Happy 4th of July

 Both the Dieckman's and Barkoudah's headed back to the farm to celebrate the 4th of July.  Besides fireworks, there were many other summer holiday fun opportunities.  The older cousins took their lunch out to the play structure Opa built for them to have a picnic.

 Everyone enjoys a good game of old school pinball.

 Diane and my Barbies have a new lease on life with the 2nd generation's imagination.

Who remembers playing Cooties?

 To cool off from the July summer heat, we spent an afternoon at the pool in Beatrice.  The kids lounging at pool break.

 Izzy & Amelia trying to synchronize their jumps.

Micah & Victoria enjoying the froggie slide.

 One of the best 4th of July traditions is the parachute contest.  The best one this year shot 7 rounds of several parachutes each.  It was hard deciding which direction to run with that many in the sky.

Roasting hotdogs and s'mores (later) before the fireworks began.

 All lined up and ready for the car race.  The surprise vehicle was Amelia's (semi-truck) shooting out 3 spinner fireworks that caught us all off guard. 

Ready, set,... light!

 The boys before lighting the rocket firework.

 Victoria's firework choice... a snowcone fountain.

The finale is typically the American flag firework.  Despite stopping at several places, this was not to be found.  We ended our night with sparklers which are always a hit.

Last Day of 2nd Grade

It is official... school / 2nd grade is over!

Next fall I will have a 3rd grader and two Kindergarteners!

NYC - Subway

I truly feel like my own Wonder Woman after mastering NYC's subway system.  Thank goodness for smart phones as well.  The app I found was exceptionally helpful in figuring out where to get on and off.

 With as many subway rides we endured, learning how to entertain one's self is important.  Izzy decided to be a photographer of emotions.  Thankfully, she had one good subject for her photo shoot.



NYC - Central Park

 What a treasure Central Park is to the city.  Once inside, it is hard to imagine that you are in the middle of a city as large at NYC.

 We took a carriage ride through Central Park.  Though our horse may have been slower, his personality made up for it by miles.

NYC - Coney Island

Another iconic place in NYC is Coney Island.  This is the only place in the country were each ride can be owned by a different person.  It is not a centrally managed amusement park.  This leads to an eclectic mix of rides and people.  With independently owned rides, we spent more time than desired in line for tickets.

 Izzy was quite brave.  She road 2 roller-coasters with her mother.  The one above, The Steeple Chase, was quite unique.  We road sitting on horses as if racing.  The other roller-coaster, The Screaming Eagle, had us lay on our stomachs hanging from the track. After this ride, Izzy did mention needing to take a break.  We may still be a few years away from some bigger roller-coasters.

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 One of John's wishes was to eat at Nathan's, famous for it's 4th of July hotdog eating contest.  These were actually quite tasty.

The boardwalk.  A bit chilly by the ocean.

Our Coney Island loot!

NYC - The Russian Tea Room

 We tried to think of activities that suite each of the kids.  When it came to thinking about Victoria, dressing up is a common theme.  John suggested we spend an afternoon at the Russian Tea Room.  This was not a place I was familiar with at all.  What a treat we had in store.

 The children's tea menu was fitting for a child... PB&J on Blini, Miniature BLT, Chopped Egg Salad, Little Pig-in-a-Blanket and Classic Tuna Fish.  All tummies were happy with these options.  Of course, Izzy was quick to sample the assortment on our trays, caviar being one of them!

 All dressed up for a party.  I don't think a single piece of jewelry wasn't worn that we packed with us.  Instead of tea, another option was hot chocolate.  Boy was it good.

 Instead of sugar to sweeten the tea, Russian's use cherries.  The syrup was sweetening and the cherries provided a unique added flavor.  A couple of cherries might have been eaten as well on their own.

 This menu was perfect for my picky boy.

 Cheers!

 A Russian Tea Room would not be complete without Russian eggs.  These were exquisite in detail.

Of course, the sweets course was my favorite part of the afternoon tea.

Memorial Day - NYC

For Memorial Day weekend, we took a mini-trip to NYC.  One of the must see sights is Lady Liberty.  We learned quickly that if you want to be one of the few who climbs to her torch, you better get tickets months in advance.  We were able to nab tickets to her pedestal.  This gave us an up close visit to one of our nations biggest icons.

 The forecast for this day was to be a bit chilly.  They were right but not until later in the day.  We were roasting on the ferry to Liberty Island.  When we arrived on Liberty Island, we all were ecstatic to see a gift shop.  Five new tourist shirts later, we all felt better.