Visit with family

My aunt Megan, uncle Peter, and cousins are visiting right now from Texas. We went to Grandma and Papa's house today so we could spend time with them. Things are quite busy when we all get together!We also got to see my new cousin Paul again!

Big sister Lillian

Mommy says, "Lately Lillian has been practicing being a big sister by tucking her baby dolls into the crib. Sometimes she gets carried away and tucks in other toys and random objects too. Dan and I think it's pretty cute."

Bay Shore Camp, day five

Today was our last day at camp. We had one last breakfast and then I finally got to see the band lead worship with all of the campers. I had fun doing the motions to the songs!We packed up our things and I played in the sandbox one last time.
Mommy thinks this next picture is cute because it shows my Elmo panties peeking out. She and Daddy were very proud of me because I didn't have any accidents this whole week at camp!It's been a very fun week but we are excited to return home!

Bay Shore Camp, day four

Mommy says, "Lillian is a rather picky eater, so this week has been interesting for her. She has not always been too interested in the main courses, but has had a lot of fruit and protein-fortified granola bars.""The camp has a nice miniature golf course, which we had fun testing out this morning. I am pretty sure this was Lillian's first mini-golf experience!"
"The course had a Biblical theme, including scenes from Noah's ark and the nativity!""Lillian was pretty worn out after spending the morning in the hot sun. By eveing, however, she was ready for more fun!"

Bay Shore Camp, day three

Another fun morning at camp - with HOT weather!Mommy and Daddy say I make friends wherever I go! And I discovered I LOVE riding in golf carts!After lunch we left the camp and went to a place called Birch Run. Mommy, Laura, Vanessa, and I went shopping at the outlet mall while the boys went to see a movie. It was very hot so we spent as little time outside as possible! Here I am enjoying the cool air inside Old Navy.

Bay Shore Camp, day two

This morning I got my very first camp shirt!! Mommy and Daddy got special shirts too, so now we all match!We had fun playing bocce ball with our friends. I helped carry the (empty) bag.
We eat all of our meals in the dining hall with the campers and other leaders. Mommy was very glad that the camp had a booster seat for me to borrow for the week. The booster seat doesn't keep me from getting messy, though.

Bay Shore Camp, day one

This week Daddy is leading worship at Bay Shore Camp in Sebewaing, Michigan. All three of us are spending the week at the camp. Each night Daddy will need to rehearse with the band, but we will have most of the day free to relax as a family. This morning I had a good time playing on the playground after breakfast.
I had fun playing some of the adult's games too!
Our friends Joe and Laura are here also. Joe is playing bass in the worship band. Laura was nice enough to read me a story this afternoon.After dinner I got to watch Daddy and the band rehearse. I had fun singing on stage with our friend Vanessa!
It was a good start to the week!

Father's Day (and Anniversary)

Happy Father's Day, Daddy! I love you so much!Today is also Mommy and Daddy's 6th anniversary. Happy Anniversary! I love you both!

Holland storms

Mommy says, "Last night Dan and I were watching a movie downstairs after having tucked Lillian in bed. We knew we were due for a lot of rain and possible storms that night, and Dan was periodically checking the radar to see what was happening. As we were watching the movie, we suddenly noticed that instead of hearing only the sound of the rain outside, we were now hearing water pouring inside the house. We looked and the water level had gotten so high in our backyard that water was pouring in our house through one of the basement windows. Not good. We grabbed a couple of large coolers to collect the water in, and took turns holding it or gathering (and drying) towels. After a stressful half hour or so of water coming in through the windows, the water level dropped just enough so water no longer reached the windows. We began to survey the damage outside and noticed that our neighbors' basement was flooded. We talked with them and they pointed out that another neighbor had a huge tree come down. We were walking around in the backyard when we noticed that our neighbors weren't the only ones. One of the largest trees in our backyard was also torn down by the storm. Take a look.""The combination of the extreme amount of rainfall (5 inches in two hours; 7 inches total) and the high winds resulted in the total uprooting of the tree."
"That was the same case with our neighbor's tree..."
"... which, unfortunately, fell on top of both gardens.""Thankfully, little damage was done. Here is a shot of another tree that was ripped in half by the wind."
"What a storm! We are very grateful that no one was hurt by the falling trees. We also have come to learn that we got off very easy when it comes to flooding. Friends and family members of our had several inches of water in their basements, and we've read other reports of people with several feet. What a night!"

New cousin!

Yesterday my Uncle Kevin and Aunt Trisha had a new baby! His name is Paul Adoniram and he is my 11th cousin!! Today Mommy, Daddy, and I took a trip to Lansing to visit him and his parents in the hospital.
As a special treat, Paul's older brothers and sisters happened to be visiting at the same time. We had a fun time in the hospital room and even ate lunch together.
Welcome baby Paul!

Trip to the park

This morning Mommy and I met some friends at Hager Park. I loved the big wooden play area!I had fun swinging with Anna too.
Afterward we had a yummy picnic lunch.

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Today is Daddy's birthday!! Daddy has to spend much of his time at day two of a three-day conference today, but Mommy and I still got to have lunch with him. Later on tonight Mommy and Daddy are going to go out for dinner together while I spend some time with Grandma. Happy Birthday, Daddy! I love you!

Umbrella chair

Mommy says, "This morning the three of us went grocery shopping. Aah... the perks of having Dan home for the summer! Anyway, I had been eying a cute kids umbrella chair for a while but was waiting for it to go on sale again. Guess what? Today it was on sale! Lillian was very excited about her new present."

Family vacation, day five

This morning we had a relaxing time at the house. Then Daddy spent part of the afternoon working in the yard while Mommy and I played. Later on we all went to the mall together and I got to play in the play area. Don't I look official?We had more yummy dinner and then I slept while the adults stayed up watching the Red Wings play. They were very sad that they lost.

Family vacation, day four

Today we spent the morning cleaning up the cottage and then got in the car to drive to Bada and Poppy's house. Abbey and I snuggled in the car on the way there.
We spent the evening with my aunts, uncle, and cousins. We had a lot of fun playing games outside!I got to try out a new toy that Bada bought for me.
We ate a yummy dinner together and had birthday cake for Daddy.

Family vacation, day three

Mommy says, "Lillian had so much fun yesterday in the McDonald's play area that we decided to go back for breakfast this morning."
"Afterward we spent more time relaxing at the cottage, including a nap for Lillian (and us too!). After that we took a walk, which ended with a trip to the Custard Cup for ice cream!"
"After our walk to the ice cream shop, we ate a late dinner and did more relaxing after Lillian went to bed. The only bummer about the last few days has been my allergies, which always go nuts when we come to the cottage. Other than that, though, it's been a delightful time!"