Merry Swims

Merry swims for the first time.

Foam Fun!

One morning, the girls arrived at camp and had to wade through a sea of foam to reach their classroom. This is a camp tradition, and always a big surprise for the kids. It is never announced, they just show up one day to a LOT of bubbles. Sometimes it is as tall as the kids, and they have to feel their way to the door.
The girls really enjoyed that!

Swimming

Swimming is always a big part of our trips to NJ. Camp Briar Hill has two large pools, one that is a two-foot pool for the kiddies, and one that is Olympic-sized for the older kids. We spent a lazy day floating about the pool...and discovered that Meredith can actually swim a little bit! Apparently, those lessons while at camp really work.

American Museum Part Two

It was nice to walk around the museum with Scott's parents. We all enjoyed the family time.

I had to take a picture with this giant tortoise/turtle/whatever. I love turtles, and the girls wanted to pose with me.
Scott wanted to pose next to this weird creature. Apparently he did a report on this particular dinosaur when in school, and was excited to see it in person.

American Museum of Natural History

Our girls are dinosaur enthusiasts. They love anything having to do with dinos. We decided that they were old enough to go to New York City to the American Museum of Natural History, and so, on the 4th of July, we took a little trip.
Kelsey was especially impressed. She had seen the movie, "Night at the Museum" and wanted to see the T-Rex. So, that was our first stop. They wanted to pose with every dinosaur they saw. We had a very fun day at the museum, and the girls will never forget their first dinosaur experience.

Brielle

Brielle is one of our favorite beaches in NJ. One night, Scott took the girls on an adventure to Brielle. They had never been there before, and he took them down to the ocean and for ice cream. They had a lovely time, splashing in the surf.

Horse Decorating

Camp Briar Hill has a lot of neat things for the kids to do. Our very good friend, Barbara Clune has been the program/special events director there for many years. This year, she was unable to be there because she has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The doctors are not giving her much time to live, and we are all very saddened.

Before she got too ill, Barbara organized some of the activities for the camp this year. One of them was a brand new event, Horse Decorating. The kids always enjoy the petting zoo and horse rides, but this year, they were allowed to "decorate" the horses. They were supplied with leis, hats and glitter, as well as brushes for grooming and ribbons for the horses manes.
They LOVED this activity! We are ever so thankful for Barbara and her innovative ideas.

Camp Briar Hill

Camp Briar Hill is so much fun for the girls. This is their first day of camp. Kelsey said they were going to "dino camp" because the theme this year is "Dinosaurs". Check out the camp website to see all the fun stuff available at Camp Briar Hill. www.campbriarhill.com

Jersey Shore

The boardwalk rides were exciting. This is the firs time that the girls rode "big" rides. Gone are the days of kiddie rides. Now come the days of rollercoasters and thrills! I was a nervous wreck watching them on all the "big kid" rides.

Jersey Boardwalk

We were able to take the girls to the Jersey shore a couple of times. One boardwalk had a lot of rides and games for the girls. They had a wonderful time enjoying the sun and the fun.

Water Park Fun 2

Waterpark Fun

Scott's parents own a nursery school and summer day camp. We just spent two and a half weeks in NJ with them, and the girls got to try out the new waterpark at the day camp! They were the first little kids in the waterpark, and they LOVED it! Here are a few pics of the summer fun.

Utmost Gratitude

I am typing this post, just to show my gratitude. I have been thinking about a lot of things lately, and I have the tendency to complain when I see something I don't like, or when things are going the way that I think they should.
In the past few days, I have decided that I am truly, truly blessed. There is nothing wrong with my life.
I have Jesus. I have a beautiful, Godly family. I have good in-laws. I have the most wonderful husband in the world. I have a lovely home, a car to drive, healthy children and a great church home. My children are free to worship and learn about Jesus. I can send them to a Christian school (that costs more than I like, but is totally worth it).
Money problems are minimal, and my marriage is solid and loving.

I cannot complain about one, single thing. So, I won't.
Instead, I will spend this Liberty Weekend thanking God for my freedom and my blessings. He truly is a great God, on one else can compare.

Summertime Frenzy

So...its summertime. Monday was the girls' first day off for the summer, and boy, let me tell you, they are so excited! They don't want to go ANYWHERE, unless its Grampy and Grammy's. They don't want to run errands. They don't want to help me garden. They only want to play, and play, and play.

The entire month of June is crazy for us. Last week was busy with end of school programs and last minute things to do. This week has been full of housework, party-planning for a Discovery Toys party (www.discoverytoys.com) and Kelsey's sixth birthday party. We have lots of family coming into town for the weekend, and so so much to do.
A lady in our church passed away, and I am helping with the funeral dinner tomorrow, plus going on a date night with my husband and some friends. The girls are going to stay with my parents and we are going on a dinner cruise on the Detroit River. Should be lots of fun!

Next week I have the girls' well visits with the pediatrician, and church prayer meetings on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights. Thursday night is Bible study at church and Friday night we have a prophecy conference at our church!
Then comes Fathers' Day and our vacation to New Jersey.

So, the summertime frenzy is here, in full force. If you don't hear much from me for the month of June, you now know why.
Hugs to you all...enjoy the sunshine!

Kendra

Six or Sixteen?

Little miss Kelsey is going to have a birthday very soon, and she will be six years old. I cannot believe that my baby is going into first grade this fall! She likes to pretend she is grownup, and it kills me! "Stay a baby, baby!"

But here she is, wanting to be sixteen...and her daddy indulges her, so she got to "drive" the car today. Hmm...let's not give her any ideas, Scott!

Sidewalk Chalk

No summer outdoor event is complete without sidewalk chalk! I loved these shots...the girls were having so much fun!

Aunt Kenna and Tyler

As you can see, my love for my newest nephew hasn't changed a bit. He was a little fussy today, but even that didn't deter me from hogging him - just a little bit!

Tyler

Of course, none of my blog posts can happen without a few photos of Tyler. Here he is, at 14 weeks, so sweet and beautiful. That is my sister, holding him, and his daddy in the background.

Family Time

My girls got to spend alot of time playing with their second cousins today, and they all had such a good time. Family time is so important, and today we had alot of it!
Aren't all these girls so cute?

Memorial Day Fun Part Two

I bought a catch game for the kids, but the adults took to it quite well! My grandma even got out there to play catch with my cousin, David James! We were all surprised at her dexterity. I had no idea she could throw a ball, let alone catch one! She told us all that she used to love to play volleyball! Really? Amazing! It was a great day.

Memorial Day Fun

Today was so beautiful, and we had a great big picnic at my mom and dad's house. All my dad's family was there, and a few other relatives and close friends. My sister and her family came, and we got alot of quality time with each other. I love to see the happy, relaxed faces of my family.

Pure Joy

This is pure joy! I love to watch my girls when they are happy. Today was such a beautiful Memorial Day. When the girls went outside this morning, they couldn't contain their joy...they both took off running, and I caught these fantasic shots of them with their feet off the ground!
Such fun and happiness. I wish them much more of these kind of days in their young lives.

Childhood

Childhood is fleeting, it passes by so quickly. I look at my girls, so carefree and happy, and I remember my childhood. They remind me of my sister and me...and of the fun, long days of childhood!

I pray that Scott and I can be the best parents possible to our girls. We were both blessed with very loving families. I hope that we can do a good job, raising our girls up to be good moral people. They are so innocent right now. They barely understand that there is evil in the world.

I want them to grow up, knowing that being a good person is important...that having high morals is a necessity. I want them to be Godly, patriotic American citizens, and always stand up for what is right and true! Right now, they are sweet and kind (most of the time), and believe in God. I love that about my girls. They are friendly and loving toward everyone they meet, no matter color, or religion or economic differences. I hope they stay that way...that we can raise them up to love all people, no matter who they are or where they come from.



Meredith was playing the other day, and I overheard her conversation with her Barbie doll:

"Jesus, You ARE God! And God, You are the Only One that IS!"

That is good theology, right there. I think she's been paying attention in church!

More Summer Fun

We all enjoyed the warm weather today...the girls played in the sprinkler, and we all had a popscicle. Even Lucy!
I love when my girls pose for me...aren't these photos adorable?

Sprinkler Play

It seems that summer may be here! Today it was so warm that I let the girls play in the sprinkler...they had such a great time, and I got quite a few memorable photos. I love it when they play well together! They are very blessed little girls, to have a sister so close in age. They really are best friends..and sometimes, worst enemies. But if you ask them, they say that they each have the best sister ever.

Angel

This is my little angel, Merry. She came downstairs the other day and told me that she was an angel. She found a white turtleneck, a white summer skirt, white socks and then put on these green wings. Isn't she sweet? She can be angelic...occasionally.

Tyler at 11 Weeks

Here are some new pics of Tyler. Isn't he sweet! He is enormous. I cannot believe he is only 11 weeks old/almost 12 weeks old. He is so sweet, and just loves to coo and talk to me.

Springtime In Our Backyard

Its Springtime in our backyard. That means that the girls want to be outside as much as possible. That also means that the mosquitoes are back with a vengeance, and I am back to keeping a very close eye on Merry. Every time she gets a mosquito bite, it swells up to two or three times the size of normal mosquito bites. She gets feverish, and cranky...ugh. So, the other night she got two or three bites, and I have been monitoring them closely. So far, so good. No signs of infection, but I did go out and buy bug repellent and some little bracelets that are supposed to repel the mosquitoes. We'll see if we can keep the amount of bites minimal! Hope you all are enjoying some lovely spring weather and blossoms this week! God bless you!

Merry's concert

Merry's Spring Concert

Merry LOVED singing in her spring concert. She was so animated.

Happy Tyler

Tyler is 11 weeks old now...isn't he sweet?

MVI 3473

Kelsey's Kindergarten class at the Spring Concert.

More Family Fun

This is my sweet sister and her youngest son, Tyler. He looks just like his Mama, doesn't he?
He's a BIG baby! I love how sweet he is. He rarely cries, but loves to lay on the floor and kick his little feet like crazy!

This is my mom. She is beautiful. She is the best Grammy. She can't get enough of Little Tyler, just like his Auntie Kenna (that would be ME!). Grammy and Auntie Kenna sometimes try to hog the little guy...we just can't help it! I'm very thankful for my beautiful family. God has blessed me beyond belief.

More Family Time

I love Family Time. My sister and her family came for a very short visit last night, and I was able to get a few pictures before they left this afternoon. Here is a picture of me and Tyler. He is now 11 weeks old, and such a beautiful baby!

Zach is totally into sports. That is all he does! He is very good at them, and loves to play soccer and baseball all summer long.
Here is my little picture poser, Kelsey. Isn't she cute?
The kids got along just great this time...whew! No fights or silliness...just plain, old fashioned fun. Here they are playing with some PlayDoh out on the patio. They even stopped long enough to give me a smile!