A day at the amusement park!!!

Yesterday was a very fun day for the Kvernen family. We used the Adventureland tickets that Vicki (our Ames grandma) gave the boys for their birthday. It's very close to the same size as ValleyFair in Minnesota and we were able to spend all day there- literally- from 10am until 9:30pm. The kids were amazing. We figured we would just stop once they stopped, but they proved to be the energizer bunnies- they kept going, and going, and going. They had a lot of rides for Kaelynn- her favorite was the Ladybug ride. She also liked the hot air balloon ride. It took her a little while to get to the point of riding, but once she did she had a blast.
Connor and Carson were amazing. They are at a great height and age where they can go on a lot of the the bigger rides. Connor experienced his first full-size roller coaster. It's called the Outlaw and is a old wooden roller coaster. It doesn't go upside down, but went very fast and was extremely bumpy. He thought it was great until we got to the first big drop. At that point I think he made up his mind that he was going to stay away from roller coasters for now. He was a trooper though and endured through it without any tears. It came to a stop and he said, "That sure was scary mom." Carson didn't do a roller coaster, but went on most everything else. Here he is on one of his favorite kiddie rides- the frog hopper!!

The boys went on the log ride with dad. They thought is was the best!!! Connor was in front and was definetly the wettest!
Kaelynn liked these motorcycles because they were pink. That's what got her to start riding the rides.

There is a big top circus show there. We got to see frisbee catching dogs, a trapeeze artist, jugglers, and even a......

...man shot out of a cannon!!!
They have a great waterpark included in the cost of the tickets. The boys couldn't get enough of the waterslides!!!

Kaelynn- the bathing beauty!!!
We had such a great day!!! The kids are still talking about what was their favorite. We felt very blessed to be able to go and have a fun, safe time. Thanks Vicki!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Birthday photos and Roland days

Happy Birthday to me!!!!!!!!!!!!! We enjoyed the day with special times for all. We got to go to our favorite restaurant Hickory Park where I was serenaded by the servers and we stuffed ourselves with barbeque and ice cream. We then came home and ate cake. We did not win an award for healthy eating today!! This past weekend we went to Roland, IA where some friends live for their summer festival. The kids rode their bikes in the kiddie parade. Connor and Carson are surrounded by a few of their friends that joined us.
We enjoyed soaking people with the water balloon launch. It was a hot day so it felt really great!

Carson and Connor competed in the tractor pull. You can see the tractor in the background. They had to pedal the tractor that had a trailer attached to it with weights on it. The weights got heavier and heavier the further they went. Both boys did very well. Connor went 33 feet and came in 3rd place in his age category. Carson pedaled 36 feet and came in 1st place. He got a trophy and is seen here with the second place winner. He qualified for the state tractor pull in September. I don't think we are going to pursue that though!
We enjoyed fireworks and great times with friends.

Connor and Carson's 5th Birthday Party

Hi everyone,

We thought you might enjoy seeing this.  I'm sure Kristi will post some cute pictures tomorrow or sometime soon, but I wanted to get this out tonight.  The boys had a great birthday party today!  Enjoy...

Love,

Andy (and family)

4th of July fun!!!!

We spent the day at a cabin of some good friends of ours, Shana and Danny Wilson. We got up there in time for lunch and then spent the rest of the day on the water.

They have a jetski that we rode on a few times. Carson would only go if mommy was driving. Needless to say, we didn't go very fast.
They also have a great boat that we got to do some waterskiing behind. The kids loved cheering everyone on.
The kids did some fishing from the dock and caught a few walleyes- no keepers :( But, it was Chloe and Sophie's first time fishing and they each caught one. It was great!

At the end of the day we sat down around a fire for homemade peach ice cream, smores, and some beautiful fireworks over the lake. The little girl is Sophie (Shana and Danny's second daughter).
We had a wonderful day celebrating the freedom we have been given! Hope you did too!

Her first fish!!!

The story of camping with three

This is the story of a couple who wanted to go on a family adventure. They chose to take their three children under the age of five camping. What an adventure!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! On Sunday afternoon they packed up the family vehicle until they almost couldn't shut the doors, loaded the canoe on top and the young'ns in the back, and set off for Pine Lake State Park in Eldora, IA. It was a very nice park as far as Iowa campgrounds go. The sites were a little close together, but there weren't many people there because it was Sunday.
They set up camp which went pretty smoothly with the help of the two boys and enjoyed a nice evening meal of spaghetti and garlic toast.

After the meal the boys went on a canoe ride and caught a couple of fish while the girls chatted in the tent, took nature walks, and watched the fireflies frolic and play in the nearby woods. They tried to settle down for a relaxing evening of rest, but were kept awake by a lively game of hide-and-seek played by some fellow campers. The rest was short as the mama was awakened by the beautiful songs of the birds around 5:00am!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The kids awoke around 6:15. They enjoyed a wonderful meal of scrambled eggs and pancakes and got ready for a canoeing adventure.
They packed all 5 of them into the canoe with the father at the paddling controls in the middle. There was a little fishing, but mostly fishing the snagged bobbers off of the fallen logs. They ended up fishing on shore for the rest of the morning and the littlest one caught her first fish.

There was a small trail right next to their campsite which was a thrill for the children as they observed many different kinds of leaves, bugs, and butterflies.
Keeper of the food!They enjoyed an hour at the beach and then it was time to end the adventure. By the time they got back home, all three children were sound asleep. A good time was had by most (the mama will be wearing earplugs to bed the next time they go!!!).

THE END!!!!