Independence Day

Here is the rest of the story of our grand adventure to Kansas this June/July...

Katie and I took the kids to three different pools on this trip and the coolest pools have the silliest rules. I'm sure they make sense to somebody but not to Abi. Some pools won't let her wear her floatie which is a life-saving device considering her lack of fear of the water, and some pools don't let her go off the diving board, and worse of all, some pools make the young kids sit out for 15 minutes every so often. That is like hell on earth for not only Abi, but for the adults (me) trying to keep her out of the water and not making too much of a scene (good memories). The last pool we went to was our own hometown pool and I have to say, it might be my favorite despite the lack of cool slides and toys because the lifeguards are so chill! Abi was able to finally fulfill her dream of jumping off the board and needless to say, she was in love! Thank you, Centralia Pool life guards for making this a memorable experience for her!

Yay for small town pools!

These pictures didn't turn out super well due to the lack of light and the excited movement we couldn't contain but I love how excited these kiddos were! I love partying with family! Oh, and while the kids think the glow sticks are for fun, they really are a must for safety after dark so we know where they are, especially when fire and explosives are a part of the fun. :)

Excited for the firecrackers!

One thing on our to-do list was to go fishing. Uncle Shane was especially excited to go. Unfortunately for us, it was quite rainy, wet, and muddy when we went which was fine except for kids can't keep clean. So we didn't last long, but we did manage to catch a fish for Abi to see. She loved it!

Abi gets to touch a fish!

Dream come true right here!

Daddy trying to keep fish from getting injured

Katie was the only one who caught a fish and she caught two! Haha! Yay, Katie! You conquered that task! This will be your job in the zombie apocalypse.

Aunt Katie trying to keep Abi from kissing the fish

Could NOT be happier

Grammy and Granddad love to spoil the grandkids which is perfect! So Grammy bought the grandkids special birthday cake flavored ice cream! I don't think I even got to eat any come to think of it...

Special ice cream from Grammy

This is one of my favorite memories with my dad when I was this tiny - watching Pink Panther cartoons. Abi loves it, especially if it delays her bedtime.

Watching Pink Kitty with Granddad

James was so sweet to follow Abi around while we waited for the parade to start so I could sit on the blanket and rest. :)

Waiting for the parade

After the lucrative parade, we went to the park to play on the bouncy house and the giant blow-up slide. Abi enjoyed it but it was so hot! She and I both needed a serious nap.

Sisters!

With night came the big fireworks at the lake! It took a little convincing for us to get James to let Abi stay up late to watch them but we were all so glad we did! She loved the fireworks! She kept calling them stars and saying, "More stars?!" It was frankly the most adorable thing ever!

Sitting in the truck bed

At one point, Abi said in a sweet airy voice, "So pretty!!!"

Watching the fireworks at the lake

On our way to the airport, we stopped at Nebraska Furniture Mart which is the coolest furniture store, and I found my new dream chair. :)

Coolest family reading chair ever!

You have to feel a little sorry for the people sitting in front of Abi - haha!

Ready to fly, sort of

Since Nemo has been a favorite of Abi's lately, James brought a Nemo stuffed animal to keep Abi happy on the flight home. She was quite happy to have such a fun new toy. :)

Flying with Nemo!

Overall, we loved our trip to Kansas just like always! Thanks, Mom and Dad, for the awesome memories!