Monster Truck Show

We took Drew to the Monster Truck Show. (Okay. Truth-be-told, it was supposed to be a Mommy/Daddy/Drewbie date.....but then sissy decided at last minute that she wanted to go. No she didn't. She had absolutely NO interest in going. She just didn't want to be left out. Because God FORBID we ever leave her out of something.)

Have you ever been to one? It's really scary. The way they ramp up on all those cars...it makes me so nervous that something bad is going to happen!

But nothing bad happened. And Drew had a great time! (And sissy? Yeah, well. She was "bored." And wanted to go home. Because it was too hot. And too loud. Such a pleasant little thing.)

 

 

Indianapolis Indians Game

We couldn't have asked for a better night to attend a ball game. And you know, we are really lucky to live in such a fantastic city, with so many restaurants and museums and cultural opportunities.

Oh, and sports.

I'm by no means biased, but Indianapolis is home to some of the best sports teams in the nation. I mean, you have the best team in the NFL, the Colts...the Pacers...the Indians...the Fever...the Ice.

And we completely lucked out by attending a game where the famous San Diego Chicken was performing. The kids loved it!

Some say we look alike...

This was the cutest skit that The Chicken did: he brought out 4 little Chicks, and they copied everything he did. It was the cutest thing ever.

Here's Drewbie trying to be "scary." He wanted me to take his picture as a "mean guy."

It Ain't Easy Being Drew

Oh, Drewbie.

Drewbie, Drewbie, Drewbie.

Our little man. Our little cuddle-bug. Our sweet, sweet baby boy.

He's such a fun, little guy. Always bringing a smile to our face. Even when he's sleeping.

 

Yes, those are 2 straws in his mouth. And yes, he's sleeping.

Rainbow Loom and Lemonade Stand

Summer isn't complete with a Lemonade Stand. But taking it one step further, Emma decided to take advantage of the neighborhood garage sales and sell some of the many Rainbow Loom trinkets she made over the course of the summer.

She invited her friend Sydney, to be her assistant sales manager, give her half of the profit, of course. Emma had big, big plans with the money she had planned to make. Like: donate some to Riley, buy a swimming pool, and buy some more rubber bands.

And, let's see. After about 10 minutes with no customers, I believe she said, "Mom, this is really hard."

Uh huh, Emma. 

Get used to it, sister. 

 

Zip Lining at Papa and Grandma Ann's

My dad built a zip-line at his river cottage and letmetellyou, the kids LOVE IT.

Mountain Biking

Andy & I have passed our love for biking along to our kids. And I must say, with Drew just learning how to ride his bike without training wheels this summer, he gets the Gold Star! The kid not only learned how to ride without them, but he mastered it, taking his skillz to the trails with no fear. We enjoyed many, many trips to Ft. Ben this summer, taking advantage of the wonderful trails that they have!

 

CYO Camp

This was the first summer that Emma stayed overnight for camp. The first of many, hopefully, at Camp Rancho Framasa.

As a Sassafras Camper, she stayed 2 nights, 3 days in Cabin C with a few of her other SPX friends. She enjoyed all the traditional "camp" things: swimming, fire building, rope challenges, nature, hiking, horseback riding, climbing tower, archery, and - because it was a CYO camp - scripture.

She absolutely loved it, and can't wait to go back next year!

Emma and Ava

Cabin C girls are the BEST!

OBX 2014

Another fun OBX vacation was had by the Swickheimer's. But this year, fun was had without me (tear). Because I took 40 hours of PTO just as soon as I started my new job, I couldn't take another chunk of vacation hours. So, alas, fun was had without Momma.  :(

What a difference a few years makes. Left: 2010  Right: 2014

 

The Handlebar

This summer, I - along with my SPX moms - rode on The Handlebar, a pedal-powered pub. Although it started out kinda rocky (with the bike moving unbeknownst to the driver, throwing Alicia off the bike and hurting her foot) we had a fabulous time!

Anna-Lissa, Amy, Alicia, Chrissy, Jenny, Jane, Megan, Maureen, Natalie

Alicia getting some assistance from Megan