My Ninja Warrior

 

Have you seen American Ninja Warrior? 

We watched it last summer and were excited to see it was on again last week.  Our family likes to watch competitive shows featuring obstacle courses, like Wipe Out and American Ninja Warrior. 

ANW is especially fun to watch because the course is almost impossibly difficult.  If the competitors hit the ground at any time, they are eliminated.  No second chances. 

See ya next year.

Yesterday David rolled a baby bale into the yard for the kids to play with.  Nathan used it as a start of his own ANW course.  He would start at the bicycle trailer, climb over the deck rail, and head back. 

The good thing about having your own course is that you can start over as many times as you want.

And you always come in first place.

4th of July

Our 4th of July was a little different this year.  Since David's aunt and uncle had a family wedding, our usual crowd and local hangout for the day were not available.  David's parents and mine were out of town, too. 
We felt sad and lost. 
We felt like Meliuses without a family. 
So, we pulled ourselves together and got over it. :)
We started out with our usual routine--the Faulkton parade.  There is no documentation of Landen at the parade as he decided this morning that if he couldn't BE in the parade (as he has been in the past with his grandparents), he didn't want to SEE the parade.  So, he stayed in the van.  I guess we all make choices in life . . . . 
He perked up for the picnic in the park later on.
The best part of today is that it was a perfectly beautiful day weather-wise!  We usually don't go to the park for the community picnic since it is USUALLY so unbearbly HOT.  If there's anything I can't stand, it's standing in line to juggle plates on a hot, sticky day.  (My favorite place to be on the 4th of July is enjoying the AC wherever I happen to be.) 
Well, guess what?  Not only was the temperature perfect, but in the past three years, our big 3 have grown enough to carry their OWN plates!  It was SPECTACULAR!  We caught up with friends we hadn't seen in much too long while the kids danced and played in the park.  It was Norman Rockwell-esque.  There are some moments in life when you realize how great it is while you are living it. 
It was one of those times for me. 
Great Uncle John and Great Aunt Donna (whom Nathan has decided will now be known as "Grandpa" and "Grandma"--Why not?  You can never have too many grandparents.) surprised us with a visit after our return home. 
Our plan was to return to Faulkton for the fireworks, but we decided over supper that we were quite content to be home.  Our children are now watching fireworks on TV and from whichever window happens to be facing fireworks at the time.  Big 3 are happy, parents are happy, Rachel is sleeping. . . all is well. :)

Happy 4th of July! 

Life is good.

Arnold's Park

Yes, I am STILL talking about last Saturday!  Are you ready for a nap?  Tough.  No time for that!

 

After the birthday brunch, we headed down to Arnold's Park on Lake Okiboji.  It was Uncle Jason's company "picnic" day.  (No actual picnic--just fun!) :)  Since he works for a pretty awesome company, we were able to tag along and enjoy the day, too. 

 

I am not a huge theme park kind of girl, but I liked Arnold's Park.  They had the rides that were more my speed (on the ground, spinny kinds of things and the gondola ferris wheel), and I left the high flying rides to my big 3 kiddos.  It was the perfect size for our kids to roam and hit all of the rides they could multiple times.  Even Teresa rode the Flume Ride.  I am thankful that Grandma Melius is not afraid of heights and likes to take her grandchildren on rides.  I pleaded "chicken" on that.

 

 Rachel didn't ride rides, but she was a rock star for the afternoon.  She either pushed her stroller or hung out with her "Pa Pa Pa."  We found some slides that were fun, too.  When she got just a bit crabby, we bought her a "hot dog dog" and all was better. 

 

Jason and I were excited to hear that John Mayer was performing that night . . . but, then Angela informed us that it was actually SHAWN Mayer.  It was just as well since we had six kids with us! 

 

 

It was a great memory making kind of day!

Lily's 6th Birthday Party

After the triathlon, we headed back to the Johnsons' house for Lily's 6th Birthday Brunch! 

 

 

It was time to relax and refuel because there was more fun ahead. . . .

Our Tri-Athletes

Earlier this month, we planned one last hurrah to end our fun month of travelling.  Our nephew Carter had participated in the Sanford Tri for Health in Jackson MN last year, and David's sister Angela thought our boys might like it, too.  They agreed and we signed them up. 

 

The boys had big plans for training . . . that lasted a couple of days.  As it got closer, I was starting to have my doubts as to if one or the other would even complete the course.  The boys can swim, but they had never done it competitively.  Landen likes biking and Nathan likes running, but neither had ever done all three in quick succession.  As it turned out, I had nothing to worry about.

 

The farm had other plans for David (sometimes corn grows a little faster than we expect it will, although we aren't complaining!), so I headed down the road solo with our four little angels.  I'm always up for a road trip and that's why they make DVD players, right??

 

We arrived Friday evening ready for the big triathon Saturday morning.  Grandma and Grandpa Melius were also in town for the event.

The boys all completed the course, which was the major goal!  Nathan came in first in the biking in the 5-7 year olds and tied for 11th overall in this age group.  Carter finished 14th in the 8-10 year olds.

 

 

It started to rain on us, so we had to head for cover.  Do you think Angela and Rachel look like they could possibly be related?

 

Teresa and Lily loved being cheerleaders.

 

 

 

It was so much fun to watch the boys compete.  I know athletics aren't Landen's favorite thing, but he did it anyway.  I was especially proud of him for his endurance as I watched up drop off his bike and start running down the course. 

Despite his reasonable success, Nathan thinks he may retire from triathlons, but who knows?  Next year is a long way away.