Lake Michigan Weekend

We spent the weekend with the Habeggers up at Lake Michigan for the second year in a row. The weather was great, the water felt wonderful, and our children had a blast. We arrived Friday afternoon and took all the little ones down to check out the beach. No swimsuits, no towels, no life jackets. And this is what happened. Pure elation on Miles' face. Priceless.

Baby had her first dip in the water. She wasn't too sure at first but wound up loving it.

And John was attached to Grandpa all weekend. Love this!

Saturday Lauren had her first taste (literally) of sand. It made her happy.

Miles and Addie played rocks.

And we watched the annual dance party. 

Sunday was another beach day. A perfect day for what else? Throwing rocks into the water. Both little boys enjoyed this.

I'm a major sucker for architectural scenes, and these windmills blow me away. I took a few shots out the car window on our way home.

Wish we could have stayed for the rest of the week!

Scenes from my iPhone...

Lots of swimming and water play

Pool toss, pop its

Snoozy, homemade creamsicles

Berne! sandbox, ranger rides, sunsets

Driveway art, Target

Together! Milkshakes, Johnny style

Two & One Half Years

Here is what our spirited little 2 1/2 year old is up to these days...

John is all boy. He loves wrestling, rocks, trucks and cars, water, and getting into everything he can get his quick little hands into.

He loves his brother and sister and knows the best way to get that big old giggle out of Lauren. She thinks he is hysterical. He knows he's pretty funny too. 

He knows that those big blue eyes help him to get away with a lot.

He's a mama's boy.

He is a champion tantrum thrower. Yep, we're talking all out screaming, head banging, the works. But just when we are about to pull our hair out, he'll reach up and grab our hand or he'll lean over and kiss his sister or he'll giggle. Oh, that giggle. And we forget all the naughtiness just like that. 

The two little ones had their dr. appointments today. All looked great and both were proclaimed healthy. Both are growing well - John is 37.5" (75-80%) and 34.8 lbs (90%) while Lauren is 28.75" (90%) and 19.1 lbs (55%). 

Nine Months Old

Nine months old! How can that be already? Here is what our sweet little baby Lauren is up to...

She has started showing off some new tricks - kisses (big, open mouthed ones), noses, pointing at (up) our noses and mouths, clapping. John is super proud of this last one as he taught it to her!

She is, like her older brother, using rolling as her main form of transportation. She's gotten pretty quick. She, like both of her brothers, is quite adept at getting stuck under the fireplace hearth.

She likes to try to feed herself with her spoon. She's also pretty quick to pick things up off her tray (and the floor). That said, she's a pretty outstanding eater, just like her big brothers.

She is getting lots of hair! It's very light so it's still hard to see, but it's there!

She is very vocal. She loves to study our mouths and watch us speak. She says, "dada" and "hi" a lot. Not sure if it's with intent or not. It's usually pretty situation appropriate, though.

Lauren continues to be such a happy little gal. So smiley, so giggly (particularly for her brothers - she loves them!), so sweet. She is a great sleeper, she loves her baths (and the pool as we recently discovered), and she continues to bring so much joy to our home! It's so hard to believe that we'll be celebrating her first birthday so soon.

Life Lately & The 4th of July

Life lately has looked a lot like this...

It's been hot around here. As it is everywhere. And we have been keeping cool in our own little piece of paradise. On our back deck. :)

Miles can't get enough, John is only interested when on the raft, and Lauren tried it out for the first time this week. Loved it.

Needless to say with a giant water toy in the back of the house, little boys do not wear pants around here. We're real classy!

 

On the 4th, Josh and his parents took the little boys to watch the parade. Puny Petunia wasn't feeling so well again, so we decided it best to keep her cool. Everyone came back kind of wilted. After recharging in our pool (notice the theme here?), we headed over to Nate & Anais' for a holiday picnic. More water time. Our younger boy was dirty. Really dirty. He quickly lost his shirt and pants. 

There was colored hair spray. Guess who came home with pink & orange hair? The bath water was particularly gross that night.

 And this is what happens when you have dirty little boys. Your new skirt gets a big ole line of filth down it. Oh well, it's just a little bit worth it. 

Hope you had a fun 4th, too!

Pretty puny

Poor puny baby. Had a little bug and looked like this...

She's on the mend now. Still kinda grouchy but definitely better than fever and fever rash.