Does anyone remember how stinkin' hot it was last summer? Try to remember that and hopefully this post will help warm you up on a cold winter's day. Here is part two, letters N - Z, of our ABC's of summer vacation as I catch up a bit on 2012 blogging. Read A - M here:
A - M of Summer Vacation
N is for NIGHTTIME SNACKS
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| Grandma, cousin Henry and Papaw starting the campfire at the river |
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| Henry, age 2.5, enjoying his first s'more. Welcome to the club Henry. |
O is for the OLYMPICS
We enjoyed watching the summer Olympics with the added touch of our very own homemade Olympic torch thanks to George.
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| George showing off his new torch. |
P is for PRESCHOOL BLESSING
Andy finished his first year of preschool with a special singing program for the 3 and 4 year olds. As he promised before the event, he did not sing a single word. He stood in the front row in his bright yellow shirt with his lips firmly pressed together. He is a man of his word.
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| Andy during the program |
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| "I do not want my picture taken Mommy." That's our boy. |
Q is for QUITE A DAY AT THE BALLPARK
Zack and I attended the Founder's Day event at Busch Stadium in August. Season ticket holders are invited to meet and get autographs from current and past players, enjoy free peanuts, popcorn, hot dogs, soda and ice cream at the food stands, walk the warning track on the field, play games and visit the Champion's club to see the World Series trophies. We got two of the tickets from Fabick's allotment. Thanks Fabick! We had a great time.
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| Zack with Daniel Descalso, current 2nd baseman |
No explanation is really needed. More fun times at the river!
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| My mom playing baseball in the yard. Yes, you read it right, MY mom was playing ball in the yard. It was great! |
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| Andy driving the neighbor kid's Gator. He was in heaven. |
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| George and Henry playing in the pool. |
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| Hi Mary! She was sitting out watching all the action. |
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| Papaw on the boat. |
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| Mary's 1st 4th of July |
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| Cousin Alex feeding Mary. Alex was so good with her. Very impressive for a 13 year old boy. |
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| Andy, Zack and George at the indoor water park in Dubuque. This annual outing has become a trip highlight for the kids . |
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| Mary is ready for a boat ride. |
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| Mary and Alex |
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| George flying high on the bag swing. |
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| Grandma and Mary |
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| The cousins, George, Alex, Zack, Mary and Andy |
S is for SWIM TEAM
The boys swam for the Chadwick swim team for their 2nd year. They practiced for 45 min. - 1 hour each day and participated in 5 meets. Zack swam all four strokes this year: freestyle, backstroke, breast stroke and butterfly. Way to go Zack! George swam freestyle and backstroke. He has an awesome backstroke. Andy did the kick board relays which is pretty cool for a four year old. We were very proud of all three boys for their hard work and great effort.
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| The swimmers at Chadwick pool: Zack, George and Andy |
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| Andy doing the kick board relay. He did 25 yards all by himself. |
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| Zack after a race. |
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| George jumping in off the starting block. He hasn't mastered diving yet. :) |
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| George doing the freestyle. Look at that little head. |
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| George ready to go for back stroke. At one meet, he was messing around under water and missed the start. From then on, the coaches made sure he was up on the block ready to start. |
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| Zack won the 110% award for his age group, 7 - 8 year olds, for giving 110% every day at swim team. The coaches choose who wins this award. This is his 2nd year winning it. We couldn't be prouder of you big guy! |
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| The boys with their swim team trophies. Andy is so excited to have his first ever trophy. |
T is for TRUCKS AND TOILETS
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| Papaw |
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| Alex |
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| Andy |
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| George |
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| Zack |
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| Joe and his boys |
U is for UNCLE DALE AND ANDY
Andy "helped" my dad's buddy Dale, known as Uncle Dale to my kids, drive his truck from Dale's cabin down to dad's cabin.
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| Don't they just look like trouble? |
V is for VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL
"Sky" vacation bible school was big fun for a week in June. This was Zack's last summer to attend as a camper, the ages are 3 - 4th grade. Wow. Andy not only didn't sing during the final program, he sat on the floor the entire time instead of standing up with the group. Zack and George performed quite well.
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| Andy, Zack and George in the hot air balloon. |
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| Mary at her brother's performance on the last day. |
W is for WEDDING
After five years, it was finally time for another Powers family wedding. Hooray! Trent Powers (my first cousin) married Kimberly Johnson on August 18. We couldn't be happier to have Kimberly in the family. She is a wonderful, beautiful, smart lady and a great match for Trent, our sports lover.
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| Mr. and Mrs. Trent Powers |
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| We tried to get a family photo. You can see it was a struggle. Mary is screaming, George was having trouble looking at the camera and Zack looks nervous. Of course, Andy has the best smile ever. We tried. |
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| Jen, Mary and Grandma Powers |
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| The Hested family minus Julie: Dad, Jalene, Jennie, Mom |
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| Sister and brother: Trista and Trent |
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| Joe zipped right out there when they said it was time for the Daddy-Daughter dance. What a proud papa! |
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| Jen and Mary |
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| More cute cousins: sisters Amy and Ashley. |
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| The 1st generation of Powers kids. Mom, Sharon, Mary, Tom, Nancy and Lynda |
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| Trent, Grandma and Kimberly |
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| Tonight's gonna' be a good night. Jen, Colynn, Lori, Amy, Bryce, Jillian and Sharon |
X is for XTRA SILLY BOYS READY FOR SCHOOL
4th grade for Zack, 1st grade for George and pre-k4 for Andy. Hip hip hooray!
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| Can we do silly faces Mommy? Does Mommy really have a choice? |
Y is for YUMMY FOOD WITH FRIENDS
Our June meet and eat gathering included smoked turkey, pork butt and brisket. Joe was on a roll. Good food and good times with friends.
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| Andy and Connor |
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| Ben Brinkley, Garrick Hamilton, Joe and Mary, Brandon Clough |
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| Beth Brinkley, Katie Hamilton, Val Clough and Diane McQuade |
Z is for ZACK TURNS NINE
Zack celebrated his ninth birthday playing miniature golf with a few friends. His birthday gets me every year. How can my baby boy be turning 9? He amazes me each day with his ability to learn and figure out things. He'll tell me something that will often stop me in my tracks. He has a math mind and loves the challenge of new math problems. He's an avid reader and just soaks in information. He loves a good joke and can't get enough of them. His goofy sense of humor is contagious when he is chuckling about the punch line to a joke. Zack is adored by his younger brothers and baby sister. He is definitely the ringleader and often their teacher, coach and cheerleader. Despite being ultra competitive, I've seen him change the rules to make sure his little brothers win at whatever game they're playing out in the yard. He dotes on Mary and will do anything for her, including changing her diaper. Zack hasn't found a sport he doesn't like and is very coachable. He tries hard and will do what the coaches ask of him. He's an active guy, keep him moving! Zack is growing up to be a confident and responsible boy and his mommy and daddy are proud to be his parents. We love you Zack!
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| Zack is 9! |
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| Eli, George, Zack, Max, Ethan and Jack |
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| 4th graders to be: Max, Zack, Ethan and Jack |
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| Zack got a new bike for his birthday. |
HAPPY SUMMER!
