Misc June

We love swimming!! Willem is over his fear of Paw Paw's slide and loves using it to enter the pool.

 

Ellie is such a great sister and Audrey loves to cuddle!

 

 

We started back in swim lessons with Sydney. It's fun taking lessons with friends and the kids are learning so quickly. Willem is working on his back and breast stroke. Ellie is starting to swim across the pool to Sydney and is learning to side breathe.

We weren't able to celebrate Fathers Day on fathers day so we had our own celebration a week later. The kids made gifts and we had a special dinner in Jason's honor.

Alex and Keary's Wedding

Alex and Keary got married!!! We drove over to LA for the wedding and I drove back solo. The road trips with the 3 kids are getting easier as we are getting our new routine down.
We had SO much fun at the wedding!!!

The Stams/Weiss'

The wedding was very modern. Note that Erik is the wonderful officiant and Jason ended up playing DJ. It was a beautiful day and a great venue for a wedding.

 

 

 

 

Willem was in heaven and thought he too was married that day. He wanted to be right with Alex and Keary at all times. Eventually he started dancing with people his own age but would jump back in with the wedding party when he could.

 

 

 

 

(Hat and purse were compliments of Lita) Love this picture though our models weren't quite into posing at the time.

Jason flew out the next morning to get back to work but the kids and I were able to spend a few more days visiting. What a great trip!!.

Visiting the Barnes'

We had a great trip to Ohio to visit the Barnes'. Cannot believe Katie graduated from high school!! Seems like yesterday she was starting kindergarten.

We also were able to watch Emma perform in her year end recital. The kids were fascinated by the dance routines.

Audrey was a great napping partner for Katie and Emma:) Willem and Ellie were simply in heaven being able to play outside all day. They've been pretty homebound in Arizona with the heat. Another highlight was Aunt Julie's big tub, they loved taking their baths each evening. The Ohio Zoo was really neat as well. The kids enjoyed the pony rides and getting to see the kangaroos. We couldn't believe the kangaroos were just loose in the area and could be hopping alongside us.  

 

 

 

 

Family Vacation to Missouri Part 1

Audrey's 1st Flight. She was a great traveler!

 

The kids got the full Aunt Susie and Uncle Michael experience of my childhood. Bedtime stories, pancakes, favorite meals, a nature hike, animals to play with and lots of love!

 

 

Tia Julie arranged for us to visit the Colemans in Columbia. Seeing a real live farm in the spring was a great learning opportunity for all of us. Willem loved collecting the eggs and Ellie was a huge fan of her donkey ride.

 

 

 

 

Love cousin time!!

 

We celebrated Cole's high school graduation in Columbia and caught up with the family before heading back to the lake.

One memorable part of this trip was our collision with a deer at the lake. In all my years of living in MO we'd never hit a deer before. But out of nowhere a deer ran across the road and jumped and hit the side of the van. It was really scary as Willem's window shattered but he was totally fine. Led to a series of crazy situations with a van full of people and an open window, a torrential rain storm and a 4 hour drive to St. Louis. But now that will be a story we don't forget.

Ellie's Last Day of School

Ellie took to school like a fish takes to water. She loved everyday of preschool this year. Her favorite thing about school was the baby dolls. She also liked doing the arts and crafts and learning new songs. Each day when I picked her up she'd tell me about her friends and what they had done that day. When we observed her in the classroom she would be pushing her baby in the cart and pretending to grocery shop or play in the kitchen. Her teachers said she didn't talk much in school but she would sing and was a great listener.

 

 

First Day of School                                                               Last Day of School