Hamster birthday, boys, and the four heads

A birthday party for our hamster - the things we do for our kids! - was a success.  It actually began a few days before hand when our overgrown rat cute hamster, Lenny (a.k.a. Lenerny) was 'somehow' let out of his cage (we don't know who did it, but I suspect it was a little one with the name beginning with the same letter as Lenny) and the thing was loose and lost in our house for half of a day.  Half a day!  Thankfully Daddy came to the rescue and caught him just as we were putting the kids to bed (yuck, can you imagine trying to go to sleep knowing that ugly thing was skittering around your house in the dark?!).  Since then, Lenny has been on the brain and Emerson, doing what she does best, planned a celebration for him.  She decided it was his birthday - so it was.

He got a cake, a present, he was sang to, had party guests beyond our own little family, and got to run around the house again, though within the confines of his little hamster ball.

We're making memories, right?

I think Braeden was feeling quite left out, however, so right before it was time to celebrate, he went and did this!

He was riding his bike in the driveway and took a spill right onto his head.  It was a huge, scary, bloody mess and it was a little tense for a few minutes but after a call to the doctor and we got him calmed down, we decided he was ok.

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One of the blessings of living in our little home in our little town is our neighborhood.  We truly have amazing friends all around us, whom we trust and love, and I don't believe it's coincidence that we all have kids around the same age.  It makes for awesome summer days playing in each others' yards and driveways, where the moms can talk and watch our kids, with a few 'referee-ing' moments here and there.

Can you believe all these boys?!  All of these boys live within a house (or directly across the street) of each other (we're missing the littlest one of the neighbor babies in this picture, but the little boy I watch sometimes was here instead this day!)

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One of the funnest things we've done as a family this year is to take a very impromptu vacation 5 hours away to South Dakota.  It was probably one of the best vacations we've ever had!  It didn't come without the common family and sibling tension - there were a few of those moments if I'm going to be real with you - but the fun and quality time with each other outweighed the few tense moments that arose.

And let me tell you, if you ever head to Rapid City to see Mt. Rushmore, seriously consider staying at the KOA campgrounds only 2 miles away.   Totally worth it.  We camped in tents and it was SO MUCH FUN.  These pictures only show a few of the things to do there.  It doesn't include the two pools, hot tub, waterslide, horseback riding, live band, little shops, and $2 all you can eat pancake stand (I'm sure there's more that I'm forgetting), all of which were included in our very low price to camp there.  Seriously, take your family soon!

We drove by this and Jon and I both thought it had character, so we turned around to snap a picture.

Oh, and Storybook Island - totally free - and again, totally worth it.  Go!! 

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Catching up with an old friend.  We used to walk home together every day after school and as she reminded me, on the really cold days we'd walk to my dad's office where he'd give us a ride home.  We'd get to my house and grab some snacks, pick on my sister a little, and hang out.  We hadn't talked in years, but have been able to reconnect through facebook where I have been able to see that she was now married and watched her family grow when she had her sweet little girl, Lauren.
Since then I was able to follow her mom's amazing journey with cancer.  They gave her a short amount of time to live and miraculously is now fine.
She was recently in town and I was able to find a short amount of time to drive 45 miles to meet up with her, meet her sweet girl, and say hello to her parents, too.  I manged to snap these few pictures.

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Final thought:  Does anyone else out there watch Prison Break (other than you, Tammy and Shelly! :) )??  I'm hooked.  Jon and the kids are away (at the same time - a first in 6 years!) and I'm having a marathon tonight.  Why not?!  I get to sleep in tomorrow!  Woo hoo!

Thanks for sticking with me this long tonight.  Hope you have a great night!