Happy Birthday Caroline!

Nathan had been traveling on Caroline's birthday so when he arrived home on Saturday we celebrated with the 5 of us.  The boys were so very excited to give her their gifts.  Henry wanted to buy her a doll stroller and was really proud to give it to her.  Tommy fell in love with a pair of panda bear robeez (baby shoes) and talked Nonnie into bringing him back to the shoe store to buy those for her.  Both boys thought that their gift was the best :)  After presents she got more cake and then we went for a swim! 

Boulder Ridge

Friday we celebrated Caroline's birthday and the last day of summer vacation with a trip up to Boulder Ridge animal park with Aunt Kristina and Andrew.  We were also able to drive up to GR to see Aunt Sarah and her new house!  It was a fun way to end the summer and celebrate with our baby girl!

One year old!  The birthday girl eating breakfast.  Also, a good glimpse of her crazy morning hair!

Henry thought he wanted to hold the chick until he actually did it and then decided it was scary!

Tommy feeding the animals

Henry feeding the animals

Henry was adorable feeding the birds.  He would just freeze while they ate until they finally flew away.  He wasn't scared though!

Tommy feeding the birds!

The boys

The birthday girl (after her hair had been brushed!)

Six and a half!

On Thursday Tommy celebrated his half birthday!  We had our traditional half birthday lunch at Treat Street with Nonnie and Gigi in the afternoon.  That evening we had dinner at my parent's house and Nonnie surprised him with half of a birthday cake!  What a cute idea- Tommy loved it!  He is pretty excited to say that he is six and a half now!

Binder Park

Tuesday afternoon we met up with some good friends to explore the zoo.  It was a great activity for the last week of summer vacation! 

Henry isn't scared of much- he walked right in to pet the goats!

 

Tommy feeding the giraffe

Henry and Bennett feeding the giraffe

Henry and his "best friend ever," Bennett, eating their push ups :)  It was a hot sticky day, but we sure had fun!

Caroline's Party- Plaisier side

Here are some pictures from Caroline's celebration with the Plaisier side of the family!  She loved having everyone come and celebrate her. 

 

The boys loved watching her eat her cake for the first time!  There are two candles because the boys each needed to put one in for her.  It took her a few tastes and then she just dove in mouth first.  When she was done- she was totally done!  She went up for a bath and then a quick bottle and bed.  It was a fun night!

Caroline's Party- The Details

We celebrated Caroline's birthday both the Sunday before (with the Plaisier side) and the Sunday after (with the Batts side) her birthday.  It was SO much fun!  I have enjoyed having a little girl to dress up and all of the frills and bows and pink that go with that so when it came time to decide on her party details I chose to just make it as girly as I could!  It was a VERY pink party!!  I know that she won't remember it, but I sure had fun putting it together for her!

 

New Tricks!

July was a busy month for our gang!  Here are some pictures and videos of what everyone's been up to!

Caroline has been trying so very hard to crawl up on all fours and she finally got it!  She is everywhere now!

Henry learned how to climb out of his crib which meant he needed to learn to sleep in his toddler bed!

Probably the most exciting was Henry learning to use the potty!!  Only one child in diapers!

Last, but not least, Tommy learned to ride his two-wheeler! 

It has been a busy summer so far!  It's sad to see them grow so quickly, but it is so exciting to see the joy on their faces when they master a new skill!

Camping Trip

Last weekend we packed up the boys and the van and headed up north for a family camping trip.  We had a wonderful time- it's so nice to be able to spend time as a family without so many of the distractions that occur when we are at home.  We left Caroline behind (chasing a crawling baby through the dirt didn't sound very relaxing!) and fished, canoed, climbed, laughed, and explored.  It was a fun trip!

The first night we camped at Silver Lake.  None of us had ever been there before and it was absolutely stunning!  The dunes are such an amazing piece of God's creation.  The first night we set up the tent, ate dinner, and then climbed up the dunes.  It was fun to run around and explore- the boys were exhausted when we were done!

 

After the dunes we headed to Craig's Cruisers for go-karts (Henry got scared and we had to quit after one lap, but Tommy loved it!) and then got ice cream.  It was a fun night!

The next morning we headed to Mac Woods Dune Rides to explore the dunes some more.  It was a great tour and the boys loved it.  Henry got a little scared, but as long as we held him tight he had fun.

After the dune ride we headed to one of the few working light houses on Lake Michigan.  It was 130 steps up to the top and Henry did every single one of them.  He was pretty proud of himself!

After the light house we hopped back in the van to drive up to Sleeping Bear dunes.  The boys (and I) slept the entire drive!

At the top of Sleeping Bear!

By far, one of the highlights of camping for the boys is the campfire.  They take their stick collecting job very seriously and love to watch the wood burn.  We spent the last two nights at Interlochen.  It was gorgeous there!

Sunday morning we woke up and went for a family canoe trip on the Platte River.  It was so much fun! 

The boys had the best seats in the canoe!

When we got back to the campground the boys rented a rowboat and headed out to catch some fish. 

When they first got off the boat they told me that they had each caught about 15 fish.  The number keeps getting higher and higher- last I heard it was up to 50 fish each!

There is something so cozy and fun about all sleeping in the tent together!  Here was Henry in his sleeping bag :)  We had a fabulous trip and can't wait to go again next summer!