There's Nothing Like Family

Catching up with Grandma Rose Emma making brownies with Jen and Casey

Grandma Rose and her 5 great grandchildren
Camden, Holden, Lily, Emma, and Calvin

Camden, Lori, and Tim

Casey, Tim, and Chris-what a trio!

The brothers and their beautiful ladies

THE family picture!

Uncle Casey and Emma...

Uncle Tim and Emma...

The Kasparek Men

Marie with her guys

4th of July Bash!

The rain stopped just in time for the big Kasparek 4th of July Party. Camden and Emma helped Pops decorate the yard.
Sydney and Emma picked up right where they left off almost 2 years ago and had a blast!

We were so happy that the Watts family came over from Peoria to join the fun. Camden and Julia weren't quite sure what to think of one another...

Hanging out with Chris and Rachael.

Even though it was not pool weather, Camden was ready to swim!

Chris, Chris, and Kori- The boys from Schweinfurt'97.

Emma and Aubrey loved being pushed around on the boats.
Marie braved the cold and joined me, too! ;)

A great reunion with Kathleen and Harry.

Getting ready for the band...

Enjoying the great live music!

Sparklers!

4th of July Race

When the alarm went off early this morning we thought Mother Nature was playing a joke on us with some rainy Washington weather here in Iowa. It's almost 1:00 and we're still waiting for the rain to stop. We grabbed our rain gear and headed to Cedar Rapids for the big 4th of July race. Here is Chris taking off in the 8K race.
Our surprise cheerleaders-Jen and Casey! We are thrilled that they made it to Iowa for the weekend!

The Kasparek runners!
Chris and Tim ran the 8K, Lori and I ran the 5K, and Emma ran the Kid's quarter mile

What a family!

Emma started off so strong and confident!

Coach Tim and Daddy followed along with her.

Coming into the finish line...

Lori's parents have some pictures of the 2 Kasparek ladies, so I will post those soon!

Pop's Digger

When we came to Iowa the last time (September of '07), Emma saw Pop's new digger when we visited one of his job sites. Since that day, whenever she sees a digger, she always says, "That's a digger like Pop's!!" Along with swimming in the pool, riding the digger was at the top of her wish list for this trip. This afternoon was the big ride!

During Emma's ride, Camden kept saying, "Camden's turn! Camden's turn!"

My Second Family

Today we headed up to our old college stomping ground, Cedar Falls! It brought back great memories for both Chris and me. We got to tour the new world headquarters of Camp Adventure and see some old Camp A friends.

A trip to Cedar Falls is not complete without seeing the McMullen family. I met Katie my first day at UNI and we became fast friends. Her family, who lived in town, quickly became my family away from home. The last time we were in Iowa we went to Katie's wedding and this trip we got to meet the newest addition to her family, Chris. Emma and Camden enjoying lunch.

Christopher Alan Bjerke-only 5 days old!

The McMullen ladies

Family picture with Pam and Katie
(baby Chris is under the Hooter Hider)

Babi and Pop's Pool

Whenever the subject of Iowa came up the past few months, Emma always talked about Babi and Pop's pool. We got into Cedar Rapids late Sunday night and first thing Monday morning, Emma had to check out the pool and test it with her feet.
Later on in the afternoon, it was time to jump in!
Here is Camden his first few minutes in the pool.

Cruisin' in style

Emma wanted to "ride on a boat" also.

My 2 favorite guys floating together
The hairdo is a classic!

Rock 'n' Roll Seattle!

After Emma's luau we headed to Seattle for the big Inaugural Seattle Rock 'n' Roll Marathon (or in our case, half marathon). Here are Emma and Camden at the race expo crossing the finish line. We had a fabulous cookout in Volunteer Park with friends. Emma wanted to go down the slide with Lily, but I convinced her to just pose for a picture at the bottom. :)
Emma and Michelle are rays of sunshine in their matching yellow.

Chris left the hotel before 5 this morning, but the kids and I ventured out to the race course a few hours later. Here's Chris coming down the home stretch!

We are so proud of our Daddy!