Lake Front Property

We rec'd a lot of rain in June!  It didn't rain everyday, but when it did rain it would rain a lot.  A few times this spring we had water back up near a drain in our backyard, but nothing too serious.  One morning I got up and found that we had lake front property.  I had no idea that it had rained almost 6 inches while we were sleeping.  We weren't the only ones with water issues around the area.  It took a little bit for the water to go away.

Panoramic view from the deck!

Doyle Wedding

Nate's friend Jeff got married on June 28th.  Nate was asked to be in the wedding as a Groomsmen earlier in the year.  Than about a week before the wedding they asked if Gavin would be a ring bear.  Of course we couldn't say no, so I quick went on Amazon and found a Dark Gray Suit for Gavin to wear.  Kaitlyn was a little disappointed when I told them they didn't need a last minute flower girl, but I did buy her a cute "wedding" dress so she wouldn't feel left out.  About 4 days before the wedding they asked if Kaitlyn could be the flower girl.  (Hind sight I am so glad that I decided to get Kaitlyn a new dress.)  I said she could, but had no time to find a dress and that they would have to be happy with the dress I had already purchased.  (Ironically the wedding color was purple and Kaitlyn's dress was white with purple flowers.)  I guess it was meant to be.  Here are some pictures from a few days before the wedding and the day of the wedding.  We were all too busy and I completely forgot to take family pictures.  (Bummer because we all looked so nice.)

Gavin loved wearing his suit that I had to hide it so he wouldn't wear it until the wedding.

Four Wheeler

We bought the kids a fun Powerwheels Four Wheeler. It was a special order that our friend was able to get through Polaris.  So fun!

Gavin was so excited to take it on a test drive!

Taking a spin around the house.  The neighbors even came over for a test drive!

Doing tricks!

Kaitlyn's turn!

Here are some funny pictures that I took a few weeks later.

Kaitlyn giving Cousin Brady a ride on the four wheeler!

Who doesn't do trick in their batman underwear on a four wheeler in the driveway?

Winstock - Mudfest 2014

Another great year at Winstock (aka: Mudfest).  We had one great day of sunshine and warmth.  So happy we got out there early so we could enjoy the sun and dry conditions.  Saturday was a different story.  We woke up to lots of clouds and pending rains.

Our one nice day before raincoats and boots.

Aimee, Steve, Nate, and I after spending the evening standing in cold rain waiting for the concerts.  At least we were still smiling.  Hoping next year has better weather.

Two 5K's in 24 hours

Timing is everything... I had signed up to do another fun 5K at the State Fair grounds called the Electric Run.  The race started at dark, so it wasn't until 10:30 that we finished the race.  This race wrapped around the fair grounds with lots of fun things to see.  I ran with Angie Maetzold and we actually ran the whole race.  Yeah!  This was the first 5K that I didn't walk.  I was so happy that I accomplished a race.  My run maybe slow (10-11 minute) miles, but at least I was running is my thought.

Pre-Race Photo: Nikki, Jennifer Jackson, Alicia Hilk, Angie Maetzold, Stacy Henning

My race buddy!

After race photo! 

After race photo under the black lights!

The next morning was the Mayer 5K race.  I had signed up earlier in the spring to train for a 5K course offered in-town.  Of course I had already ran a few 5K's and I thought it would be a good opportunity for me practice and learn some new techniques for running.

Kaitlyn participated in the kids 1 mile and did awesome.  It was raining, but we made the most of it.

Kaitlyn finishing the race!

Way to go Kaitlyn!

Mid Race!

Almost to the finish Line!

Completed!  And I ran the whole time again!!!

This race was timed.  I finished in 36:52 minutes! (11:52 per mile)  My best time so far.  Some experienced 5K's may think this is slow, but for me... It was a victory!  After 2 races in 24 hours I got home and spent a little bit of time in the hot tub recovering.

Kaitlyn - First Grade

Wow - who knew that First Grade would go by so fast!  Kaitlyn had an amazing teacher: Courtney Johnson!  She started in a new school and grew so much in one year!  Here are some pictures from the school year that her teach took and gave to us.

End of the year party in Ms. Johnson's class.  It was fun to watch all the kids do their skits.

Ms. Johnson and Kaitlyn

A cute picture of Kaitlyn that her teacher took during track and field day.

I was able to take the day off and go to the end of the year field trip.  We started the day at the Children's Museum and ended the day at Como Zoo.  It was a perfect day to spend with an amazing group of 1st Graders.

Kaitlyn's First Grade Class at Como Zoo

Kaitlyn on the last day of 1st grade!

Here is a side by side of the first and last day of school.  Wow - she surely grew up from the fall.  Not a little girl anymore!

The Paint Factory

The newest trend are these painting and wine classes.  A group of us met in Hutchinson to attend my first painting/wine event.  I was a little nervous as I had never painted a picture on canvas before so I wasn't sure I could even match the painting the instructor was doing... well guess what... I did and my picture was a pretty good match to the instructors.  I could have used different colors, but thought that for my first time I should stick with what the instructor was doing.

Jenny Nace and I enjoying some adult beverages while we painted!

Our group and our finished pictures!

The Mayer Girls! Alyssa, Kari, Nikki, and Jenny

We had so much fun!  We can't wait to go again!