Aunt Nikki Camp comes to a close

What a fun week! Camp culminated with a neighborhood-wide juggling exhibition starring my nephew and brother-in-law. They really put on a great show.

We finally made it back home with tons of memories and an equal amount of dirty laundry. Luckily on Sunday, my darling husband said toss the dirty laundry to the wind and let me take you out for dinner! He's pretty awesome that way.

June is gone, and I'm officially finished with t-ball, boy scouts and camp. YAY! Now I'm off to see if my sewing machine remembers me. Hello, old friend!

Aunt Nikki Camp day 4

Day four of camp was German Heritage Day. We dug out what would have been my children's great grandmother's prized German recipes and spent the day in the kitchen.

Butterballs are a breadcrumb dumpling simmered in chicken broth with noodles. They are a bit of an acquired taste. I can remember not caring for them as a small child. Grandma would only make a certain number of them for each person. I can remember my mom and Aunt Becky arguing over who would get the ones the kids didn't eat. Now that we are the adults, we fight over who gets the ones our kids turn their noses up to.

butterball production

We also made bierocks (pronounced beer-ox -- there's no beer, though) made with ground beef, onion, and cabbage in a bread dough pastry -- kind of like a German-style hot pocket. There was also pork braised in sauerkraut and kuchen, a coffee-cake-like pastry with fresh fruit.

bierocks before they went into the oven

sour cherry and peach kuchens

The kids have not grown to fully appreciate sauerkraut, but we have hope for them. There were a few that had to have chicken strips and fries.

The rest of us, however, ate more than our fair share of the German goodies. This, after all, is our comfort food. We only get it a few times a year if we are lucky! It is definitely not for the faint of heart or skinny of waist!

Aunt Nikki Camp day 3

Today the campers field tripped to the bowling alley then Grandma and Grandpa took them out for hamburgers and ice cream.

Aunt Nikki Camp day 2

Day two of Aunt Nikki camp was Super Hero Day. The kids created their own super heros and designed and made their own capes.

Once completed they modeled their wares.

The Flatulator (boys are so weird)



The Atomic Toilet (more weirdness)

Aunt Nikki's Crime Fighting Crew

  And what better way to end a 109 degree day than with a water war.



Need a drink, Grandpa?



Not even Grandma was safe.

The D-I-Y water guy





You are invited to Aunt Nikki Camp

Aunt Nikki Camp is in full swing this week. My sister gathers all the nieces and nephews for a week of crazy fun and exciting activities. She is known for her mustache parties, balloon animals, glow sticks, jello arts and yummy culinary activities. All the kids look forward with great anticipation to any time they get to spend with Aunt Nikki. She is like our own traveling family amusement park. If you don't have an Aunt Nikki, you are really missing out!

A quick picture in their camp shirts before everyone gets dirty.

Let the silliness begin!

Day one: canning pickles