Family Reunion and Garrett's 4th Birthday

We returned from Colorado on a Sunday and left that Tuesday, by car, for Ohio. My grandfather was celebrating a birthday and we were having a family reunion.

Picnicking somewhere along the way.


Fishing with the cool new lightening poll grandma got him.Tired baby girl needed a nap.

First of many fish (all small, but G didn't care)Summer loved exploring.
Brad and Garrett on the boat on the pond. I have many fond memories of both the pond and the boat growing up.
More exploring for Summer, who did NOT like the boat.
Very tired boy after day 1. Camping was fun!
Coloring to pass the time before his birthday party.

Summer liked to color too.Wrinkle nose. Silly girl.
"Transformers!!"

Birthday balloons are always a hit
Awesome cake my mom had made for him.
Birthday hats were a hit.
Garrett and his great-grandpa.
Blowing out the candles.
Balloon-e needed a hat too!

Smores at the camp fire that evening. Garrett later decided that he would pass on the marshmellows and crackers and JUST eat the chocolate!
Day 2: Lots of swimming and playing in the mud


Summer and I (and the Oh Snap, my best purchase EVER!)

Playing with his bubble gun with assorted montes cousins :-)My cousins :-)

Grandpa's cake
Summer reading with cousin Ann at bed time :-)


Great fun was had by all, even though the mosquitoes were HORRIBLE. Garrett really enjoyed his party even though none of his usual friends were there. I enjoyed no phone/internet interruption and just being outside with my family, sharing fishing with Garrett, etc. The dogs REALLY didn't enjoy the great outdoors, poor Aspen was looking for an A/C'd bed after the first day. It was soooo good to get home though. Even though on our first night home, the transformer in our front yard IMPLODED and we had no power for several hours. Thankfully our electric utility is the bomb and had a new transformer in within 2 hours, even though it was a holiday weekend. Now its back to the grind!

Colorado

We recently headed west for my little brother's graduation from high school (Way to go Ali!!). It was my first time flying with both kids alone, Summer's first time on a plane, and Garrett's first time since he was a little bitty baby, and still nursing!!


Garrett was ALL about his UNCLE.




Cute baby girl clapping at graduation


Flight home (The awesome lady in Denver got us the whole row for the longer flight, so we could spread out and Summer sat in Garrett's seat--she traveled in my LAP the rest of the time!)

Glad to be home

So proud of my little brother and my good little travelers.

Phone Photo Friday

Totally NOT from my phone, because we don't really have hi-tech phones. But this was taken by my friend Shelah when we went to pick up produce from the co-op she does. Yeah, Summer's a nut. She did this all on her own. She'll be inheriting Garrett's old orange bike for her birthday this year :-)

No more training wheels . . .

He's getting ridiculously good. We rode to the park a few days back and I had to run with him. He's still working on stopping-it doesn't help that his bike is still too big for him. He want's to be "Big like Jakob". Little dude forgets he's not yet 4.

Catching up (yet again)

I can't believe April is almost over. It has been an insanely busy month. School, work, the usual, and LOTS of fun playtime with friends. Summer is getting to be such a nut, and Garrett is just non-stop. Non-stop laughs, non-stop talking, and non-stop who-knows-what-you'll-get-next.

Here's a random assortment of pictures from the last few weeks.

Strawberry picking with friends, during what ended up being a marathon playdate day . . .Ava and Leanne

Garrett and best bud Aiden climbing the cool tree @ Knauss Berry.
Playdate #2 that day-Garrett, Aiden and Ava at the park.
Summer, pooped out at Playdate #3 (zoo) . . . I LOVE MY OH SNAP!! :-)
Summer and Ava chilling in the jogging stroller. Garrett rode his bike (which required me to SPRINT after him, Leanne had to push the girls, lol)--the bike riding requires a separate post!!
Garrett pretending he was "going on vacation"--he packs his suitcase and changes clothes while pretending. He told me he went to Grandma's house, had a little car trouble but at least he got to see his Grandma, lol!
Summer is becoming SUCH a big girl. She started climbing into the big chairs, so we put up her booster seat and she now sits at the table like a big girl. Its pretty funny because her eyes come up to just above the edge of the table, and that is about IT. But its working out much better for us, since she can just get down when she's done rather than throwing a fit.


Her molars are coming out right now, and she is superbly fussy. She's so funny though, obsessed with the dogs, her stroller and cars. No big surprises there. And still totally into necklaces, jewelry, and anything she can put something into.

Better late than never - Opening day for T-ball

I have had such limited luck lately with Blogger, the few times I go to post, it doesn't accept my picture uploads. So almost a month later, here are pictures from Garrett's opening day for T-ball.