So now that it has been more than 6 months since I startes the first half of our summer review, I suppose it is about time I finish it.
NebraskaLand Days Concert
As part of NebraskaLand Days they have all these concerts but the biggest one is usually a country music concert. This year the headliner was Brad Paisley, who happens to be one of my favorite artists. The show started with Jerrod Niemann, who is a newer singer from Kansas. Honestly he wasn't that great and fortunately he only performed for a half hour. After that was Blake Shelton. He is a great entertainer and was absolutely hilarious. Plus, he sings some great stuff.
Blake Shelton
Brad Paisley's show was good as well. After seeing him perform I can why he often wins the Entertainer of the Year award at the CMA's.
4th Of July
Not long after NebraskaLand Days came to an end it was time for the 4th of July. Apparently I didn't take any pictures but we had a lot of fun. We got together with our friends the Larsons for a hearty breakfast of biscuits and gravey and then they came over to play in our pool and wash the cars. After that we headed over to Pat and Bobbie's for their BBQ. Then we headed out to the stadium out here to watch the fireworks show. Shelby got bored and went to sleep. Nolan thought it was great and kept saying, "Boom! Boom!"
Lake Maloney
During the hotter months this summer we spent quite a bit of time out at Lake Maloney which is just south of town. The youth in our ward had a couple of activities out at the lake that we tagged along with Ryan for and Ryan was nice enough to take Nolan and his friend Cora out in the kayak. The stayed along the shore and Nolan and Cora just loved it.
Nolan and Cora being paddled around
We also spent quite a few evenings playing at South Beach on the lake. It is really shallow there for quite a ways out. Shelby just loves playing in the water. She'll kick and splash and just have a good time. Nolan isn't always so sure about the water. It usually take Ryan a good 10 minutes to get Nolan in and then he'll scream and fight it for a bit but he eventually settles down and has fun.
Denver Zoo Trip
In July we carpooled with the Larsons to Denver and went to the Zoo. We figured that Nolan loves animals so he would like the zoo. He loved seeing all the animals.
Nolan riding on Dad's shoulders and looking at monkeys
Nolan liked riding in the stroller and holding hands with Cora
The only baby animal we got to see was the baby orangutan. He was pretty cute though.
After walking through the entire zoo, the kids were pretty tired.
We also got to stop by the temple while we were in Denver so the kids could see it and then we did a little shopping and went out to dinner before heading home.
Birthdays
I was really sad I didn't get birthday pictures this year. We had our usual joint celebration and an ice cream cake since it was Ryan's choice this year. Then I surprised Ryan with a birthday party. He had told me that he had never really had a birthday party before and so I figured he needed one. His birthday was on a Wednesday, which is the same night as scouts. He told the scouts that he wouldn't be there that night because of his birthday. I passed information to the scouts that we would be having a surprise birthday party for Ryan and all they had to do was show up. I made up some invitations and passed them out while Ryan was at work. The day of his birthday I went to the church and cooked up about 4 batches of Pasta Salad, one of Ryan's favorites, and then went and picked up a cake and decorations. Our friend Lisa Simpson came and helped me set up tables and decorations. Pat and Bobbie came and picked up the kids right before 7 and then took them over to the church. I then made up an excuse about needing to drop something off at the chapel so that we had to drive over there. Ryan sure was surprised when we got inside and he realized what was going on.
Well, that about sums up the rest of our busy summer. It was hot but we spent plenty of time at the parks and enjoying the weather and friends.
