Meet Mattie

This morning we picked up our new puppy Mattie. Anyone who knows me well will know this was a very happy day for me. I'll let the pictures tell the story:

At the breeder's house picking up Mattie.

Me trying to keep Ben from crushing the poor little thing.

Keely may be smiling but Ben is in the background throwing a tantrum because I won't let him squeeze the life out of her.

What makes Keely happy in the car? Holding her new puppy all the way home.

What makes Ben happy in the car? Eating his sister's leftovers after already consuming his own lunch!

Mattie with her biggest fan Keely. Can you tell what Keely did all day?

Mattie's other fan Shawn. He may not admit it out loud but he's already fallen in love.

Good night Mattie!

Camping at Warren Dunes

Any one who knows me is probably shocked, but it's true. I did it, was a good sport about it, and even had a great time. I have to say that my biggest worry was actually that it would be blazing hot in mid-August but thank goodness the weather was perfect. Really, there were actually only 3 things I didn't like about camping: 1.our mattress got a hole and went flat the first night, 2. we all came home with a bazillion bug bites, and 3. Ben was like the rooster that woke everyone at the crack of dawn (sometimes a little before the crack of dawn). With that said, the positives far outweighed the negatives and I'd even venture to say that we'll do it again. That's right, you heard me...so here are some of my favorite things about camping:
1. the friends we went with (thanks especially to Elizabeth for getting us all organized and making sure no one went hungry!)
2. the kids loved it
3. sitting around the camp fire after the kids went to bed
4. the beach - perfect sand and fresh water instead of salt water
5. Stopping at Culver's for custard on the way to and from (okay, so this is really not part of camping but still one of my highlights).

Here are a few pics from the trip:

Some of the boys sitting around the campfire, Ben looks pretty comfy in the pink chair, huh?

This was both Keely and Ben's first camping experience. She was soooo excited to sleep in a tent and sleeping bag

Ben and Shawn both worn out from not getting enough sleep (look closely to see Ben's head peeking out under the arm of the chair, he slept like that for almost 2 hours!)

Mike C.'s back after the first day at the beach - Natalie, you did a bang up job of rubbing that sunblock on! : )

Keely and Cora loving the beach!

Bye Bye Julee

My sister Julee has been here visiting for the past week. It was her first time out and she braved the trip from Utah almost 8 months pregnant and toting her 18 month old son around. She even went the extra mile and brought Gavin, my sister Arah's son with her so that Keely would have a playmate while she and Ayden visited.

We had such a great time. Julee and I got to sneak away while Shawn watched the kids a few times and we of course made time for some good restaurants and a couple movies. Gavin and Keely had the time of their lives and Ben and Ayden were hilarious together. Pretty much they took turns bopping each other on the head and rotating time outs. 18 month olds haven't mastered the art of being social yet, have they? One of the funniest interactions was when Julee picked up Ben to show me how jealous Ayden gets (he's pretty possessive of his momma). Needless to say Ayden was not a happy camper, but the funny part was when he turned around and started yelling at Ben after he had given Julee a piece of his mind. He just pointed his little finger at Ben while waving his arm up and down and bellowing very descriptively. While he wasn't using any words his position was definitely made clear. Thanks dear Julee for making the trip, it was so great to have you here!

Here's a few pictures I took during the visit:

Ben at the park

Gavin at the park

Ayden at the lake

Keely at the lake