compressing the ulna nerve near my elbow. They needed to come out. I had this surgery done on July 27th. Eric took me too and from surgery, but could not go in with me. I had about a two inch incision on my left forearm and about a 3 1/2 inch incision down around my left elbow. Afterwards my arm had to stay wrapped for two weeks until I came back for my follow up appointment. At this appointment the bandages came off and I found out that the cysts were not cancerous. Now I'm just waiting on my arm (and my ankle) to get healed up so that I can lift heavier objects again, run, water ski, and do fun things. Below, is a picture of my arm after the bandages came off.

Eric and his good friend Roby have been going fishing together. They have had some very successful trips lately.

AUGUST

We celebrated Silas's 8th birthday on August 8th!

He has a new love for fishing. (Eric and my Dad are very excited about this new love.) We have permission to fish (catch and release) in the pond by our house. Almost every day now, Silas asks us if one of us can go to the pond with him so that he can fish.

One time while I was down there with him he caught this bigger Perch.

We had another fun few days with Popee and Nanee. We went farm pond fishing again the first evening that we were there. I caught an 8 pound Channel Cat, with Dad's help, of course!

The next day we spent time at the lake tubing and riding the zip-sled.

And, on our third day, before heading back home we squeezed in a morning of GREAT farm pond fishing north west of town at our friend's house.

We caught fish after fish for almost three hours! Phoebe caught the biggest Bass - 18 inches long!!!

Even Sarah, had fun, and caught lots of fish. Sometimes she gets bored and doesn't enjoy fishing as much as the rest of us do, but not today. She told me that she thought today was her best day of fishing ever!