Fun in the Sun

More pictures from our day at the beach.

Mia lounging on her beach towel

Catching crabs...This was by far the biggest and meanest one we caught.

The coolest part was seeing at least one dozen dolphins swimming way out in the water. I made Andy get the zoom lens on and snap a photo. He probably took 40 pictures before landing this one, but I'd say he got a great shot!

Olivia checking out our first crab we caught for the day!

Georgia on my mind...

Well, our week in Georgia came and went very quickly. The driving was terribly long, but the girls both traveled better than I thought they would. We had a great time at Aaron and Christy's and are so thankful for their southern hospitality. On Monday, we drove down to Florida and ended up in a sleepy little town at a small vacant beach for the day. The weather was absolutely gorgeous and the water was so warm. I do believe a great time was had by all! Sadly, I only remembered to get my camera out while at the beach, so I have no other photos from our week down south. We also visited a winery, hung out at a pool located at the State Park that Aaron's golf course is affiliated with, went out to eat at a fun B-B-Q restaurant, and of course the men golfed. Aaron and Christy's house has so much character and the land around it is beautiful. If you ever want to get away from the world, I recommend the Southwest corner of Georgia. There is literally nothing around you for miles down there, but that is exactly the vacation Andy and I were looking forward to. Thank you both Aaron and Christy, and John and Esther for traveling with us!

Our second sand castle attempt. The tide was coming in so we had to move further inland.

Christy and Aaron walking the beach

Daddy and his beach bum, Mia

Georgia Bound

Love those hands!


We are headed out tomorrow, bright and early, for Georgia. Andy's brother Aaron and his wife Christy live there near Alabama. They've yet to meet Mia, and we've yet to see their house, so we're heading that way, along with Andy's parents, for one week. It'll be my last week off before having to report back to work. They live in a little town in the middle of nowhere, but I'm looking forward to a laid back week, with not much to do, surrounded by good company. Traveling has always stressed me out, especially driving, so I can't say I'm looking forward to the drive, but I know we'll have a terrific time once we arrive. I will be sure to post pictures upon our return, but I won't have another post for over one week. At least I can get a peaceful nights sleep knowing the bags are all packed, the vehicle is loaded up, and my house is clean! Yes, that's right. I get to return from vacation to a clean house.

What says summer more than corn on the cob? Olivia loves it!

Mia with all her bandages after her immunizations. She was a trooper.

SHS 1999 - 10 Year Class Reunion!

A group photo from my class reunion! The good old class of '99. It's hard to believe that 10 years have passed already since we all walked the halls at SHS together. Good times and great memories. We met up at the Sturges-Young Auditorium to see what everyone was up to these days. I had a terrific time, and it was great to see everyone. I was impressed at how many classmates turned up. Hopefully next time we can round up even more!

Melissa, Gavin holding Brady, Sonja holding Camden


We had a family play time at Thurston Woods Park early in the day so we could all show off our children. It was great to see some familiar faces and meet all the beautiful children.

Melissa, Laura, Mandy, and Erin catching up.

Elizabeth, Marci, and Johanna remembering the old days.

Kzoo Airzoo

Look, up in the sky! It's a bird, it's a plane, no it's Olivia flying through the entrance at the Airzoo, on Sunday, August 9th. What a deal the Airzoo has going currently. Free admission for all! There is a fee for the rides, but children 4 and under ride free, although most are too short for all of the rides. You can buy tickets for rides or pay $12.95 for a bracelet and ride them all as much as you like. We only bought a few tickets, but Andy had to do the flight simulator. All I can tell you after watching his contraption flip and roll numerous times, is that I'm never flying with him as a pilot. I was pleasantly surprised at how much there was to see and do for all ages. Last time I went, I think I was in 1st grade and I haven't had the desire to go back since. There is so much more now. I highly reccommend checking it out.

By far Olivia's favorite ride was the hot air balloon ride. Daddy went with her once, and then decided I would have to go with her a second time, because his stomach couldn't handle it. I tell you, when you get older, those circular motion rides get to you.

Olivia also had to take a few spins as a pilot of her own plane. She had Andy ride in the backseat of her plane the first time, and that was a sight to see. He barely fit.

In other news, Mia went to the Doctor today for her 4 month check up and the dreaded shots. She weighed in at 13 lbs. 9 oz, and was a lengthy 26 inches tall! The Dr. was amazed at her height. She's grown 3 1/2 inches in the last 2 months! She of course screamed to the point of barely breathing during the shots, but a little nursing calmed her down quickly. This time she at least waited until we got home to throw up all over me, as opposed to last time at the Doctor's office. She is very mobile now. If she would just take those hands out of her mouth she'd be crawling. She gets up on her knees, but always has her hands in her mouth so she pushes her head around on the floor when she moves. It's quite cute. She rolls very quickly too, so if we set her down and walk into another room, we are never surprised to find her in a new location upon our return. She continues to be a very happy and easy baby, but just recently has developed more separation anxiety issues with other people. She's fine with both Andy and me, but others can be a different story. My 10 year class reunion is this weekend, and I am praying she is angelic for Andy's parents.

Babies Growing Up!

This first photo is in response to an entry I posted a few weeks back titled "Name the Baby." In this photo are the two babies featured in that post. The top photo was of my sister's youngest, James, and the bottom photo was of Mia. I took the photo posted here last Saturday, when we helped them move. Yes, they finally have a house. A decent size duplex in Lansing that will work great for them. It just needs a little cleaning and fresh paint and will be perfect. Plus they can earn some extra income by renting out the other side. So if anyone is looking to rent in the Lansing area, just let me know and I'll hook you up. I also meant to get photos of the house, but of course it was pouring down rain for most of the move so it slipped my mind. I'm sure we'll head back up soon and get a picture to share with everyone.

Mia just hanging out in the lawn

Upon our return to Sturgis, after helping move a load for Elizabeth and Jared, we attended Abram Randall's 1st birthday party. I found myself reflecting on the little ones in my life at his party. I'd just seen my four nephews and now was at a party with so many little ones running around that I know so well. They are all growing up so quickly! With my 10 year class reunion approaching this coming Saturday, I have become all too aware at just how quickly life passes. I'm going to try and enjoy each day with my girls, because before I know it they will be all grown and out of the house.

As evident in the photo above you can see that some water fun was had by all. We had diapers coming off, swimsuits that were too big and falling down, crying by those who didn't want to get wet, and more. It was a terrific party, enjoyed by both the children and adults.

A sweet photo of the birthday boy enjoying some special time with his mother, Tina. She's a wonderful mom, but she's had one of the best mothers to learn from too!