Lindsee, and Will went with us one day in early August to the Exploration Place. We hadn't been in a few years so it was fun to see some new things and experience some old favorites.
The kids especially liked building waterways, building towers, and taking Will into the Tornado chamber.
There was also a fun dog exhibit that told a lot about dogs and different breeds of dogs.
We spent a day at the Sedgwick County Zoo with Lindsee and Will.
Some friends and I were invited to attend our school district community event. It was a day of learning about our district, schools, staff, students, and education in Kansas.
While I was at the community event for the day, there was an Aunt, Uncle, and cousin hang-out going on at our house.
We spent a morning at Botanica with EP, Lindsee, and Will. We hadn't been here for a few years either so there were some exciting new changes that we got to see and experience here too.
We had a little fun pretending to be turkeys....
Lindsee really got into it! HAAAHAHA HA!
Below, is a very cool art project that was still being worked on at Botanica. This butterfly was painted on a large wooden board. Bottle caps are being used/recycled to fill in the painted areas of the butterfly to create a bottle cap collage
We found the kid's brick that Nanee and Popee purchased in their honor. It is along a path entering into the children's garden in Botanica.
Of course, some of us needed to pretend to be a Monarch Butterfly too.
And, the kids all took a ride on the newly refurbished carousel.
There was a little more pretending at Botanica.... Quiet Silas. Look out for the trolls! Oh no, its got Phoebe!
Before our trip to Colorado Eric and I had the kids let Maui (the little turtle) go. Silas was pretty sad, but we assured him it was best for the turtle, but he had gotten pretty attached watching/observing the turtle and caring for it for almost two months.
We attended our cousin Kathryn's wedding the night before heading to Colorado. We all had a lot of fun visiting with family and friends, eating a delicious dinner, and dancing the night away.
Above, Lindsee, Johnna, and Stacee. Johnna is Kevin's mom, my mom's Aunt, and Kathryn's Grandma. .Below, Cindy, Gloria, Paul, and Kevin. Mom and Kevin are first cousins.
We had a good trip to Colorado. We were there from August 7th-12th. We spent lots of time, hiking, hanging out at our cabin, and doing fun things with family.
We spent a day at the North Pole in Colorado for Silas's 10th birthday.
Popee and Nanee stayed at a hotel with a swimming pool so the kids did a little swimming.
The Flying W Ranch was a highlight for ALL of us.
Silas turned 10 while we were in Colorado. We celebrated there and some more when we came home.
He requested fruit pizza for his birthday dessert.
When we got home he got a present from EP, Lindsee, and Will that he had really been wanting... The Nerf Super Soaker! So that night the cousins tried it and his new water guns out.
The kids and I went to eat at Freddy's the day before school started to celebrate school starting the next day.
Silas's first day of school was August 17th. He is in fourth grade this year.
Below, with his friends, Camden, Isaac, and Tyson.
Phoebe and Sarah's first day was August 18th. Phoebe is in 7th grade this year. Sarah is in 10th grade.
Sarah was thrilled to receive her paper after volleyball try-outs that told her "SHE MADE THE TEAM!" Yay! We were also super excited about this news too.
Phoebe also made the middle school volleyball team, and then was told she would be part of the A team for her school. Yay, Phoebe!
Silas and I came home from school one day to a huge Bull Snake in our window well. Bad news! A few toads seemed to be missing. But I needed some big help fast. I. Don't. Do. Snakes. I called Eric and he couldn't get there quit quick enough. I also called my friend, Jenny. Snake Emergency at the Hendrickson house! Come quick! She came right over and Eric got home and they managed to get that almost six foot long Bull Snake out of the window well (alive) and Eric relocated it to somewhere farther away from our house so that it would not ever come back. Yuck!
The chickens are back at our house! Yes, you read that right. The coop and run were moved back along with our four feathered friends, to their now permanent home, with us. Bring on the eggs, ladies!
Sarah played with her JV volleyball team in the Campus Fall Preview scrimmage. They did well. And, she had some extra fans there to cheer her on.
Will wanted his picture taken with his two favorite Campus volleyball players, his cousin Sarah, and his swimming instructor Miss Mac.
Below, "Pop Buddies" - Popsicle eating buddies
Silas got a few birthday gifts from Popee and Nanee when we visited them later in August. Thanks Pop and Nan for the gifts and fun times every time we come to visit you!
