Up North at the Lake

When we left Grafton, we decided since it was the holiday week, we would head to my parents lake house for the rest of week.  There's swimming, s'mores, trampoline, campfires, zipline, kayaking, the farm, fishing, frog hunting and the Yerf Dog, plus more time to spend with Gramma and Papa. 

  The zipline was fun but "scary!!"  They went over and over!

The lake house was a really fun week.  It was a relaxing time for all of us and since we all sleep in very close quarters, it was a bonding week for us too.  :)   The girls got to really experience what it's like to be with a family again. 
The kids played, we gave Valya some confidence by assisting her in jumping off the diving board, and I think Roxy got her first experience with driving too. 

The Yerf Dog...wheeee!

 

 There is an awesome farmer down the street from my parents lake house and he invites us to come by any time were up north.  My mom took the girls and Valya got to see the cows, the kitty's, the chickens and the farm dog.  She really had a good time.  I assume they are used to seeing farm since they are located in a fairly remote area but who knows.

 Swimming with Papa....

 

When we finally headed back home on Saturday, the girls were so happy to go home.  I think they loved every minute of the last week but were ready to get back to their own beds and our house.
They have been here 10 days and we have only been at our house for 3 1/2 of those. 

The girls seem to have settled back into our family like they never left.  It's a heart warming feeling to have them here with us again. 

Monday July 1 - Parties, Fireworks, Roller Coasters and Family

After arriving on Wed, the girls had a day and a half to recover before we headed 2 hours up north to pick up Jacob.  The girls were so excited and Jacob did not know when they would arrive, so he was surprised.  He was so excited to see them again and now we were all officially together again. 

The girls arrived just in time to head down to see my extended family on Saturday (about a 3 hour drive).  They formed quite the relationship with my sister and brother's family and Gramma and Papa.  So we headed down for a 4th of July party, fireworks and another family party on Sunday. 





They were reunited with many family members and there were plenty of activities to keep them busy.  They stayed up late to watch lots of big fireworks both from the city and my brother in law and his friends.  They really thought it was cool!  It gave them plenty of reasons to snuggle with Gramma, Niki, and some Aunties. 








On Monday we headed down to IL to take them to Six Flags Great America.  We had taken them on a small coaster at the Mall of America before them flew back to Ukraine last time and they just loved it.  It was a thrilling day with lots of roller coasters and fun.  They really enjoyed it but by Tuesday we had worn them out.