One Last Hoorah

In an attempt to enjoy the last few moments of summer, the kids and I headed to Lake Chelan for several days to vacation with Grandma and Grandpa. Despite our short visit, we kept very busy - swimming in the pool, jumping in the lake and even playing a game of miniature golf.

Mike, Cynthia and the kids were also vacationing in Lake Chelan. They left the day we arrived but we had a few hours of overlap, which the kids took full advantage of. Before we arrived, Grandma picked up some water wings for Abi which turned out to be just the confidence booster that she needed! As you can see, she became quite brave - jumping in the pool and even the lake all by herself.

Abi & Colby Jumping in the Pool

Abi Jumping in Lake Chelan

Abi & Grandpa
So funny to see this picture because I remember my brother and I begging my Dad to "throw us up in the air" in this exact pool about 25 years ago)


Even Brady got in on some of the fun!

-Mini Golf-
Abi & Grandma

Abi & Me

California Trip

Last weekend we headed to California for Josh's cousin, Megyn's wedding. Abi was asked to be the flowergirl in the wedding and this was a job that she was very excited about. After watching many videos of flowergirls walking down the aisle on YouTube and much practicing, the big moment finally arrived and Abi did a great job!

Besides the wedding festivities, we also managed to fit in a full day at California Adventure, played in the pool and visited with family. Not to mention, the constant chasing of a very busy one year old all over creation.

A special thanks to Uncle Bob and Aunt Peg for their wonderful hospitality. Thanks also to Megyn, Danny and the Manzo family for including us in your big day.

Here are some pictures and videos from our day at California Adventure:

Goofy signing Abi's autograph book

Minnie Mouse, me & the kids

Hangin' out with Lightning McQueen

B's first ride: Heimlich's Chew Chew Train in Bug's Land

Then, we tempted fate and took him on the Monsters Inc. ride. All was good at first....

...but quickly went downhill when he saw the monsters! :(

Sulley from Monsters, Inc.

Anxiously waiting for the Aladdin show to begin

The kids quickly found the slides in the park which was a good break for Brady as he got to escape from his stroller for a few minutes.

King Triton's Carousel

Brady finally fell asleep at 9 p.m. after a full day at the park with no naps!

Our last stop of the night was the newest addition at California Adventure - World of Color

California Trip (Part 2: The Wedding)

-The Rehearsal-

Practicing walking down the aisle with Joseph, the Ring Bearer

-The Big Day-

I was so proud of my little girl - she did an awesome job!

Watching the wedding

Megyn & Danny

I can only hope that she is just as happy on her own wedding day as she was on this day!

This picture is a perfect representation of what Abi looked like during the entire reception. She jumped around on the dance floor for about 4 hours straight!

Dancing with Daddy

Brady playing with cousin Elijah's hat

Brady with cousin Mickey (this picture makes me smile!)

Brady dancing with Megyn

CONGRATULATIONS MEGYN & DANNY!

Swim Lessons

Over the past month, Abi and Brady have been taking swim lessons at the YMCA. Brady's "class" is actually just 30 minutes of playtime in order to get him acquainted and feel comfortable in the water.

Abi's class, on the other hand, is an actual lesson where she practices skills like putting her face in the water and floating on her back.

Over the past 6 weeks, Abi did have a few days with some tears (over her extreme dislike of back floats) but overall I thought that she was getting a bit better. Apparently, her teacher didn't agree because on the last day of class, we got her report card. On a scale of 0 to 2 with 0=skill not completed and 2=skill completed, Abi's report card had many 0's. In fact, every single category was a 0! After a brief review of this report card, I decided that another category needed to be added...Effort. Because despite her fear, Abi never once complained and always jumped back in the water for another try - so for that, I give her a 2!

Butterfly Release

One of Abi's favorite things right now is butterflies so for Abi's birthday, she received a butterfly pavilion and hatching kit. The kit contains a mail-in coupon for caterpillars and once they arrive, you watch them eat for several days, then form chrysalides and finally turn into butterflies (very similar to the book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, minus the ice cream cones and sausages). Abi has been patiently waiting for the weather to warm up and now that summer has finally arrived, we sent away for her caterpillars. Unfortunately, we didn't document the entire process but we did capture the most exciting part which was the release of the butterflies.

Abi & Daddy releasing the butterflies

Lucky for us, one was a bit shy so Abi got to hold it before it flew away!

Summer Camp

This summer, Abi attended a week long summer camp at her preschool. The theme of the camp was bugs (one of her favorite things!) On the last day of camp, families were invited to attend a performance that the kids had been practicing throughout the week - it was very cute!

Before the song began, the kids were instructed to pick a spot on the floor and put their firefly down next to them. As the dance progressed, Abi moved closer to the teacher (and further away from her firefly). When it was time to pick up the fireflies, the little girl behind her accidentally picked up Abi's and as you will see, Abi definitely knew which one was hers.

Happy 4th of July!

Despite the rain, we celebrated 4th of July with the usuals...BBQ, spending time with family and of course, sparklers. This year, Ferryboat Grandma joined us for the day and her & Abi made ice cream - such a fun summer tradition! Abi choose chocolate as the flavor of the day and it was delicious.

(A special thanks to Aunt Peg for the cute outfits!)

-Making Ice Cream with Grandma-

If the empty bowl is any indication, it must be pretty good!

I think he liked it :)

-Our Fireworks-
Pop-Its & Sparklers