Current family pic

 

 

Speaking of pictures..... we just took this one at a park the other day. Maggie needed a family pic for her kindergarten class so we set the timer and took a couple of shots. Literally - 3 pics total. You see two of them here. I usually get more cooperation if we end with a funny one. Even when I take them to the studio. Sometimes that turns out to be my favorite picture. Taking pics at the park was pushing it - they wanted to go play. It was a cool park with most of the toys/structures made out of old tires. There was also a pool there that we spent a little time at. The weather wasn't great but it was warm enough. It was a pool we wanted to try out and at 1/2 price for the end of the season it was worth it. We liked it a lot. There was a shallower end, a ramp, and a couple of waterslides. Excellent for entertaining the whole gang :)

Sunday pics

 

We needed some pics for the church primary so we had a little, and VERY quick, photo shoot just before we headed out the door. Luckily I have 4 cooperative kiddos. They are almost always willing to indulge me and the camera - as long as we keep it quick :) So here they are at ages 7, 5, 3, and 1.

Green bubbles

 

If you see colored bubbles for sale at the store.... this is what will happen. In our family at least :) Luckily they are washable and actually came out really well. Hailey was painting him with bubble stuff. He didn't mind. This boy absolutely loves to be outside. He fusses and whines when the big kids go without him. Leaving me with a choice - try to get things done with a clingy, whiny boy or take him outside. The latter usually wins so the house is usually a M.E.S.S.

Reunion

 

The reunion on Matt's Dad's side is always held at a lake in Michigan. The weather was fairly cold and yucky (so not many pics) but we did manage to get in the water a couple of times. There is a water trampoline that the kids swam out to with Matt - they liked that. Even Hailey swam out with them. I stayed on the shore while Caleb played at the edge. One night there was a speed boat for the kids to have tube rides. The big three all loved that. Hailey was really, really cold but wanted to go anyway. She was grinning the entire time. We went to same reunion two years ago. It was fun for the kids to be back at a place they recogized and fun for me to get to know some more of Matt's family a little better.

Kayaking in Lake Michigan

 

 

 

 

Gram and Papa havea couple of kayaks that we took with us on the second day. Maggie and Hailey thought it was ok. Caleb didn't like it and Jackson absolutely loved it. After going first with Gram in the kayak with him, then with Matt swimming alongside he ended by going out in his own kayak with me in the other one. He could control his own quite well and did an excellent job.

Michigan in Aug

 

At the beginning of Aug we headed up to Michigan for a family reunion on Matt's side. We went a few days early to spend some extra time with Matt's parents. It was a lot of fun. We went to a beach on Lake Michigan the first day. The waves were pretty rough and that beach wasn't allowing swimming but there was a very cool fountain and playground. It was pretty chilly in the wind so we didn't stay out there very long.

 

There was also a carousel. The area used to be a large amusement park but it closed down years ago. The carousel is the only nod to the past. The kids really enjoyed riding it. Even Gram got in on it - on her favorite Spartan horse :)

 

The next day we headed out to a less public beach. The weather was beautiful and the kids loved playing in the waves. Their lifejackets are a blessing and a curse. It gives me peace of mind but it gives them a little too much confidence. We had to call them back for swimming out too far a number of times.

Caleb gets a haircut

 

Caleb's hair was growing in pretty long on top with some wispys getting in his face. I kept thinking about giving him a haircut but it never happened. Then one day, as I was sewing downstairs, he came over to me and I just took my scissors and lifted the longish stuff and chopped it off :) A few snips and that was it - he had a haircut. Much more clean look - I really hate wispys :) It made him look older to me.

Fun at the park

 

Sometimes - when I see pictures of the 4 of them together I am still amazed that we have 4 kids!! They love to get out to play but most of the time it's very short lived because it's been so hot. We play a lot in our backyard but that usually gets cut short because there are a lot of little black knats that drive us crazy! They get in our eyes, ears, nose, mouth.... ugh! Caleb loves to get and go anywhere. He is a lot like Jackson was as a baby. He can be cranky and ornery at home but as soon as you get him outside or running errands he's perfectly happy.

Happy Birthday Hailey!!

 

Hailey turned 3 on Aug. 1st. We went to Chuck E Cheese the Saturday before and then had a party for her on her birthday with just us. She loved it. We decorated the kitchen and made her cake..... she was very excited. Especially about her "unicorner" cake.
She is talking really well now but recently - in about the last two months - has started to stutter. She repeats a word over and over before finishing her sentence. Right now it's really kind of cute :) She loves to play with her siblings. She plays princess, dress-up and barbie with Maggie but she also plays legos, and digging in the sandbox/mud with Jackson. She has an excellent sense of humor and makes us laugh with funny expressions. She can recognize and name most colors and gets dressed herself. She is fully potty trained but wears a pull up at night because I still let her have a drink before going to sleep. Completely my fault and hopefully soon to be remedied :) She still takes a two hour nap almost everyday but is starting to go to bed later at night so that nap will probably phase out soon. She says that she is very 'drinky' when she means thirsty. She loves to help in the kitchen and with cleaning.