We finally decided it was time to have the radon levels in our house mitigated.   We found out they were high when we moved 2 years ago, but we had lots of other things to spend our money on.   We still have lots of other things to spend our money on, but Ben is now sleeping in the basement.   I guess it was a $1,300 peace of mind.

Just a photo of my daisy that's blooming

The weather has been relentlessly hot.    So the kids and I headed to our "beach"   Peterson Pits.  Sometimes, it's just more fun to build a sand castle.  

This is what I mean by Hot.   The temperature reading in my car on Thursday. 

On Thursday, we went down to Altoona to spend the day with my sisters.    Grandma treated us all to ice cream after the afternoon of swimming.

Saturday we left Iowa and headed to Kansas City for a few days.    The Van is packed and ready to go.

A quick stop along the Iowa border to buy a new basket from the Amish in Southern Iowa.

My Uncle John lives in KC.   He joined us for dinner at a truly authentic KC BBQ.   It was delicious.

Here's great description from a website review:

Restaurant Details

Many purists consider L.C.’s the best place to eat authentic Kansas City-style barbecue: succulent slow-smoked ribs, meaty rib tips and hefty beef sandwiches on soft white bread. The L.C.’s pit crew also pulls homemade sausage, chicken wings, turkey and shrimp out of this tiny restaurant’s aromatic pit. The side dishes are almost as famous as the meats — the hearty, molasses-rich baked beans, mixed with so many pieces of tender beef, could make a satisfying meal on its own. Onion rings are fat and crunchy, and L.C.’s fabled French fries live up to their reputation — nearly as thick as a small tree branch, one crispy L.C.’s fry is equal to a small sack of the greasy fast-food variety. L.C.’s is tiny, with fewer than a dozen tables, and everything made here is served in disposable containers with paper towels and plastic flatware. But what the interior lacks in glamour, it more than makes up in the quality and consistency of its signature dishes.

LC, himself, has his office right in the small restaurant.   He has his table piled with papers that he is slowing filing in the cabinet behind him.  The KC Royals were playing on the TV with people commenting about the game.  A stray dog was wondering around the building.   The atmosphere was part of the experience.    It was worth the trip.
  

This week's funny comes after a few holes of golf with my sister's and my mom.     Yep,   I really need golf lessons if I am going to spend to much time out on the course.   

That's me in the sand!  

If you are a regular follower to my blog, you know that I have fallen way behind in my weekly updates.   So  I am starting from here and seeing how many weeks I can make-up along the way.    Since this week is not over until tomorrow,    I will not share a weekly update, but my favorite picture from this week. 

It is always a blessing to spent time with Great Grandma.   On Wednesday we spent a few hours playing scrabble with her and then spent some time with her in the morning on Thursday.   Everyone loves to visit Great Grandma at her assisted living home.   Why you might ask?   The Ice Cream,  of course!

Enjoying the ice cream

Nadia, Sienna and AnnaB pose with Great Grandma.

The Friday Funnies seem to be the most that I can handle right now....

We all thought this was funny for very different reasons.   I thought it spoke directly to my life right now...  no one seems to put anything away, they just move it to a new location.     The kids thought it was funny that Dad would capture Mom's little tantrum.   

Despite the heat,  the garden has been growing well.   We have been watering it pretty faithfully.   We recently commented that we should keep on eye on the rabbits and maybe get a fence put up.    The next morning,  the lettuce had been eaten to the ground and the peas were chewed off in many spots.    A rabbit fence is a necessity.  

Swimming lessons for Ethan and Nadia started this week.    We decided to save a little money and take lesson from the City and not Swim America.   I was a little unsure what level Ethan would be since the levels are not equivalent.   I was surprised how much better Ethan's form and stoke mechanics were compared to most of his class.   I guess the money paid to Swim America was well spent. 

We left early on Friday for the 1st of our mini vacations.    We went to Chicago to pick-up Rachel and Sienna from the Airport.  On Saturday, we took the Metro train into downtown.    

And wondered around the city, seeing the sites

When we arrived at the aquarium, we were surprised at the 1 1/2 hour wait for tickets.    The dad's volunteered to stand in line, while we wondered along the lake and played in the grass.

 We discovered a red-winged black bird feeding her babies, but she was not very happy that we were close to her. 

Once inside,  we enjoyed the aquarium.   The special jellies exhibit was really amazing.   Who know there were so many types of jelly fish.

One of my favorite photos of the weekend:   We don't get to see Tito very often and we truly enjoyed the day and half we spent with him.

It seems that the Friday Funnies are about all I can get posted.   So far this summer,  I feel that I have been doing lots of running to this activity and that.   At least the kids are not using my belly for a spring board,  i really should look at the bright side.    So until I find a few moments away from the craziness of my life, please enjoy the funnies.

Catching up another week:
Not many photos for this week, but we were very busy.    We picked Strawberries, Raspberries and Blueberries at the Berry Patch.   There is really nothing better than fresh berries.

 We spent a couple hours on Wednesday afternoon playing at Ledges State Park.   

 An Thursday afternoon at the pool.    Some days, we prefer the indoor pool.   No sunscreen required, it is often less busy, except on certain days when the day cares arrive.   The boys also like that they can dive down to the bottom of the 12 foot section.