Hershey and Lancaster

more pics Canoeing

We had three cameras going so I have lots of fun pics. Here is our day at the lake.

My Dad's Visit

Ward came for a seven day visit and we had such a great time. We tried to cram in as many activities as possible. I don't know when my Dad will be able to make it back and I wanted to share a little of the East Coast with him. We went to the Flight 93 Memorial, to Lancaster to visit the Amish, to Hershey Chocolate World, to The Jean Bonnett for a special Father's Day dinner, to our local lake canoeing and fishing, and last but not least, spent two days in Washington DC. Now if that isn't busy, I don't know what is. I bet my Dad went home and was happy to go back to work so he could slow down a bit, lol. My kids had a great time with Grandpa, especially Kaden who spent as much time as possible harassing him and getting it back, just as badly. Kaden and Grandpa rode in a jet flight simulator at the Air and Space Museum. Ward told Kaden not to be a wimp and so when they got inside, Kaden rolled the thing like seven times. Those two would make a dangerous pair if they were around each other on a continual basis. My Dad really liked visiting the Amish in Lancaster County. We took a buggie ride to a small Amish store. Ward rode up front with the Amish man and asked him all kinds of questions, mostly around farming and their way of life, but they had a lot to discuss. I think Ward was Amish in another life. Canoeing and fishing was another great day. The weather was perfect but the fish weren't biting (that probably had something to do with all the kids swimming about) but we didn't even get a nibble. Not that Dani didn't try. She sat there all day trying to catch one little fish. Dani, Ward, and I went out on the canoe and paddled all the way around a little island. We were pretty good by the time we got back. At Hershey Chocolate World we went on a ride that shows the behind the scenes of how chocolate bars are made, sat through the 3D show, and bought everyone chocolate gifts. We even bought Grandma Patti a special post card......I wonder if she ever got it? In DC we purchased tickets to ride the double decker buses around town. We saw all the typical sites and learned first hand that there just isn't a good place to stop and eat in downtown, DC. We finally found a place so far off the bus route that Kyle had to call a taxi cab to get us back on track. Dani and Ward would have loved to see more of the Smithsonian but there are so many museums and so little time in one day. And I went back to DC and STILL haven't been able to go to the Spy Museum. I am telling you, DC is like a week long vacation trip (If you bring your own sandwiches!) I am certain I have left out half of what we did. It was so wonderful to have some time with Ward. Thanks Dad for taking some time to visit my family. Thanks Dani for making him take some time off to spend with us. You both are welcome back any time. We love you!

The finished product

So we had some grand ideas for Kaden's castle project but we were very limited on time restraints. Because of Karson's softball games, the entire weekend and the fact that I needed to paint Kaden's room, we were not able to follow through on all of our plans. Anyway, the castle had to have a few things, a moat, a drawbridge, towers, a keep, a stable, a gatehouse, defenses and an outer wall, and it had to look like a period castle. You could not use food and it had to be able to fit on your desk. So this is what we were able to come up with. My hope is that one day Kaden will plan ahead when he has a school project and not wait until the last minute. UHG!

Karson's team....third place

Karson's softball team came in third place in the tournament. But they got really big trophys for third place and truth be told, they were a little tired and glad to get out of the heat, I think. They still had a game Monday night, which they won. During the entire tournament, Karson only struck out, once. It was a lot of fun. Go Bison softball.

Karson's first strike EVER!

What an exciting moment for the Ellingson clan. Karson pitched her first softball game. She did really good for how nervous she was. Her coach thought she was going to shake right off the pitchers mound. But she settled in and did just fine. She even did a great job fielding in that position too. You go girl! I had a friend tell me that she can't believe Karson is old enough to pitch already. I know that she is, but she looks so little out there.

Another softball injury!

Karson just gets back to softball from the broken arm and gets another injury! This time she was learning to bunt.....with the craziest pitcher on the team......scary. Anyway, she didn't get out of the way quick enough and took a ball right to the ankle. OF course she didn't tell anyone and when she got home from practice, this is what her ankle looked like. She has a big tournament this weekend so I have a feeling we are going to be going through the ice. Poor Karson, she really needs to work on her reaction time.
And then just a few cute pics of the girls cause I love them so much.