50

We were a part of a very special celebration this weekend... Kyle's mom & dad's 50th wedding anniversary!!!  I think its safe to say the happy couple enjoyed all of the extra love and well wishes throughout their special day.

And this, is all because two people fell in love...

 

Staying Cool

We tried all sorts of ways to stay cool this week - sprinklers, watermelon popsicles, something known as 'Daddy Rain' in our house (Kyle using a hose on the girls), 
Jumping in puddles,

And finally, the city pool!

Both girls braved the waterslide all by themselves this year (only managed to catch Hadley going down though).

Bryndel loved all of the action, but cried if she got wet, hehe.

She and I spent most of the time in the shade of a tree happily sharing some fruit.

We LOVE it...

...when Grandma & Grandma come to visit!!!

7

We had the pleasure of having Mike & Jill and family here this weekend, bringing the grand total of kids in our house to... 7 kiddos 7 and under!  I think if you asked any one of the 7, they'd report feeling happy, tired, and SO loved after a whole weekend of playing non-stop with their cousins!

They headed right into the backyard to play with their dolls, swing, hit balls off the T, and just run around together.

Bryndel enjoyed watching it ALL!

Sprinklers came next.

And to get warmed up, they plastered themselves to the hot concrete.

We had a great pizza picnic at the park Saturday eve, and hit the beach early Sunday morn.

I think its safe to say, that its great to be a kid!  Especially, when you get to do it with your cousins.

10 Months

At 10 months, Bryndel is still the happiest little thing around! 

She loves to clap for anyone, even herself.

She has nearly 7 little teeth in there that she is constantly checking out with her fingers or grinding!

She started signing a few weeks ago, and it has been hilarious & amazing to watch her communication grow along with how pleased it makes her! Her favorite sign is 'music' (in the photo) which she often uses as her way of pointing at things. She has started using a real 'point' as well, has the cutest little wave you ever did see, and is really good at poking your eyes out if you ask her where they are, ha!  She also started grunting this week if a truck or car drove by and if she spotted one of the girls' stuffed animals lying about.

What a blessing she has been to our family over the past 10 months! 

Wordless Wednesday

Father's Day Weekend 2013

We had the perfect Father's Day picnic right out at our Land!  

Hadley & Piper also had the pleasure of releasing their butterflies this weekend!  They thoroughly enjoyed watching their metamorphosis over the past couple weeks, and were excited to set them free.

 

Beach Morning

We awoke to a beautiful sunny Thursday morning with Kyle home, and figured we ought to get something checked off this summer's 'Bucket List'...

Despite the cool 60 degree breeze, the girls had a blast jumping, splashing, and running along the shore (no one actually swam, thank heavens!).

Bryndel got her first taste of sand between her toes, and I am not so sure it was her favorite!

She did however, enjoy trying to put some of it in her mouth for an actual taste a little while later when on the safety of a towel.

So great to have a whole morning with Kyle and NO rain!  Welcome back, Summer!

160

We got to kick off our summer vacation with a fun filled weekend at Grandma & Grandpa's lake home!  The girls wasted no time running off the long car ride (and cotton candy from the school picnic) as soon as we reached their house.

We then drove on over to Nathan & Heidi's beautiful new home!  As you can see, it is still in progress, but the girls wasted no time trying to get themselves and Kenzie dirty :)

On Saturday morning we headed over to my dear cousin, Katie's home, to help celebrate the upcoming wedding of her youngest brother, Ben & his fiancee, Marie.  It was a lovely shower, and admittedly Hadley & Piper liked playing with their extended cousins and eating bacon the best, ha!

Back at Grandma & Grandpa's there was a serious party going on... we were celebrating Grandpa Jerry's 85th & Grandma Joan's 75th Birthdays (for a combination of 160 amazing years!).  Bryndel got to meet a lot of special great aunts & uncles - pictured with Patty (& Chris) , but also Nancy & Joe, Kristin & Dave, and Julie & Steve.  While Hadley & Piper thoroughly enjoyed playing in Grandma's pantry with their extended cousins and flashlights!









And somehow, we managed to get all 11 of the present great-grandchildren on Grandpa & Grandma's laps (we were just missing Eric's son, Mason).  It was a hoot, to say the least!

Got nearly all of Grandpa & Grandma's grandchildren and spouses as well (just missing Eric, Sarah, Christopher, and Danny & Kaitlin).

There were 6 brave souls who were determined to swim despite the frigid/misty temperatures.  Correction... there were 4 crazy kids who wanted to, and 2 dads who were 'thrown under the bus' so to speak, while the moms had to take care of the babies, ha!

They had a grand time swimming, and once they were dried up, raced right back out into the cool weather and ran til bedtime. (That gorgeous photo was taken by my talented sister-in-law, Jill.)

It was such a great kick off to summer, we just loved being a part of all of those special celebrations!  And despite not being in a single picture, Grandma & Grandpa really were there - planning and cleaning and cooking and playing so we could all have fun :)  THANKS, we love you!