Family Vacation #2

On Table Rock Lake

The day after we arrived in Branson, we rented a pontoon boat, water skis, a wake board, and a tube. Table Rock Lake has 745 miles of shoreline...plenty of room! The weather was a bit cool, but the water was warm, and we spent 8 hours out on the lake!

Skiing and Wake boarding

Putting the skis on in the water

Katie in the water, getting ready to wake board

A couple of the spills...

Tubing 

Abby and Riley

Riley and I

Brady and Katie

 FYI: No one got permanently injured. :-)

Pics of Silver Dollar City coming soon!

Family Vacation #1

Our family vacation this year was a trip to Branson, Missouri! We enjoyed our time there so much. It was great to have time together as a family, and the whole trip was a lot of fun. We drove through Kansas and Missouri, and enjoyed the scenery a lot! In Kansas, wheat harvest was in full swing, and we passed a number of combines out in the fields. In Missouri, there is an abundance of pastureland, which eventually changes into rolling, wooded hills. I wish I could capture the beauty of God's creation with a camera, but when you're traveling down a highway, it's pretty hard to get pictures out of the window!
We stopped at the Missouri border, though, and I got a picture by the sign.

We stayed at a cabin in Branson, and felt at home immediately. The cabins were so clean, and I loved the decorations!

Living room

A bedroom

Bunk beds in another bedroom

 There were two bathrooms in the cabin, 

and each had a Jacuzzi tub!

Fireplace in the living room

There was also a closed-in porch, a nice kitchen, a washer and dryer, and a tv in the living room and each bedroom, with quite a collection of movies. A cabin, yes, but a very comfortable one!

A couple of family pictures...

More pics coming!

Aurora Parade

Aurora, Nebraska, had a parade on June 22, and Dad, Brady and I rode our unicycles in it! We also put together a float for the members of our church to ride on (Faith Community Church). Mitchell Quiring drove an antique John Deere tractor pulling a hay wagon, and some of the people from church rode on it and threw candy, also refilling the candy buckets for us unicyclists.
The theme of the parade this year was "Country Roads take me Home." We put a little twist on the theme, and painted a couple of signs saying, "Narrow is the Road that takes me Home," since we were representing our church!

Brady is riding his tall unicycle. And yes, that is me on the horse, 

complete with boots and a cowgirl hat. :-D

Dad arranged for the hay wagon and the tractor while Mom, Katie and I painted the signs. A special thanks to Mitchell for driving the tractor, and to Lavern Quiring, the owner of the tractor, for allowing us to use it!

Happy 14th, Brady!

I know...it's a few days late. But better late than never, I always say! ;-) His birthday was really on the 21st, which just happens to be the first day of summer. Here are a few pictures of his birthday cake that Grandma Juzyk made on Sunday. A unicycle...perfect!

What made me laugh was the way that the cake got picked over so quickly! 

Everyone made a mad dash for the Oreos. 

Notice the boys on the table...

                                        Needless to say, it was a big hit! Thank you, Grandma!

Some highlights of Brady's past year:

~Riding his unicycle in several parades

~Playing soccer

~Working with Dad

~Making toy guns out of metal pipes and wood

~Having lots of fun with cousins in Kansas

~Riding his bike for 13 miles one morning

The meaning of his name:
Brady~Strong in Spirit
Alan~Cheerful one

Ephesians 6:10
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.

Baby Raccoons!

Gabe and Zach Honken, two of Riley's friends, came over today, and brought two baby raccoons and a turtle with them! The raccoons were as tame as kittens, and would even purr when we held them. The raccoons were found in a little den, and the turtle was found by the side of the road.

 The underside of the turtle's beautiful shell.

 The kids and the coons in the sandbox!

                      Trixie and the raccoon, who didn't quite know what to think of each other. :) 

 So cute!

God's handiwork is so evident in these little critters!

Real Fun

My cousin Amanda rode up from Kansas on her Honda Shadow. Of course, Dad had to try it out, and us kids were eager for a ride as well. It has a lot of power and gets up to speed in just a few seconds! 

Riley 

 Colby

 Abby

 Brady

 Katie

Me

Thanks, Amanda! And thank you, Dad, for the great rides you gave us! =)

Horseback Riding!

Katie and I had a chance to go riding today! The weather was perfect, around 80 degrees, and it was a lot of fun! The horse's name is Nevada, and he is a mustang. He was originally running free in the state of Nevada, and was broken and trained by my uncle Buck. Katie and I have been riding him for 5 or 6 years now. 

Happy Trails!

Oh Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!

Psalms 8:9