Summer break has come to a close...

On our way out of Minnesota in early June we took the kids to the Mall of America.  The best part of the mall hands down is the indoor amusement park.  It's not too big and it's not too small. The kids had a really great time and surprisingly were quite well behaved.  There isn't much else to say about the experience.  I think the pictures speak for themselves.  I will mention one of our last rides was a balloon ride in baskets.  I rode with Coy.   Shyler rode with Dashle, and the girls paired off as they had been doing all morning.  It was during this slow lift airborne that I once again had a moment of, "They are mine and I am theirs and this is happiness."  Gone are the days of superior reliance on my parents or Shyler's.  We have progressed into a new realm of what family means. It means him, me, and the little rug rats running around with our faces on them. 

A highlight for Emery was stopping by the American Girl store so she could purchase her very first doll. She worked hard for nearly two years to earn enough money to buy her own doll. There were many friends and family who donated a dollar or two along the way, but she did most of it herself by doing extra chores around our home.  Her patience and perseverance is something to be admired.

You know it was a successful trip to the Mall of America when the boys are both fast asleep before leaving the parking garage. Too sweet.