At the Ameys: June Trip to Kansas

During the first part of June, we drove up to Kansas to spend a few days with Ben's family. His mom retired from teaching this year. To celebrate, the school planned a very nice luncheon for her that weekend after church where several people shared stories and congratulations. (Unfortunately, I didn't even think of taking my camera, so no pictures but it was a really nice time.) Ben's sister and her two daughters also came, so the cousins were all together again. The night before the kids enjoyed a dip in the backyard pool.

Piper thought the water was COLD.

She didn't last long after this picture, but her cousin Nicole (in the front) didn't mind the cold :)

Piper loves to be outside. She enjoyed just walking up and down the driveway.

Sunday afternoon we drove out to Uncle Bill's farm. We met them in the field where they were bringing in the last of the wheat. Lila and I got to ride in this combine - a first for both of us! It was really loud until you got in the cab. Then it wasn't too bad, and it was air conditioned. After we came back, Brian (Ben's cousin who drove the combine) gave a couple more rides. Brian (Ben's brother, in the yellow shirt) arrived just in time for David and Rachel to get in the last ride.

Then we all went over to the farm, where the kids wanted to play with the kittens. There were three kittens, all gray like this one. They did a pretty good job tolerating all the love they got from ten children! And the ten kids did a good job sharing three kittens!!

Silly faces.

Happy faces.

(L-R) Claire (7), Lila (almost 6), Britton (8), Kaelyn (6), Rachel (6)

After we ate dinner, we headed out to the orchard to pick some apples. Ben's uncle Bill decided to help Ben's dad reach the top of the tree!

All the kiddos. As you can see, there is a *slight* dominance of the females :) Luckily, Wyatt and David are the same age at least!

Piper decided someone had left some perfectly good apples on the ground.

Here she was trying to carry them by the stems.

And putting them in the bucket!

(I had no idea we would be picking apples when I dressed her.)

My shy guy picking an apple.

Brian joined his dad in the tractor perch.

Another method of picking apples: one person picks, then tosses the apple to the waiting catchers.

Piper with Nana.

And Piper with Aunt Rebecca.

My sweet Lila girl. She puts up with my "just one more picture" so well. Usually :)

The next morning it was time to see if there was anything ready for picking in the garden behind Grandma and Grandpa's house. Lila had asked a few times about it already.

Lila cracks me up.

Grandpa was about to dig up the potato plant. He had some spectators. Taters. Ha!

She wasn't sure why I was telling her to stand still... she hasn't quite figured out this whole picture-taking Mama yet :)

These two are four months apart.

I will be curious to see if they get along better as they get older. Right now they don't really want to share :)

Kaelyn tried to help Piper out by bringing her another ball.

That immediately got Nicole's interest though, so she was willing to trade :)

Nicole sat down on this tree stump to watch Ben and his dad cut down a dead tree in the backyard (which I was going to document but my camera battery died right before they began).