W37 of Y2

4th of July (on June 30th)

The Army base here threw a carnival for the 4th like they did last year.  

This year however was not nearly as hot or crowded!  

They always invite the Italians on base this one day out of the year to celebrate our independence with us.  

We had the celebration early so people could go out of town for the long weekend because....  anytime we get a day or two off around here we have to travel and enjoy Europe!!

The kids try to capture the snake to win a free ride

She got the snake!

Friends!!

The boys couldn't care less about the carnival.  They just wanted to play basketball!

Claiming our spot with great friends!

Listening to a local Italian band playing Scorpion...lol!  They were really good! 

The girls loved them!

This is how girls keep themselves entertained

The boys have moved on to football now

Finally!!!  Fireworks!!!

Slovenia

We decided to go in the mountains for the 4th of July weekend to have a break from the heat

Our little cabin in the mountains.  So cute!

Our backyard!!!

The game was on!  Belgium vs. Wales

Looking for food!!  haha!

Making herself at home!

Venturing out to explore our surroundings

We took the cable car up Vogel - a ski resort

The view was AMAZING!!

There was a little restaurant at the top where they were having too much fun before noon!

Little trinkets for sale

Blueberry cake - YUM!!

Cows!!!

The cows go up to the mountains every day during the summer to stay cool

My kids just didn't know what to think about all these cows just laying around

Waiting for the boys to go on the zip line

Aiden

Connor

Jeremy

Going up higher!

Where we just came from!

Yes... we needed hot cocoa and cappuccinos!  It was really cold!!!

3 different types of delicious homemade soups

The highest point had a cross with a bell on it.  Of course everyone had to ring the bell!

Hiking back down

Taking a break

Ok, this guy rode this unicycle the whole way down the mountain!!  He was going off jumps and curves, etc...  Incredible!

Back to Bohinj

Bohinj Lake - everyone knows Lake Bled in Slovenia but this lake is bigger, more beautiful and no one knows about it!!

Whitney could have stayed in there all day!!

After swimming we walked to this adorable restaurant nestled in the side of a mountain

They had a petting zoo and playground for the kids while we waited for our food

So happy right now!

Just got happier!!!  Fresh trout caught this morning!

The golden horn - legend is this mountain goat was protecting a treasure so some hunters caught the mountain goat to steal his golden horns, thinking this was the treasure.  In reality, the treasure the goat was protecting was the incredible, breathtaking, natural beauty surrounding the lake.  

Another treasure!

Skipping rocks until the sun went down

Back home for the Germany vs. Italy game

Sunday was rainy which was perfect!!!  The best time to see the waterfall is during a heavy rain so that was our morning activity!  This was the bottom of the waterfall.

It was about a 20 minute hike up

Slap Savica!!

Totally worth the hike up!

The boys wanted to go white water rafting down the waterfall!

Back home to our cozy chalet to dry up

Next...  a 3-hour biking tour!!  Something I've always wanted to do on one of our trips but was always worried about the kids being able to handle it.  They did soooooo great!!

We got to see views that we could have never gotten to by car.  I loved riding through these quaint little mountain villages! 

Stopping for a drink of fresh, cold mountain water!!

The kids did go good and our guide, Grega, was FANTASTIC!!

Grega prepared some local snacks of cheese, chocolate, and schnapps for us to eat on our trip

The New Zealand Olympic Rowing Team was here training for the 2016 Olympics!

Love this picture of Whitney and Jeremy

After everything we did on this trip - the boys said that this bike ride was the highlight of the trip!
We went a total of 11 miles!  

Back in town we got to see the cows coming back down the mountain for the evening.  This little boy was guiding them on his bike through the town.  Unbelievable!

Another unicyclist!

Our last dinner in Slovenia.  It couldn't have been more perfect with the best background!  We LOVE Slovenia!!

W36 of Y2

Laser Tag

We got together with some of the kids friends to play laser tag this week

Reading the results to us

Also in the same building is a Chuck E Cheese type of arcade

The biggest fuse ball table ever!!

Such a fun night!

Camp

Whitney got to do a camp for the first 2 weeks of summer break.  They really do a great job here!

Summer!!

It's finally here.  Flashbacks from last summer are returning!!  We are prepared this summer though.  We already got our pool up and made sure all the air conditioning units in our house were working before the heat became unbearable. 

W35 of Y2

8th Grade Promotion Ceremony

It's official... Connor is no longer a middle schooler!! :(

Black teeth from the frosting! lol!!

We couldn't be more proud of you Connor!
Your sweet, mild temperament is a rare Christ-like attribute that I admire about you.  Your ability to make good choices will benefit you your entire life if you always trust your instincts.  I've learn to trust your decisions because you have proven that you have a unique ability to discern right from wrong and always MAKE GOOD CHOICES!  You surround yourself with good friends and good people and are a wonderful example to your younger brother and sister and also to me.  

Last Day of School!!!

We wanted to do something fun on the last day of school since the kids got out at 11:00am!!  However, we had a tornado warning in effect so we stayed in to play a massive amount of board games.  (to the kids disappointment there was no tornado)

Finding Dory

It's always fun watching movies on post because you're sure to see lots of friends there!  

Pool Time!

We learned our lesson from last year's HOOOOOOOOOT summer and are setting up the pool now before the heat becomes unbearable!!

Late Bday Party

Whitney celebrated her birthday last month on our cruise.  Her friends were not having any of that though - they kept asking when she would have a party with them!  So... we pulled together another outdoor movie night.  We were TOTALLY lucky to not be rained on either!!! :)

opening presents while we waited for it to get dark enough to show the movie

Whitney's sweet Italian friends (neighbors) came to celebrate with us

Jeremy's MacGyver skills were in full force!!

We totally lucked out with perfect weather for an outdoor movie!  RARE!!

Great picture!!

Whitney is so blessed to have such loving, sweet friends!

Father's Day

Jeremy is an amazing Father!  He puts us before everything and everyone else. He is not happy if anyone of us is unhappy and will do whatever it takes to fix any problem in our lives.  He always has the answers to any question and always knows the right thing to do or say.  The kids look up to him so much and live for his love and affection - which he's never ashamed to show.  I'm so grateful that our children are blessed with a wonderful example for their Father.  

When I asked the kids what they love most about their Daddy, this is what they said:

Connor:  "He's really funny and he always knows how to make me feel better."

Aiden:  "He's a really good role-model.  I like to hear stories about when he was a kid and I always try to aspire to be like he was."

Whitney:  "He makes me feel important."

He really is Whitney's first love and the boys first hero!
Thank you Daddy!!

And Happy Father's Day to my Dad who is recovering from shoulder surgery.  We love and miss you!!!!