The Little Dipper!

Kiddeland!

My mom wanted to do something special for the grandkids during the weekend of her 60th birthday. We had thought about going to six flags, but the thought of the crowds combined with the heat combined with a 4 month old, a 3 year old and 4 year old made us thing about an alternative. We came across "Kiddeland" on our internet search and decided to give it a try.

What a magical place for young kids! Imagine every kiddy ride that you've ever seen or ridden on, and it was here at Kiddeland. Maya and Kai were able to ride everything that they wanted to, and with little to no lines.

Their favorite ride was "The Little Dipper", an old fashioned wooden roller coaster that was actually quite a thrill.

During our first ever visit to Kiddeland, we were saddened to learn that this will be their last season of operation after 80 years of business. We'll definately be returning before the end of the summer for another day of Kiddeland adventure.

Happy Birthday DiDi!

Today we celebrated my Mom's 60th birthday. She was first surprised by my sister's arrival with baby Ely on thursday. We got her again on her birthday as she was greeted by her closest friends (and us of course) at an intimate dinner on the outside porch at the marina overlooking the canal and Lake Michigan.

Happy Birthday Mom/DiDi! We love you!

More Birthday Celebration pics!

Happy Birthday Benson!

Our beloved yellow lab, Benson, turned 11 today. The kids picked out special dog treats at the store and then searched a neighborhood garage sale for a perfect assortment of stuffed animals for Benny to choose from. His first choice was the monkey, which was eventually snatched by Hunter. So Benson plopped himself on the floor in front of a pile of different stuffed animals and played until his heart's content.

10 things we love about Benson:

1. He is always happy and wears a huge smile on his face

2. He can play the piano...really!

3. He loves to sing....his favorite song is Ole Susanna.

4. He's a tattle tale...any time Hunter is up to no good, Benson will bark. Depending on

how loud the bark depends on how bad the deed.

5. He seeks permission before assuming his favorite position on the couch.

6. He watches over the kids and will bark if he senses even the slightest danger.

7. He gives great "high 5's"

8. He will chase a stick in the water for hours...and then will want more.

9. He's a great lifeguard. As soon as someone goes under water, he will swim out to that person

and circle the area until the person surfaces.

10. He's bilingual. He understands commands in english and spanish...and tilts his head/perks his

hears as though he understands everything we say.

Happy Birthday Benson. We Love You!

The Mega Slide!

Yesterday afternoon, a huge box waited for us on our doorstep as we arrived home from running errands. The kids were thrilled when they saw a picture of a waterslide on the side of the box. Nanny decided that she would give Maya her birthday present early so that fun could be had by all during the hot days of summer.

As soon as I got home from work today, we all donned our suits and headed to the front yard for "slide set-up". Considering it was 96 degress with probably 99% humidity, I couldn't think of a better activity to survive the afternoon heat. Maya requested that we set the slide up in the front yard so that all of her neighborhood friends could come over.

Not 5 minutes after set-up, a goup of neighbor girls, all in their swimsuits, yelled from across the street asking if they could join our sliding adventure.

Kai eventually braved the big slide including climbing up the wall and sliding down all on his own. When I told him it was time to go inside, he held up his open palm and said "just 5 more times Mommy!".

We spent the whole afternoon jumping head first into the slip'n' slide tunnel and splashing down the waterslide. Oh what a ride!

Thanks Nanny for what will surely turn into hours of summertime fun.

"My First Nightgown!"

One of Maya and Kai's favorite pasttimes in the summer is to go to garage sales. They especially love the neighborhood sales where they can ride their bikes from house to house, grab their wallets from their bike bags, and excitedly search for hidden treasures to purchase.

Today, we went to a neighborhood sale where Maya found her first ever nightgown. She was so excited when she saw her favorite princess of the moment, Sleeping Beauty, pictured on the front.

Our easel is taller than our car...really!

Today felt like our first day of summer. The sky threatened storms on and off all day, the outside temp. actually hit 93 and the air was HUMID. Normally I'd complain about the heat and humidity, but after the recent weather we've been having, today was our first real glimpse that summer may actually be happening this year afterall.

We decided to brave the heat and blow up our new easel (Kai's birthday present from Nanny). Once housed in a smallish box, I had no idea just how big this easel would become. We put it in the middle of our driveway and the thing nearly hid our mini-van which was parked just behind.

Once the paint was poured and the sidewalk chalk was within reach, the kids just went at it. They finger painted, colored, and made a beautiful mess. Their favorite part, however, was spraying their masterpiece with the hose to clean up and get the easel ready for another day of play. Thank you Nanny for such a creative gift.

Finding their China Outfits!

Maya and Kai happened across their outfits from China today while searching for who knows what in their closet.

They immediately wanted to put them on. Of course I had to get some pictures.

When I purchased Kai's black outfit last March while in China, I really didn't think it would fit for at least a couple of years. My how he has grown so quickly.