Our first summer here has been full! We are definitely enjoying the weather. Highs in the eighties/low nineties and lows in the sixties (sometimes 50’s!). It has been perfect weather for getting outside and exploring our new state. And hosting boat loads of friends and family from the south.

Yes, you are reading the forecast right. Tomorrow, August 10th, will be a scorching high of 80° and a low of 58°. In August.

I’m so proud of this boy. He jumped in without hesitation to a brand new team and had a great first season with the Dakota Alliance Soccer Club with team Slovakia.

Summer started with his end of the season pizza party. He will be starting the fall soccer season soon.

Our church had an early Vacation Bible School. I helped out in Lucy’s room. Our children’s staff is phenomenal. The kids both agreed that the music was the best part. Lucy demanded to practice the songs and dances at home. My God is powerful! I will hold on to Him!

We’ve already been to the zoo several times.

And we found a renaissance festival! My Merida met another Merida who helped her shoot.

Lucy had no problem meeting the rats of the rat circus.

Some new friends invited us over to eat, play, feed chickens, and collect eggs.

And yet another move. We closed on our home at the end of June and moved the first week of July. Doug and I were so grateful for the church members who moved us into the apartment, out of the apartment, and into our house. We are blessed. This was the kids’ last night sharing a room together since March. Everyone was very excited to get their own rooms. Goodbye, apartment.

Four days after we moved into the house, two young ladies from our days volunteering in the college department in OK cam to visit us and Lucy had to give up her new room already. Brittni and Kayla kept us up too late, made us eat out too much, and brought a ton of energy, bad music, laughter, and sarcasm into our home for a whole week. They may be done with school, but they are still our “college girls.”

All of us spent the week exploring our area more.

This was a day trip to Palisades State Park in Garretson, SD.

The park was beautiful, but sometimes nerve-wracking as we wrangled an adventurous, headstrong little girl and a young boy intent on proving his bravery, all over the cliffs.

This is actually a view from below Devil’s Gulch Park. The legend goes that Jesse James himself out ran a posse and jumped the 20 foot gulch ensuring his getaway after robbing a bank in MN in 1876. I believe it.

Come back soon, Kayla and Brittni!

The same week the girls left, my family came for their first SD visit. My parents brought my nephew, Carter, who was visiting all the way from Qatar and my sister and her husband brought my other nephew. Or as Lucy refers to him, “little baby George.”

Jack was thrilled to have a gaming buddy. Carter is supernaturally patient with children and is such a cool kid. I miss him and his parents who need to come visit us.

Although he did sleep a lot.

Lucy showed off her newly learned moves. Aunt Tammy pretended to keep up.

My parents really like babies.

It is mandatory that all visitors ride the ferris wheel at Scheels.

Last month, Jack went to Eagle Camp hosted by our church. He was gone from 9-4 Monday thru Friday having the time of his life. I was very impressed with the camp and hope he can attend next year. His favorite part of camp was free time. He was presented with the “Bible Study Legend” award and was one of four kids nominated for the Eagle Lake Award. He also won the cutest-sweetest-smartest-seven-year-old-and-best-big-brother-in-the-whole-world award.

While my family was up here, we took some family pictures in Falls Park. Sadly, this group isn’t together very often.

My parent’s first time with all four of their grandchildren.

Right now, Doug’s parents are visiting and I will have more to share from their visit. And just for the record: Shawnee will have a high of 96º tomorrow and San Antonio’s high will be 102°. Who else wants to come see us?