The rest of August….

I continue to be a blogging slacker.  I thought I would catch you up on the rest of August….

A few weeks ago, we had a fun little playdate with the Scolaro boys.  Brooklyn was more than happy to get dirty with them outside.  Aaron and Mitchell were very gracious hosts.  Thanks for a great afternoon boys!  Brooklyn enjoyed her first popsicle and playing with the sidewalk chalk!

  She’s definitely not afraid of a little dirt!  Poor little thing just wore herself right out… and couldn’t hold out for the bath before the nap!

That same weekend, Brooklyn got her first taste of camping.  Darren and I camped out at Fort Custer in Battle Creek for a couple of nights.  Brooklyn came out to visit us during the morning for a bike trailer ride with her daddy and then in the evening for a family dinner, but she slept comfortably at night at her Nana’s house.  It worked out perfectly!  She loved her camp time!

(Don’t worry – there was no fire!)Brooklyn tried to learn to drink out of a cup.  It pretty much just ended up with a really wet shirt. :)   The next weekend we had a special fishing day with my work.  Brooklyn enjoyed her first time fishing with her “country-girl” mom.  We didn’t catch a lot of fish, but it was still a very nice day. 

        A couple of random pictures…

What do you like to do with your pasta!!  We like to play with ours before we eat it!

And, I wanted to get a cute picture of her in her dress at lunch after church, but she kept finding other people more amusing than looking at the camera…:) 

And finally, this past weekend we went up north with our dear friends, the Walkenhorsts and the Harrisons.   We had intended on going to a little county fair, but it rained all day Saturday, so we were stuck inside for the day.  I was bummed we didn’t get to go to the fair, but the kids didn’t seem to mind.  Brooklyn made good use of the couch arm cover. :)

  Here are couple of my favorite pictures we took just before we left.  Wouldn’t you know that today’s weather would be perfect!

Thanks Dan, Katie, and Nate for inviting us to hang out with you this weekend.  We had a wonderful time and we can’t wait until next summer!! 

We’re having a boy!!!!

We went to the doctor this past Friday and found out that we are having a little boy!!  I still can’t wrap my mind around it!  I am due December 31st.  Everything on the ultrasound looked great.  He currently weighs about 10 ounces, which is the 50th percentile – right on track.  Here are the pictures we got at the appointment.  Sorry for the poor clarity – they are photos of the pictures. 

Here is a profile shot of the side of the head and upper body.

 

Here is frontal picture of the face and belly.  I know – he kind of looks like a little alien.  Brooklyn did too, but she came out alright. :)

This is a picture of the boy parts.  It’s definitely a boy!!

And finally, a cute little picture of the bottom of his foot.

So cool, and so unbelievable for me, all at the same time!  We are very blessed and so happy!

I can’t leave pictures of Brooklyn off the blog – it just doesn’t seem right.  Here are few pictures of her at the playground last week, and then a picture of her at the doctor’s office when we went for the ultrasound.

I think she is going to be a good big sister!!!

The Detroit Zoo with Pop

Darren’s dad came down from Midland today and we all headed to the zoo.  We had beautiful weather and it was so much fun to see Brooklyn respond to the animals.  We went to the zoo last year, but she was too young to know a butterfly from a bottle from a baboon.  This time she was mesmerized by all of them.  I was sad that she wore out before she had the chance to see the polar bears.

 

 

 

 

 

What a great day!!!  Thanks, Pop, for the polar bear!!

Petoskey and Mackinac Island

A few weeks ago, we all went up north to spend some time at Darren’s aunt and uncle’s cottage in Bay View, a tiny little gathering of cottages next to Petoskey.  Darren’s dad was there as well, and we had such a great time hanging out around town and going up to Mackinac Island.  The first night we enjoyed feeding the ducks down by the bay, and then watching a beautiful sunset.

 

 

 

 

 

The next day we headed up to Mackinac Island.  We briefly crossed over the bridge so that we could say that we had been to the UP, and then took the ferry ride over to the island.

We of course took a carriage ride tour around the island – the best way I think to explore the island for the first time.  It took us all over the island, past the governor’s mansion and the Grand Hotel, and one of the stops was a little butterfly garden.  The weather was beautiful and I can’t wait to go back!  One day is definitely not enough time to explore everything.

 

 

 

 

The next 2 days we continued to relax, and it just so happened that our good friends, Ashley, Kelly, and Ella, were staying in Boyne that week – just a short drive away.  On Tuesday we met up and walked around downtown Petoskey together, and the next day we spent some time at Avalanche Bay indoor water park.

Brooklyn’s favorite part of the playground was the mulch!  Later that evening, Darren and I took Brooklyn for a bike ride.  She loved riding in the trailer, but she wasn’t too sure about the helmet.

We rode down to the water again for the sunset.  Brooklyn sure loves her daddy!

 

The next day was Avalanche Bay.

It was a nice little family and friends getaway!  We enjoyed every moment of it – and we can’t wait to go back!! 

I have a lot more random pictures to post – but it is time for bed.  More to come soon I hope!!