Frogs, experiments and yard work...oh my!

We had a busy and productive week so far of just hanging out around the house. Our pond out front is collecting quite a lot of frogs this summer and Owen couldn't be any happier about the fact that he can catch frogs all day long. Here is a little froggy that he grabbed the other day. There are a few other frogs in the pond that are a lot bigger but so far he has only been able to grab this guy.

 Moving on.....yesterday while Wy was napping Owen wanted to do an experiment...so we decided to grab a pop bottle and roll with it. We had food coloring and dove dish soap and vinegar and baking powder and soda and a few other items that Owen wanted to give a go. It was a nice way to spend 15 minutes in the shade. And he had fun with it....and  he got dirty...so that was a plus in his book!

 And lastly the boys helped Kris and I out with some yard work this week. We had some branches that Kris cut down that needed to be moved. So Owen loaded them up in his truck and he and Wy drove them into the woods and dumped them out. What good teamwork!

Enjoy your weekend!

Wedding Fun!

We went to Kris' cousins wedding yesterday. It was a very happy day and everything was beautiful...especially the bride! Here are the pictures from our day. The wedding was held in a little chapel in Greenfield Village.

Hope you had a good weekend!

Owen's frog friend

Owen went over to see his cousins today and while he was there he made a new frog friend. Owen loves being outdoors and bugs and all different creatures of all sizes and shapes. We are housing a grasshopper that he found today on our front porch. I can't even begin to imagine what our future holds with this little nature lover.

Owen's photography

Owen saw that the cranes were outside today in the neighbor's front yard. I grabbed my camera and gave it to him to take some pictures of these interesting birds. As we got closer to them my neighbor pulled into her driveway and scared them away. So needless to say we didn't get any cool pictures of our bird friends. But while we were outside Owen took this picture of my foot without me even knowing it. When I came back inside to see the pictures he had taken I found this one and thought it was pretty cool.

My first triathlon...as a spectator!

Tonight my dad and I took all of the older boys to watch my sister and brother complete a triathlon. It was the first time I have ever attended one of their events and boy could you ever feel the energy.  I must admit that I am a little envious of how active they both are and wish that I could partake in some of these events with them....but regardless I am super proud of all of their achievements over the last year. They have participated in some pretty crazy events!

Today it was a local triathlon so it was nice to be able to take the boys to see them. We all had a nice time!

Keep it up Julie and Jim. You are an inspiration to many and my motivation to try to get back in shape so I can run in one of these races with you one day!

Me and my boys and potty training update

We have been working with Wyatt on potty training for almost a week. He is doing great, but I totally forgot how exhausting the whole process is! He still is having accidents but overall is doing awesome. I realize that it will be a few more weeks of constant encouragement but hopefully it will be all worth it soon enough.

This is how Wyatt spent most of the week. Hiding under this rug....naked! We took the rug out of the bathroom so we would have less of chance of ruining it, but he still found a way to play on it.

 Here are me and my boys, both smiling nicely for a picture...finally!!

 And Wyatt going overboard with his "cheese" smile. Owen was begging to take a picture of something so I figured I would let him take one of me and Wy.

We are so proud of how well Wyatt is doing.....wish us luck with our continued potty training efforts. For now, I'm thankful for how well he is doing!!

Sunday fun!

 Last night we headed to Canton for a yummy dinner, ice cream sundaes and some nice family time. Grammy and Grampy surprised the boys with this nice pool! They loved it.

They were running around like crazy boys, playing games together and jumping off of the edge of the pool. I love watching them interact together. Owen remains to be such a great big brother.....most of the time!

Wyatt did fall off of the patio step and ended up with a nasty stone stuck in his knee. It is quite an ugly boo boo so I will be monitoring it today to make sure it stays clean. Who knows, maybe he will let me post a picture of it....but I doubt it!

Hope everyone had a nice weekend and enjoys this coming week. It is supposed to be HOT again!!

Owen's quote of the day

Kris was making eggs this morning for breakfast and he asked Owen if he wanted an egg sandwich.

Owen's response, "yeah I want an egg sandwich. what are you waiting for?!"

That's our boy, sassy as always!

We are still working with Wy on potty training...which is going rather slowly...partly due to laziness on my end....i forgot what hard work it is!

Have a good weekend!

Lake Michigan

We had an amazing week at our favorite camping destination to date, PJ Hoffmaster State Park in Muskegon. Everything was just perfect this trip. The weather was awesome, not one drop of rain for five nights.....and we just enjoyed a lot of good family fun!

My sister took so many pictures that I thought it would be easier to just put them on my blog in collage form. Here are my brother and his boys. I'm so glad they could come with us....I know Owen and Wyatt loved hanging out with Nick and Nathan for the week.

Biking through the creek was a highlight of our week. The boys had a blast! And I love that Nick caught a dragon fly! Fun! He is such a nature lover!

Hanging out at the campsites. Doesn't get much better than this....not doing much of anything for five days straight = perfect!

We celebrated my mom's birthday while they came up for a short visit. We had a great time and thanks to Julie for bringing up all of the decorations and making a great cake! Yum!

Playing on the playground....another favorite destination for the boys this past week.

Me and my boys. It seems that Owen is only interested in taking pictures as long as he can be goofy....so we had to make the best of them!

Hanging out on the beach. Lake Michigan is beautiful and we had perfect weather for lazy beach days. We had so much fun and acted like kids ourselves. I love how much fun my family has together!

The boys all had fun too. We built sandcastles, moats, dams, played catch, and found creatures in the water and on the sand. Fun times!

Wyatt and Owen being buried in the sand. Wy was completely buried and he didn't mind at all!

Out and about, in Grand Haven and downtown Muskegon.

And lastly.....my dad taught Owen how to give a "wet willy" a few months back. So I'm pleased to say that Owen has now mastered giving wet willies in the appropriate time and place!!

It is so hard to come back to reality after a week away that was this much fun. I came home to five loads of laundry, unpacking for me and the boys, cleaning the camper,cleaning the house, having to mow the lawn and catching up on all kinds of work stuff. But it was totally worth it and we can't wait to do it all again....hopefully really soon!

Next up this week......potty training Wy-man!!! Wish us luck!

Fourth of July

We went to a parade on the morning of the Fourth of July. It was hot, really hot!

I love all of these pictures of Wyatt!

Both of my boys seem to be a bit spooked by loud noises. Notice Owen plugging his ears in the picture below and in the bottom picture Wyatt was freaking out and crying because the firetrucks were so loud.

It was a nice parade. We were only there for about an hour because we had to leave to head out on our big fun camping trip. Those pictures to come soon!

Fireworks at Greenfield Village

Last night we went to see the fireworks at Greenfield Village. It was our second year in a row and is definitely going to be a tradition for us. We went with Kris' family and good friends who we only are able to see a few times each year. But every time we are together it is very comfortable and a great time is had by all. This year we took Wyatt along.....he did GREAT! I must admit I was a bit skeptical of bringing him and even had my mom lined up to watch him....but I'm so glad we decided to take him. He loved it!!

 O and G....they started off a bit shy but by the end of the night they were running around like crazy together. It is always fun watching these two! We joke about how they will get married one day. They would be a beautiful couple!

 Enjoy all of the pictures from the day and night. I took a lot of pictures and just figured out how to put them in a collage on picmonkey.

Do you have plans for the Fourth of July??