Corcoran Tractor Pull

It's fall tractor pull weekend!  I always volunteer at the gates, but this year we decided to bring the kids as well.  Before I headed out, the kids and I walked to Dairy Queen for an afternoon treat.

I was there early to help out, but Jimmy came with the kids just before the show started at 7.  We had chairs, blankets, ear protection, and plenty of snacks!  Esme loved seeing Jaxxon and Jameson too.

Parker loves his cousins so much.  Now that the boys are more interactive, I love to see them smiling together.

Parker was a bit wild at first, but calmed down and really dialed in to the show.

Jameson wasn't as big of a fan as Jaxxon, so he had some calm down time in the back of the car.

The rain was going to roll in soon, so we left early and beat the crowd.  We will definitely be back next year.

Happy Birthday to Us (and some other stuff)

Our birthday was on Friday, but we didn't have time to celebrate since Esme and I were leaving for family camp.  Jimmy made a cake for us to have on Sunday when we got back.

I love that we've reached the point that the kids can sing happy birthday by themselves. Sweetest sound ever.

He also made a yummy caramel apple cake, but that wasn't kid approved.

Our pool days are likely winding down now, so we are trying to get in as many as we can.

Parker's toe is looking much better.  He still has some healing to do from the blood blister.  We'll see how long it takes for the nail to separate.

I went in to the office this week to celebrate my company's 30th anniversary.  They had a food truck, ice cream truck, and manager dunk tank!  It was fun to see a lot of the team in person again.

Family Camp 2022

Our church hosted family camp last weekend at Camp Patmos in Hackensack.  Esme and I represented for our family with a girls weekend.  We headed north just after I was done working and it was a smooth, easy drive.

We stayed in the retreat center and had a two bed room with shared bathroom.  Esme really wanted to sleep in a tent, maybe next time.

She was up by 6:30 even though we went to bed really late and breakfast wasn't until 9:00.  We passed the time playing games and having snacks.

We got fresh made pancakes, strawberries and muffins for breakfast.  I also had some sausage.

Esme loved all the games they had to play.  She kept scoring in her own goal on foosball, but I let it slide.

She really liked watching the big kids play.

A big group headed out after breakfast for their bike ride.  Esme wanted to go swimming even though it was only 66 degrees.  It wasn't as cold as I was expecting and we had a good time.

We changed before lunch and played more games.  Esme was weirdly good at carpet ball...

Back to the lake in the afternoon as we waiting for the others to return from the bike ride.  

Esme really wanted to go down the slide, but was a little scared.  She climbed the ladder 4 times before actually going down.  I was hoping to get the first one on video, but had to just stay at the bottom to "catch" her.  I did get footage of the second time down in the video at the bottom.  She had so much fun with her little group of girls.  Ruby was super sweet letting Esme tag along.  She even turned down ice cream to play with her friends.

We got to ride on the boat and Esme went tubing for the first time.

It was nice having others to swim with us in the afternoon.  She got really brave in her life jacket and was swimming out to the lily pad to play with other kids.  We spent 5 hours total at the beach on Saturday.  We headed back to the dining hall and played some ping pong before supper.  She really liked learning to play this.  I'd love to have a table at our house some day.

Esme got to help Pastor Jeremy ring the the dinner bell.

Esme was eager to take a "twister" ride on the golf cart with Pastor Jamarcus.

We did worship and s'mores at the campfire after supper.

Cheers!

I thought Esme would be ready to hit the hay right away, but she stayed up late playing basketball with friends.

We woke up early again Sunday, packed and cleaned our room before getting some breakfast and playing for a bit.

Esme still really wanted ice cream, so I found the closest option which was just down the road in Nisswa. Superman for the win!

I was pretty wiped by the time we got home and ended up taking a nap for a couple hours.

Jimmy and Parker had a fun guys weekend as well with lots of bike, scooter, and 4-wheeler rides.  I am guessing there was some video gaming in there too.