Fun times in July!!

So, July is a crazy busy month here (as I am sure it is for most people)!  Now, I grew up just north of Hector, so my address was Hector.  But starting in the 5th grade our classes combined with Buffalo Lake kids.  Which I am thankful for since some of my best friends are from BL!  So, both Hector and BL have their town celebrations in July.  This year they happened to be consecutive weekends (sometimes there is a weekend between them, right??).  And both town celebrations are fun in their own ways.  While Hector is bigger, BL actually draws a larger crowd for their street dance.  So...I made both of them!!  And of course both weekends were SWEALTERING HOT!  For Hector I tried taking the kids to the parade.  It was very hot.  They did very good, but I decided not to put everyone through that in BL and instead took them to my parents (where they enjoyed the pool in the shade on the porch) and headed to town solo.  So, here is our obligatory group photos from each event.  Taken early in the night ;)!

Hector days!  Amanda, Dom, Jamie and myself!

BL days!  Jamie, Tina, Dom, Amanda, and me...yes I have 2 drinks!!  The line was REALLY long!!

Couple more...

So, as you all know I am notoriously bad at remembering to bring my camera or use it if I do bring it...but I do take pics with my iphone!  So I uploaded a couple from there last night.  I kind of have fun "editing" them on my phone.  I want to find a program to use for my other pics...one day!  And just a funny little story, sometimes the things Allie says make me wonder if she is 3 or 13.  The other day she was going to ride her bike and Jesse told her she needed to put on her helmet.  She looked at my mom and said, "Grandma, do I look ridiculous in this?"  Oh my!

Happy 4th of July!

Allie and her cousin Emma!

Allie and Kara at Relay...Allie got her hair done crazy!  Kara wanted hers done too...maybe next year! :)

Allie and her big fish...she wouldn't touch it!

Uhhh, wait, is it really July 20?!  WHERE is summer going?  What have we been doing?  Nothing much and yet so much!  The girls and I have enjoyed spending a lot of my days off at the pool as it has been REALLY hot!  But I am not complaining.  We wait 9 LONG months for summer.  We have been to area lakes a few times.  I prefer the pool because it is so close and because I don't have to worry about Kara eating sand (or having to clean it out of her diaper!)!  We've taken in some parades and a Stinger's game.  And just spent time with family and friends...and work of course!  It seems I have an awfully long to-do list for the rest of summer!!  I want to take the kids to the zoo and valleyfair.  I would like to get to a Twins game.  We have a couple more Stinger's games on the agenda already and we have my brother's wedding in a couple weeks!  I mentioned it to Allie today...that might have been a mistake.  She is sooo excited and it is hard to describe to her how far away it is yet.  She wanted to know if there was going to be a dance and then informed me she couldn't wait to dance.  Then when we got home from Relay 4 Life tonight, she said she was going to the wedding.  Instead she got a bath and bedtime.  Had to laugh during her bath because I told her I put one of her shirts in the wash and she looked at me all distraught and said that she "needed" a DRESS to wear to the wedding!  LOL!!  Anyway, here are a few pics of what we've been up to...

Best we could do for a family pic on the 4th of July!



Ok, more to come...Have to get to bed!!!