Minneapolis Heart Institute Gala

 We had a wonderful night with great friends to attend the MHI gala downtown!

 So September has come and gone so very quickly that I don't hardly know where to begin.  The kids are in full swing of school; Carter-3rd, Taylor-5th, and Hailey-8th.  This is the last year that all of the kids will be in one location for school.  I love having them all at Calvin and it has become a place that we all recognize as being "Home".  They are loved and cared for there probably better than I could do myself at home.  Hailey is completely independent with her schedule and responsibilities.  She likes to be involved in everything and so her list currently looks like this: dance, flute, piano, volleyball, praise team, GEMS, and newspaper.  Taylor has also mastered the art of taking her own schedule into her own hands, needing very little prompting from me to get her school work complete.  Here current list of activities look like this: saxophone, piano, volleyball, and gymnastics.  Carter has never been a fan of sitting and learning but instead prefers to be running around playing a sport of some sort.  This has not made the start of 3rd grade to be very positive.  He has had to buckle down and spend a lot of time with spelling, reading, and math with a LOT of prompting from his teacher and from us.  His list of activities now includes: hockey, soccer, and piano.  Piano being the newest for Carter this year.

 I spent a full day at Mayo Clinic with Damon and Makenna to correct their heart arrhythmias.  What a long day but successful for both of them!

 Carter and Mike spent a late afternoon out on Lake Minnetonka to fish

3rd Grade

5th Grade

8th Grade

 September 10th was Mike's birthday but it also was the day of the annual Syrjamaki Corn Hole Tournament.  The Miedema were successful in both the kids' bracket and the adults!!

Taylor 1st place

Mike and I 1st place!

 Carter's 3 on 3 team wrapped up their season with a win in the championship game!

Carter in the Bloomington parade in support of Bloomington Hockey

 I joined Carter for a full day field trip at the River Rendezvous

Squeezing the last out of summer

Spring Hill golfing for Mike and Dave

Puppy-sitting for friends

Her name is Liz

Luke Bryan concert with friends at US Bank Stadium

Valley Fair with the Spriks

Karate kid at Bryant Lake 

State fair trip for Taylor and Jaclyn

Lake of the Isles with Grandpa and Grandma

Carter and Grandpa fishing and not catching

Hailey grilling up burgers at the beach

Last day at the lake for Carter and Taylor

Grandpa and Grandma on their 47th wedding anniversary

Trout Lake Bible Camp

 Hailey and her dear friends attended Trout Lake Bible camp up north for one week the final week before school began.  They had an awesome experience and were blessed with wonderful counselors and cabin mates.  The them there was "Arrows Up", remembering to keep their aim towards God even though we get pulled backwards time and time again.

Sonja and Hailey in their cabin

The girls and their cabin leaders at the ACORN Cabin

Timber Ridge is the young teen portion of the camp where they stayed

Us mommys were very excited to get our girls back!

A quick stop for ice-cream on the way home!!!

Miedema Family Vacation

The Miedemas' totally outdid themselves this summer by: putting on a wedding, throwing a surprise 70th birthday party and taking a family vacation!

We booked a home overlooking the Mississippi River in historic Red Wing, MN and spent time on the river, hiking the bluffs, had family olympics, and games galore.

Mike and his mom on the wave runner

The Mississippi 

Taylor, Hailey, and Mariah

The Miedema Olympics

Zeinstra girls on Barn's Bluff

Auntie Julie and her neices and Carter

Loren and Julie

The overlook of Red Wing

Our soaking wet pontoon ride with Roger and Kenna

Red Wing Shoe Factory

Wonderful sister-in-laws

A Vis Wedding

My Uncle Denny,  father of the groom

 We made a quick trip to NW Iowa to celebrate with family as one of my cousins was getting married.  It is a rare occasion for me to see my aunts, uncles and cousins who were always such a huge of my life growing up.

My sister Ginnie and I over looking Newton Hills 

Lots and lots of cousins on my dad's side with the bride and groom!

So fun to see everyone!