August 5-7...Our Weekend Family Getaway...

Our friends (Steve and Andra) invited us to Andra's hometown to stay a weekend at her Mom and Step-dad's resort (Grandma Jean and Papa Ken) in Grand Rapids. We told ET we were going to Addie's cabin. :)
They let us stay in their two bedroom, plus one den suite. That meant each of us had our own room. If was a perfect setup for us and the boys. The drive was about four hours and although Nate got whiny at times, I would say both kids did very well. After completing a successful car ride this long, I feel like more freedom has been given to us. :)
We left right at 5:30 on Friday night and arrived around 9:30. The boys were awake the whole way up, and settled down in their beds pretty much right away. They were both so excited about their new surroundings that neither one of them showed any fear of sleeping in a new and different place.
On Saturday, we woke to a BEAUTIFUL view of Pokegama Lake! It really was just gorgeous! We ate breakfast out on the deck, but it wasn't long before the kids were begging to go swimming in the lake. The rest of the weekend we had a really nice time soaking up the scenery and playing outside. The kids got along great and had a lot of fun. ET thought Grandma Jean and Papa Ken were "really nice." Addison started at our daycare the following Monday, and so the weekend allowed us the perfect chance for us to get more acquainted and comfortable with each other.

Our early morning swim...




Jay's attempt at a cannon ball...he claimed he was too full from breakfast to get much lift. :)



I bet these boys will be pretty good buddies over the years...






Fishing off the dock...


Here are the men fishing with the Barbie fishing poles...



I have to say though, those Barbie fishing poles weren't too bad. Steve caught the first fish of the day and ET came running. He immediately grabbed it without any hesitation. I was a little shocked, but well...that's a boy for ya!


ET went running to get a bucket and fill it with water to keep the fish in...

I love how Addie is hiding behind his back. :)

A boy, a fish, and a dog...it doesn't get any cuter than that. :)
That's Lacey by the way. Grandma Jean and Papa Ken have two big dogs (Lacey and Brandy), and Steve and Andra have two small dogs (Gizmo and Gadget). All the dogs were up at the cabin, and so ET and Nate definitely had their fun times playing with them.

Addie's still a little skeptical...


So sweet...I just wonder what he is thinking. :)

Like I said...those Barbie fishing poles weren't too bad. Steve caught this very large Bass. Addison is still not so sure about the fish...too cute!



Sweet little Jacob sat so contently playing on the beach. He also ate his fair share of seashells. I love these pics!




Next up was a boat ride...the sights were gorgeous and some of the homes on the lake were AMAZING!


A look back at the resort.





We spotted an eagle in its nest.

Beautiful...


Papa Ken let ET drive the boat...so cool!

After making it back, we headed out one more time for a quick ride on the paddle boat. ET wanted so badly to be in charge of the steering, but he kept making us go in circles so we had to take over. :)

After our paddle boat ride it was time to come in and get washed up for dinner, but the kids couldn't resist get wet in the lake one last time (good thing we brought lots of extra clothes). I shot these pics of Nate...probably my favorite pics of the weekend. Check out that adorable smile!



On Sunday we spent the morning at the town festival. Addie got some cotton candy and shared it with ET. It was at this moment that she said to ET, "You're cute, and I'm gonna marry you." :)

Blue tongues!

ET hugging the Hawaiian Ice penguin. Nate let me carry him over to the penguin, but he did not want to touch him or give him a high-five - he didn't cry though.

Yum...Fair food! Corn dogs are one ET's favorites.



We watched the lumberjack show. It definitely kept the kiddo's attention - they loved it!


The log rolling was by far the coolest part of the show. Yikes! That sport is dangerous.

ET getting an autograph on a scrap of wood. :)


Well, if you got to the bottom of this post you might think that I live behind the camera. However, these pics were an accumulation of Andra's and my own. Hope you enjoyed all the pics...it is important for me to archive everything because who knows what I will forget someday. :)

The weekend was a lot of fun! Thank you Steve and Andra!!!!

Bible Camp Performance

ET spent his first week at Bible Camp July 26-28. He came back everyday full of smiles and said he had a great day. The first day he said he learned about "caring about people." The second day he said he learned about "bread, and sharing." The third day he said he learned about "helping others." Like most children, he didn't give me any more details other than that, but I was happy to hear the little he did share. :) The following Sunday, all the kids performed a song in front of the congregation (we have church outside in the summer). It was hard to get a good picture of him because he was behind some other kids, but he was in his orange and gray striped shirt, khaki shorts, and Twins baseball hat. He stared at the girl to his left the whole time and followed her movements, rather than looking at the teacher for guidance. He wasn't the least bit shy, and ran up there with the rest of the kids showing loads of confidence. It was so cute to watch! :)

A little weird...

I always thought that getting kids to brush their teeth was supposed to be a task...a difficult task. Well, not our kids! For some strange reason ET and Nate L-O-V-E to brush their teeth! Anytime, and I mean anytime, Nate sees that the bathroom door is open (we usually keep it closed so he is not playing in there) he runs in there to get his toothbrush. Seems harmless, but it can get pretty tiring to have to stand in the bathroom to monitor them time and time again. Cute I guess, but a little weird in my book. Anyone else have kids that are obsessed with dental hygiene? :)

Nate is 18 MONTHS!!!!!

On July 19, Nate officially became a 1 1/2 year old! Wow! We are already over half way through the second year...amazing! Nate is growing and moving along as healthy as ever and doing great in our eyes.
Here are his stats from his doctor appointment (Tuesday, August 2)...

Height: 2' 11" 97.44%
Weight: 26 lbs. 50.01% (this has gone down a bit, but he is fighting a cold this week and hasn't been eating as much because of this.)
Head circumference: 19.09" 68.69%

Nate received two shots during this appointment (Hepatitus A, and Diphtheria/Tetanus/Pertussis). We will not need anymore shots until Kindergarten!!!! Except a finger poke (to check for lead) and flu shots.

Nate has definitely changed a lot since his last check-up (15 months). He understands just about everything and sometimes I feel like I can actually reason with him. He still talks in his own language, but he talks an awful lot of it. So far he speaks: ma-ma, da-da, ni-ni, all clean, all done, hi, and ba-ba (bye bye or baby). If asked he will... dance, show you one finger (if asked how old he is), show you his muscles while grunting (my favorite), blow his nose in a tissue (although I think he is actually blowing out of his mouth), stick out his tongue, close his eyes, point to body parts, point correctly to pictures in books when asked, and lay down for you at diaper changes. He will also sing (hum) along during our night-time song (You Are my Sunshine), and count if asked how many there are of something (his counting is rhythmic, but not in our language). He follows many commands...this is just a few of what I can remember right now. He is showing a HUGE interest in cars (preferably the matchbox size), and the Sesame Street crew (especially Elmo).

We differ with our doctor's opinion greatly when it comes to Nate's speaking. I really am not worried that he is not talking yet. If anything I am worried he will need to take speech for pronunciation (just like ET), and not because there will be a lack of words. I know that Nate will speak soon, it just has to be on his own terms. The doctor wants me to refrain from responding to his gibberish, and to stop giving in to his needs without words spoken. I just disagree at this point. A mother knows best, I guess...I hope.

Here is a picture of our adorable little guy. He is just lounging out watching a movie (we definitely limit the TV around here, but Nate LOVES when it is movie time. Don't you love the arms behind the head?...What a guy! :)

To conclude...

We had planned to go out of town with friends the last weekend of our vacation, but unfortunately we needed to reschedule due to some unplanned circumstances. We were still happy to relax at home and catch up on a few projects. Nothing really left to report about our vacation except that we had a marvelous time, and soaked up every last bit of relaxation that we could. :)

Here are pictures of the boys by their trees (it is our tradition to take a picture by the tree we planted for them the year they were each born).