Kinstetter Cousins at the Farm!

Alena loved all of the barn cats!  I bet she would have taken them all home had she had the chance!

Helping Auntie Karen to cap the honeycomb, then spin them to get all of the honey out!  Yum!

Levi got to ride behind the bigger boys, Baylor and Nathan.  Hold on tight, buddy!  Good thing Baylor is an experienced driver!

The girls, Alena and Leanna, had their very own pink Barbie jeep!

Alena is not an experienced nor attentive driver.  Leanna shouted for her to stop, but she either didn't listen or didn't know quite what to do.  Thankfully, she only ran into a hedge!

Levi got to switch places with Nathan, so he could ride shotty.  Of course, he saw a handle and made sure to hang on!

A big thanks to Kristin for being our host at the farm!  We enjoyed the time there with the cousins, and the kids each learned a thing or two!

Alena's First Dance Recital

Alena worked hard all summer taking dance class twice a week through the Summer Rec program.  On August 5, she had her very first recital.  She was placed in the back row, probably because she was very easily distracted!  After her classes, she would tell me over and over again that she needs to "stay on her 'X'" that was on the floor, so I'm sure that her young teachers must have been getting her to focus!  She did so well, and knew her routine (when her mind wasn't wandering).  She showed off her skills more during the dress rehearsal.  During the actual recital, the little girl next to her with the blue tutu on, got scared and started crying.  Alena stopped dancing, walked over, asked her friend what was wrong, and told her that it was OK.  I was so much more proud of her for having compassion for someone who was hurting than for perfectly completing the routine!  Just weeks before that, I had been praying that my kids would see the needs of others and respond to those needs.  And here was an answer to that prayer!  Praise the Lord!



Post recital jig!

***I've tried to load the video, but it hasn't worked.  Maybe I'll try it again in the future!

Quarry Quest 2012

This was our third year at Quarry Quest!  We got to the quarry right away when it opened at 9am, and it really helped us to get on more "rides" more easily.  Honestly, there's no way that at their age, our kids would wait more than 10 minutes for a ride.  We all had a fun time, though, and will be going for many years to come!

Alena is climbing up the first ride of the day... the huge front end loader!

In the driver seat!

Levi is not quite as seasoned as Alena is when it comes to being in close contact with real machinery, so Daddy made a HUGE sacrifice and rode along :)

Next, it was on to the exavators!

Mommy got to ride along with the little guy on this one!

Watch out!  Alena is driving! 

Alena sometimes "forgets" she is driving and gets distracted by other, more exciting things (in this case, a boy driving a Jeep... yikes!).  We'll have to keep that in mind in the future!

A grater!

Searching for fossils in rocks

Helping to build a bench.  She even got to sign her name on it when she was done!

Alena found a "dinosaur egg" and is using a hammer to crack it open!

She found a baby dinosaur!

Levi found a dinosaur egg, too, and Daddy is helping him to crack it open!

He found a baby dinosaur in his egg as well!

Our final ride on an enormous earth mover dump truck!

Levi enjoyed the ride on Grandpa Cance's lap

We love that Grandpa joined us for the day!

Labor Day Weekend At The Cabin

That's one cool dude sitting on his daddy's lap on the lawn tractor!



Lena and Grandma in the field looking for grasshoppers, flowers, and other insects.





Obligatory tractor shots








Levi's walking into the field while holding an empty wine bottle.  He really should have shared that wine with someone else!  What a lush!




Eric and I took a wheeler ride down the Church Road to a spot near the Popple River and went wading.  We found a super cool sand bar with very shallow water (the river was really low anyway) where we thought the kids might like to play.  So, the next day, we all hopped on the wheeler and waded amongst the crayfish, rocks, and water. 

 


Alena found a pretty feather and displayed it proudly! That's the girly girl in her, and we love it!

  


The little guy found the mud the most interesting part.  He'd pick some up in his stumpy hands and whip it down back into the water.  He is such a boy and we love him!





Daddy is showing her a tiny little snail.  She is so amazed by all of God's creatures and creation!  We love her curious nature and her vibrancy!



Packers Family Night

August 3rd, we made it back to Lambeau Field for the annual Packers Family Night scrimmage.  It was our first time an it was oh so fun!  We decided to invite family, but the only ones who were able to come were Uncle Steve, Aunt Mary, Brianna, Olivia, Grandma Hawkins, Grandpa Hawkins, Alena and Mommy.  Who won?  Well, the Packers, of course.  Somehow, they ended up with 5 quarters of play, field goal try after fieldgoal try, and defensive/offensive line players kicking fieldgoals!  In addition, we saw paratroopers parachute onto the field, 2 Pop Warner football games (complete with Lambeau Leaps for the little guys), a drumline, walking french fries, and lots of crazy Packer fans, young and old!

Olivia seems unsure if she wants to go into the gate!  Maybe there were too many people?

Brianna helped to keep Alena busy with her phone!  Alena loved taking pic after pic, just like cousin Breezy!

Having fun with Grandma

Uncle Steve's lap was a favorite spot for Alena!

Alena LOVED to do the wave!  Just like dancing for her!

In awe of the fireworks going off around the stadium.

Uncle Steve carried Lena out of the stadium.  Thanks Uncle Steve!

Packers 5k

Grandma Hawkins ran, Mommy walked, and Alena rode to the finish line of the Packers 5k Run/Walk. 

Though Grandma was in a wave way ahead of us, we were back in Wave 7, the very last wave designated for walkers with strollers.  Here we are waiting for the start... the actual start is way up the street at the little white frame.



Post race, eating snacks



The racers in front of Lambeau Field

Bay Beach 2012 Take 1



"Hey Levi, this is how you drive!  Watch this!"  As she doesn't watch where she's going...



"Hey, you'd better not be tryin to pass me!" 
Levi cried, kicked and screamed after we took him off of each ride.  He just didn't understand that it was the end of one ride and the we were going to another!

Grandma Hawkins, Daddy, and Alena taking a whirl on the Tilt-A-Whirl!

Tag team on the sky fighter!

And, driving a bug.

Eric is riding a green horse!