Summer Fun: Part 2

We have been having so much fun this summer.  Two weeks ago our town had a Fishing Derby for kids at Charley Brown Park.  During the derby they held a Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher look-a-like contest.  Maleah really wanted to be in the Becky Thatcher (she was Tom's girlfriend) Contest.  So she and I went to Joann's Fabric a few weeks ago and bought some really pretty red fabric and a pattern.  I had never made a complete dress by myself before.  I've made lots of quilts and aprons over the years but never anything as complicated as a pioneer dress.  Apparently I bit off more than I could chew because the two weeks that I had to make the dress flew by.  It was hard to stay out of the pool and not to go on bike rides because I needed to be sewing.  So, guess what?  I didn't get the dress finished.  I did have a Plan B though.  Plan B was to call my friend Tracy (Yay Tracy!  You made the blog!) and borrow a dress that her daughter had worn a few years ago to Pioneer Day at her school.  Tracy brought me the borrowed dress and I was surprised to see that it was the exact same pattern that I had been working on and it was the exact same fabric!  I couldn't believe it.  It was a little big but I pinned it up and Maleah wore it to the contest.  And she won!  She was so excited!  The winners (little Tom and little Becky) got to ride in a really cool amphi-vehicle (I think that's what it was called.)  It was manufactured in the 1950s and could go 70 miles per hour on land or 7 miles per hour on water.  The driver drove them around the park and directly into the park lake.  I held my breath for a minute but they floated.  Whew!  Maleah had the best time.  We stayed and fished in the derby but didn't catch one single fish.  It didn't matter though because Maleah was already having a great day!  Here are some pics from the contest:

Right after the Fishing Derby we borrowed my Mom and Dad's camper (thanks Mom and Dad!) and headed to Forbes Lake to camp with our friends Deb and Paul and their kids.  The weather was absolutely beautiful and we had the best time!  It was way better than last time!  (For you faithful blog readers, you may remember a post about our camping trip last August where we were almost cooked alive because it was so hot.)  The kids all played and rode their scooters around the campground while the adults visited.  It was so relaxing.  One of Deb and Paul's kids had a scooter wreck on Saturday night though and we spent a couple of hours in a nearby ER though.  He got five stitches and was very tough about it.  He was a real champ about the whole thing.  Luckily, the stitches didn't put a damper on our fun time and the next day we went boating and fishing in our boat.  We even rented one of those paddle boats that you can pedal around the lake.  Those things are exhausting!  Good thing there were so many adults because we had to take turns giving the kids a ride.  It was just a fantastic weekend.  Here are some pics from the paddle boat experience:

My view on the paddle boat.

Me and my niece Chloey - she came over to boat with us on Sunday.

Besides camping and fishing this summer, we have also been going to the park a lot.  We like to meet our friends there and play.  Carissa loves the merry-go-round and Maleah likes to swing and go down the slides.  Here are some pics of us at the park with our friends: 

Carissa Faith Cooper

The Playgroup Moms (minus one + Catherine)  This was our

attempt at funny faces.  I couldn't think of one.  Haha!

Some of The Playgroup Kids

Maleah and Carissa with our friends the Luzadders

In other exciting news, we officially have another male in our house now.  Jason is no longer quite as outnumbered.  We have a new kitten and he is a he.  He is super cute and playful and very sweet.  The little gray fur ball was found dodging in and out of traffic but a nice lady stopped and picked him up.  She couldn't keep him but instead set out to find a good home for him and ta-daaa!  She found me and now he is ours.  We threw around a lot of names and had trouble deciding on one but we finally decided to name him Abraham and we call him Abe for short.  The kids love him.  Eloise is still a little unsure about him but I know one day they will be friends.  At least I hope so...

I think that about catches the blog up to current happenings.  This week Maleah played her last tee ball game.  She played four games total for the year.  We had a lot of rainouts.  After the last game yesterday she said "Tee ball was just okay.  I'm thinking I probably won't play ball next year."  We'll see if she still feels that way next spring or not.  Carissa has been calling Maleah "Mia" and it is so cute.  She hollers "Mia!  Mia??" when she can't find her.  Adorable!  Carissa's favorite thing to say lately has been "Happy Sunday!"  She has been telling everybody Happy Sunday.  It is so funny.  Of course, it started on Sunday but she wants to say it every day.  We have to remind her that today is Monday (Tuesday, Wednesday, or whatever) and then she will change it to "Happy Monday!"  She is so darn cute.

Have a great week!