Johnston Green Days Parade

Greg and the kids getting ready to throw candy.

Our wonderful church band getting ready to go.
Alea and the Pillsbury Dough Boy-they walked right behind us.

We are already SOOOO HOT!

Alea and Benton before the parade.

Our small town of Johnston has an annual carnival and summer celebration every year called Green Days. This happened at the end of last week and over the weekend. On Saturday, they had a big city-wide parade. Our church got a slot in the parade and we were all really excited to join the fun, pass out information about our church and throw candy. Alea and Benton got a lot of looks sitting in their stroller throwing candy at everyone. Benton mainly hit the side of the road with the candy. Alea also had a blast throwing candy and beaned so many people with various tootsie rolls, junior mints, gum, etc. We had a fun time trying to keep up with our church-they were driving so fast-and enjoyed being in a parade!

Vinsnikersberts Branson Trip

Lance-need I say more?

About a year ago, the Perkins family got together and talked about planning a "family vacation". We decided on Branson, MO-the first full week of June 2009. That date has been on most of our countdowns so long, I can't believe it's already here and gone!

We are the family you see wearing matching shirts. We are the family that pitches in and stays in one, large condo and splits up the meal preparation/supply/cleanup by family. We are the family that laughs at the "talent" night and the swimming feats of the guys until we can't breathe. We come from four states and represent four living generations. There are twenty-two of us right now and we know how to have good, clean FUN!

On our family vacation, we did the typical touristy stuff: Silver Dollar City, Showboat Branson Belle and White Water. The condo had a pool right outside the front door so many of the kids spend a large potion of every day splashing and swimming. The paddle boats were a great time and every trip back from "the island" I swore was going to be my last until the next day when, for some strange reason, I'd do it again. Alea has had the hardest time coming back to Iowa and would have just stayed in Branson for the rest of her life-with the family ALL there of course. What a great way to start our summer-with family!

ONLY FOR THE REALLY INTERESTED!

Ok, ok what is Vinsnikersberts? This is a made up name (no way!) that is an accumulation of all the last names represented by the offspring of Russ and Sheri Perkins (who had 3 girls and 1 boy). Vin-Lance, Lori, August, Ashlyn VINson; kins (backward)-Russ, Sheri, Matt, April, Mason, Asher, McKenna PerKINS; ers-Greg, Erin, Alea, Benton MeyERS; berts-Jon, Callie, Samara, Josiah, Gideon, Miriam RoBERTS. Callie created this family name and I hope it sticks. It was on the back of our matching and sure made for some great conversation starters. The numbers on the front of our shirts represent where-in birth order-the individual wearing the shirt fits into the bigger picture. So there you go!

Lori, Callie, Erin warming up for the "talent" night

Alea and August-only 7 months apart-they love each other

"The Feat"

Can these 6ft 4in PLUS guys squeeze in to the baby floatie rings?

Yes-unbelieveable (see first picture)

Getting out-even funnier-SQUEEZE, POP!

Greg, Benton and Alea-how sweet!

More Branson Pictures

Alea and Benton at Silver Dollar City

Gideon and Benton riding the "bus"Samara, Miriam, August and Alea riding the "bus"

McKenna and Benton hanging out at the condo

Oh, those glorious lunches!

Even More Branson Pictures

Alea and Benton leaving the Branson Belle.

Mom and Dad

Matt, April, Mason, Asher, McKenna Perkins-notice the matching shirts!

Jon, Callie, Samara, Josiah, Gideon, Miriam Roberts

Dad, Asher, Nannie, Mom at the front of Silver Dollar City

Trip to Saint Louis

Greg got invited (and then uninvited??) to play in a Nationwide golf tournament in St Louis. We have some dear friends in St Louis and were overjoyed to plan an early escape to spend a few days with them before heading to Branson. We had such a great time! Our St Louis friends Todd, Emily, Amy and Jonah Velnosky moved from Johnston to St Louis over a year ago and we have missed them terribly. Alea and Amy spurred this friendship when we met at the Johnston library time and we hit it off instantly. While we visited them, we went to the Magic House-a children's museum-and had so much fun watching the kids play. The men went golfing, since it was originally on the agenda, letting Josiah caddy for them. We just had an over all great visit and first leg to our summer vacation. Thanks for everything Velnosky family-we love and miss you!

Alea Turned FOUR

Well, Alea had her birthday party in Amarillo while we were there, she is now officially FOUR. We were, once again, so blessed to be around family and she was made to feel so loved by everyone she cried to go back to Amarillo the first night we were home. The Cooprider family wanted a Chuck E. Cheese birthday party (it's kind of a Cooprider tradition) and since I'm a CEC alumni I like to go also. We met them there on the busy graduation day and had some great fun and yummy pizza. Afterward Nana, Lala, Alea and I went to the mall to get some new earrings and princess accessories to celebrate. On the Perkins side: Alea and her cousin, Gideon, have the same birthday and we decided weeks ago to do a combined party. It was a boxing/princess party-no not box the princess. The big event was the trampoline. The girls dressed up in princess dresses (thanks Miriam!) and twirlled to princess music, softly, sweetly, controlled on the trampoline. In contrast, the boys put on hulk/boxing gloves and duked it out on the trampoline. We grilled hamburgers and hotdogs and had an all around great time!

Shew . . . we are now home and are so happy to have another member to our family for three weeks: Josiah, my nine year old nephew!

Alea's Ear Piercing

Alea has been asking us for months if she can get her ears pierced. It all started when she went to the Daddy Daughter Dance, she wasn't quite ready then, so we said that she could just wait it out until she was really ready. Well, she was ready for her fourth birthday! We talked her three Amarillo cousins into getting their ears pierced with her "for her birthday" and it was quite the afternoon. Greg and I thought it would be a great mind distracter to get them giant swirly succors so that they would focus on that and it was a great re-focus tool! Alea went first, "because I am SO brave" and she set the bar really high because all she did was blink a little hard when they pierced her ears. August was next and she did wonderful, she squealed and said "Ouch, that hurt!", let about two tears out of each eye and then was fine after all her family clapped excitedly for her. Next came Miriam and she did as good-if not better-than Alea, a blink and it was over. Samara was awesome also, she blinked a few times but was not too fazed. They all did so wonderful-the moms were more nervous than they were, I think-and now they have this awesome memory together, not to mention they can now get matching ear rings. I'm so proud of you four girls!!