Omaha! During the third week of June the kids and I drove out to Omaha to be with Papa Kay during his recovery. Callie's family also came so it was a fun party all around, although we certainly missed Jason.
Here's Papa Kay watering the plants with his snazzy oxygen backpack. My Dad loves to be up and doing.
We made some adjustments to the oxygen tubing since Pickles was visiting. We figured that keeping the plastic out of puppy reach was a wise call. After all, she ate a sticky hand last week.
Life with a pug is a beautiful thing. Talia has a special pug puppy connection that extends two generations now.
While NomiAnn and Papa Kay are the best reasons for coming to Omaha, Hummel Day camp is another great excuse. Annika and Eila got to enjoy a couple lovely days there before it got cancelled because of severe storms and flooding.
With camp cancelled, we went on other great excursions like this trip to the Omaha Zoo. (Anders didn't join us because his camp at Creighton was indoors and unaffected by the storm damage.)
In case you want to know the effect of screens on kids, note how Annika and Eila are watching the monitor, oblivious to the actual sea lions swimming around a few feet away.
But hey, they perked up for the red panda! I'm glad this little guy chose to hang out since this was the animal Eila most wanted to see.
On to Alaskan Adventures.
This gorilla and Annika seem equally intrigued by each other.
The Orangutan forest is new. We only spent a moment there, so I look forward to exploring it more in the future.
We did hang out long enough to find Eila's birthday buddy Suri featured on the orangutan video. Surianna was born five days after Eila.
On to the see the monkeys at the Lied Jungle.
Wrapping up our day with some tasty treats.
While I don't remember for sure, I'm pretty certain that NomiAnn, Callie, and my big kids were all thrifting while I took the littles to the zoo. They had lots to do to get Brooklyn ready for her mission.
Other cool things that happened--Brooklyn and Eli went to the final game of the College World Series! It was so hot that one of our Omaha friends posted that you couldn't pay her to be there. Well, our kids were there and had a great time, all thanks to Papa Kay's. Another very special moment was attending the Winter Quarters Temple on behalf of my Grandma Helen. With storms wiping out the electricity at the temple the day before, it took literal miracles to make everything happen, but it all worked out beautifully.
The next day we all decided to hang out and play at the park together. The newly developed riverfront area gets nicer each time we come! Papa Kay brought his favorite chair to join in the action.
I'm a little nauseous just watching the spinning...
Gliders extraordinaire: Eli, Talia, and Eila.
Brooklyn joins in the fun.
An illustration of how 19 and 17 year-olds enjoy the park.
Gorgeous photos of Brooklyn and her NomiAnn. I'm posting them all because I love them and I want to!
A little Pickles love.
Some more close-ups of Talia, Eila, and Papa Kay.
Now onto some backyard fun--the slip 'n slide! This is always a fan favorite.
A few more candids from around home: Adam and the new baby.
Anders discovered a new way to don an eye mask.
And what about these peeping teens? Here are Brooklyn and Talia in the trunk of the mini-van as we piled everyone in to experience the Wildlife Safari. Too fun! The more, the merrier.
It's not often you get to see herds of elk so nearby.
Annika peeks out the sunroof.
Bonding with a goat. Despite the blistering heat, she would have sat there and chatted with her friend for hours.
Before long, it was sadly time to get back on the road to Salt Lake. I was so grateful to Talia and Brooklyn for all their help driving! Even so, the trip is lengthy. Here we are stopping for lunch at Vedauwoo Recreation area outside of Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Even on a road trip, I guess I can't stop hiking.
NomiAnn and Papa Kay, thanks for another wonderful summer week in Omaha. We love you both and look forward to seeing you soon!
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