Picnic at the Park

I spent the last week plowing through grad school work and successfully finished the second chapter of my thesis!!! I have one chapter to go and am half way through my grad class! Yippee! I can't wait to head up to my parents' cabin at the end of the month. It has been driving me crazy that I haven't been north of the Mackinac bridge yet this summer. The kids and I had a fun day at the zoo Thursday. We took the train to the back of the zoo and walked our way to the front. We don't typically take the train, so this was something special for them. Sloane absolutely LOVES visiting with all the animals and Russell LOVES to see the dinosaur exhibit. It really is cool! Yesterday we had our annual neighborhood picnic. The kids had a blast with all of their friends and enjoyed eating lots of yummy foods. Aron and I enjoyed the adult conversation and indulged in our share of good eats as well! Next weekend we are heading back to the west side to enjoy some more time on Lake Michigan. We are so lucky to have family that lives right on the beach!!! Now I'm off to lay in the sun while the kids nap :-)

Watermelon!

Hot dogs!Cupcakes!

Fun!

Happy Independence Day!

We just returned from a "mini vacation" in St. Joseph visiting Aron's family for the 4th of July. We had an absolutely wonderful time!!! We spent Friday with Aron's dad, Bev, Uncle Gary, and Aunt Judy. The weather was marvelous so we ate, played, and relaxed outside all day. In the evening we went with Aron's mom to downtown St. Jo where we walked around town looking at all the safari animal statues that have been painted by local individuals and groups. Afterward we stopped for ice cream and walked to Silver Beach where the kids played. On Saturday, we headed to Aron's Uncle Dave and Aunt Karen's house on the beach in Stevensville. The weather was not ideal, but this didn't stop the kids from enjoying Lake Michigan! By the evening the weather was perfect. The kids took great naps and were ready for FIREWORKS! We decided to extend our vacation a bit and stayed all day Sunday enjoying the BEST beach day EVER!!! The weather was GORGEOUS! We all walked away with sunburns (which are making me feel like a really bad mom) even after applying sunblock twice! Russell was a true water bug! He rarely left the water. Sloane stayed close to shore and only went in past her knees if I was holding her. She preferred walking along the shore watching the other kids and dogs play. She made friends with everyone! This was definitely a 4th of July to remember!!!

Highlights From Our Week

We had another nice week. The kids enjoyed being at school two days while I was at grad school. I think this summer schedule will actually work out very nice for all of us. The kids will keep their school routine, education, and friendships going while I have two days a week to concentrate on my own schooling. My pictures this week are from a couple of our fun days together.

On Tuesday, I took the kids to the same splash park that we frequented last summer. They quickly were running around getting soaked and I enjoyed the refreshing spray as well considering the high temperatures we had here!

On Saturday, we went as a family to the local Farmer's Market and then hit the library for some fun and reading. Afterward we needed to make a quick stop at Best Buy where Aron and the kids had fun playing Rock Star! I was thankful to have my camera stashed in my purse to catch these funny shots!

"Junior Geek Squad"

Future Rock Stars!
Dress-up is a regular activity in our home. This week, Sloane enjoyed putting on her rain gear (given to her by Aunt Karen and Uncle Dave) while Russell used great imagination with a knight's helmet and shield! He likes to slay dragon's and protect the princess in his castle :-)

My little fairy princess is ready to splash in the rain.Sir Russell brave and strong!

A Week of Fun and Pictures!

We were busy this week enjoying time off at home and taking advantage of some gorgeous weather! I hope you like ALL the pictures!

Monday=Picnic at the park and lots of water fun in the backyard.

Tuesday = Day at the zoo to check out the new dinosaur exhibit. Besides seeing the enormous, life sized models that move, make noises, and spit, the kids were also able to be palaeontologists and dig for dinosaur fossils. It was AWESOME!

Wednesday = A visit with Clifford at the local shopping mall. The kids brought dog treats to give to Clifford, but Russell did not understand why Clifford didn't eat them right away. I tried to explain that Clifford wanted to take them home to show Emily Elizabeth :-)Thursday = Sloane is stung by bee, Mac rolls in something disgusting, kids fighting, me pulling out my hair, NO pictures...

Friday = We woke up to rain so we headed to Bounce U for some jumping fun!

Saturday = I took Russell to see the movie Up along with his buddy Antonio. The boys had a great time and sat through the entire show. One of the main characters was named Russell so the boys thought that was cool! Aron took Sloane shopping to Costco where they both enjoyed a lot of free samples :-) I forgot my camera so no pictures.

Sunday = Father's Day and Aron and my 6-year anniversary!!! The weather was gorgeous so we played outside ALL day! The kids helped Aron with some yard work and then soaked their feet in the pool with me. We ended the day grilling delicious steaks and corn on the cob. I can not feel more happier than I am right now thinking back over the last six, amazing years!!! I am truly blessed!!!

No More Meetings, No More Books, No More Students' Dirty Looks!

School is out! School is OUT! SCHOOL IS OUT!!! I have one week to try to relax and catch up on things around the house before I start commuting two days a week to Grand Rapids for grad school. I am dreading the thought of all the work and driving, but am trying my best to stay positive. Aron was out of town again this weekend so it was just me, Mac, and the kids! I decided to put off my to-do list and instead dove into all the fun of having two little ones. Over the last month I have been so stressed with end of the school year "stuff" that I haven't really been enjoying motherhood as much as I should be. So...this weekend it was ALL about Russell and Sloane. Needless to say we had a BLAST!!! We spent our days playing outside, going to the park, and running in the sprinkler. Both Friday and Saturday nights after the kids were bathed and in their PJ's, I plopped them in the double jogger and went for glorious runs! The kids loved it and barely uttered a word. We called these our pajama runs. Here are some pictures to tell you more about our fun and relaxing weekend. Now I have to get ready for a week of cleaning, laundry, and reading (my thesis research is beginning to collect dust). UGH!

Fun in the sandbox (AKA the pirate ship)!

Sprinkler Excitement!
I caved and bought the kids squirt guns. It was a four-pack so Aron and I can play defense. The kids and I had so much fun chasing each other around the backyard!

Mac LOVES to chase bubbles! He would chase them all day if we would let him. Sloane is usually the one working the bubble machine and therefore has become Mac's best friend!

Both Russell and Sloane are into learning letters, singing the ABC's, and reading books. They spent much of Saturday morning placing magnetic letters around the house.

Sunday morning, Sloane wanted to play dress-up. She happily pranced around the house wearing her princess dress and princess light-up shoes.

3-2-1 Water Fight!!!

We had another lovely weekend! Aron was out of town Friday & Saturday and I threw a baby shower for my best friend, Heidi, on Saturday. Aron's mom came to town for the weekend to help out with the kids. It was great to have her here!!! The kids were spoiled by her attention and I was able to enjoy a wonderful Saturday with my girlfriends. I ended up staying over at Heidi's house. We stayed up late watching hockey, enjoying girl talk, and I indulged in a glass of wine...sorry Heidi, you can have some soon...only 7 more weeks until Baby Whirley makes an entrance :-) And since I know Heidi is one of my blog fans and will be reading this... I LOVE YOU HEIDI! You are the BEST FRIEND a girl could have!!! I can't wait to meet that little one!

Sloane and Grammy Carlson playing baby dolls.

Today started out rainy and cool, but by the time the kids woke up from their naps it was HOT! We grilled up some chicken & veggie kabobs for dinner and played outside until bath time. While Aron was trying to water the landscaping, the kids took off running straight for the hose! Before Aron and I could blink, both kids were drenched in water, laughing and screaming the entire time. Sloane kept repeating, "I all wet Mommy, I all wet." I asked Russell how he felt thinking he would say cold, but his reply was, "I feel happy, playing in the water!" I just love these unplanned events. At 7:30, I stripped the kids down naked and sent them in the house for a warm bath. They giggled all the way in!

At first, Russell tried to get the hose away from Aron, but we quickly realized that this was NOT a good idea!

I wish I would have recorded the laughing and screaming going on throughout all of this. Neighbors had to come outside to find out what all the commotion was about.

Russell was absolutely SOAKED and he loved every minute of it!

We finally reigned them in by convincing them to wash their hands.

Super Russell to the Rescue!

We had an awesome weekend at home! We did a ton of spring cleaning inside and out. The kids are at a perfect age to help out and when they're not helping they have each other to play with. Aron has our yard and landscaping looking superb and our house is clean enough to eat off the kitchen floor :-) The best part of the weekend was Russell's imagination. He pretended to be everything from a police officer to a super hero. Watching and listening to him brings me pure joy!!! Check out the super hero for yourself:

Super Russell to the Rescue!

Russell currently loves Super Why...a wonderful educational show on PBS. Here he is displaying his very own why writer and super duper computer.

Friday evening we could hear the ice cream truck in our neighborhood. Russell was begging to get something so I told him he would have to be patient and wait for the truck to come down our street. He ran to retrieve his lawn chair and firmly planted it in front of our front door to watch and wait.

While Aron and I were working in the yard, the kids kept busy "fixing Daddy's lawn mower."

After nap time on Sunday, Sloane wanted to eat her snack out of her special Easter cup that Papa and Bevie gave her. She sat outside eating and watching Aron work on the lawn. She picked out her own outfit too...a favorite outfit from Grammy Carlson. She is such a doll!!!