Cat and Aaron's visit and the 4th of July

Living far from family can be sad, especially around the holidays. That is one reason why it was so great to have my sister, Catherine and her husband Aaron come for a visit for the 4th of July! Catherine and Aaron are young and fun! They have lots of energy and excitement about new things. They really made this week so fun!

They flew in to Omaha on the 1st of July. We picked them up and went directly to the Bob Kerrey Walking Bridge. This bridge spans the Missouri River and crosses from Iowa to Nebraska. You can see the fun and energy that Cat and Aaron bring in these pictures.



We also enjoyed the spray park, and the Lewis and Clark Museum on the Nebraska side. By the way, thanks to Aaron for taking so many wonderful photographs. These days, it is difficult for me to take care of 4 kids and remember my camera!



We then picked up some lunch and headed to the Gene Leahy Mall and Heartland of America Park.



In the evening, we purchased fireworks. We enjoyed Aaron's displays in our own front yard just about every night of the week! There is nothing like the displays in our own neighborhood. This year was especially grand. It was fireworks in every direction. At first Christian did not like them, but by the end of the week, he was making a firework sound and getting excited everytime he heard one. He did stay very close to his mom though!

July 2nd, we went the Henry Doorly Zoo. (Travel website TripAdvisor named Omaha’s zoo the world’s best in its Travelers’ Choice awards for Zoos and Aquariums. The rankings used data from millions of user reviews to select 275 winners worldwide.) I know we have really enjoyed this zoo while living here in Omaha. We love the indoor Lied Jungle, the Kingdoms of the Night exhibit, the aquarium, the Imax, the petting zoo, and much more! Cat and Aaron treated the kids to popcorn and a Skyfari ride. How fun when the kids get such nice treatment - they felt very special! There were so many awesome things to see, I could never include them all in one post!



On July 3rd we went to Zorinsky water park. Sterling and Sheri were both tall enough this year to go down the slides. They were so happy!


And of course, we enjoyed more fireworks in the evening!



On the Fourth of July we went started by attending a little neighborhood parade.


It was fun, but just didn't impress. So we headed down south a bit, and hit a much bigger parade. It was much more entertaining. They even had Star Wars characters.


Here we are setting up for the big fireworks night! We had tiki torches, and red licorice. It was a spectacular night. I just kept praying for everyone's safety! :) It was a night to remember thanks to Matthew and Aaron!


On July 5th, we took the boat down to Branched Oak Lake. We had a great time even though it took some time to get going. (Me) There is always so much to prepare! By the way, the kids and I finished Harry Potter #6 in the car. This has been fun to share in car during the summers. Aaron and Cat both tried water skiing, giving valiant efforts. It can be tough to get it initially. Sterling made it look like a piece of cake, as did Matt. Many of us enjoyed riding on the tube and swimming in the water or on the beach. We also had lots of fun snacks and lunch in the boat. Fun!


Sunday was a nice day of rest and worship. I really do love church, and serving in my ward! Church was shortened due to a broken air conditioner. Matt flew out to work again and the rest of us enjoyed dinner and board/card games.

Monday morning Catherine and Aaron flew back to Colorado. We had a lot of fun and hope they will come visit us again next year. We were also glad that we would soon be able to see them in Colorado. But that is for another post! :) Thanks for all the fun Cat and Aaron!