My Cousin Pam Comes to Visit

My cousin Pam and her two younger girls came from Texas for almost a week to visit. We had so much fun just hanging out and chatting. She has so much wisdom and experience to share with me (she also has two older girls...both in there 20's) I could sit and listen all day. The kids enjoyed playing together inside and out. The weather was warm so they were able to spend a lot of time in the pool also. We didn't really leave the house all week but on Saturday we took a day trip up to Chicago. It was so much fun. We went to the American Girl Place, the Lego Store, ate true Chicago Deep Dish Pizza, walked around Navy Pier, and took a sunset boat cruise. As I look through all the photos it was hard to chose which one to post.

Ty's Sleepover Birthday Party

Tyler asked if he could have a sleepover for his 9th birthday. We agreed if it was small and nothing fancy. All Tyler wanted to do with his friends was swim and play video games....and that is pretty much what they did. We set up two TV's in the basement and the four boys played Playstation on one TV and Wii on the other. They took breaks to swim, have dinner, and have smores. The boys were all so well behaved and had a good time. Other than catching them playing Wii at 2:00 in the morning....all went very well. I would definitely let Tyler do it again.

Celebrating Tyler's Birthday at Uncle Mark and Aunt Jen's

While we were in Ohio we celebrated Tyler's birthday with my family in Ohio. The kids were able to all play together inside and out. They had a lot of fun together. We had Tyler's requested taco's for dinner, which was a big hit. Now, most kids when picking out there cake would choose chocolate or an ice cream cake I would think. But not Tyler. He chose a blueberry pie. Since that is what he wanted grandma agreed, but we also picked up some cake for the other kids.

Tea Party in Michigan

Jordan's (Joe's youngest brother) girlfriend was crowned Rose Queen earlier this year. She is such a wonderful person that all the kids love. Cassandra and her mom planned a "Princess Tea Party" for some of the nieces and daycare girls. We were able to attend since it was the weekend that we were at Rita's. It made Kennedy feel so special that she was invited. They all had there picture taken with Cassandra, has lunch and tea, decorated frames, went on a pontoon ride, and had dessert. It was a great time and all the little girls were beautiful.

Our Trip to Ohio and Michigan.

With the kids out of school at the end of May we thought we would head back to spend a week with both sets of grandparents. We went to Ohio first for the big event of the summer....CEDAR POINT. Tyler has this book, The Kids World Almanac, which he loves. Well, in it, it talks about the top places for roller coasters. Of course Cedar Point was at the top and so for over a year he has been talking about it. A couple of years ago we went to Six Flags with the whole family. It is definitely not as big as Cedar Point and with Carter in tow it makes riding very many rides a little difficult. We did go though because Tyler had earned free tickets from school for his reading. So last year both of the kids earned tickets again but thought we would pass because Carter was just still to young. Anyhow, we made plans for my parents to keep Carter and then we could go and ride almost all the rides with the two big kids. As planning came along, Mark and Jen also came along with Jacob.

We had SO MUCH FUN! The crowds were so small that day. Most of the rides we could just walk on and the two longest rides were only 30-45 mins! The very first thing we rode was the Demon Drop! Both kids loved it and were not scared, which I thought was amazing. (If you are familiar with Cedar Point you understand). Tyler rode every big roller coaster he could and LOVED it. After a couple of the big one Kennedy could take it or leave it. Jacob could not ride any of the roller coasters so she enjoyed hanging out with him. My biggest surprise was when Tyler rode the Top Thrill Dragster......TWICE! It is a roller coaster that I wasn't even sure I would ride! (He loved it.) So it was a great day for all of us together. Kendall and Carter stayed with my parents and had a great day at Build A Bear and playing together. It will definitely be memories for all of us to cherish.

The Last Day of School

It is so hard to believe that another school year has come to an end. I am really looking forward to the kids being home with me all day. It will also be nice to be able to travel back and see our families and have a break from the routine of school. We also look forward to playing outside with friends, using the pool, relaxing by the fire pit and staying out past dark to catch lighting bugs. I look forward to the summertime when the kids can just be kids and be carefree. As the kids grow older I realize how fast time goes. It make me sad to know to soon I will be saying..."I can't believe the summer has come to an end"! But for now we will just enjoy everyday of the summer together.

Tyler's Track and Field Day

Being in third grade means being able to participate in track and field day at school. This is an afternoon where 3rd - 5th graders participate in different events. The weather was nice and it was fun to watch all the kids compete. Tyler ran the 400M, the short hurdles, and the 4 x 100 relay. (These are all measured around the grassy areas of the school, an actual track is not involved.) He did really well and had fun. He placed second in the 400 and the relay, he won his heat in the hurdles but did not place in the top three overall. Both Joe and I being runners, it was exciting to see what the future might bring. After discussion, we both feel he might be an 800M man.