New Glasses

Cooper has had glasses, just for Reading, since Kindergarten. The old pair was getting too small for her face, so onto bigger and more mature glasses for this soon to be eight year old! She was excited.


Cooper and her new glasses.

Riley County Fair

Summer would not be the same without attending the Riley County Fair. Luckily we made it home from our vacation early enough on Sunday afternoon to attend the Fair that night. Wristbands allow you to ride as many rides as you want, great idea in theory. Except that Cooper is like me, nervous and scared of everything and Campbell well she was just too little still to ride more than the kiddie rides. Maybe next year she can show off her bravery!


Campbell and Daddy getting ready to ride.


Campbell, Cooper, and J on the cars.


Daddy and Campbell on the carousel.


Cooper and her friend J. Cooper is always showing off.


Daddy and Campbell on the big slide.


Daddy and Cooper on the big slide. Cooper was afraid to try it alone.


Cooper and Campbell on the alligator roller coaster.


Campbell and Cooper on the motorcycles.


Cooper and Campbell on the big slide together.

Pictures from Nags Head

Our beach house paradise for the week.


Chad helping the girls & B & B into the Ocean.


Campbell showing off, Cooper showing attitude!


Chad and the girls at the Wright Brothers Memorial.


Mommy & the girls at the Outer Banks Brewery.


Sand Castles


Cooper & Papa flying kites.


Ghost Crab hunting at night was the most fun!


Lohman Family with Papa Mike & Grandma ReRe


Friends and Family!
Back Row: Heath, Michele, Cooper, Vickie, Chad.
Front Row: Brian, B, B, Campbell, Mommy.

Nags Head, NC

On Sunday we left Hampton and drove 2 hours down to Nags Head, NC aka "The Outer Banks." This is where the family/friend vacation really begins. Every year Heath & Michele rent a beach house there and invite friends & family to join in and enjoy the ocean, hot tub, pool, and relaxation of the week. This year we took them up on their offer. They have 2 boys B & B (close to our girls ages) and also invited Michele's parents along. We invited my dad & stepmom along. It was a perfect mixture of fun, planning, relaxing, and adventures that you could pack into a vacation.

Top Things We Did in the Outer Banks
1. See the ocean (it was the first time for the girls)
2. New restaurants (Dirty Dick's, Outer Banks Brewery)
3. Build sandcastles (thanks to Brian's help)
4. Collect sea shells (so many shells the girls each have a container full)
5. Fly a kite (Campbell lost her kite in the ocean)
6. Watersports (the girls took to swimming & Chad tried surfing)
7. Watch the sunrise & sunset (walks on the beach)
8. New creatures (ghost crabs, jellyfish, & dolphins)
9. Shopping for souvenirs (OBX items are everywhere)
10. The Wright Brothers National Memorial (the history of flight)
11. Ghost Crabbing at night (SO MUCH FUN!!!)
12. Drank, ate, and drank some more (had to visit Brew Thru everyday)
13. Get a tan (they do make 100 spf sunscreen for my red head beauties)
14. Relax (toes in the water, ass in the sand, not a worry in the world, a cold beer in my hand)

It really was a fabulous vacation. I absolutely love the beach and hadn't been to a "beach" in many years. We have taken 2 other family vacations, both to snow ski - which isn't my thing. So this vacation was a nice change of scenery and a fresh breath of air for me. We can't wait until the next family/friend vacation. We hope to make it an annual tradition. Thanks Heath & Michele.

Chad's 20 year High School Reunion

We arrived in Hampton, VA on Friday afternoon, checked into the hotel, and made our way over to Heath & Michele's house. They had invited some friends over for dinner and time to catch up and hangout. The girls met their boys and hit it off right away. The night was relaxing and fun. A great way to slowly transition into the vacation ahead.

Saturday morning Chad took us on a tour of his old stomping grounds. We saw the house he lived in, two places he worked at, his high school, the city of Hampton, and we visited Buckrowe Beach. The girls were excited to see the "water" and it was such a different experience for them to see ships all around. The hotel we stayed at was right on the Marina so there were boats right outside our window.

That afternoon, the girls and I visited some downtown Hampton sights while Chad went to the airport to pick up my dad and stepmom. They were nice enough to join us on this vacation and were there in time to babysit the girls so we could go enjoy Chad's reunion. Once they all arrived at the hotel, Chad and I had a chance to visit with his friends and get ready for the evening.

The reunion was at the hotel we were staying at, so no worries about having to travel to a different location. Dinner, music, dancing, drinks, pictures, visiting, and reminiscing about the old days. When that was finished we ventured out to the neighborhood bars and found more old classmates. We called it a night around midnight and enjoyed the peace and quiet of our hotel room. The girls were sleeping in with Papa & Grandma.


Andy, Jamie, Brian, Chad, Scott, & Heath


Andy, Jamie, Brian, Sheila, Chad, Scott, & Heath


Brian & Vickie


Heath & Michele


Chad and I

Road Trip to Virginia

One of the many things about Chad that I love is that he is not from Kansas. He is an Army brat, as am I, and he moved around A LOT. He had the privilege of attending his three years of high school in Hampton, VA. He was in the graduating class of 1990, so this year was his 20 year high school reunion. He attended his 15 year reunion alone, as I was in the middle of teaching/packing/moving and sent him on his way. This time was different, we decided we would drive to VA and make a family vacation out of the event.

While reading all of this please remember these important details.
1. 20 hours of driving (don't forget about the 20 hours of driving back home too)
2. 1267 miles (don't forget that's another 1267 miles back home too)
3. 4 people in Chad's truck
4. 6 suitcases & many misc items
5. 4 different hotels
6. Mountain driving
7. Traffic
8. Potty breaks
9. Food & drink breaks
10. The infamous question "Are we there yet?"

All in all, the trip was fantastic. The girls did superb. Everything could not have gone smoother. I really think Chad had his doubts, but we worked through them and triumphed. Yay, for us!!

New Hair Cut

I may come to regret this, but I took the girls to get a haircut yesterday. We are heading to the beach for a week and I thought it was time for a summer hairdo. Cooper just needed a trim of about 2 inches. Campbell on the other hand, cut off 7 inches of her precious, red, curly locked hair. I hope she doesn't hate me for this later and I truly hope the curls don't disappear for life, but her new hairdo looks great and it will be super easy to handle on the beach.