4 Wheels 4 Girls

After feeding Dindy (our grandpa) we all went to go pick out a book to read to our grandpa. Ana read a book about a cat who could do nothing special and when he did try it turned out always wrong. Ana can read really great and I think that Dindy loved it. Cool!

Stella read a book about being a pilot. Dindy loves airplanes so I think he loved that one too. In the story some kids get on the airplane and it was their first time. They saw all the notches and buttons and then they dreamed about being a pilot. 🙂

I read a book about the life cycle of a butterfly. They lay the eggs and then hatch and start eating a ton until they are big and fat and make a crisaliss. The crisaliss is hard to protect them. After a while they transform into a butterfly. When they get out their wings are wet so they let them dry in the suns heat. After a while the butterfly goes and gets some food and finds a mate. Then the whole life circle starts over again. Neat!!!!

One day we went to louevele. when we arvede in louevele i was so happy and icsied. When i saw andy i was stating to feel tierd. it’s bene a blast.:] i have bene having a grate time. We red storys to andy. We played all day.

[Editor’s translation:]
One day [September 11] we went to Louisville. When we arrived in Louisville I was so happy and excited. When I saw Andy I was starting to feel tired. It’s been a blast. :] I have been having a great time. We read stories to Andy. We played all day.

On September 10th, we left Lansing (Boo hoo! I love Lansing!) and we drove five hours to Chicago.

We arrived at our aunt and uncle’s house around five, and everyone rushed out to greet us: my Aunt Jana and Uncle Andy, my Uncle Will and my cousins Aidan (6), Juliet (9), Griffin (11), and Dylan (16). It was really really exciting to see them again since we hadn’t seen them since last December when they moved to Chicago. Then, after giving hugs to everyone, we went inside to check out their new house. It was huge and beautiful, and all the rooms were huge with great living space. I loved it. Then Juliet showed us their backyard and new trampoline and swing-set, and we played on the swing-set for awhile. I could tell our cousins were happy to see us.

With our cousins

Then we came inside, and our aunt and uncle showed us the basement and we ate some chips and guacamole. Then Uncle Will started a game of pool, and I joined in. We were on teams; Stella, Juliet, and I against Will and Aidan. Will and Aidan won. 😛 We played outside for a little bit longer and played and a game called Tomato that has a lot of history for us. (It’s kind of like Tag.)

Dad, Jean, Uncle Will, Aunt Jana, and Uncle Andy

Then it was time to eat, and we had burgers, hotdogs, salad, corn, and watermelon. It was delicious. *licks lips* After dinner we hung out a little more and played Tomato for a little longer, and then, sadly, it was time for us to leave. We gave out lots of hugs, and then we loaded up in the RV (after giving a quick tour) and left, starting the five-hour drive to Kentucky.

I’m so so so glad that we got to visit our aunt, uncles, and cousins in Chicago. It was so great to see them again! I really missed them. 🙂

We went to Lansing for 9 days! [note: actually 5 weeks] We were sad when we left 3 weeks after fishday’s. I was sad because it was sad leave grandmas house. Then we went to Kentucky. I was sad when we left her house.:(

I liked fishday!:) I liked our sleepover! Have you ever ben to Lansing befor?

Getting ready to hit the road for the last leg of our journey

Yesterday we went to nell house we watched solserfer it is about a 13ten that got her arm bet off by a shark I watched the shark atak it was not scery. Then later on in the move she went serfing agen. Then in the moning we hade to leave.:( Ween we got home are baby cozen was there Oden! He was stell sleping so we hade to be quiet we ate are Luch in then he wock up.:).

With Grandma and my cousin, Owden.

[Editor’s translation:]
Yesterday we went to Nell’s house [for a sleepover]. We watched Soul Surfer. It is [a movie] about a 13 year old that got her arm bit off by a shark. I watched the shark attack; it was not scary. Then later on in the movie she went surfing again.

Then in the morning we had to leave. 🙁 When we got home our baby cousin, Owden, was there! He was still sleeping so we had to be quiet. We ate our lunch and then he woke up. 🙂

September 8th, the new principal, Mrs. Hogan, gave Ellie, Ana, Greta, and I permission to attend class for one day. I was put in the class with all my friends. In the Lansing school, there is only one sixth grade class and there’s only 24 people in it. Last year, near the end of fifth grade, I had joined the school for a few weeks. That’s how I knew everybody. One of my best Iowa friends, Annie, took me to all her classes and included me in everything. She was so nice, and all my other friends were too, but Annie made me feel the most at home.

The school day was really fun, and my second favorite part was lunch. We had mini corn-dogs, cheese sandwiches, applesauce, a salad bar, Dorito and pasta salad, pineapple fruit cups, peaches, muffins, vegetables and dip, and milk. What a lunch! My favorite part was the corn-dogs.

My favorite part of the day was PE. We played capture the flag, boys against girls. At first, the boys were all excited because they always think they’re better, but the girls won every single time.

Everything was so fun that day. DEFINITELY beats homeschool! Thanks everybody!

On September 5th, Me and Nell got back from her house and our cousin Jahmuna was at Grandma’s house. We decided to play Beckon Beckon. It is a fun game. After a while we got bored and decided to bike around the alley. I let Jahmuna use my bike. Me and Nell were playing with Thurgood, Jahmuna’s three-year-old brother, and he actually talked a lot more than usual.

After playing for about an hour, we went in and got ready to go to the Red Barn, a really yummy restaurant in Lansing. Thurgood and Jahmuna loved riding there in the RV. When we got there, we went inside and ordered our food. While waiting for our food to come, all the kids went down to the playground to play. We played Watermelon on the slide. We also went on one of the twirly things and we slid down it. We also went on a baby helicopter and played with Thurgood in it.

Mommy and our cousin Jahmuna

After a while, Mommy and Daddy and Grandma called us up to eat our food. I ate a hotdog with French fries. It was delicious! After that we all hopped in the RV and started on our way back to Grandma’s house. It was a very fun day!!! 🙂

Our cousin Thurgood

Last nite we went to Aunt Jeneses house and gese how was there? Adalen was there!! Adalen is my cosine. We played in tele it was time to go to bed. The next mining me and Adalen pladed together in the playe room in tile it was time for Adalen to go home. 🙁

[Editor’s translation:]
Last night [September 3] we went to Aunt Janice’s house and guess who was there? Adelynn was there!! Adelynn is my cousin. We played until it was time to go to bed. The next morning me and Adelynn played together in the play room until it was time for Adelynn to go home. 🙁

September 3rd, on our way back to Lansing from Spanish camp, we stopped by Trisha and Ron, Jean’s friends, and their son, Willie’s house in Minneapolis, Minnesota. When went inside and a little yippy dog came running. Trisha told us that the dog was blind because it was so old and it’s cataracts had completely grown over it’s eyes. Trisha said that it got around by sound and by just walking where it wanted to go, and if it ran into a wall or chair or something, it would just go the other way. I laughed at that, feeling both amused by the dog and bad for it.

We sat on the back porch for a while and Ron brought us some root-beer in a beer bottle. There was a label around the top that said, “KWITCHERBELLIAKEN”. Get it? Kwitcherbelliaken, like quit your belly aching? Kwitcherbelliaken, quit your belly aching. 🙂 I like that label.

With our long-time friends in St. Paul

After we finished our root-beer, Trisha said she had something for us and went in to get it. When she came back out, she was holding a big plastic box full of potholder-making stuff! Wow! We thanked Trisha and then she said that she and Ron would have to leave to go to a concert with some friends of theirs. So they left, and so we decided that we should leave too, but it was dinner-time. (By the way, Willie is Jean’s godson and Willie is 14, almost 15, so he could’ve stayed home alone, but he didn’t then.) So since it was dinner-time, and Willie is Jean’s godson, and if we didn’t take him somewhere, he’d have to stay home alone, we decided to walk him out to eat at Noodles and Company. I love that restaurant! I got a large order of spaghetti and meatballs. It was DELICIOUS!!! We talked about Spanish camp with Willie because he had been there before, and we talked about our different experiences. Me, Ellie, Greta, and Ana all said that it was the best time ever, but Willie said that he went there with his friends and they tried to speak as much English as possible to annoy the counselors. 🙂 Of course. He is a boy.

When we finished eating, we walked back to Trisha and Ron’s house, dropping off Willie, saying goodbye, and hopping into the RV. That was a nice night!

On Saturday, September 3rd, the last morning of Spanish camp, we had to say goodbye. *hangs head and wipes tears from eyes*

We packed our cabin, stripped our sheets, cleaned up everything, and then went to breakfast. It was basically a cleanup of all the breakfast food since camp was ending, but it was still very good. I sat with a few other families and some friends since I wouldn’t be seeing them again. Then we took loads to the activities center from our cabin, and after that we did our performance of Little Red Riding Hood and we had the good-bye assembly. Christina, El Lago Del Bosque’s director, gave us a CD with all kinds of pictures and videos and stuff, and she also gave each family a Spanish version of Curious George. Then we had brunch, and I got my tie-dye shirt and told every counselor to sign it. By that time it was almost time to leave, so we all had one last dance in the courtyard. It was really fun. Then it was time to go, so we gave everyone hugs, loaded up the RV, and left El Lago Del Bosque. It was so sad to leave. We had such a wonderful time! 🙂

With all the counselors and some fellow campers on the last morning. Goodbye El Lago del Bosque! We miss you!