Knoebels

Aunt Kristy has been itching to go on some "adventures" with the kids this summer.

So, yesterday we took a short day {or should I say evening} trip to Knoebels.

 

It's about a 2 hour drive from home and is like a super-sized old time carnival.

Parking is free,

Entrance to the park is free,

You just pay for tickets to ride what you want.

 

We chose to go on Bargain Night when you can get a handstamp for unlimited rides for only $12 from 6-10pm.

When we went to our local carnival recently a wristband cost $15, which means this was a much better deal.

 

So it was a long drive but well worth it!

 

We left home around 3:00,

and got there early enough to park and find something to eat.

Once our bellies were full it was just the right time to walk over and get our handstamps.

 

Then...

Kristy and I took the little girls over to kiddie land while

Sean and Aidan went off in search of more thrilling rides.

 

Maura and Tatum

...and Audra too

 

 

 

 Maura happily rode all the kiddie rides with Tatum. 

Audra rode a few, but she much preferred being pushed around in her princess chariot {stroller}

 

And, Riley was even there !!

He enjoyed playing the games more then the rides.  And he was happy to sit and keep Audra company while the other kids were on rides.

 

 

We've been to Knoebels a few times so my girls have definitely gotten good use out of the shirts we bought on our first visit.



We left the park just before it closed at 10:00pm and managed to get out of the massive parking lot before most of the crowd.  It was a long 2 hour ride home but the kids sure did have fun for just $12 each !!

24 hours of SOCCER !

This past weekend Aidan and Maura participated in a 24 hour marathon soccer tournament!

It is a unique soccer tournament held in memory of a former member of their soccer club...

a young girl who died of ovarian cancer when she was just 12 years old.

 

This tournament is a massive fundraiser for The Sarah Parvin Foundation,

and the goal is not to win and be the champion...there are no medals or trophies. 

The purpose of the tournament, besides raising money for an important cause, is to improve skills, strengthen partnerships and have fun!

There were over 200 teams with participants of all ages and the games ran non-stop for 24 hours straight...all through the night!  Nearly 1000 soccer games were played in those 24 hours.

Both Maura and Aidan's travel soccer teams participated this year.  Each team set up camp and luckily Aidan and Maura's teams were right near each other. 

Canopies, chairs, coolers, food, snacks, drinks...

There was a designated area for RV's and campers, and then the rest of the perimeter of the club was "tent city"...tents of all shapes, sizes and colors.  And thousands of them!

 

It was a very hot day...the hottest day of the year so far!

We bought a few "chilly towels" and they worked great at helping to keep us cool.

 

Aidan's tent:



 

Maura in goal at sunset...

 

 For fun they had some inflatable water slides for the kids,

which worked really well for cooling down in between games.

And Maura volunteered herself for the dunk tank!

 

(Aidan on the left)

 

Aidan took a rough hit in one of the games, and since this tournament is such a big event there were medics and ambulances on site.  And well, of course they thought he needed to be checked out, so off to the ER Aidan and I went in an ambulance.  I really thought it was unnecessary but you never want to be that parent who denies medical care in from of hundreds of people! 

In the ER he checked out fine and was discharged quickly, problem was...

There was NO way Sean was giving up the great parking spot he got early that morning to come pick us up.  Can't blame him.  Parking for this mega-tournament is tricky. 

{Buy mid morning they were directing people to park in the Walmart parking lot down the street and used school buses to shuttle them to the soccer club fields} 

So, Aidan threw on a pair of hospital socks and we walked the one mile from the hospital back to the soccer fields. 

 

It really wasn't too bad.  And we made it back just in time to watch his team play their next game.  Aidan sat out that game and since he was feeling fine he resumed playing in the following game.

 

While Aidan and some of his teammates slept in our tent,

Maura slept in the back of the van with daddy.

He took out all the backseats and put a twin mattress in.

It probably would have been as cozy as home,

if it wasn't so dang hot!!

 

By the next morning Aidan was pretty tired.  His middle of the night game was at 3:00am and I'm thinking he didn't get too much sleep in the tent with his friends in between games.

Here he is after his 6:00am game, waiting for Maura's 8:30am game to start and END!

 

At 10:00am the games were done. 

Sean and two tired kiddos made their way home to finally get some good sleep.

Riley and Audra have been busy playing soccer too.  The soccer club has a special  needs division which is quite large.  Riley has played since he was about six years old, and this is Audra's 3rd year playing. 

ICE CREAM !!

Today, being National Ice Cream Day,

deserved to be honored by indulging in the sweetness...

more than once, of course!

First...

The girls and I met my mom at the mall for a little bit of shopping,

followed by yummy ice cream cones

Later, my parents came over for dinner and they brought all the fixings for dessert...

Ice cream sundaes !!

I am pretty sure Aidan had more whipped cream than ice cream in his bowl

 

After two rounds of ice cream,

there's nothing better than curling up in your little sister's lap for a nice nap!

 

Every day should be ICE CREAM DAY !!

Stay-cation week

This week I had to actually take time off from work so that I could shuttle the kids around to all of their summer camp activities.  So I didn't have to work, but it wasn't really a stay-cation {for me at least}...maybe more of a camp-cation for the kids.  Regardless, we tried to jam a ton of summer time fun into our week!

Monday:
Aidan started ice hockey camp which meant I got to drop him off at the rink (30 minutes away) at 8:15 am and then go back to pick him up at 1:00 EVERYDAY this week. 
Monday was also "7-11 Day " and luckily there was one right next door to the ice rink.  In honor of the convenience store's birthday they gave out free slurpees.  Yummy!

Slurpee selfie!

 

Audra didn't fit in our selfie,

but don't worry she was there and got her own free slurpee too!

 

After hockey camp and slurpees we headed off to the pool and park...

 

 

Tuesday:
Today Kid Fest camp started for Maura...so after dropping Aidan off at the rink at 8:15 I hurried back to drop Maura off at her camp by 8:45.  This camp is at a local Christian mega-church and is basically a vacation bible school on steroids!  There were probably 1000 campers and a few hundred volunteers!  But it was so well organized and secure.  I don't know how they run it so smoothly with so many people involved.

Maura and Charlotte were in the same group again this year...

I think they rent out every inflatable water slide in the tri-state region.  This picture below is just one of the many outdoor activity areas they had set up.

 

They gave each child a CD with all the songs from the week and a bible.

And the entire camp was FREE, for everyone!

 

Later that evening we went to opening night of our local carnival.  It was wristband night, with a $15 wristband the kids could ride all they wanted, which is by far a better deal than buying tickets for each individual ride.

 

 

Charlotte joined us with Uncle Tim and Aunt Dawn!

 

 

Audra was there too,

but she was more of stroller rider than a carnival rider.

 

And you can't go to a carnival without playing the carnival games.

Maura won Audra a stuffed unicorn and then won herself a box of candy!

 The candy wheel is sooo tempting.

Charlotte won on the spin after Maura won!

 

And Maura brought home two new friends for our pond...

Wednesday:
Wednesday was a dreary, rainy day...so after camp the kids had to get creative in finding ways to entertain themselves. 

Playing Pokémon Go...

 



Making smores in the microwave...

And having an indoor camp-out {does that make it a camp-in ?!}

Charlotte slept over and Aidan helped the girls make tents in his room...

 

Thursday:
I had to work and daddy was on duty...so not much to report and no pictures to share.  But the kids all made it to their various destinations safely and on time :)

Friday:
Maura did not have Kid Fest camp during the day because tonight was the big Family Fest Finale.  So we got on the road early and went to the zoo.  We wanted to get there right when they opened since it was going to be a super hot day.  We went to a smaller, closer zoo...not the big one in the city.

 

Grandpa joined us at the zoo, and he was super helpful in entertaining each of the four girls...



 

I tried to take a selfie with Audra,

and seeing me struggle a kind woman offer to take our picture...

 

  Meanwhile, Maura and cousin Tatum went to feed the giraffes with Aunt Kristy...

One girlie was scared...

And one wasn't...

 

Our girls love carousels...

 

 

 

After the zoo Grandpa treated us to lunch at Chick-fil-A

 

 And of course the indoor playground was calling their names...

 

In other Friday news...
Aidan had his last day of hockey camp and he excitedly send me this picture at the end of the day...

He received the "Camper of the Week award"

 



Friday night we finished off our busy Camp-cation week with the Family Fest Finale (part of Maura's Kid Fest camp experience)

Charlotte was there too, of course :)

The main attraction was a magician...but not just any magician, he was a Missionary magician...a deaf man who used his talent to share his story of finding God again and trusting in His plan after experiencing the sudden loss of his hearing.

He was quite the inspiring Illusionist !!

 

This week gave me a taste of the stay at home mom life. 

And to be honest I think I was kinda good at it! 

 

Children made it to all of their activities on time,

The laundry was caught up,

dinner was made each night,

AND the dished were done!

The kids were bathed and groomed without a frenzied rush,

which left plenty of time for bedtime stories

and the house was basically clean,

all.week.long!!!

 

Too bad the stay at home mom lifestyle doesn't pay better.

I would totally take it on if I didn't have so many bills to pay!!