Meeting Elmo

The Learning Express store by us hosts events all through the summer, including story time with Elmo! Since Andrew loves Sesame Street, we took him to meet Elmo yesterday. He was excited to see him, as long as he stayed a close distance away...

Getting ready to see Elmo!!!

Watching Elmo read a story...

Mommy and Daddy didn't think he looked too much like Elmo, but I was convinced he was the real thing!

Charlotte's 1st Birthday

Its crazy to think that Charlotte is already a year old! She has grown up so fast! Now she considers herself one of the "big kids" and tries to do everything they do. At her party today she actually jumped into the pool after she saw Lily Catherine do it--she wants to be just like her big sister. We had a great time at the party and enjoyed celebrating with everyone!

Our nieces before the party started. My sister-in-law actually made their matching swimsuits--she is so talented!

Sharing some laughs before the party... I love my cousins!

All three of us together...

Charlotte wasn't so sure about the singing, or her cake.

I ate enough cake for both me and Charlotte though!

Toddler Bed Time

Last night, Andrew flipped out of his crib for the first time. I was sitting in the chair in his room when he leaned over the side and flipped head first for the floor. While it nearly gave me a heart attack, I was able to rush to brace his fall a little, and he thankfully remained uninjured. Nonetheless, we decided it was time for a "big boy bed"...

Weekend in Indy

After our trip to Crystal Mountain, we went to Indianapolis for the rest of our "vacation"time. We spent the weekend there with great friends, and had a lot of fun. On Friday, we went to the zoo with Matt & Jaclyn and Felix & Jess. We relaxed on Saturday, and then we went to the zoo again with Josh's parents, sister, and grandmother on Sunday. Andrew loves animals!

This was the first time I saw flamingos (one of my favorites). I was SO excited!

Jaclyn and flamingos (two of my favorites!)...

I loved riding the carousel. We went twice the first day, and four times on Sunday.

Checking the map to see where we'll go next...

I even got a zebra tattoo! It was awesome!

Michigan Vacation (or was it?)

As some of you heard, our trip to Michigan this year didn't exactly go as planned. An unexpected run-in with some bats our first night cut our trip at the chalet very short. We searched and searched for another place that would accommodate not only the three of us, but Jake and Lexi as well. Thankfully, we found Crystal Mountain Resort, and they had availability for 2 nights for us. I had been to Crystal Mountain once before in high school (skiing with the Vankers--such fun memories!We made the trip down there and had a great time. The entire resort was very kid-friendly, and we were able to recover some sanity, and some much needed family time together. We will definitely go back again for a summer trip--they had a great kids' activity pool, a huge sand area, and lots of activities for kids too. It was a great find!

The pool was zero entry so Andrew could walk in on his own--it was perfect!

Drawing letters in the sand... I love letters!

Ice cream is my favorite!

They even had a build a buddy workshop, and I made my own "Big Giraffe"!

Telling Mommy and Daddy stories about our vacation over dinner...

Funny Pre-Vacation Pictures

All these pictures were taken on the day before we left for our Michigan vacation. I was in the middle of packing, and Andrew decided to try on some of his vacation apparel.

Ready for the beach in my shades, hat and crocs!

I love his expression in this one...

Later that night in the bath. We tried to give him a mohawk, but it turned into a Dr. Seuss looking style!

Picture with Mommy

No story here, just a sweet picture of Andrew and me that I wanted to share! He is such a sweet boy, and still loves to give lots of snuggles. Words cannot express my love for this sweet boy!