KaYliN's 4th BiRtHdAy...

Well, we celebrated Kaylin's 4th birthday on Saturday with all of her new little friends we met out here for the summer! She really wanted a "My Little Pony" party this year!  The kids ate a little lunch then we played the game where they try to pin the cutie mark on the pony!  Then we of course did a pinata and had cake and ice cream!  She had a great birthday celebration before we head off to the lake house!   

Dax, KK, Allan, Hailey, and Andrew!

She loved getting new My Little Ponies!!

Dax with his FAVORITE toy in hand...his sword!!

Her favorite buddy!

The "gang" playing with water guns and having a big water fight in the grass!

SuNdAy WaLk oN tHe PiEr...

We headed down to Grand Haven Beach again and walked along the lake and pier!  Then we took the kids to a huge castle shaped play park to run around!  What a beautiful day!!! :)

fReDeRiK mEijEr GaRdEns...

  Susan and I took Kaylin and Dax to this AMAZING place called Frederik Meijer Gardens!  It is a huge garden and sculpture park with 125 acres of natural wetlands, woodlands, meadows, and botanical gardens!  The best part is they have a huge children's section with SO many fun areas and activities for kids!  They have 10 different themed areas for children (ex.: Tree House Village, Log Cabin, Butterfly Maze, Labyrinth, etc...)  It was definitely an all day event...who knew there was such an amazing hidden treasure out here in Grand Rapids?!!  

A big sand park with lots of fun toys!

The Great Lakes Garden!  

This was their favorite...the water area was shaped like the 5 great lakes with lots of fun facts about each one!

The Kid-Sense Garden!  

Lots of fun instruments and things that involve the 5 senses!!

They even had mint leaves that you could taste and eat!

The Story Telling Garden!

(So cute...the Alice in Wonderland Table)

A beautiful waterfall garden!

The Tropical Garden!

Grandma and Kaylin are standing by the chocolate tree!!! :)

4th of JuLy...

Well, at the beginning of July, Grandma Susan came out to Michigan to visit us and we had such a fun time with her here!!!  Kentwood was having a 4th of July parade and they welcomed decorated bikes and rollerbladers...So I thought it would be fun to decorate the stroller and be part of the celebration!!  It ended up being a lot of fun!  The kids loved it and Dax especially loved waving to all of the people!! It was great...at the end of the parade we pulled off to the side and let the kids watch the rest of the floats come in behind us!!!  It was definitely a fun adventure for us all!!!

Chris, Conor, KK, and Dax! 

 They just LOVE playing with their friends!

Riding the swings...and so excited about it! 

Of course eating one of her favorites...ice cream!

 

Dax loving the sparklers!

That night we went over to the carnival and watched the fireworks on the grass! 

 What a fantastic way to spend the 4th!!! 

CaScAdE LiBrArY...

Every Tuesday I take the kids over to the Cascade Library... They have a little reading program every week!  It seriously is the cutest thing and the kids LOVE it!!  Each week they have a different theme and Ms. Andrea reads stories and has cute songs they can dance to!! This week the theme was Cowboys and Cowgirls!  It only lasts about 30 min. (which is perfect for kids this age) and then they get to make the cutest crafts!  Afterwards, we go pick out books to check out for that next week and they play in the little children's area in the back of the library!  There is a little play kitchen, puppet stage for puppet shows, games, puzzles, fun chairs, etc... We usually end up spending most of the morning there!  It has been a great thing that we look forward to week after week!  

I would really love to know what she is thinking here!

My little cowgirl and cowboy!

MiScHiEf aNd MoVieS...

Well, Dax has a new fascination with toilets!  He loves everything about them!  He loves to flush them, put LOTS of toilet paper in them (among other things), clean, brush, plunge...you name it!!  He has already broken our toilet once and I am sure it will not be the last!  Now whenever it gets really quiet or I hear a door shut, I head straight to the bathroom and this is usually what I find!  So I figured this time to take my camera with me to document this little man's obsession at the moment!  Today he decided to flush (or try to flush) tanning lotions!  One of his favorite's is to put diapers in the toilet!  Does this mean he is ready to be potty trained?!!!  Such a little Stinker!! 

Taking naps together!

So both of my kids love these fold out couch beds!  They love to watch movies on them, build forts, etc...  They are the greatest things ever!  Not to mention, every night either Breton or I fall asleep on them while watching a show!  They are super comfy!!!  It must be a summer thing because back at home they never get used!!!

A few weeks ago I took the kids to see Monsters Vs. Aliens with their friend Chris!!  They actually do really well in movies now!!  Do you think it has anything to do with the large amounts of candy I bring and movie theater popcorn?!! :)  They just think it is so fun!!!