Daddy's little helper

On my birthday, Trevor and I took a trip to Ikea. We went there to buy a pot, however, we ended up with a few other items as well. The most exciting being our new bookcase, which I love! Trace had fun helping Daddy put it together. It was precious watching him help Daddy hammer with his measuring spoon...

Fashion Show

I took the girls school clothes shopping in Toledo the other day. They decided that they needed to give Daddy a "fashion show". I helped them change their clothes and taught them how to walk on the runway. It was pretty cute.

Awesome Day with Friends

Our family has been blessed in many ways since moving to Michigan and one of those tremendous blessings has been our friendship with The Millers. On Thursday, we spent a gorgeous, sunny day at one of their friends' lake house. The house sits on a private lake with a sandy beach and toys galore. The kids had a blast playing with their friends and taking turns riding on the jet ski with Daddy. We all loved riding on the jet ski, especially Trevor. We also were able to take turns going out on the boat tubing and skiing. The girls had fun tubing for the first time.

Nellie and I had fun skiing. I hadn't skied in about 5 years, so I was giddy to get to try it again. I tend to be a bit of a risk taker, so when skiing back and forth over the boat's wake was getting too easy for me I decided to try and jump the wake. Let me tell you what a BAD idea that was. I took a very memorable and painful fall, which as I am writing this several days later I am continuing to recover from. I will spare you the details... Besides my crash landing our time was nearly perfect. Nellie and I even skied tandem, which I thought was pretty fancy. I made sure not to attempt any more jumps and therefore prevent anymore painful landings. What a fun day with friends we had. Thanks God for the blessing of friendship!

Grandma Becki and Grandpa Bob's Visit

We had a fun weekend with Grandma Becki and Grandpa Bob. We love it when people come visit us. It makes "home" not feel so far away. They arrived late Friday afternoon. Kianna had fun opening her birthday presents from them, Aunt Sam, Uncle Mike, and Bryker. Then we had a nice meal out and came back home to swim in the pool. Trevor had cranked the heat way up in the hot tub and pool, so it was feeling good. We had a great time and even got to sneak a peak at some of Grandma Becki's old tricks. We enjoyed her hand stands and other water tricks!!!

Saturday, was my 33rd birthday. I woke up to a fresh bouquet of flowers and lots of cards, even some handmade ones from the girls. I had a great day and got lots of phone calls from friends and family which left me feeling extra special! Becki, the girls and I went shopping in the morning. We came home and ate a nice lunch that Trevor had prepared and then Becki and I went to the matinee of "Eat Pray Love". The movie was disappointing, but it was fun getting out nonetheless. Then Bob and Becki watched the kids for us, while Trevor and I went to Ann Arbor for the evening for a hot date. We explored parts of Ann Arbor we hadn't been to before, had some amazing thai food, and ended the evening at Ikea. We went for a pot and we somehow came away with a huge bookcase and TV stand as well. Fun times! Thanks for watching the kids for us Grandma Becki and Grandpa Bob.

Kianna's 4th Birthday

It is hard to believe our little "Nana Bear" is four years old and will be going to pre-K three full days this fall. She is growing up fast. She weighed 36 lb and was 39.75" long today at her check-up. Kianna has a wonderful smile and loves to laugh. She is a very generous and giving little girl. For example, she gave Kaylee one of her birthday presents today! I don't know of too many kids that would do that. Kianna has a wide range of interests. She enjoys playing with Princess Barbie dolls, Polly Pockets, and dolls in general; but also enjoys playing with dinosaurs and likes Spiderman and Batman. Kianna likes reading books while cuddling with Mommy and loves finding things in "I Spy" books. She also enjoys riding her bike, going for walks, and playing outside. Kianna loves playing with her brother and sister, and wants to do pretty much whatever Kaylee is doing. Kianna likes to color, draw pictures, and do crafts. She also enjoys getting tickled by Daddy and running through the house screaming happily. She just learned how to write her name and can count to 14. She is getting so big!

This year Kianna couldn't decide exactly what theme she wanted for her birthday party. It changed day by day and sometimes even hour by hour from a dinosaur pool party, to a Barbie pool party, to an Ariel pool party, and finally to a princess pool party. The one constant was that she wanted to have a pool party and invite four of her little friends. The day of her party it began to rain hard. I began panicking as we really didn't have much of a backup plan in case the pool party didn't work out. However, God shut the rain off from 2:15-4:00 PM, which worked out perfectly for our 2-4:00 PM pool party. Thanks God for answering our prayers perfectly!

Kianna invited her friends: Haley, Callie, Davis and Carter to her party. They had a fun time eating cupcakes, opening presents, swimming, and getting their faces painted by Daddy. Kianna got a couple Barbie Princesses, some jewelry, a purse, and some sand and bead crafts from her friends. She got a "Kianna" Little Sister Barbie doll from Kaylee. We thought it was pretty cool that one of the Barbies had her same name, as it isn't a very common name. She thought that was pretty neat too. That evening after her friends had left, Kianna chose to go to McDonald's for her birthday meal. The kids all had fun playing in the play area. Happy Birthday Kianna, we love you!

Community Celebration Day

Our family had a great time participating in our first ever Community Celebration Day hosted by The Centre and Lenawee Christian School. Our day began with the girls running in their first race, which consisted of one lap around the 1/2 mile track. I wasn't sure their little legs would make it, but the girls were both really excited to run and both did a great job. Trevor had fun running the last 1/4 mile with Kianna. They finished strong and each received a metal. They both want to run it again next year, so I know they had fun. After that we were able to enjoy the games and inflatables setup nearby. Trace loves jumping around and so do the girls.

We went home for some nap/quiet time and when the kids woke up they were greeted by our friends, The Santels, who came to visit us for the weekend. We all went back to Community Celebration Day where we watched an improv team and illusionist perform. They both were very entertaining. The kids had fun passing the time by rolling down the large hill. The night concluded with fireworks. We had a great time with The Santels and their four kids ages 5-10. We had fun swimming, giving them a tour of The Centre and LCS, playing, and just visiting.

Our "Vacation" to Iowa

I never thought I would consider Iowa a vacation spot, but we had such a fun time I might as well. The kids and I left South Haven and drove 3 hours to my friend, Sally's house in Illinois. We spent the afternoon and evening with her family and had a wonderful time. The kids had fun riding in their little jeep and playing with her daughters, Brooke and Krista. We all had a blast swimming in Sally's sister's pool, as it was a super hot and humid day. Ryan, Sally's husband cooked us a yummy dinner and we chatted the night away. The next morning, the kids and I drove the remaining 2.5 hours to Cedar Rapids where our action packed week began.

Here are the highlights of our week:

• On Saturday, we somehow crammed in lunch and naps at Grandma Sue and Grandpa Wayne's house; dinner and The Playstation with Grandma Becki, Grandpa Bob, Aunt Sam, Uncle Mike, and Bryker; and then back to my dad's house for bathes and bedtime prior to me going to a movie with my mom and John. The kids had a blast at The Playstation, a room filled with tunnels, slides, and a ball pit. The girls had fun keeping an eye on Bryker. They love spending time with their cousin. Trace was in ball heaven in the ball pit! He was flinging himself backwards and forwards, jumping in them, burying himself in them and throwing them. He had never seen so many balls at once!
• On Sunday, we went to church in the morning. Afterwards the girls were both invited to their friend, Mady's birthday party and had fun jumping in the inflatables while Trace napped. That evening we went to our small group and had a great time seeing our friends. We sure miss those guys!
• On Monday, I had lunch with my sister, Breanna. I enjoyed getting some one-on-one time with her. That afternoon, my mom gave me an early birthday present and took me for a pedicure. It is always fun being pampered! That evening, the kids and I went over to Grandma GG's house for her famous tenderloins and scrambled egg concoction (scrambled eggs, bacon, and green beans). We had a nice visit with her, although I feel I bring a bit of chaos with me wherever I go. Man are my kids LOUD!
• On Tuesday, we met our playgroup at the splash pad for a picnic and some fun in the sun. Kianna had a great time playing with her little friends, Elizabeth and Lexie. They are like three peas in a pod. Kaylee had fun running around with her friends too. It was Trace's first time at a splash pad and he had a great time. He ran around filling his cup with water and drinking it. That evening my sister, Stacie, had all my family over to her house to celebrate upcoming birthdays (my nephew, Matthew's; Kianna's and mine). They just got a trampoline so the kids had a blast playing on it. We spent another nice evening with family. I miss just being able to drive across town to visit our friends and families.
• On Wednesday, we went with my dad to Waterloo to visit Grandma Gaskill. We had a nice visit with her. She always enjoys company and especially enjoys interacting with the kids. That evening Kianna was invited to her friend, Christian's dinosaur birthday party. She was the only girl (besides his sister), but fit right in as she still likes dragons and dinosaurs herself! In between taking and picking her up from her party we met Aunt Sam and Bryker at a splash pad. The kids sure enjoy spending time with their cousins.
• On Thursday, we went for lunch and a playdate at The Willet's house, in our old neighborhood. We had fun visiting with them and afterwards walked to our house for a tour of our new hardwood floors. The house is staged really well and the floors look great. Although, personally I liked the house with carpet just as well. Our house is still for sale if anyone is interested... That evening, we spent with my dad and Sue and preparing for the garage sale.
• On Friday and Saturday, we had our big garage sale. Prior to moving, we had brought four truck loads of stuff over to store in my dad's basement with the idea that I would come back this summer and have a garage sale. Well here I am, so in between all the fun we had earlier in the week, Sue and I were also pricing all of the items stored in the basement in the evenings after the kids went to bed. Our garage sale ended up being HUGE. Sue is one of eight kids and invited her siblings to bring their stuff as well. We were bursting at the seams. Not only were the garage and driveway full, but we also had stuff in the front and backyard too. The garage sale ended up being a huge success. We got rid of all of our big stuff and ended up making quite a bit of cash at the same time. I'm sure glad it is over. Thanks Mom (Sue) for all of the hard work you put into having this garage sale for me. You're awesome!!!
• On Friday during the garage sale, the girls were invited to spend the day at Kianna's best friend, Lexie's house. They had a great time and it was wonderful for me not having to entertain them all day. Thanks Jamie you were such a blessing!!! My dad kept an eye on Trace for me, which was a blessing as well. Thanks Dad! That evening we had dinner with Grandma Becki and Grandpa Bob and then Grandma Becki took the girls out for a special evening. They went to a movie, ate popcorn, and then went shopping where they each were able to buy a Zu Zu Pet. Those things are a little too life like for me, but the girls are sure enjoying them! Grandma Becki sure knows how to show the girls a good time!
• On Saturday during the garage sale, the girls spent the day with Grandma Becki, Grandpa Bob, and Bryker. They had another fun day! That evening Grandma Sue watched the kids for me while I went on a girls night out with my friends from small group. We had a great time visiting and laughing together. Some of the stories we tell... I love these girls!!
• On Sunday, we drove back to Michigan with just one stop at Sally's house for lunch and energy release time. I was nervous for our 8 hour trip because Trace is not the best traveler. He does not like being restrained AT ALL. He bites and pulls at his car seat straps trying to escape. However, he actually did quite well on this trip. I discovered that he loves suckers and so early into our trip handed him a tootsie roll pop, which he worked on for TWO hours. After a couple naps and lots of movies we finally made it back to Daddy. We sure missed Daddy; 9 days is a long time to spend apart!!!! As much as we missed Daddy, I'm afraid he may have missed us more. His week wasn't quite as exciting as ours, although he did complete quite a few projects around the house. He's not used to coming home to a quiet house each night and doesn't want to do it again anytime soon. When we got home, he had flowers in a vase waiting for me and gifts for each of the kids. Reunions are good!!! I love you honey!