I didn’t get to go out with the kids, but one of the hosting families had a boat and several of our kids got to go “tubing!” It was all fun and games until Zoe broke the innertube. Just kidding. It did break but not because of her. Even though I didn’t get to hang out with them on the boat, I got to hang out with the littles in the sand.
Yeah, awesome shot. Silly face.
We also had the pleasure of seeing the kids when they got back.
And hear about how it went.
The following pictures are from Zoe. I threw her my phone when Emmie decided she needed to have a walkabout during the presentation.
This possum was our absolute favorite. He was the cutest thing and was so sweet to look at. And for those wondering, Y was just as impressed as our kids. The guest started with small animals but as they got bigger, they all got more quiet and really enjoyed seeing and hearing about them.
We did play outside for a bit before the heat got to us.
S’mores….we love them.
And cool fire effects…in the 100 degree heat. 
We even got a fireworks display through the trees. Bonus.
Playing off of another friend’s idea, we created a fun trunk for the summer. Some days, it was full of fun stuff to do and others it just went along with what we were up to. We had sprinklers and crafts and all sorts of neat things. Here’s a small glimpse at what we did with our trunk.
Sprinklers.
Pom poms, contact paper, sharpie marker and tissue paper…wall art.
This was a lot of fun. I definitely think we will do this again next summer. It helped the kids to build up anticipation. Some things were put on hold because of the hospital trips, so we have a jump start. Some things, I didn’t get a chance to post because we were having too much fun. And some are their own posts of awesomeness.
In the middle of June, we got the call that Emmie’s new brace (the one just before the halo) was ready and Mark quickly rearranged his schedule and took off so that I could take Emmie for the short appointment. We both knew it would be a boring appointment for the kids but hanging out with daddy for a whole day would be totally awesome. It was.
Since this was my first, “Emmie and me” trip, I made sure we had a celebratory pit stop. At Ikea. Oh yes we did. There are some perks to having to drive to Atlanta for all of her awesomeness.
The appointment took a bit over an hour and she did a wonderful job. Despite the fact she was terrified every time she heard a door open or close.
I must say, she works this brace like the princess super hero that she is.
Complete with double pony tails. Oh yeah.
I found an etsy site called Higgy Bears after Emmie got her brace. This wonderful lady creates stuffed animal braces for children to have stuffed animals sporting their same sense of fashion. I knew she had the scoliosis braces but wasn’t sure if she could make something similar to Emmie’s brace. I decided it was worth a shot and sent an email. And she did it! I was totally impressed. I haven’t had time to email to see if she could do a halo brace now. But for now. Her LeighLeigh doggy is a favorite.
She even went back for her halo placement procedure. LeighLeigh, by the way, is after Emmie’s amazing orthotist who came up with this brace that was indestructible (stoppable only by the evil Kyphosis villain).
We met up with another host family/friends and the boys enjoyed a bit of soccer before the movie started.
Cow Appreciation Day is one of our families most anticipated holidays. We simply love it! This year we introduced Y the Brave to it. And, true to his personality, he went in to it with as much enthusiasm as we had.
Count ’em. Yep. There’s one missing. Want to know where he is?
We always have one little calf who is just not happy until after the food comes.
But this little calf thought the food was splendid.
Y thought that the cow was really cool and he wanted CeiRai and I to get in the picture too.
Because of time crunch this year, we did not drive out to the giant berry farm in a nearby town. We decided to try out the blueberry farm that we had seen several times as we drove to and from home on lots of different occasions. It was a hit and the prices were just as good as the farm far away. We went on two different trips and all total got about four gallons of blueberries. We’re hoping these will get us through at least most of the year. So far, so good.
Our second trip berry picking crew included friends from church.
I think he ate as many as he picked.
Y was the same way. He may have eaten a bit too many because he didn’t really want to eat anymore the rest of the time he was here.
Pick. And pose.
Fireworks on the 4th were a family affair. The rain didn’t want to miss out either.
Getting ready…
The audience
Papa, Mark, and Cousin J worked to put on a fun show.
That was slightly loud.
Not only did we have some fun inside, but outside was a source of a lot of activity.
Yeah, Papa has a zipline in his back yard.
Y ziplined so much that his poor hands got calloused. He loved flying through the air.
Then Papa broke out his lawnmower and trailer. 
Hula Hoop time!
Emmie getting a swing from cousin H. He had lots of questions about Emmie’s brace but he also had to tell me a lot about what has been going on in his neck of the woods. He always keeps us up to speed about what the other bunch is up to.
Eek. I have prettiest nieces and handsomest nephews. Can’t tell me otherwise.
Emmie was none too thrilled about riding on the lawnmower.
Sweet cousin A loved it!
Papa let some others drive.
And the big girls jump roped.
Mark got to try out his new birthday gift. A hammock.
His audience.
He said it was comfy.
Beautiful rainbow after a bit of rain.
A trying out sisters ear phones.
Pretty cousins.
Brothers.
The big kids table.
Hula hooping Zoe.
Releasing the fireflies.
Time for some watermelon eating with good ol’ seed spitting off the deck.
