Waterpark!

We had the privilege of going again to the Wilderness Resort in Wisconsin Dells over Ed MN break.  Our kids had the Time. Of. Their. Lives.

Cooper got brave this year, going down some 'big kid' slides all by himself.  He was very proud, and probably took a total of forty trips down the slides after that first anxious time.  His other highlight was riding the waves in the wave pool, especially tipping over the tube with dad :)  He was a little tricky to get photos of, since he was running around like a wild man the whole time.  His energy boggles my mind.

Izzy was a riot.  She was very skiddish and nervous to begin with, which is totally her personality, but fairly quickly warmed up.  She loved sitting on the 'beach' and letting the waves get her.  She also liked riding the medium-sized waves and had a smile plastered on her face the whole time.  She, too, found some slides (albeit pint-sized) to master.  Always out little daredevil, she quickly learned how slippery the tops of those slides can be...

Both kids were champs with going with the flow for late meal and bed times. And there was very little whining, which made us very happy parents.  Half the fun of the weekend were the long walks to and from the pools... running, 'hippity-hopping,' racing, piggy-backing, super-ball-powering, and giggling down the hallways were a blast.  Hanging out with grandma, grandpa, Jackie, and Brian was really fun.  They helped us wrangle the kids and keep them entertained during the down times.  Good memories were made by all. 

Brian and I found some common bonding ripping on the Kalal siblings and their loud eating habits... I'm glad it's not just me!!!  Brian, we 'outlaws' gotta stick together :)

Still dry... it took a while to warm up to the sights and sounds :)

Cooper telling me all about the slides

The first one we've seen!

All by himself!

Izzy, Jackie, and Grandma

Big stuff!

A little break at the arcade - Smashing sharks

Fishing with her fingers... she figured out a shortcut with grandma's help ;)

"I have more your ice-ceeem gampa!"

I love grandma

A snack break

Buddies

Daddy's boy

Goodballs in the big tub

Watching cartoons together on our last morning there

August Family Time

I love my family.  Maybe it's this pregnancy, or maybe it's me realizing I'm getting older, or maybe it's me looking back on my own childhood and realizing how much my own family has changed... whatever it is, I just can't help but get a little teary-eyed looking at some of these random photos from our August adventures.  We really tried to soak up the little time left of our summer :)

Movie Night... FROZEN!  (Our favorite!!!)

Snuggles and soft kisses for cousin Drake

A trip to Grand Rapids to visit Laura, Dan, and Amanda

Let's hit the pool!

More snuggles... this time with Laura ("Wo-wa")

Scrubbing the pearly whites with daddy.  The sunglasses help...

Swinging with grandpa

A summer campfire

Doing crafts... gluing shapes is a current favorite

Monkey bread - er, sugar-eating

Our favorite place... the MN Zoo.  Brushing the goats is fun!

Riding the new carousel

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Catching dragonflies (we had a HUGE swarm come through one day!!)

Another parade, and oh, so much candy!

Stories with dad

Our little stinkers reading together

Snuggles with dad <3

Cooper's Big Day

Jeremy and I took Cooper on a special day while Izzy went to play with her friends at daycare.  He thought it was pretty cool having a day all to himself.

Cooper had his first dentist visit with our favorite hygienist, Patti, in late August.  He talked a big game all the way until we got there... and then he got nervous. 

Patti won him over with a big spread of toothbrushes for him to choose his own from, his OWN toothpaste, and his OWN flossy-floss.  He let her count his 20 teeth, but he was really scared about riding in the chair.  Once Daddy sat down, though, Cooper took a seat on his lap and opened wide. 

Patti was able to clean a grand total of ONE tooth.  Yes, one.  She polished it, and Cooper said, "Okay, mom, I think that's enough now." 

He left smiling, which Patti counts as a success.  Since his visit, he tells everyone, "I LOVE going to the dentist."  And, "Next time, Patti's going to clean ALL twenty of my teeth."

The only picture I could snap AT the dentist

The day continued with lunch at Cooper's favorite place, Pizza Ranch.  He ate to his little belly's content. 

Eating at his favorite restaurant, Pizza Ranch

To finish off the morning, we went to Target, where Cooper got to spend his $8 Fair winnings on an item of his choice.  After much deliberation, he picked a helicopter, and it still is a go-to toy in the car.

What a fun way to spend a day with our big boy :)

Hunting for Baby Animals

These two crack me up...

Little Laura Lynn

I wasn't kidding that I had a lot of catching up to do...

Laura is well over a month old now, and she hasn't made her blog debut yet!  Here she is... the little sweetheart:

Dan, proud Dad

A beautiful mama

We just missed all being together to greet Laura at the hospital

Jeremy and I made a day trip up to Grand Rapids to meet our first niece.  She is such a little honey, and she is so blessed to have Amanda and Dan as her loving parents.  They are going to do a great job.  I especially can't wait to see how much LATER their little family is for everything now that they get to run their life on a newborn's schedule ;)  In all seriousness, though, I am so happy to see Amanda become a mom.  She is only starting to realize the incredible ways her life is fuller, more meaningful, more stressful (but worth it!!), more exciting, and more complete.

The kids got to meet Laura a couple weeks ago when we took a mini-vacation up North to spend a few nights in a hotel.  They loved her the instant they met her!

There were a lot of kisses over the course of three days!

Congrats Amanda and Dan!  We can't wait to watch her grow, and we hope the distance doesn't mean we miss out on watching her become a little girl.  Love you all!

The Boat... Take 2

We tried again in late August... it went SO much better!!

Izzy LOVED it since the fish we biting so much

Even though we only pulled in little ones... it was FUN!

No poles in the water, and no one fell out of the boat: SUCCESS!

Lots of  'holding' the little fish before they threw them back