pics from a slacker...

this summer i've been a slacker -
a blogger slacker, that is.
i'll admit it!

summer classes
kids that want to play
a baby who only naps once a day
{insert other random excuses here}
and that's why i haven't posted much this summer

anyways,
in an attempt to catch up and document our summer,
here's a brief recap of the past month or so

...

camping @ ludington state park
lake michigan
sand dunes
happy kids
playing in the sand
s'mores
yup, totally awesome!

...

4th of july @ the cottage
water
sparklers
lots of family
fishing
lots of food
s'mores {again}
tons of fun!

...

ionia free fair
kiddie rides
food, food & more food
fun with friends
fun with family
good times!

i have 2 weeks of class & 2 exams left
so hopefully this blogger slacker will return to
just a regular old blogger soon :)

celebrating 3

ryan's birthday request was simple...

a green super hero cake

and a few weeks earlier,
we celebrated when nana & papa visited from minnesota

yes, green is definitely his favorite color
and yes, he does have a favorite shirt!

9 years...

i love you
here's to many more!!!

more years, not kids - ha ha

wordless wednesday

 

happy birthday, ryan!!!

my little ry guy is 3 today - wow

a quick look back at baby ryan...

and today... well, ryan is still just as laid back :)
...
the current loves of ryan
the color green
very specific clothing
(green shirt, gap shorts, superman shirt, go fish shirts)
phineas & ferb
super heroes
popsicles
puzzles, puzzles & more puzzles
riding his bike
hearing the 3 little pigs before bed
green gum (aka, the secret to his potty training!)

ryan has started to do more of his own talking,
instead of letting olivia & garrett speak for him.
but he still loves to copy them...
if garrett is upset, so is ryan
if garrett is hurt and crying on the trapoline, so is ryan
it's pretty amusing to watch :)

here's a look at ryan's year of being 2...

...

what a fun year!!
i can't wait to see what this next year brings for ryan.
i love how he's growing into such a big boy,
but sometimes i miss the cuddly, chubby baby boy he used to be.
thankfully he still loves his mommy to snuggle him
and he still lets me squeeze his chubby thighs :)

happy birthday, ryan!!!
we all love you :)

2 little bachelors

i've got 2 little boys that'll make fine eligible bachelors one day.

check them out...

bachelor #1 has an undisputed eye for fashion




bachelor #2 can appreciate a good manicure
(click on picture to see what color he prefers)

yup, those are my eligible boys!
come back in 20 years or so and snatch them right up.

no hurry though -
i'm loving them just the way they are RIGHT NOW :)

oh and bachelor #1 is pretty much potty trained - FINALLY
potty training wasn't exactly a long road for him-
just a road he didn't want to venture onto for quite a while.

wordless wednesday

another year older...

pictures should get easier as the kids get older.
somehow they seem to have gotten harder.

seriously, the one posted below is the "best" of the bunch!


tim's birthday 2008

tim's birthday 2009

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

you're a great dad & husband -we love you lots!

day camp - a success!

this week olivia had her first day camp experience
sunday night she was pretty nervous about going -
monday morning was a tad rough getting ready to go

but when she got home monday afternoon she was lovin' day camp!!
and my girl who hates to get up early...
well she had no trouble getting up this week!

everyday was something new & cool -
she had her first horseback ride,
she did tons of arts & crafts,
went on fun nature walks,
got a tan (ha ha),
and totally rocked out to her new favorite boy band "above the influence"



one of her favorite things was getting a "real" bible.
when i picked her up today i noticed that not all kids were leaving
with a bible.
olivia said that she told the leaders she didn't have one.
according to her, she was the only kid in her group without one.
yes, i felt guilty!
but in my defense, she does have plenty of kid bibles at home.
i was waiting to get her a "real" one until she could read.
and now that's she's a good reader, i was going to get her a cool girly
one for her birthday...

well she's loving her new bible.
all evening she has had to "study" it.
so far she's a few chapters into genesis :)
and according to her,
"i'm going to read this whole book. but it might take me until i die."
regardless of how long it takes, i think it's pretty cool that she's
into loving God, praising him and reading the bible!

check out olivia's blog to hear what she has to say about camp...