Camps

Hold on to your britches folks, I'm about to update the crap out of this blog.

Back in June, our church had all of it's camps for the youth, one right after the other. First was High Adventure for the older girls, so Cora went to that. They got to go paddle boarding, eat Vietnamese food, learn self-defense, do hot yoga, go creeking, and had a bunch of wonderful classes with wonderful leaders.

Then was Girl's Camp for all the others girls. I was lucky enough to be called as the Girl's Camp leader, so Madelyn and I headed off for a few fun and uplifting days. We did a color fight, a rope's course, meditation, swimming, a cool craft, and more great classes.

The next week was Boy's camp, for which I have no visual evidence, but Joseph had a good time anyway. Before camp the boys all made their own swords out of pieces of wood they were given. At camp they decided on something that they wanted/needed to give up in their lives, and then they burned their swords as a sign of that commitment.

Finally, the next week was Trek. Both Cora and Joseph got to go on that, and they both loved their "families" and had a great time.

I am really grateful for the opportunity that my kids get to have to go on these every summer, I'm really grateful to the adults who make them possible, and I'm really grateful for the years that I've been able to be a part of it. This was Cora's last year, and next year will be Alex's first. My kids are growing up so fast!

Another Teenager

This past year Madelyn has really grown into a young woman, and now she's officially 13.

We had a party for her on Friday the 13th. Her and her friends went out to the lake to swim, then came home for pizza and a scary movie. Cora made a unicorn cake that Madelyn requested, and I think it turned out so cute - her first time using fondant.

The inside was a rainbow!

Here are 13 things about Madelyn.
1. The most independent kid I know.
2. Sings opera in the shower.
3. She's going to be in choir next year.
4. Wants to be a lawyer.
5. Always looking for ways to earn money.
6. Loves to go to garage sales and thrift stores.
7. Has a unique style.
8. Is a pro at braiding hair.
9. Rides her bike everywhere.
10. Wears a choker every day.
11. Has quite the collection of stuffed animals.
12. Gets dessert first at a buffet.
13. Loves turtles and unicorns.

We love you Madelyn! Happy Birthday!

'Merica

I wouldn't compare the fireworks on the 4th of July here to the ones on New Year's in Germany, but it's close - they do go pretty crazy. A month before the 4th, there were huge striped tents set up all over our city and the surrounding cities. And a week before the 4th, they added huge blowup dinosaurs, gorillas, bald eagles, or whatever else would attract attention, and they were open for business.

From that time on, people were setting off fireworks every single night, and a lot of them - they didn't wait for the 4th. And I'm not talking about just sparklers and smoke bombs. They have the biggest fireworks for sale here that I've ever seen.

I swiped this photo (above) from the interweb, but that's how big they get. I heard they're even bigger in Missouri, and sometimes people go and buy them there and bring them back here, even though that's illegal. We didn't buy anything quite that big, but we bought an assortment of the "on sale" items, and did our own little show on the 3rd of July, while simultaneously watching the bigger shows in the skies to either side of us. We did it on the 3rd because we had other plans for the next day.

It's been a long time since we last went camping with our trailer, but we finally got it fixed up and ready to go, as well as new tires for the bus, and we headed just 20 minutes away to Louisville State Recreation Area.

It was beautiful. And we weren't alone - the camp ground and lake were packed on the 4th. Luckily, the next day everyone cleared out and there was hardly anyone.

We did a little bit of walking around on some trails they have, right along the Platte River.

There was a very small town nearby, but we went there to see a store we found through the Nebraska Passport program (I'll do another post about that later on). This store was called "Feathers", and it is an old home where each room has been converted into a different shopping venture. It's fun.

The best part of the trip was the lake at the recreation camp. It was really hot the first day we were there, but as soon as we jumped in the lake, we were good. The lake there has a really nice beach for swimming, and we rented a kayak and paddle board one day too. Cora had previous experience on the paddle board, so she showed us the ropes. Joe and I are hooked on the kayaks now ;)

 

It was a great first camping trip, and we can't wait to go again. But the lake itself has seen us another couple of time since then - we have an annual pass to the stake parks now, so it's free for us to go and swim there. Yay!

Happy Birthday America.

It's A Zoo Out There

I know you've all heard of the San Diego Zoo, but how many of you have heard of Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo? It's pretty freaking amazing. Does anybody remember the old TV show, "Omaha Mutual's Wild Kingdom"? It has absolutely nothing to do with the zoo. I just thought of it because it's Omaha, animals, and I used to watch it. But this is a post about the zoo. Oh good, a post about a zoo! I know that's what you're thinking. Oh good, there's going to be pictures of animals! I know that's what you're thinking. Well, you're welcome.

Like I said, this zoo is amazing! If you come visit me, I will take you to it.

The Lied Jungle is North America's largest indoor rainforests. From outside, it looks small and unimpressive, but the moment you walk inside you are blown away.

They had monkeys, hippos, snakes, frogs, birds, stingrays, and I don't know what else, but the best part was the bats. The bats were fascinating, and there were so many, and they were just flying around!

Looking at the bats from the inside.

 And outside.

I'm going to add this in there, even though it was from another visit - FEEDING TIME FOR THE BATS! It was seriously the best thing ever :)

Fun with vines

 Wild kids

The Suzanne and Walter Scott Aquarium is the largest aquarium inside of a zoo.

You've seen aquariums before, so I don't need to add any pictures, but couldn't you just watch Jellyfish forever? Hypnotizing.

Okay, let's be real guys. I started this post a MONTH ago, and am just now getting around to finishing it. Life, you know? If I was Joe I would probably say something like, it's been a zoo around here. Hopefully if you've made it this far, you aren't bored to tears, because it's only going to be more of the same from here, hahaha!

Bugs and Butterflies. I mean, they're pretty cool close up.

Lot's of animals getting frisky at this zoo, let me tell ya.

These pictures make me laugh, seeing how tall Joseph is. He doesn't even have to try to reach, and Cora could barely jump that high, lol ;)

We watched them training lions, and that was pretty cool. It was a hot day (not that I'm complaining) so only 1 of the 3 lions wanted to come out and do this - they don't force them to train.

 Alex couldn't wait to see the Red Pandas. They're his favorite!

 I loved watching the gorillas and  monkeys. There were BABIES!!! So cute :)

 The Desert Dome is so unique, and was one of my favorites - probably because it reminded me so much of Utah :) It is the largest indoor desert, and the huge dome has become a landmark for the city of Omaha.

Last of all, no matter how old you are, you can't resist playing with a giant ball floating on water.

We've got annual passes to the zoo, so we're trying to go often. Because they've got so many exhibits indoors, it's great to go no matter what the weather is like outside. I don't think we'll get sick of it anytime soon.