We headed to MO on July 1st for five days of fun with family. June 30th and July 1st were a bit of a blur as we processed Brandon's eye issues. On the morning of July 1st the kids and I were actually planning to head to MO without Brandon. This is something that none of us was happy about, but we knew it would be best for the kids to maintain the planned schedule. Someone from church brought Brandon to an eye facility about an hour from our home. The kids and I packed and there were lots of big feelings, loud screams, and slooooow packers. In the end, this was all a good thing as Brandon called me mid-morning and said that they were doing a minor procedure and he would be able to travel! We were all so thrilled. I can't imagine how sad it would have been for him to be here while we were making memories with his family. We were able to pick him up on our way. Poor Brandon was in so much pain after the procedure. They gave him no pain meds, a fact that still confuses me months later.
Brandon was able to sleep while I drove and woke up feeling quite a bit better. Our drive was fairly uneventful which is my favorite way to travel. We were so excited to be safely in MO. Of course this was the time that Delta was really ramping up in MO so we were trying to be extra careful and outside whenever possible.
We only took one photo from the day...
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I felt so sad that he was in pain and so thankful that he could join us in MO.
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On July 2nd we had a slow morning at Tom and Judy's. The girls played Play-doh and games and I walked in town.
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Aunt A let the girls style her hair and feed her their play-doh pastries.
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T: I was so excited to be with A!!!
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We headed to the lake sometime in the late morning. We ate at the marina and spent many hours on the water!
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In our happy place.
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Hairstyling while waiting for the food to arrive.
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The girls were given a small amount of money to buy a treat at the store. They came out with MANY treats. Apparently, being cute paid off. A worker asked them everything they wanted and allowed them to get it for the $2.00 they had between them. They came out with multiple bags of skittles, a bag of gum, a bag of rootbeer barrels and more.
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T: Charm can get you anything!
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There are so many boat pictures. Here are some of my favorites!
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T: I was feeling sleepy and cuddly on the boat.
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The wind on our faces!
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The adults! So happy to be together!
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T doesn't love tubing without Brandon who couldn't tube. So we watched together.
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| Joy! |
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Every moment felt like a gift!
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The lake was SO empty. We couldn't believe it. It was the perfect day.
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Someone fell asleep
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We transferred her into Brandon's arms.
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Grandpa Tom on one ski!
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Looking good, M!!!
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Aunt A was in the water helping get started!
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She is up!!!
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Yay, T!!!
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M: No trip to the lake is complete without driving the boat.
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Brandon took a picture of me without me knowing. So thankful for the joy and contentment I felt when he took it.
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Feeding the fish.
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After many hours and another meal at he marina, we came home, showered and the kids headed to Adrienne's house. M was overjoyed (and emotional) to see Brandon's cousin T.
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M: I was so happy to see T. T: Want to see a trick I can do with my eyes?
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On July 3rd we slept in and relaxed. I did another walk in town while the girls played some air hockey.
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They are actually getting tall enough to play!
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At mid-day we headed to the office for dental exams. No cavities! Yahoo! The girls explored the office and went out on one of the balconies.
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It looks like they are on vacation.
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This is how Brandon found us after his exam. I know that T and I were both sleeping!
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After exams it was time to head out to the farm. Time at the farm is filled with many, many traditions and it seems that more are added each year. Everything was a bit sweeter this year as we were not able to be together in 2020 due to covid. This year we spent most of our time outside and wore masks when we needed to go inside for the bathroom or food.
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T: I can still get water from the pump.
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M: I can't get enough of T time.
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Patriotic Beauty.
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Elsa was a good sport.
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BJ was also a good sport. He is wearing every parade decoration.
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The annual ball game.
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A new tradition this year was going up into the barn loft. A bunch of people went up searching for treasure. M and Brandon joined them.
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| Everyone is searching for a prize. |
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M: It was a pretty cool place.
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Brandon told M about his last time up in the hay loft with his Grandpa. It happened just a few days before his grandpa died. This spot of was location of their last real conversation. It was a special time for all as he told the story.
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A precious moment.
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Father/Son selfie
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What long fingernails you have!
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Elsa is such a sweet dog, I don't even mind her that much.
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Ready to ride.
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Another year, another parade!
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The boys on their bikes.
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Tom on the 4-wheeler with the perfect parade wave!
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Everyone takes a turn on the wagon.
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A view from behind.
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T: G (T's girlfriend) is so wonderful. He better marry her. (I wouldn't be forward like this, but I can guarantee that T is!)
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So much fun!
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Some year I will remember to bring a roasting stick, but since I usually don't we have to get creative. Uncle Curt does a little tree trimming and I create a roaster.
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Look at that service!
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| Teamwork! |
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A brother/sister photo shoot. I can't choose which I like most.
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Silly pose
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Sweet pose. They get along so well. It is very fun to watch them interact.
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Judy and her siblings decided to take a picture together. What they thought would look really cute (peaking out from behind the tree) was not the best pose, but it was fun to watch them.
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Hmmm... this isn't working.
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No, this isn't a great pose either.
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Much better!!!!
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Silly pose!
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Uncle Curt recently bought a new tractor. What started as a sibling pose quickly became a place for everyone to pose.
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This is a fun one!
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Then Curt decided to start dumping them out of the bucket.
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Cousins in the bucket with Curt peaking through the middle!
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The grands!
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A little ride!
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A cheesy bucket photo, of course!
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The T and G got a little sillier.
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Chris stealing show with a kiss for Judy's sister...
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... and a nice pose with her hubby too!
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Everyone needs a pose!
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The whole gang!
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One last ride!
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Time for rockets!!! Brandon's eyes didn't allow him to help as usual so there were some technical difficulties with the set up.
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Almost ready to launch.
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Ready for the show.
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There is goes!!!
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Brandon took a series of photos with his phone during lift off. I won't caption them, but they are pretty cool to see.
After rockets we had actual fireworks and another late night for all.
On the morning of the 4th we headed over to Judy's sister's house for family pictures.
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Grandma Judy and the grands.
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The whole family!
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The grands
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Not sure that A and A can see T's bunny ear attempt, but it sure made me smile!
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Can you see their personalities?
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I am pretty sure we will get a copy of the "good one" at some point, but these candid shots are filling me with joy today.
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One more!
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Our family pose one.
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Our family pose two.
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One of them likes it.
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.... well maybe she has had enough.
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After the photo shoot we headed back to Tom and Judy's for lunch. Tom's brother and sister came for a visit. We had not seen them for almost 4 years so it was great to catch up.
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They look so much alike!
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Seriously, so much alike.
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These two don't look alike, but they are alike!
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M and T: We had fun with Uncle Rick!
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Comparing their tans. All three have darker pigment.
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The siblings.
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The whole crew.
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Mandatory silly photo.
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Laughing and telling family stories!
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| You can tell these two are related as well. |
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After the visit we had a bit of time to rest and relax and chat. It was a beautiful day and we were enjoying a vacation moment.
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The sun on my face!
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After some moments of relaxation we headed back to Judy's sister's house for fun and play and food.
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T: I love exploring in the creek.
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Their very own park.
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The girls enjoying G.
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T set up her own rock shop.
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We had another late night with family. We decided we were not in a hurry to get home, so we took things slow on the 5th. Brandon rode in his uncle's Porsche.
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Looks like a classic summer time view.
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Car photo... I do love the color (all our cars are red)
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One last cuddle.
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One last snuggle.
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Heading home.
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Extreme relaxation.
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We had a great time in MO. It felt like such a gift after covid kept us apart and then Brandon almost couldn't join us. The day after we returned home summer school began and the days were wildly busy! Having the relaxation time in MO was just what we needed before the summer craziness.
