happy 4th of July

I know I'm a few weeks late, but here are our pictures from the 4th, (the camera ran out of batteries before the fireworks... oops!) We enjoyed the fair they set up at Wanaka lake. Natalie loved the bounce house.
Jackson would have loved to join her but those bigger kids are a bit too rowdy.
And Natalie got to ride Cinco again - he's the same horse she rode last year at the peach festival and she has a stuffed animal she's named after him!!
She also ate ice cream and got a balloon dragonfly! And she stayed up for the fireworks for the first time and was very impressed with them. She's at such a fun age right now - there is so much to do!

ice cream social at the zoo

Last year there were many tears when I found out too late, (i.e. after we made plans with Natalie to go) that the icecream social at the zoo was sold out. So this year we learned from our mistake and bought tickets ahead of time. It was lots of fun with icecream stands all over the zoo serving up Blue Bell icecream with lots of topping options. And the weather was just perfect. It's always fun to go to the zoo off hours when there are fewer crowds and the animals aren't so hot. Jackson enjoyed his first icecream tastes!
And Natalie chose the Krazy Colors "flavor", (vanilla in vivid red, yellow, and blue hues.)
It was a good time.
We went home late, sugar loaded and happy.

Summer Camp

I wish I could go to camp. Especially if it was this camp! Natalie had so much fun at Sunflower farms that it will definitely become an annual event.

She and her friend Kylie were in the Blue Dog group together.
It was hard for me to say goodbuy - I guess I'd better get used to it since she's off to preschool this Fall... It was the first time I'd ever packed her a lunch!! But she did great. She barely even waved, and I had to steal a kiss.
There was too much fun stuff to do there.

I snuck around a bit after I'd "dropped her off".

Did I mention I want to go to this camp?

Jackson liked it too.

When I picked her up she was sleepy and wet from playing in the water. And her backpack was full of freshly sheared wool! I think she had fun.