He looks innocent...

We've been told that the last child will be your easiest! Boy they haven't met Aaron. The kid is in to everything and climbs on everything. Here is his latest stunt!

If he could swing from that chandelier he would!

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Last night we took the girls to Trollwood Park for the performance of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. The production is put on by high school students that are enrolled in the Trollwood Performing Arts School during the summer. They put on a new musical every year and they sure do a fabulous job. We took the girls 3 years ago to see Beauty and the Beast and then last year to see Thoroughly Modern Millie. We get there early and find a spot on the hill to sit and watch from our blanket. It really is a fun evening.

Katie is now reading the Harry Potter series. She read while we waited for the show to begin.



Meghan reading her favorite book.



Chris showing off!



The students build the entire set as well as make all the costumes.



Dad and Katie



Mom and Meghan







Joseph, Played by Marc Koecke ~ He will be a senior this year. Amazing voice.







It was a great show!

Skinny Marinky Dinky Do

Skinny Marinky DO! I love you!

That was one of the songs that Ryan sang to us at his camp picnic on Friday. We weren't sure if he was going to sing at first ~ He kind of stood there looking around ~ But soon as the music started he got going.

They sang their Beaver song, this was Busy beaver camp after all, Itsy Bitsy Spider and a couple of other favorites. He was so proud of himself.



Look dazed before lunch!













He was very good at his actions!

Post Tramatic Funk Syndrome

While the girls were at camp Chris and I took the boys to see Post Traumatic Funk Syndrome at a park in Moorhead. They are a big horn funk band from the FM area and Chris had never heard them before. They rocked! We only got to stay an hour because the boys got tired, but it was great to listen to them. One of our classmates from college plays trumpet in the band. They are also planning a huge half-time show in November with our alumna mater NDSU and the Gold Star Marching band. We buy tickets on Friday!
Anyway here are some pictures from the night.

Ryan riding his new bike!

Here is Ryan riding his new bike he got from his cousin Jacob over the 4th of July. He took right to riding. What a good boy. The girls of course couldn't resist getting in on the action.

Home from Camp!

Well the girls are home from camp. They had a great time! The money in their accounts is gone and everything is wet. Musty yucky wet! SO the sleeping bags are being hung outside tomorrow, the clothes are already in the washer and the girls are clean and in bed.

ON the downside, Katie forgot the bandana she bought at camp, at camp ~ Hopefully we will find it in the lost and found on Thurs when we go look, and she wore the same pair of underwear all week long, cause she couldn't find her underwear in her bag! UgH! Of course looking in the side pocket was too taxing! *sigh*

But they are home. What a week! :)

And our letter from Katie

Dear Mom and Dad,
I am having fun! I am Minnow 46 in swiming. I made 3 new friends today! There names are Angel, Alissa, and Breanna! By the way Angel gave me the paper!
Love, Katie

Our first letter from camp ~ July 22, 2008

Dear Mommy, Daddy, Ryan and Aaron
Camp is so fun! Today I got to ride on the banana! There wasn't enough room at first, so I had to ride in the boat. Katie was on the banana before me, shile I was on the boat, and the banana tipped over. So I guess Katie didn't want to tip over anymore so she swam to the boat, so there was room for me! The banana tipped over five more times before we went back to shore! We signed up for activities the night you left. In the morning I go to boating and swimming. Boating is fun, but in swimming the water is really cold. The lake is alot of fun! You can fin a lot of shells there. I've found eleven shells so far. I'll send you guys one! I am having a lot of fun! \
Love, Meghan
P.S. Tell Tanie that we can't have any smores
P.P.S. I now know how to row in a canoe! Tomorrow I might get to go in a kayak!
P.P.P.S. I made two new friends, Haily and Izzy.

There you have it! News from camp! We go pick them up today at 4:30 or so.

Ryan's at camp now too!

Ryan's at camp now too. Just walked in and left me behind. *sigh* He did ask where the girls were this AM, but other than he is ready for his day!





So I am off to clean today and party tomorrow. Chris is biking to work this week as we found out this morning our transmission is shot on the van. OH joy! Good thing Chris still does the Rotary website every summer. Guess where that $ is going???

Cheers!

The girls are at camp!

We just got back from dropping the kids off at camp for the whole week! I think we were more nervous, but it was hard to tell. Meghan seemed reluctant for us to go, but she will get over that. Katie was like, BYE! The difference between the two is Katie gets nervous before we go - then it's fine when we get there, Meghan is fine before we go then nervous once there. They are both staying in the same cabin and we got there early enough for them to choose the top bunks for which they were excited.

Chris knew one of the guys dropping off his daughter to cabin 5 where our girls are and he told his daughter to look out for our two. She has been there for 3 summers now. There are also some other first timers there so I am sure they will make friends fast.

Here are a couple of pictures I took when we dropped them off.





The girls have the back two bunks



Cabin 5 where they are staying



The lake where they will swim



Walking back from the mess hall



They will have flag raising and lowering each day as well as a nightly campfire. On Weds night is the dance. I know they will have a blast. Plus they have money to spend at the camp store!

Ryan starts day camp tomorrow at 9 AM till Noon. He is super excited too!

I am off to enjoy some dinner. Just Chris, Ryan, myself and the Evil Spawn, I mean Aaron. Should be a fun week! :)

Hurray for Meghan!

Meghan passed Level 4 swim lessons last night on her first try in that class. We are so proud of her. She has decided to take some more swim lessons this fall over at Moorhead State and maybe even some diving lessons. Looks like we may have a swimmer in the family after all.

Go Meghan!

And the Most Outstanding Dancer is...

KATIE!!!!!!!

Katie attended Just for Kix camp this past week in Detroit Lakes. She got up at 6:30 am on Thurs, Fri and Sat and loaded a bus in Moorhead to take the hour long bus ride to DL. Once there she learned 3 dances plus an extra hip-hop dance taught by a very cool dancer named Justin who has been dancing with a Minneapolis company for 18 years. You could tell all the girls LOVED him.

The dancers would then get on the bus in the afternoon and returned home each day at about 4:20.

Yesterday was their final dance performance and Chris and the kids and I went down to DL to watch. They did a great job and recieved awards for each year they were in the JFK camp. They also gave out 3 special awards: The Firecracker award, MOD - Most Outstanding Dancer and the Heidi Heinman award for each of the groups. There were 4 age groups overall.

Katie was in the 2nd and 3rd grade group and was selected by her teachers as the MOD - Most Outstanding Dancer for her group. She looked really surprised and we were really happy for her. She loved dance camp and can't wait to go next year.

Katie has another dance camp she is attending in August. It has been a very busy summer, but lots of fun for them!

Katie is in the second row in the middle



Katie has got a great hip pop!



That's my girl. Point right at your mom!



Katie front and center









The MOD - front and center!

Happy 4th of July! ~ on the 8th!

Happy 4th! This is a little late I know, but I wasn't inspired yet to get this posted. Plus Mr I Need a Little Love keeps sitting on my lap.

The 4th of July was fun. Chris and I were surprised we didn't see more people from his class, but maybe they have all outgrown the 4th in Biwabik. Who knows. We still had fun. Another banner year for the Andreachi kids. Ryan took 1st place as Uncle Sam and the girls placed 2nd and 3rd with their bikes. Poor Aaron was the only one that didn't place, but thankfully he is still at the age where he doesn't care. The kids receive a 50 cent piece for being in the parade plus awards for their finishes. 1st - $20, 2nd - $15, 3rd - $10 and 4th - $5. So we did pretty well.

Meghan took 2nd place

Katie took 3rd place

Snazzy Uncle Sam!

Aaron didn't win, but he sure is cute!

We had a great meal with the family before the parade, then the parade and races down at the athletic field. None of our kids won any of the races, but we had fun cheering on Cousins Logan and Abby to first place finishes. We did realize that poor Ryan is going to have to work on running backwards. For the second year in a row, he was the last off the field. Kids were running back for their next race, while Ryan was still trying to get across. It was pretty funny though and he had a blast. All the kids ran their races and received a $1 for each race they ran. Even though Ryan CANNOT run backwards he did clean up in the coin drop and netted over $4.55 plus the dollar for participating. He came home with the most $ this year for sure.

Ryan - 2 steps back, 3 steps forward, 2 in place!

Katie running with her tongue out. Gets that from her mom!

Look at Meghan go!

Meghan leap-frogging with cousing Kenzie!


I'm getting money next year!

After the races we crashed for a while before going down for the night parade. I went down at 5:50 with Ryan and Meghan. When I arrived to our usual corner, they hadn't blocked off the street yet, so I told Meghan we would put our chairs out when they did. Well some lady said to me, "That's what we are planning on doing. We are going to have like 25 chairs for this spot." I replied "Well can you spare a spot for the Andreachis?" looking around and seeing no 25 chairs waiting to be put out. She then said "The other side of the street is open." Whatever! So I stood my ground and didn't say anything. Again she tells me the other side of the street is open. I told her the family usually sits here. Again - the other side is open. I ignored her and stayed put. If I had seen 25 chairs waiting to be put out I would have moved, but I didn't see the chairs, so why shouldn't I put mine down? Finally she got bored and left, to where I don't know, but out came my chairs and we enjoyed the parade on our usual corned. HA!

The parade was pretty lame this year, but the kids had fun getting candy. After the parade we walked downtown and got a few stares as we usually do. You know, family with 4 kids causes a stir, and ordered our Vi's pizza! This is a must and tradition in our family. We have to have a Vi's pizza when we are in town. They have a new place now with more ovens and it only took 35 minutes this year to get our pizza. We have waited as long as 2 hours for a pizza on the 4th. There was one 4th where Chris and I ran home in a torrential downpour getting soaked, while our pizza remained dry in a trash bag that we got from the bar. Priorities! Anyway Chris's mom Berna started working at Vi's yesterday. We are so excited that she is part of the tradition.

Family portrait!

Dorks of July!

Honing his picking up skills with candy

Aaron loves parades!

Once we got out pizza it was home for cheesecake and fireworks. Chris and his brother Ben put on a great show that was accented by a few others in town lighting them off. There were a couple of crazies down the street that didn't know what they were doing. They shot one off that exploded over Chris and Ben's heads. And another went into the yard across the street. That one was still burning. Luckily no one got hurt.

Waiting for fireworks

Ryan doesn't like fireworks

Good one dad!

We came home Sat night after going to the zoo in Duluth. It was a long trip and topped off with Meghan throwing up in the van an hour from home. Too much junk over the weekend we suspect. But then no one listens to their mother when she says no to junk food. Oh well. It was good to be in our beds when we woke up Sun morning!

So Anyway Happy 4th, a little late!