Miscellaneous Summer Pictures

We've been busy lately so I'm a little behind on some pictures.  Instead of making separate posts for each, I thought I'd put them all together, hopefully in order! :)

Landon loves sleeping in his sleeping bag so much, that he sometimes makes his own:

 It's been so hot this summer that Daddy told Landon he could go outside without his shirt.  The first day he does, he runs and falls on our stone driveway:

We took Emerson to her first movie in a theater, "Brave", a Disney/Pixar movie.  We have been reading about David and Goliath and talking about being brave so this movie was perfect for her!  She did great!  We tried to distract her during the "scary" bear fight and she LOVED the box of popcorn:

 Matt and I got a night out on our 11th anniversary.  Thanks mom and dad and Kristina:

 

 Landon is quickly growing and when he stretches out, he almost reached the end of his toddler bed:

 So we took him to the store to pick out sheets.  Target has TONS of kids sheets!  He chose Mario Kart.  I got them all washed and ready to go, picked up the twin bed from mom and dad, and then realized his convertible crib headboard is for a FULL bed, not a TWIN! :)  So, we went back to mom and dad's to get the headboard and we think we'll switch him to a full when he's a little older or he outgrows his sheets/room.  We decided against a new comforter, so he's got Mario Kart sheets, Lightning McQueen blanket, and his favorite "Big Blankie" with puppies.  Good thing he's a boy and doesn't care about matching:

And last, but most beneficial for everyone, we got a nice rain shower.  The first in months!  We were so excited, we all went out to play in the rain!  Em wasn't too sure because of the thunder, but Landon LOVED it!  He and Daddy were both soaked by the time they came in:

Family Pictures

At the beginning of July, we scheduled a time with Matt's co-worker, Heather of Red Barn Photography.  She is one busy lady and we loved her pictures last year.  This year we went to Krider Garden in Middlebury and again she got some adorable shots!

This is our best family shot.  Landon is in a weird smile stage and the poor guy struggled with getting a good smile!  :)  He was more interested in running around the garden.

This is Emmy's favorite shot of her brother!



An ADORABLE one of Emmy with her Daddy!!



And my VERY, VERY favorite!!

Canoe Site Camping at Chain 'O Lakes

I will try a lot of things one time.  So when the guys suggested camping in the primitive canoe sites of  Chain O' Lakes, I said, "Ok."  Primitive = no running water, no showers, no flushable toilets!  We had to either canoe all of our gear or walk .25 miles back to our sites, which were completely set apart from the rest of the campgrounds.  That was nice because the kids could run around as loudly as they wanted and when we decided to sleep, no other campers could keep us awake!  The dads and kids (and Bo) also enjoyed that the sites were right on the water so they could fish whenever they wanted.  We had a great weekend, but I was sure glad to get home and take a warm shower!

Love Kenna's smile! :)

We had a beautiful view of the lake from our sites.

The kids loved playing in the canoes!

I am still undecided as to whether or not I'd camp here again.  There were many pros, but also some cons.  But it was great to spend time with the Davis family, Frye family, and Kristina and Bo!  We'll have to plan another camping date!!

Wisconsin Dells Vacation

What can you do when it's too hot to be outside?  Find water somewhere!  That's just what we had planned for our summer vacation.  We took the family (along with mom, dad, Kristina, and her dog, Bo) to Wisconsin Dells.  We rented a house in a beautiful complex that had 3 pools and 2 kiddie pools, or as Landon thought, "Hello Kitty pools".  We spent most of our days in the water either at the housing complex or at Noah's Ark water park.  We also got in some shopping, miniature golfing, walks, and nice family time.


We had a beautiful pool area.  The kids got brave and went down the slides alone.  Landon also learned how to read feet and inches! :)


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All dressed up to go to Moose Jaw (yummy pizza restaurant!)

Mini golfing at Pirate's Cove


We had a beautiful day at the water park.  The kids enjoyed the Lazy River, Wave Pool, and a family style water slide called the "Congo Bongo".  They were a little young to enjoy most of the rides, but mom and dad kept the kids for awhile while Kristina, Matt, and I tried some of the faster rides.

Noah's Ark



Boat Time and VBS

This past Saturday, we all went up to Michigan to do some boating with Todd and Cathy.  Everybody had a great time.  We ate lunch on the boat and had some "rest time" (mostly for the adults :)).  We went to a beach where the kids got to swim and play in the sand.  Gma and Landon tried to catch a seagull, but it was too fast.  Emerson found all kinds of pretty rocks to keep.  Then we went to supper at the Pumphouse, got some delicious (but expensive!) ice cream at the Chocolate Factory, and went to see the painted Pirates and Pirate ship.  We were all tired by the time it was over, but it was a lot of fun.  Thanks Papa H and Gma for having us!  :)

This past week we had Vacation Bible School at church.  Matt and I tag teamed helping with the 3-4 year olds.  He and I went every other night.  The theme was Sonrise Camp and it was all about the outdoors and camping (right up our alley!)  It was a great experience for us and the kids.  The songs were so catchy, I'm still singing them! :)  It is so much work to put together a week of fun and learning about God for the kids, but well worth it!  Thanks so much to all who worked hard to give the kids a great week!

Daddy's Back!

After a week long adventure for both Matt and the rest of the family, he returned home on the best possible day, Father's Day! Everybody was so glad to be reunited.  Matt had a good trip with the middle school kids and his dad.  We had a busy week here at home.

Father's Day 2012

Monday-Splash Pad with Mema and Papa B. (also happened to be the coldest day of the week!)

Tuesday-Playdate with Victoria, Parker, and Elianna at their house. 
We had a lot of fun and the kids are already asking to go back.  Emmy says, "I want to do dat adin!"

Wednesday-Fort Wayne Zoo with Mema and Papa B. 

The kids loved it!  We went on the carousel and the train.  I'm pretty sure we saw EVERY animal!  The kids visited right through naps without trouble.  I was very thankful for the stroller though (Maybe my dad would disagree since he did all of the pushing! :)).

Thursday-Summer Library and Jana's Pool

I cannot say enough about the children's programs at the Nappanee Library.  They are amazing and my kids love it every week!  They were super excited to each get their OWN library cards for the summer.

After library, we went to Jana's Pool with Gma.  I think we're going to have 2 little fish.  They did great with their floaties, paddling all over the pool by themselves.  Our next step will be to try to get them comfortable with water in their faces, but they had a ball! 

Friday-Park with Jessica, Greyson, and Kenna and Pinterest Party

The kids loved playing the the Davis kids at the park.  We pretty much had the park to ourselves.  We packed a picnic lunch and stayed most of the morning.  Then we also got to see the Davis' later that night when Jessica hosted a Pinterest Party.  I made a headband holder for Emmy, which ironically is too small to hold her headbands.  Oh well!  It is still cute and was a lot of fun.  Jess made coasters with photos and Jessica made a wooden picture holder for John for Father's Day!   

Saturday-Dinner with Mema and Papa B. for Father's Day

Photo collage we made for Daddy with a quote about following in his shoes!

Sunday-Father's Day and Daddy returns home!

We got Matt a collage, Purdue Pillow Pet, and homemade chocolate chip cookies.

Overall it was a good week, but I am SOOO blessed by Matt and everything he helps with around the house and with the kiddos.  I'm thankful he's only gone 1 week out of the year.

Water Fun, School, and New Driveway

The kids have had a ball playing in the water.  And since it hasn't rained in ages, we've had to make our own.

Driving through the car wash. 
Thanks Uncle Nate for the sprinkler attachment! :)

Emmy got sidewalk paint from the Davis' for her birthday and used almost all of it in one day! ;)

I've also started preschool with them this summer.  I'm using Raising Rock Stars Preschool and the kids love it!  We're on the 2nd week and each day, they quickly stop what they're doing so we can "play school".

Our arrangement for school

Landon "reading" his Bible verse

Em showing off her art project

The curriculum teaches a letter, number, word, Bible verse, color, and song each week. I was amazed that Landon memorized the whole verse and Emmy chimed in on the words she remembered. "Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:16. We're so proud of our kiddos! :)

This week we also had some noisy action with a new part of our driveway getting cemented. We got new cement from our current cement, down to the turn around for a new basketball hoop, and a little farther down the drive. Our lower turn around also got leveled so (hopefully :)) that means no more getting stuck on wintery days! We had some noisy wake up calls with skidloaders and cement trucks, but it looks great and the kids already rode their bikes full speed ahead down the new cemented hill.

The kids did a good job making sure people obeyed the "broken road" signs for the driveway.

We added our handprints and names to the cement beside the basketball hoop.

Chicago Trip

This past weekend, we took the kids to Chicago to the Shedd Aquarium for an overnighter.  We had a great time!  The kids did wonderful on the ride and we had a blast while we were there.  We also (of course) had to stop by Cabela's on our way back home.

We started our day at the Dora and Diego 4-D movie (How perfect! :))  They did great and it helped that the "movie" was about 20 minutes.  We wore 3-D glasses and they also had water, wind, bubbles, etc. for the extra "D".

 

There was a camping section of the aquarium for all of those city kids!

Emmy wanted her picture by the alligators (even though we didn't see any).

The shark tank!

About the only way I can get Landon to look at the camera is by asking "How many fingers am I holding up?"
Here he is sitting on a sea turtle.

We had a great day, even though it was extremely crowded and not too cheap.  The kids were $23.95 a piece.  Good thing we adults were free!  Teachers: go to Shedd Aquarium Discounts and go down to Educator Discounts to get in for free!
We looked around right through naptime, but both kids did great!


Apparently, we just need to strap her in and drive her around, THEN she'll take a nap! :)

After the aquarium, we drove to our hotel in Hammond (just minutes from Cabela's) to stay the night.  I think both kids would agree that swimming in the dinky hotel swimming pool was the best part.  We had a hard time getting them out of the pool! But then they got to sleep in their sleeping bags (another favorite activity).
The next day, after a yummy continental breakfast, we swam some more and went to Cabela's.  We just "happened" to run into Jamie, Victoria, and their family at the same store at the same time.  I swear those men planned it, but they say they didn't! :)  Matt shopped while I entertained the kiddos, mostly by riding the "escavator" up and down. 

 

It was great spending time as a family and seeing the kids get so excited about all of their new adventures.  Looking forward to a summer full of adventures!!