Township Fair 2016

 We had a great time at the annual Coal Creek Township Fair!  It's the last remaining township fair in the state and it is such a great way for the kids to get to practice their showmanship skills, get advice and constructive criticism on their projects, and have fun with their friends.  We spent the day watching Ty and Ellie show...of course, they did a great job!

 A mommy and her two loves

 This picture melts my heart.  I have one of these two when Ben was 1 and Blake was 2, at the same Township Fair, standing on the gates...they grow up too fast...

 You can just tell he's thinking "man, how can I get in there and show a sheep???"

 The ribbon hander-outers 

St. Joe, take 2!

Mom, Dad, Stacey and I loaded up seven of the cousins and headed north for the day, to St. Joe.  Their beach is so awesome and we had such a good time earlier this month, that we decided to go for round two.  It was a little cool and overcast in the morning, but it didn't stop the kids from hitting the beach.  They spent more time playing in the sand than in the water, but they didn't mind one bit!  After a picnic lunch, the sun came out and the day was absolutely beautiful.  We headed over to the splash pad to get all of the sand off and then went up town for ice cream and pictures on the The Very Hungry Caterpillar.  The kids had such a good time and they were thoroughly wiped out for the rest of the day...sun, sand and water will do that to you, for sure!

Friends, Fun, and Sheep!

On Father's Day, we loaded up and headed to the Vermillion County open show.  Friends and family were headed there to show sheep and Ben had been invited to show in the showmanship class.  This was his first time showing and even though he was nervous, he agreed to do it.  Andy and I were so proud of him, as he is pretty timid when it comes to things like that.  He's not one who likes to have people looking at him, lol! With the help of  his good friend Ty, he did a great job!  All of the kids did a great job and seemed to enjoy the day.  It was certainly hot, but it was a lot of fun.

 Sunshine, boots, and friends are all you need (shirts are optional, lol)!

#4

Ben lost his fourth tooth while we were in Michigan!  He was pretty excited to hear the the tooth fairy travels, and very happy when he woke up to see she also travels with money!

Head North and you shall find it...RELAXATION!

We were able to get away for a few days last week and head up North to one of our favorite states, Michigan.  There is just something about crossing the border and feeling like you're in a little piece of Heaven.  We normally head to Ludington, but this time we were with Andy's parents, and decided to try out St. Joe.  It was absolutely wonderful!  The beach was gorgeous and the boys couldn't get enough of it!  The campground was also a lot of fun.  They had a great pool, huge bounce pad, bikes to rent, and really shady spots.  It was definitely worth the trip and we loved it so much we're planning to head back up for the day this week.  It's nice that we're close enough to make a day of it!

These photos are from my phone, so not the best quality, but an easy way to capture more fun memories!

 The boys loved "living" in the camper for a few days.

 A neat little lighthouse at South Haven

 St. Joe has the nicest splash pad, which is a great way to get all of the sand off of you before heading home!

My sweet boys and I...love them so much!

Merry Christmas in June

This week we finally got to use our Christmas present from Aunt Stacey; a day at the zoo!  The boys were very excited to go!  I am a big lover of gifts that create memories, and this one was one for the books.  Stacey and I met at the zoo and took our five kiddos to see everything (well, almost everything...we did skip the roller coaster)!  We had great seats for the dolphin show, got to see all of the animals out and about thanks to the awesome weather, ate a picnic lunch, and even got to see a Lego exhibit at the nature conservatory.  I think the Legos might have been the highlight of the trip for a couple boys I know!

We headed home around 4:00 and I think we successfully wore the boys out...Kyran didn't give one argument when I said it was time for bed that night, and Ben was passed out on the couch before I could even ask him to head up to bed!  I'd say it was a great day for everyone!

 Waiting patiently for the dolphin show

 Everybody had to get in on the bird action!  I think I had 15-20 more photos on my phone of these goof-balls!

 The weather was so great.  I don't think I've ever been to the zoo when all of the animals were out!

 The Legos were a huge hit!  I wish I had taken more photos of them...so incredibly cool!