TinCaps Game, July 2011

On Sunday, we treated my mom and dad to their first Fort Wayne TinCaps game. We all had a great time. The kids got their faces painted and we got to see some awesome fireworks! My parents had a great time and were super glad they got to come.

Paige's Crossing

Last Friday we took the kids to Paige's Crossing in Columbia City. They had a great time, but DID NOT enjoy the roller coaster! I though that it was going to be a nice, slow, kiddie-type ride. Boy was I wrong! It was a miniature full-fledged coaster! Grace and I loved it, but Colt and Ella were in tears by the time we got off the ride. Colt did, however, love the go karts he rode with Chris - he does love his "racers"!

Pokagon Trip, June 2011

Last month we took the kids to the beach at Pokagon and to ride horses at the stables at Pokagon. This was Colt's first time riding and he had a great time! I unfortunatle can't swim in lakes, so I got to bask in the sunshine : )

Bathroom Re-model, June 2011

We decided to do some bathroom updates this summer. You can read what we did on the pics above. Chris and my dad did such a good job and it looks great!! I'm very proud of how it turned out!

Picking Strawberries & Jam Making

Every year we take the kids up to Wawaka to LeCount's strawberry farm to pick strawberries. The kids have a great time and we get some pretty great berries. This year was especially fun since Colt got to really help. He was so excited everytime he found a berry, it was so funny!! That night, I made strawberry jam. It turned out so delicious, if I do say so myself! : )

TeeBall ans LOB Softball, May

We started baseball/softball season in May. This is Ella's first year for tee ball. She's on the team Pythons and she's doing a great job!! This is Grace's third year playing, so she is playing on an all girls softball team. She is on team Inferno. He hitting and catching are improving dramatically!

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!

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!

Ft. Wayne Tincaps Game

Last night we went to a Tincaps game vs. South Bend Silver Hawks. We had a great time!

Since we had Colt with us, we decided to sit on the lawn seats so he could walk around more.

It was soo hot when we got there, but after the sun went down, the weather was fantastic! We got some good pictures of the kids - Ella didn't care for the giant Johnny Appleseed Bobblehead, so I had to get on the pic with her and clearly Colt was too busy looking at the statue to look at the camera : )

Obviously, Colt has no interest in having his picture taken with his parents - too interested in Cracker Jack! Grace and Ella BEGGED for these big, pink #1 fingers. There were fireworks after the game and we were really up close! We were so close, at one point, I was hit in the arm with a big piece of fireworks part. The girls thought it was neat that the remnants of the paper on the fireworks was falling from the sky like snow. It was a really fun time and the kids had a ball (pardon the pun : ) )

A Nice Sunday Evening

I was messing around outside this evening and thought I would take some pictures of the outside decorations on our porch. Unfortunately, the lot our home sits on is way too small for a garden, so the only plants I can have are hanging plants (which I often kill) or house plants. I LOVE Mickey Mouse, so the kids and Chris often get me something "Mickey" or Disney themed for special occasions. The Mickey with the watering can is my wind chimes I received for Mother's Day 2009. The hanging Mickey is my favorite! He's hanging off the purple flower. The other wind chime is from the Mississinewa Frontier Festival that takes place every year (in September) in Marion, IN. They put on a Civil War reenactment and have booths where you can buy old timey things. This is actually from a booth that was run by a favorite Irish band called "Father, Son, and Friends." They were playing music and selling Irish souvenirs. Very cool!

The little family you see here is a knicknack Chris bought on a day out to Shipshewana. We went into a neat little toy store in one of the shops and I saw this and had to have it! I need to get back there so I can get a bigger little boy, Colt is getting bigger! The flag is the decoration on our front door. I got this at the Kendallville Apple Festival a few years ago. I LOVE antique looking flag/patriotic items - my kitchen is full of them!

Daddy's Picnic Table

OOOPS! I accidentally deleted the previous post about Chris's picnic table. We are so proud of him for building this! I think he's decided to just finish it with a clear coat and leave the color as is. His next project: making one adult sized : )

On a Warm Summer Day...

This afternoon while Colt was napping and Chris was in Fremont working the Music Fest, I got to spend some quality "girl time" with the girls. It's nice to be able to relax with them and have a nice swim without having to hold Colt the whole time : )

Grace's Last Tee Ball Game

Grace's last tee ball game was Wednesday. She did really well this year. She was on the Pythons again this year, so she knew most of the kids on the team since she played with them last year. She was a little disappointed, though, at the end of the game because she was supposed to receive a trophy for the year, but the coach broke the news that the trophies weren't in yet. Hopefully we'll be getting them soon!

Day at the Pool

We decided to take the kids to the city pool for the first time this year. This was Colt's first time at this particular type pf pool. We have a swimming pool at home, but it's above ground and doesn't have as many cool toys to play on in the water. After he got used to it, he had a great time. He definitely didn't want to leave!