July 1 - July 8

    Sunday we went to Jim and Linda's cabin for Grannies beach party. The kids look forward to this tradition each year. It is a day just for them. They get to swim and make sand castles, paddle boat, and grill hot dogs, make s'mores and play with cousins. Some of the kids best summer memories are those made on this day each year! After the beach party we went back to Grandma Kohle's house and the kids played. I then took them to the park in Stuart to play at the new splash pad. It was cold but they had fun. We then went back and Cindy set up a water fight in the back yard. After showers we all got dressed in our fourth of July clothes and enjoyed fireworks in the yard and watching the firefighters fireworks after the races. What a fun and busy day.

   Monday Rebekah came out to Nicky's and watched the kids while we went to Madge Cleary's funeral. I had not taken much time to thing about her passing before this weekend as I was so busy last week. As I sat in the funeral home and looked around at the people that were their celebrating her life it brought back so many childhood memories, the cousins of theirs that stayed at their house. The late night board and card games that seemed to happen more often then they probably did. The sleepovers at their houses. Jenny teaching us how to request songs on the radio so you could tape them on a cassette player. Scaring Lisa with frogs that were actually rocks. Trips in the car to go shopping. Then as they started playing songs I remembered sitting in the kitchen and listening to Vince Gill as he sang with his daughter on the radio on the kitchen counter, and Garth Brooks singing his new albums. Madge loved to have the radio on as she cooked! After the funeral and lunch Rachel, Alec and I came home as Becca stayed the week with Mom and Dad.
     Here is what I wrote on Facebook after I got home on Monday from Madge Cleary's funeral: Today we laid a very special lady to rest. She was not our grandma or a relative at all. She was “Madge”! Not only did she raise 5 children of her own she also took on the challenge of helping raise us 5 girls and allowing her girls to nanny for us. She was my mom’s first friend after she was married, she was a bowling partner and travel companion, her husband ran into a burning house to grab our family treasures when my parents lost their first house. She was like a second mom to us and her door was always open, her house was our town house! Because of her and her family we learned about punky Brewster, Alf, the golden girls and that the Chicago Cubs had some amazing baseball players! She shared her love for Drive-in ice, fried ham in Dr. Pepper, the best cheesy potato soup and sour cream sugar cookie on Halloween, sh*t on a shingle, and twizzlers! She took us school shopping many times and loved to go to garage sales to find clothes for us. She could be found in the outfield at many softball games and loved to honk the horn for our good plays! She loved winter because the rest of the year was just too damn hot. We spent every deer season at their house and always hoped to get snowed in so we could watch movies and sleep on the floor! She was a phone call away and rescued Kristi after her wreck, staying at the hospital and keep her calm while we waited for my parents. We all grew up and moved away and days and years passed since my last conversation with her but I know she kept up with us on Facebook and enjoyed getting our Christmas Card each year. She will be missed so much by her family and friends but also by those of us that she took in as her family. Madge we miss you and know you will watch over all of us, until we see you again! I still think of Madge and her family often and have ran into Lisa and Jenny a couple time since July when I have been home. What an amazing family we got to be apart of.

The Cleary Kids and the Tielke Girls. All Madge's kids in one place.
Nicky, Lisa, Troy, Sandi, Steve, Kami, Katie, Jeff, Kristi, and Jenny

Picture of us 5 as we don't take them near often enough.

    Tuesday we unpacked, cleaned the house and did laundry. Rachel made breakfast for Alec and I. She made emoji face pancakes! Tuesday night we went to Josh and Jennifer Cox's house for a 3rd of July party. The kids enjoyed swimming and playing while the adults enjoyed visiting. Mike was on call so he joined us later in the evening. That night we enjoyed listening to Josh sing before coming home.

Alec drumming the table while Josh was playing.

   Wednesday Justin came over and watched the kids while Mike and I went golfing with Matt and Trisha Jorgensen and Russ and Kelcee Miller in Sutherland. After lunch we went to Dugan's cabin for the evening. We enjoyed great food, the kids went swimming, and played yard games. That night we did fireworks off Traci's dock until a storm blew in. Mike and Scotty were in charge of the fireworks again and they did an amazing job. Becca enjoyed her time in Stuart at the parade, running the races in the park, and watching the duck races in the rain.

Our attempt at a family picture

Watching the fireworks!

  Thursday we straightened up the house before the cleaning ladies came and then went to Traci's cabin to help her clean up for the night before. Rachel and Alec enjoyed swimming again and riding the jet ski with Mia. We came home after lunch and I mowed and then made steaks for supper. After supper we lit off more of the fireworks that we didn't get done before the rain. Jessie was so scared she hid by the air conditioner fan so she couldn't hear them as much and Roger would only stay by us if he had Mike's headphones on. 

They love the lake with Mia

Paddle boarding

Exhausted after a full week of fun

Roger and the headphones

Beautiful Sunset

  Friday we got up and packed bags and headed to mom and dad's to spend the weekend, pick up Becca, and Mike went to Alma to golf with Nick. We got to Atkinson around lunch time so we grabbed some lunch, went to the shop to see mom, then we headed out to Butch's pond to do some fishing. Katie, Matt, Tanner, Jaidyn, Dad and Mom all enjoyed taking the kids fishing. The kids all caught some fish and had a great night.

Alec's first fish

   Saturday we played at mom's in the morning then went to Katie's and the kids floated down the river and played on the sandbars. We then got showered and went to church. After church we went to the carnival in Atkinson. It is always good to be home during events like the carnival and to see so many old friends. The kids had a great time with cousins and were wore out by the time we got home.

Jaidyn, Mya, and Becca

Ansley, Kinley, and Rachel

Jaxson, Jameson, Kole, and Alec

   Sunday we got ready and headed back home. Mom gave Alec some race tracks and a car for his birthday so he was excited to get home and open them up. Mike stopped by the Priest picnic Sunday afternoon and then we went to Marty and Lisa's to have cake for Sam's birthday. Pat and Wanda came out that evening.

 These pictures were taken from a friends Drone when he was down staying with Mike the first weekend in July. It's amazing to see all the work we have put into the yard and place from the air!