Rapid City 2023- part 1.

The girls and I spent almost a week in Rapid City, SD and had lots of fun! My grandparents live there and don't travel anymore, so it was special to be able to see them. We came two years ago (the first time for the girls), and it was fun to come again for them to have some memories from before and be excited to return. Kley stayed home to work, so he wasn't able to join. My aunt/uncle and three cousins live there too. My cousin's daughter, Rachel, is 10 and they had a blast together. We got to meet my other cousin's one month old daughter, Harper. My parents and siblings were there too, which was amazing!

Love this pictures of Papa and Gigi with all the great grands that were there!

It's been two years since I've seen my grandparents in person- I will treasure this picture forever. Thankful for Facetime so we can still talk and see each other!

We went to Reptile Gardens, which was fun because we didn't do that last trip, so it was something new. The gator and snake shows were very interesting! They had lots of beautiful flowers too.

Lucy took these next couple pictures and she was proud of them- I told her they were pretty good!

Touching the python- Lucy and Ellory did it!

The whole group at Reptile Gardens.

Touching the baby crocodile. 

They had paddle boats where we stayed and the girls enjoyed it!

We visited Story Book Island too, which is special to me because I have memories of visiting there when I was younger when we visited grandparents. It's such a neat place with lots of Disney/classic story characters and play lands. We rode the carousel and train too!

Cousins on the train.

Aunt Kayla and Lucy.

Neat picture of Norah and my grandpa!

I know I've said this over and over, but big group family pictures just make my heart swell. Traveling with a bunch of kids isn't always perfect, but so worth it. I'm so glad we came. :)

Norah and Murphy. Norah is the oldest cousin on both sides, just like me, and it's so special to watch her cousin bond with all of them. Lucy and Ellory have it too, but it's different with Norah because she's older. They look up to her in a different, super sweet way. 

Al's Oasis was a spot we always stopped when we traveled there as kids, so it's fun to stop there with the girls too!

Father's Day 2023.

Happy Father's Day to the best- we love you and are so glad you are ours! Thank you so much for all you do for our family!

Strawberry picking 2023.

Strawberry picking is always at the top of our summer bucket list and so happy we could make it happen this year! We had a great weather day, picked the most we've ever picked (and shared lots with neighbors), had fun with friends, enjoyed strawberry donuts and shakes for lunch, and loved the mega play land. A great day!

Love the sign pictures each year!

Finding some good ones!

Fun to go with good friends too!

Feeding the goats.

Big slide- so fun you get to go down on a tube.

Grateful for a special summer day with my girls!

Norah's first communion and dance recital 2023.

Norah recently took her first communion! What a special day. So thankful Jesus is in her heart and proud of how she is growing in Him. We love you Norah, and He loves you most!

Norah also had her end of the year dance recital with her tumbling class. She did great and it was neat to see how much she had improved! She started midyear, because she had been asking a lot to do it, and she really put her mind to it and enjoyed it- go Norah!

Great job, Norah! It was fun to watch you!

And super special that both sets of grandparents could be there!

Here is her professional picture! :)

Summer T-ball and softball 2023.

Summer T-ball and softball is in full swing! We love cheering you on and watching you learn new things- go Royals and Twins! And way to go Kley for being an amazing coach!