Birthday Party for Casper, Troy and Samantha

We get back from our Alaska trip and home around midnight or later. Monday around 8:30am Beth calls to invite us over for dinner that night to celebrate birthdays. Since she told us they would be serving steak--we decided we could go.
It was a fun evening of the kids jumping on the trampoline, a lot of eating, and cupcakes (which Joe and Danny had made at Grandma's house). Then a time for presents (No presents for Troy, I guess once you hit 42, your birthday isn't as exciting to everyone as a 1 year old and a 5 year old). Casper sure enjoyed having his cousins around playing with his new toys. Joe felt that Casper should leave his presents at his house--he said Casper could then come and visit and play with them.--We took them home anyway!--But it sure was an idea! :)
Bryan got the job of grilling the steaks--they were yummy, and the kids got hotdogs--I guess their palette isn't as refined as ours, and so they thought they were just as good as steak! And, to top it off, everyone (meaning all the kids and Troy) got a candle on their cupcake, which was neat--as Casper was the only one not understanding how to blow it out.

Casper ate 1 1/2 hotdogs

Bryan Grilling

And it is time to eat!

Jumping on the trampoline after supper
Grant, Cea, Samantha, Joe (hidden) and Victoria

Cea

The song:

Everyone gets a candle

Only interested in ice cream

Time for Presents

Trying to open one

Watching the presents get open

Cheese

The audience Danny, Joe, Victoria, Grant

oooh I like this one

Samantha opening her gifts

Cool--ribbon!

A bear from Grandma

A police car!--that makes noise

Troy finally getting to eat his ice cream and cupcake (and coffee)

showing Casper how cool his presents are!
Yup, they must have been awesome toys!

hmmmm, now Casper is without a toy--but he seems to like watching his cousins!

Playing inside once everyone has left (but us)

oooooh, they have swords that hurt when you wack someone--watch out dad!

Troy and Beth after a night of partying,
a day of cleaning,
and tomorrow needing to pack for the trip to Nebraska

Casper Broke his arm

This is in the ER, when the splint has just been put on. What a great kid!

August 15 Saturday
We were at our annual church convention. The first meeting of the day was at 10am, so it was around 9:45 am and we were getting ready to head into the meeting tent. (Bry was getting Casper out of our tent (where we were staying) and as he pulled Casper out, Casper grabbed onto the tent door flap which twisted his body around and well he broke his arm. (More specifically there was a small buckle on his ulna bone.) So we took him to the ER where he got it x-rayed and then they splinted it. Poor dude!!

Our church convention ended Sunday, and Monday we had an appointment at Children's where they said to keep it splinted (as it was too swollen to cast) and to come back when we got back from our 10 trip to Alaska.

We got back from Alaska and we headed back to Children's where they re-x-rayed it, and said that he had awesome bone growth and he did not need a cast and that they hoped to not see us again! :) Hooray for Casper's bones!!!

Thankgoodness Casper was already walking--cuz while he crawled using his fist, it just wasn't all that comfortable with a splint, so he exclusively walks--no crawling at all for him. (Speaking of him walking (he started at 10 months), he is bow-legged like his Daddy.)

Anyway, Casper was quite brave during this whole experience. He cried when they touched it in the ER (obviously), he cried during all his x-rays, and he screamed angry at them when they tried to take the splint off at Children's the first time we visited--which caused them to decide to just x-ray it through the splint. Other than that, he was cool!

We were quite glad he was just in a splint--especially when he puked on it!--cuz then we could take it off and wash it--otherwise he would have been one smelly kid!

Well, he is as good as new and happy as a clam.

Camping at Ocean Shores

July 31st - August 2nd

We went camping at Ocean Shores with Candy/Steve and Brad/Polly.
IT WAS COLD! So of course we pretty much packed only hot weather clothes. However, we did have a good time.
We had a great campsite at the state park, and then would drive to the beach in the morning and stay there all day and come back to the campsite at night. (Instead of making sandwiches at the beach, we would send someone to Subway to pick up several foot longs.)

Cea helping Daddy set up the tent

iAt the beach. . . Casper being a big boy in a chair

pBrad taking a nap
(he ended up sunburning the backs of his legs--
even though there was NO sun, we still got burned--him especially)

Bundled up at the beach

Candy and Casper

Cea making Sand Angels

Cea taking a nap in the trunk of the car

Steve taking a nap (he was smart and covered himself all up-probably more out of being cold then thinking about getting a sun burn.)

Warming up in the truck--Polly, Casper and Brad

Warming up in the car--Candy and Cea

Bryan and Steve getting more kites out
(This was the first time we didn't buy a kite while we were there!
Though Bry did buy some tails for the kites.)

Cea looking cute at the restaurant with her swimsuit skirt hanging over her pants!

Casper enjoying the fact he has a big kid drink cup!

Bryan at the beach

Bryan at the Campsite

hmmmm both those pics looked mighty similar! grin

a nice roaring fire to help keep the bugs away and heat us a little.
Plus we had to make smores!

Well, what do you know, I was along on the trip!

You will either see Steve with their camera

OR

you will see Candy

Brad, Polly, Cea and Casper around the camp fire

Polly and Casper at the beach

We did leave some sand behind, but he did eat a lot of it!

Just when you think a person can't feel any colder at the beach, Brad and Polly go racing to the water. . .

I think it was so cold their smiles froze on their face!!

Steve and Casper

Bryan and his kite with a new tail on it

Cea is napping while Candy reads in the WARM car

This place advertised that they had "the biggest buns on the beach".
While the buns were big, we all said we had seen bigger! grin

I actually barely saw the burger in the picture,
I was looking at my husband--boy he looks hairy!