More summer fun

One thing that we do not do a lot of is boating out at sandy pines. We don't have a boat and so we just play at the beach and watch the boats go by. On a Sunday afternoon our friends Adam and Lindsey brought their boat out and stopped by the beach to take us for a ride. The kiddos were so excited. Adam took us around the whole lake and showed us all the trailors from the lakes point of view. We even stopped and were able to jump off the boat and do a little swimming. It was a new experience for us and one that we all truly enjoyed. Maybe we should get a boat....... or not!

On a rainy day at home we decided that no bake cookies sounded good. So, I put the kids to work. I told them that it was their project and they had to work together to get it done. Much to my suprise they all agreed and set off working. Jackson read all the ingredients and the girls gathered them. Then we measured everything and got to work. They all took turns stirring, because apparently "thats the most fun part."

A little teamwork is always good to see.

And maybe a little goofing around by the one we call Bubba! It took awhile and a big mess was made, but we had 3 very proud little ones when the cookies were all done and ready to eat!

After the cookies were eaten it was time to play. It was decided that playdoh was the thing to do.

It may seem odd that I am posting pics of the kids just sitting there playing, but it means alot to me. It is not often that all 3 of the kids sit down and play nice together. So, I have to document it when I can so that I remember that it really is possible!!

And on to our next project. We are painting the girls bedroom because they decided that blue just would not do! They needed pink for their girl room! Of course I agreed.....so it was time to paint. First we had to prime the walls. In a moment of weakness I agreed to let them help me paint. Hmmmmm.... what was I thinking? Anyways, I made them strip down to their underwear (because nobody wins with paint on their clothes) and away they went. I must admit that they did do a pretty good job. There was no paint spilled on the carpet!

Aves taking a turn!

This is one of my favorites. The girls have started to really enjoy playing outside (without me having to be out there!) One thing that they do everytime is set up a garage sale. While it is kinda annoying that they get everything out and scatter it all over the driveway~ I think that it is so cute to see their imaginations work. They set up a garage sale and then they take turns being the "payer" and the "cashier". The interactions between them are so adorable. They ask each other "is this for sale?" and "what size is this?" and "do you have anything that will fit my baby?" and on and on. So precious! I pray everyday that they will continue to love each other and enjoy each others company as they grow up!!

They are finally gone

Just had to post this for the record. The poor little 3rd child. Although she gets away with alot more, she has to endure alot more also. Poor Avery recieved a pair of pink crocs as a hand me down from Jaidey (that Jaide got when she was 3) and she was sooooo excited to have her "own" pair of crocs. She wore those little things everyday of her life. The eventually wore out and she ripped a whole in the front of them. She asked for new crocs, but this delinquent mom really didn't pay attention. She continued to wear them and her little toes actually began to hang out the front of her shoe. We laughed about it, but still no new shoes. Life gets busy and there just wasn't time to search for new crocs. So she just went on wearing them. I really wish I would have taken a pic of her little toes hanging out. It just seemed so normal at the time.
If this would have been 2 years ago when Jaidey was 3 and her shoe ripped I would have gone out that day and searched until I found a cute new pair of crocs. But oh how times change~and Avery is not really concerned with appearances, so it just became a fact of life that Avery had ripped crocs.
Finally one day (about a month later) we headed to the mall and I found her a new pair of cute pink crocs. So when we got home we had to have a little ceremony of saying goodbye and laying the old crocs to rest in the trash can! We sure are thankfull that the crocs are gone! We also learned a valuable lesson... we just don't need to worry so much about what we look like. Old (and often dirty) stuff works out just fine!!

Another one gone

On July 4 Jackson lost his second tooth. Again I say please stop growing up. I prefer you to keep all of your baby teeth and stay 7. Thank you and have a nice day!!

He sure is one proud little boy. Losing 2 teeth in 3 months is a pretty big deal when you're 7! It was a fun experience...especially being the tooth fairy!

Sister LOVE

Kisses and love for sisters! Thank you God for blessing us with sisters! Thats what dreams are made of in my world!

Swimming with the Schrotenboers!

One Friday night we were not out at SP so we went over to the Schrotenboer's for some swimming fun. The kids get along so well and love playing together and when water is involved... what could be finer? We lined them all up to get this cute pic. Definately a keepsake!

And then we yell JUMP! Aves is a little slow on the upswing!

And the dads and boys have fun playing a little football. This is what dreams are made of in Jacksons world! LOVE the face!

The girlies chatting about what they would like to do next. I often pray that they never grow up and stay this age forever. I can't imagine them getting any bigger. I think that it would be best if they just stayed their cute little 7, 5 and 3 year old selves!

Zoo animals in Byron Center

One afternoon this summer we went to a program that had animals from John Ball Zoo. The library sponsors this every year and the kiddos love it. This year they brought an owl, snake, turtle, duck and a few other small animals for the kids to see. They brought out all of the animals and most the kids could touch. After that they have a table set up with furs and bones for the kids to check out.

Avery was extremely nervous at first. She didn't know what to expect and was scared. The other kids helped her out a bit and she ended up really liking it. She would not touch any of the animals, but at least she sat up front and watched.

He looks super thrilled in this pic (it's because he had already pet it and I made him come back and do it again so that I could get a pic. That's what I get for not being on the ball!) Jackson really did enjoy it though and was willing to touch everything except the snake. He still can't handle reptiles!

Jaideyn loved touching the snake, but did not want to touch any of the fury pets. She prefers reptiles!??

Avery was fine with the nasty bear claw that they had sitting on the table. As long as it's not alive she will touch it! LOTS of hand sanitzer was applied before leaving the building! And I wonder where they get it from!!

Anyways, this was a highlight of the summer for the kids and we look forward to it again next summer!

Mini golf with friends

Another fabulous activity at Sandy Pines is mini golf. It is right across from the pool and it is free. So most times that we go to the water park the kiddos run over and play a round. Here they are getting ready to start with Raegan and Courtney. Aren't the girlies cute in their matching suits??

Jacksona and Chandler having a ball!

Oh the joys of being a kid. I often feel that the kiddos are too spoiled by us being out at Sandy Pines. There is so much for them to do and I think they take it all for granted. When I was little playing mini golf or going to a water park was the most special treat~only to be done once in a great while. And when we did it we were so excited and thankful to be able to go (I'm not sure we always showed it, but I know it was special!) Our kiddos do it everyday of their lives in the summer and they think it's normal?!

Well times obviously have changed and I am so very thankful that we are so blessed to be able to have a place at SP. And....... I have to work on the teaching the kiddos to be more thankful part!!