Big news!

The girls wanted to show off their gymnastics skills the other day. I can already tell they are going to be competitive against each other.

This is a picture of Elli's first hair cut. I am still not sure if I like it yet but at least her bangs are not in her eyes.

Okay- now for the big news.....my brother and sister-in -law are expecting their first baby!!!! This is such a wonderful surprise and we are so happy for them. We can wait to have a cousin!

Labor Day Weekend

For Labor Day weekend I took the kids to spend a few days with my parents up north. It was a relaxing and great get away. We got to sleep in, eat lots of yummy food, and play outside.

We even took the kids to the apple orchard to pick apples. Laney and Mack always love this adventure. As you can see, Elli was not really into picking apples. Her and Papa stayed in the van and took a nap.






Mack climbed trees (got poison ivy to prove it) and the girls played on the swing set all weekend.

1st day of School!

It was the first day of school for the girls this week. Even Elli get's to go to school too! They both did a great job and love IA and their teachers! It has always been a dream of mine to take them to school with me and have them be in the same building with me all day.

Mack started 4th grade this year but has now entered the "too cool for a picture" phase. O well! He has adjusted well to his new teacher and class mates.
Everyone is having a great start to the school year.

Mackinac Island

Welcome to Mackinaw Island!

The entire side of my family took over Mackinaw Island this past weekend. There were 27 of us that stayed on the Island for a few days of biking, eating, shopping, horse back riding and relaxing.

The girls loved watching the all the horses and playing by the shore. Elli loved throwing rocks into the lake. Take a look at her form! Stepping with opposition! As a former PE teacher this brings tears to my eyes! She may be the ball player of the bunch someday! Bill and I took them on a bike ride around the entire 8 mile round island. I was hoping they would have taken a nap but they stayed awake giggling and enjoying the beautiful scenery.










It was great to have so many family members around to visit with and help with the kids. Mack loved biking and hanging out late at night on the porch with the adults and the girls got spoiled with lots of ice cream and of coarse, hugs and kisses from everyone!

My mom planned an Amazing Race activity for everyone. It consisted of many teams running around the island looking for certain landmarks and taking a picture of each clue and racing back to the finish. There was a cash prize so Bill and I were in it to win it! However, we ended up getting 2nd place to my brother, Matt and his wife, Jodi. O well, some things never change. In the end, it was a fun game and we have already started training for the next Family Amazing Race.

This was a wonderful family vacation and we are already looking forward to coming back to the Island when the girls are bigger so they can ride their own bikes around, ride horses, visit the Fort, hike the trails and sit through dinner! I have so many happy memories on Mackinaw Island from my childhood that I want to continue the tradition with my kids to inspire them that you do not need tv's or cars to have a fun time.

Elli's birthday party!!!

Elli turned 2 on July 20th! It is so hard to believe that she is already 2 years old and no longer my baby. She is a full toddler now and believes that she can do everything Laney can do. She has been such a perfect addition to our family and I am excited to see what another year will bring.

Elli had a wonderful party with family and friends to help celebrate.

Long time friends Christi, Joe and their son Drew came to the party. It was great to spend time with them and see how big Drew has gotten.


Alex, Elli's gymnastic classmate and buddy enjoyed the cake and tried to often hug Elli. Elli finally gave in towards the end of the night for a big hug.

Of coarse Elli had another Mickey Mouse cake. She still loves anything to do with Mickey Mouse. So it seemed appropriate to continue with the theme.








We also had a surprise cake for Mack. We did not get to celebrate Mack's birthday since he was gone much of the month. My friend Jackie made this yummy cake for Mack.
It is hard to see from the picture but it is a computer keyboard with a mouse included! Mack was surprised and enjoyed eating the lemon filled treat!

A few of our friends stayed longer to play a game of poker. The kids had a great time running around and playing together while the adults battled in out on the new poker table. I do have to mention that it came down to Bill and one of my coworkers and Mack's coach, Shawn. Bill ended up claiming the victory. Sorry Shawn, just don't take it out on Mack at practice!
This is picture of Kaylin and Elli. "KK" as Elli calls her loved holding and carrying Elli around all night. It was so sweet!

Elli & Laney's Photo Shoot!

Elli and Laney got their pictures take last week. It was more for Elli since she was turning 2 years old. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!










It was a rough start but once we started dancing everyone cooperated and a few cute pictures were taken.

Of coarse a sucker was involved!

Where did my sweet girls go.....?

I had to share these pictures of my sweet girls being "tom boys".

They got on the bike by themselves and they loved it. This could mean double trouble in a few years.








This is a toad that lives around our house. Laney loves to hold it and pet it. The toad will stay in her hand and sleep as she talks to it. We just have to keep reminding her to not kiss it. She is still too young to believe in that fairytale!