Grace's 6th Birthday Party

We finally celebrated Grace's birthday party! We were going to celebrate at Chuck E. Cheese's, but decided at the last minute to just have cake and ice cream at the house since we all had to go to school the next day. With just a few family members (lots less than usual) we had a nice small garden party. She received lots of nice gifts and got to play with mu brother Donnie's kids.

Back to School

This week was back to school time. Summer went by so fast! Grace was very excited to get to first grade and back to seeing her friends daily and Ella and Colt were excited to get back to Tara's and to playing with the friends they missed over the summer. Chris and I were not as excited to get back to the classroom - more anxious than excited, I guess : ) The week went surprisingly smooth for being off of our schedules for so long. Now we're all looking forward to Labor Day and the next day off ; )

Views from the Garden

Today was such a pretty day that I decided to take some pictures of my hibiscus and roses before they wilt because of the heat. We have four different kinds of hibiscus (I'd love to have the huge ones that are the size of small basketballs, but alas, no). I also took a picture of the Peace Lily I received from my great grandma's funeral last year. I love this plant and I was afraid I was losing it, but I transplanted it into a larger pot and cut off the dead parts of the leaves and it's now thriving so well! It's actually blooming some lilies!

Shipshewana Outing

On Saturday, the girls and I went with my mom to Shipshewana for a small get away. We walked around, did some wishful thinking about some really neat antiques, and ate at The Blue Gate Restaurant. Outside the Blue Gate was a cool koi pond and the girls wanted their picture in front of it and Grace took a really good picture of the koi fish.

Grace's Birthday and the Dunes

On Wednesday, we went to the Warren Dunes in Michigan for Grace's sixth birthday. We were pretty nervous on the way there because storms and clouds were rolling in about half way there, but the day turned out to be a beautiful one! Chris made her a sandy cake and she blew out her six stick candles : ) It was Colt's first time at the big beach and he loved the water and especially the sand - we had to keep a real close eye on him because he kept wanting to throw the sand at everyone (leave it to Colt) : ) We had a wonderful time and got a little sun and best of all, we got to spend some quality family time before school starts next week.

Grace's Haircut

On Tuesday we decided to cut Grace's hair dramatically. Since school is starting next Thursday, we decided on a simple, easy solution to our daily hair combing dilemma - cut it off! : ) I LOVE this haircut and it makes her look so much older! The picture on the left is Grace before, the picture on the right is after.

Grace the Diva

Saturday morning, Grace decided to get a little rest and relaxation. Now normally this would be fine, but this time, she decided that she was going to use her Build a Bear's Little Mermaid costume bra as a sleep mask...Such a diva : )

Summer 2010 Zoo Trip

Today we took our annual trip to the zoo. We had very limited time, so we focused on the new addition of our zoo - the African Safari Adventure. We fed giraffes, saw lions, zebras, and monkeys, and saw many beautiful floral specimens. It took about two hours to travel through the entire exhibit and there was a really net sky ride that Chris and Grace rode (Ella, Colt, and I stayed safely on the ground). There was also an exhibit of traditional African drums that the kids really liked! It was a beautiful exhibit and we are very lucky to have such a nice zoo in our city!

Ballet Routine

At the end of the girls' last ballet class, the instructor allowed the parents to come in and see what the kids have been working on. The class was a "basics" class for 3-5 year olds. I'm loving the Beauty and the Beast music!! Belle is definitely my favorite princess and her song fits my two princesses to a T! : )

The Last Ballet Class of the Summer

The girls' last ballet class was yesterday. Eight weeks just flies by! We're hoping to continue more classes as these were just "learning the basics" type classes. They both really had a blast and couldn't wait to go every week.