Vacation! (week 2)

Can you guess which 2 are twins? Audrey and Samantha were able to meet cousin Brianna (born 5 days earlier).

An ice cream treat on Uncle Jay's birthday.

Annika and Lauren LOVED being introduced to Liesl's ballet clothes and dance shoes.

Sprinkler fun with Liesl and Annemarie.

Annika's first introduction to goggles. Can you tell she liked them?

My had a great time hanging out with Sue and Paul and their family.

Annika is looking for frogs and turtles. If you look closely you will notice we had just come from a trip to the store where she received her own pair of goggles.

Grandpa and Grandma watched the babies so that we could go on a overnight camping trip with Uncle Jay and Emma. It was a beautiful day/night.

Pulling up a chair and supervising the set-up.

Camping isn't complete w/o hotdogs over the fire.

Tent fun with Emma.

Going for a hike . . .

Wabasis Lake.

No, Annika did not eat all 4 of those marshmallows.

The morning after. . .everyone's still smiling.

We spent an evening out at "The Big Lake" (Lake Michigan). Annika was so proud that she was no longer scared of the waves (last October's trip to the ocean did not go well).

Walking the pier at Grand Haven State Park.

The Giant Horse at Meijer Gardens.

Lauren decided to roll down the hill by herself.

Everyone else. . .

Brrr - it was a cold day at Meijer Gardens.

Annika is "playing" Sudoku with lots of help from Grandma.

We didn't let a little rain stop us when Grandpa and Grandma offered to watch the kids so we could go for a bike ride.

The new cabins at Camp Roger. My Mom and I were both counselors here.

Annika is LOVING the dance floor.

Checking out the new sports complex at Calvin.

We took Annika and Lauren to see Schultze-Eldersveld. . . the dorm where Mommy and Daddy first crossed paths (but never spoke to each other).

The 1 cent pony at Meijer was a big hit EVERY time we went to Meijer.

Lauren spent hours doing puzzles.

Thanks for a great time in Michigan, Grandpa and Grandma!

August Happenings

All of the grandchildren and great-children have received Raggedy Ann dolls from Great-Grandma.

Another hot day - perfect for the pool.

Feeding the ducks and wearing our new shades.

Hmmm. . .maybe there was a reason these sunglasses were only $1.50. Lauren's are falling off and Annika's don't seem to be blocking the sun very effectively.

We ALL went to the library with Aunt Lesley. She loves books and so do we.

More Audrey and Samantha

Audrey's pushing up!

Lauren spilled her yogurt. . .can you guess where it landed?

Likin' her tummy.

Aunt Lesley came to visit for a whole week! Woo hoo!

Audrey the Aggressor

Both happy. . .

Sami's starting to get concerned.

Hey, why is she grabbing my bib?

Vicious right hook!

Mission accomplished (insert sinister laugh).

Take Me Out to the Ballgame. . . Again!

This time it was the Big Time. . .Cards v. Dodgers and Albert v. Manny. Mary and Larry were kind enough to share their tickets with us. The game started an hour early due to ESPN coverage so we were even able to stay for the whole thing (thanks to Grandma watching the twins and a 2 inning ice cream break). Annika had a good time - she even enjoyed (if you ask her she will deny her enjoyment but we know the truth) the fireworks after the home run and at the end of the game.

Lauren sat on Daddy's lap and ate peanuts for most of the game. She clapped when everybody else clapped and she enjoyed yelling, "charge" at the appropriate times.

Notice the peanuts in Karl's hand.

Annika wanted to know why there were so many white flashes when Pujols batted. I told her everyone wants pics of Albert Pujols b/c he's one of the greatest players of all time. . .she insisted we take one as well.

We went with Chet, Larry, and Mary. This was in the 8th inning. Mary was fed up with pitching changes so she got on her cell.