Aebleskiver anyone???

July 18-20 was Danish Days in Viborg, SD. This is where Joy's dad and stepmom, Don and Karen Engelke, live. We'd never been to Viborg so we decided to pack up Lily and the dogs (yes, all 6 of them!) and head to Viborg for a weekend of Danish fun!

We had a great time. We had a traditional Aebleskiver breakfast - yummy! Curious what that is? They're little round pancakes baked in a mold shaped like a little ball. They were very good!

After breakfast, we helped Grandma and Grandpa Engelke put the finishing touches on their parade float for their church. We all got to ride on the float in the parade and throw candy. It was Lily's first time in a parade!

For lunch, we went to the Viborg school and had traditional open-faced Danish sandwiches and Danish desserts in the cafeteria. After lunch, Don and Karen took us to Yankton, a town on the South Dakota/Nebraska border. There was a beautiful lake and park with a dam on the Missouri River that separated the two states. We crossed into Nebraska - just to say we'd been there! :) From there, we stopped in Centerville, SD for dinner at a nice "Mom and Pop" cafe with a wonderful hometown atmosphere and the steak was fantastic - I think the best we've ever had!

On Sunday, we attended a community worship service that is part of the Danish Days celebration and is coordinated by all the churches in town. Each pastor takes part in the service and there is a sing-along where the congregation gets to select the hymns. That afternoon, we went with Don and Karen to the nursing home in Viborg where they gave a short worship service for the residents. After the service, Lily got to go around the room and meet the residents of the nursing home where, of course, she was adored. :)

We had a really great time in Viborg and are looking forward to taking part in Danish Days again. Here are a few pictures of our little mini "vacation".

The Float

The Parade

Danish Lunch at Viborg School Cafeteria

Worship Service at Nursing Home

Grandma and Grandpa Engelke's Church

Grandpa's BIG Truck!!

Lily enjoyed her first trip to Viborg and her time with Grandma and Grandpa Engelke. See her first dolly in the background of the picture below? Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for the dolly!

Happy Birthday Kellen!

On Cheri, Kellen and Cody's last night here, we decided to throw a little surprise birthday party for Kellen. The theme? Firetrucks! So Tom and Joy went out and hit the party store to find anything and everything with firetrucks or firemen and pick up a couple cakes (one regular cake, one ice cream cake). Then, while Cheri kept Kellen busy downstairs, Tom, Joy and Cody quickly put up the decorations and got the cakes ready. Then Cody went downstairs to get Cheri and Kellen to come upstairs. Surprise Kellen!! Happy Birthday! Here are some pictures of our little party.

Valleyfair - Day Two!

Okay, sorry it's been a while since we posted an update about Cheri, Kellen and Cody's visit, so here it is...

We had so much fun at Valleyfair the first day, we decided to go back again! We rode a lot more rides the second time around. Joy even worked up the nerve to get on a couple of the coasters she hadn't been on before - The Renegade and The Wild Thing. Auntie Cher got SOAKED on the Thunder Canyon water raft ride - ha,ha! A great time was had by all - AGAIN. Here are some pictures from our second day at Valleyfair...

One of the first rides we rode was The Wave - a water ride that creates a HUGE wave and completely soaks everyone. Cody, Kellen, Tom and Joy rode the ride (Auntie Cher stayed with Lillianna and took pictures). Here's a couple pictures of the ride hitting the water and Tom and Joy a little "wet behind the ears":

Then, as if we weren't wet enough, we decided to ride the Thunder Canyon water raft ride. It's a ride that goes under several waterfalls, so depending on where you're sitting in the raft and how it twists and turns along the way, you may or may not get completely soaked. Cheri, Kellen and Cody went first - then Tom and Joy took a ride. Cheri and Cody got a direct hit from a waterfall - ha,ha! Tom and Joy managed to avoid most of the water and came through mostly dry. Here's Cheri, Kellen and Cody on their raft ride:

Uh-oh...here comes the waterfall (who's gonna get wet???)...

Cover your head, Cheri!!!

Cody's next - and seems to love it!

Ahhhhh - refreshing!!!

"The Wild Thing" - the big, scary green coaster that can be seen from miles away - the one that Joy had never been able to work up the courage to get on....until now. Kellen, Cody and Joy took a ride on "The Wild Thing" .... it was SO much fun!

Kellen and Cody had a caricature done at one of the many caricature booths in the park. It was perfect!


Auntie Cher spent the week teaching Miss Lily how to give her "five". She's a good teacher - Lillianna still knows how to give "five"!

More random photos of fun from our second day at Valleyfair...