Tiger Game, Kids Day

It doesn't take much to talk this family into going to a baseball game so when Uncle Rick suggested we go on Sunday for Kids Day, everyone said Yeah. It was a perfect day and we ended up buying seats at the top row. It worked out great because the awning gave us shade and it was really comfortable. The kids rode the carousel and the ferris wheel and had a good time. They even enjoyed the $5 hot dog kids meal. I love the nachos...the salsa is awesome. Too bad alot of the Tigers are injured. It would have been fun to win the game.

Had a good meal at Red Robbin and the kids ate for free thanks to Red. Yumm.

Those Kids can Party!

We celebrated Riley's 6th Birthday and had a whole lot of fun playing on the water slide, eating pizza, eating Toy Story 3 Cake and Ice cream, and catching gummy worms in a whipped cream pie without using hands! What a sweet treat it is to share the day with cousins.

Vacation Adventure!

We spent a couple of days on the western side of the state and thoroughly enjoyed Grand Haven and Muskegon's Michigan's Adventure. We hit the beach and the waves on our first day and it was really awesome. The sand is plentiful as were the waves. A little bit scary to watch the little ones. Several men lost their lives to the Great Lake around the same time period that we were there. Humbling.

The day at Michigan Adventure started out great. Tyler rode some smaller rides and smiled and frowned and smiled some more. Ryan couldn't wait for the next thrill and stole away with Daddy while Mommy and Ty looked for some Toddler thrills. Then the rain rolled in and Ty and Mom went to the truck for an episode of Cars and Toy Story and an afternoon nap. When the rain broke, we met back up at the park for some family time...but the cold, damp air was enough for me to go right back to the car. (I refused to pay $53 for a sweatshirt:(

Finally, the rides were closed due to lightning and the family headed back to the Rodeway Inn for some fabulous swimming and hot tubbing at a bargain price. Good times.

Annual Picnic at the Park!

We spent a day at the Lake Somerset Park and the kids enjoyed the activities. Tyler was a great competitor and scored a shot against the big kids:) Ryan was a real champ at the basketball shootout and lost in a tie-braking round. He got a 2nd place medal. Not so bad since he has rarely picked up a basketball this summer. We've been all about baseball and swimming;)

A Trip to the Zoo and then to the ER

So we had a little accident the other week and we were jumping into the middle of the lake with life jackets on. It was fun...until...Tyler caught his hand and was trapped, hanging with his full weight off the boat door. It looked badly bruised and had a little scrape but we didn't take him to the Dr. right away. Two days later, I got a little worried and called the Dr. for an appointment. We were sent to the hospital for Xrays and were convinced everything was going to be okay so we headed to the zoo.

It was a fun day at the zoo. Toledo has a beautiful new "bull" pen for the elephants and we enjoyed their spectacularity. After a short hour, I got a call saying take the boy to the ER to have and orthopedic Dr. take a look at the Toddler hand and the sprained growth spot. We had to cut our trip short. The trip to ER was bittersweet as we were told that all that had to be done was to tape the fingers together. So glad our little guy wasn't that badly hurt...but a little ticked to have to use the ER.

It's about 2 weeks later and Tyler is still favoring the hand a little. We'll have to keep watch. Needless to say that he is a bit gunshy for jumping in the water just yet. He is starting to swim like a little brave fishy though.

Everyone loves to Slip and Slide

We got another slip and slide on clearance (and that was all it was worth as it already ripped) and had fun on a hot, hot day. I love the first one where Ryan is surprised by Tyler's splash. Such a sweet and simple summertime treat!

All American Summer Pasttime

It's not easy to get everyone in the family to agree, but one thing is for sure. Our family loves a good baseball game. The boys were definately into the game and cheered them on like troopers while the littler ones walked around with the moms getting hot dogs, drinks, and playing on jumpy things. We even saw some special visitors and got autographs from Blue and Big Lug. Good Times. After the game, the kids ran the bases. Ryan and Brendan were too quick and I missed a good shot. I got a good one of Tyler who was so proud of himself and his accomplishment! (I'm so proud b/c Tyler made it through the day in undies with no accidents.)

Funnin' Around

Don't be fooled by the smiles...I'm certain this ended up in a screaming match. But it's cute.

Who doesn't love a sparker. My boys love them so much...they don't even wait for the dark.

Boys love taking out Papa and Grandma at board games. Sorry! is one of their favorites. The boys enjoyed spending the night at Papa's. I never heard one complaint. Thanks Papa and Grandma.

Bouncy Boys & 4th of July Celebration

The boys really got their money's worth at the bouncy toys at Brooklyn's 4th of July celebration. We hit the parade and picnic at Uncle Len's and Aunt Wendy's earlier in the evening and bounced until the fireworks started to explode. We were so impressed with the ever so adventurous boys who dared to climb the shark slide. Tyler even gave it a shot. "That was fun!" he said.

The fireworks were really nice and our little firework lover, Ryan is starting to show a little fear of the noise. Tyler sat with his eyes closed and eventually fell asleep while I covered his ears. When the booms stopped, he got a second wind and none of us went to bed until midnight.

We took a leap!

After the initial shock to the system....we had alot of fun jumping off of the boat in the middle of the lake on the choppiest day of the year...the fourth of July. Even Tyler had no fear. Ryan just didn't want to stop. We watched the boat parade and headed for home. Boy oh boy does a little swimming make us hungry! After lunch the boys fell asleep for a nap in record time. I guess they wanted to be sure to have enough energy for the evening festivities.

Xander's Batman Birthday Bash

We headed to Holt, MI for Xander's Batman Birthday Celebration. The kids had alot of fun with balloons, food, cupcakes, and jungle gyms.