4th of July Fun

We had a fun time celebrating the 4th of July!

Parade watching on a hot day

Coolest parade car/truck/toy

Another Dancer in the family!

Audrey did a dance camp this year and loved it!  It was Cinderella Camp, complete with princess crafts, stories, viewing excerpts from the Cinderella Ballet, and lots of dancing, of course!  I especially loved that the emphasis for the week was on what makes a true princess... Cinderella showed kindness and joy, even in difficult circumstances.  All the girls were reassured that they are God's princesses!

Seneca Hills

Three of us enjoyed another 2 nights at Seneca Hills Bible Camp again this year.  I did Camp With Me with Elaina and Owen camped on his own for the first time which is why there aren't really pictures of him this time.  Despite the rain (and lots of it!) we had a fantastic time playing games, doing crafts, adventuring, worshiping and learning about God.

We had tons of rain- boo!  Elaina loved wearing her red poncho everywhere and even decided that she would like to be Little Red Riding Hood for Halloween... I love the way her practical little mind works!  :-)

1st time on the zipline- I think I was more nervous than her!

"The Caterpillar" was Elaina's new challenge this year since she made it to the top of the climbing wall last year.  This is several railroad ties hanging from the ceiling that literally wiggle as you climb up.  I have no idea how she did it, other than she is one solid muscle of a girl!

She made it to the top and was cheered on when she rang the bell!

It was a fantastic time and we can't wait to go back!!

On to 1st grade

Erik and I took Elaina out to celebrate her great 1st year of school in Kindergarten.  There isn't anything she likes better than stuffed animals, so a special trip to Build-a-Bear and dinner out at the "fancy" (as she called it) Cheesecake Factory was the perfect date night for her.  She is off to a great start and we are so proud of her!

She chose an adorable panda bear to make.

Getting him all cleaned, dried and fluffed up...

Not surprisingly named "Pandy," Elaina has not let her out of her sight since we brought her home.  Hopefully it will be a  reminder of a fun night out with Dad and Mom, too!

We Love New York!

I took the kids for almost a full week in NY to visit family there, and then Owen stayed an extra 5 nights for some 1:1 time with Nana and Papa.  We had a super time!

Fishing at North Pond's Park

Strawberry pickin'

Zoo fun!

Boatride at the Lake House

She wasn't afraid this year!

Aunt Shawna was a saint to take all of the kids for jet ski rides in the cold lake water!

Wild and crazy tubing behind the paddle boat

Hiking buddies

Wouldn't be a complete trip to visit Nana without some sort of fun, decorated dessert!

Yard stencils

Recital

Elaina had her dance recital last weekend- she did both ballet and tap this year and loved it!  I hope to get videos up soon, but for now here is a picture of her in her outfit:

She did an amazing job remembering the routines, smiling at the audience and moving so beautifully and gracefully.  We are so proud of her!

1st tooth!!

Elaina was so excited to lose her first tooth.  For the last week, she has been having us all guess which day we thought it would come out.  I wun! (won!)

She was so excited that she couldn't sit still- dancing, squealing, shaking... it was a big deal!

We each got a note based on our guesses.  Mine says,
You won.  You guessed when my tooth would fall out.  And you guessed the right day.

This was Audrey's note:
Nice guess.  I'm sorry you lost.  I hope that you win next time.