Summer Fun and a Scary Swim

School may have started, but the hot August weather still has me thinking of summer.  Here are a few photos our lazy days before school buses and homework. 


Bellevue Berry Farm:
We discovered this great berry farm just a ten minute drive from our house.  These pictures are from our first visit when we had to search carefully to find ripe berries.  When we went back last week with Aunt Callie, red raspberries beckoned to us by the thousands.  Yum!

Find, Eat, Repeat.  Annika's a quick learner.

Talia, Brooklyn, and Annika with their baskets full of berries.

Taking a break to play.  What a fun way to spend the morning!

Lake Manawa:
And now for the perfect way to spend a relaxed summer's evening--at Lake Manawa in Council Bluffs Iowa.

I do believe this is NomiAnn's vision of heaven--snuggled up in a blanket right next to the water.

Playing amidst the trees.

Frisbee: our official family sport.

Our tree huggin' Annie Mae.

A lovely ending for any day.

Fort Atkinson:
Despite the fact that it's only fifteen miles from downtown Omaha, I visited Fort Atkinson for the first time this summer.  What's Fort Atkinson, you say?  Well, let me tell you.  Because now I know.

Fort Atkinson is a state historical park located in Fort Calhoun, NE.  It's the site where Lewis and Clark first held a council with Native Americans west of the Mississippi in 1804.

These bronze statues reflect Lewis and Clark giving a Peace Medal to the Oto-Missouria Indians.  Talia's a recent addition.

Brooklyn and Talia hitch a ride during this monumental council held by the river bluff.  (Hence the term Council Bluff.)

Lewis and Clark suggested that "Council Bluff" would be an excellent site for a military fort.  Per their recommendation, Fort Atkinson was established in 1819 to help protect the fur trade along the Missouri. 

Operational through 1827, Fort Atkinson was not only home to Nebraska's first military outpost, but also Nebraska's first library and school.

The kids, however, were most fascinated by the old jail.  Talia's definitely in trouble!

There were some very creative punishments, including standing on a stump with your crime etched for the world to see.

Brooklyn's holding up two fingers because she wants to be a "Desserter," not a "Deserter."

Omaha Children's Museum:
We didn't make it to the Children's museum until the very end of summer break because our membership had expired.  We waited until August to renew because the summer crowds can be crazy.  Taking a break made the museum feel new and exciting all over again.

Here's Brooklyn at the new Dino-dig exhibit.  She makes a great paleontologist!

Talia pieces together a dinosaur of her own...

...before morphing into a butterfly.

I didn't get any decent pictures of Annika or Eli, but that's definitely okay since we'll have many opportunities to go back while the big girls are at school.  (As in, we've already been twice in the five days since school started.)

Water-Lovin' Fun
Last but not least, a few pictures of our water-crazy Annie Mae.  I wanted to show off her unusual soggy pattern--drenched, but only on one side.  How does that happen?

Well, let me tell you.  1.  Find a puddle.  2.  Sit in it.  3.  Lie down it with one ear submerged in the water, rubbing your head back and forth just to make sure your hair gets as wet (and dirty) as possible.

Baby, your name is Trouble!  Good thing we love you.

This next picture is cute but oh-so-scary.  We had this baby pool tilted up against our shed in the backyard when a large rainstorm came through and partially filled the pool without our realizing it.  Before we knew it, Annie Mae had climbed in fully dressed for a swim.

Adorable as she may be, this picture is a heart-stopping reminder of how vigilant I need to be when it comes to watching my babe.  The water may not be deep, but it's still enough to drown in.  This back corner of the shed is quite hidden away, so it would have been easy to miss her unchaperoned "swim."

With four kids, it's hard to keep track of everyone at the same time.  It's fair to say that I push the boundaries of being overly lax or even careless.  This picture reminds me that no matter how much energy it takes to keep a close eye on the brood, it's worth it.   Our babes are just too precious to take chances.