Cavanaugh Lake

It's been pretty hot around here this past week, so when we went to play outside last night we quickly realized being around some water would make the evening much more fun...so off to Cavanaugh Lake we went! We've gone to this lake every summer since Brett was a baby, and we always have so much fun there.  There is a play structure, swings, a picnic table area, and of course, the lake! That is always our favorite part :-)

Headin' in the water for some fun!

Kyle was obsessed with trying to catch a fish for Brett...they were everywhere, but way too fast for us!

Time for some Frisbee!

Brett's turn to throw!

I was messing with different settings on my camera and thought this was a cool picture!

Brett loved the water and went in deep! At one point the water was up to his neck!

After playing in the water (for atleast an hour!), Brett wanted to try out the swings!

He was a happy boy :-)

Good Friends and the Lake!

I have to say, so far the summer has been awesome! Lazy summer days of sleeping in, getting together with friends, going to the lake, and just doing whatever we want is my kind of life :-) On Monday, one of my dearest friends, Melanie, came to visit for the day with her 3 girls. We met as roommates in our dorm room at MSU and have been good friends ever since. We've been there for each other through it all - wild nights of partying in college, dating, exams, marriage, babies - and all the good and bad times in between. I can honestly say that Melanie is one of the most caring people I know, and I love that even though there is some distance between us, we always remain close. Thank you for being such a great friend, Melanie!! We had such a great time on Monday, and I think Brett really enjoyed having 3 pretty girls to play with :-) We went out to lunch, got ice cream, went to Timbertown, and then had pizza and wine for dinner. Yeah, it was a pretty perfect day and I can't wait to do it again!!

Brett, Zoey, and Abby enjoying popsicles after playing at Timbertown. They went and sat down like that all by themselves...so cute!

"CHEESE!!"

Abby, Noelle, and Brett 

After dinner Brett and Noelle joined Kyle in some beach ball soccer. Nice kick Brett!

And you too, Noelle!!

 Brett and I got up this morning and decided it would be a great day to go the lake, so after some morning cartoons and breakfast we were on our way. We've gone to many different lakes this summer, but I never brought my camera...until today! So here are some pictures of my most favorite lake in the area, Pickerel Lake. 

Frisbee in one hand and net in the other...yep, he was ready!

Brett's actually gotten pretty good at throwing and catching so we had a great game of Frisbee going on!

Brett loves his net!

This lake makes me feel like I'm up north on vacation!! So beautiful!!!

Before we left, Brett got to watch these guys take their canoe out to go fishing. He was in awe! I think a canoe trip at Gallup park is definitely in order soon! Brett was also proud to show off his net to the little boy. Brett went up to him and confidently said "I have a net to catch fish. Do you have one?" I love watching him interact with other kids!

It's been a great week, and next week should be even better!! On Sunday we are heading to Wisconsin to visit Kyle's family and do a whole lot of nothing!!! Oh how I love summer!!!

Summer Fun!

We've definitely been keeping busy this summer with lots of activities!! Brett loves to spend time outdoors looking for bugs, riding his tricycle, going for nature walks, doing art projects, going to the local school playground, and of course, playing with water (just to name a few)! He also spends many hours a day playing pretend with all of his trucks, cars, airplanes, and trains. Sometimes he is content to stay home all day  just playing with his toys and creating things with his active mind. Brett also still LOVES to read books, either by himself or with Kyle and I. I often find him in his room with all the books off the bookshelf, carefully looking through each book and "reading" them to himself.  One of these days I really have to get that on video! Hearing his little voice is just priceless :-)

Brett loves to mix things together, so one morning I gave him a whole bunch of stuff from the kitchen to pour, squeeze, and stir. 

Of course, he had to sample the sprinkles :-) YUM!

A few weeks ago, Brett finally got his tubes put in. It was a rough day because he (again) wasn't feeling good the day of the surgery, and on top of that, he was just plain SCARED while we waited in the pre-op room. When it was time for the surgery, the nurses took him away screaming. Definitely one of the worst moments of my life. The good news? The surgery only took about 10 minutes, and he was back in our arms in no time.  And, since the surgery, he has been sleeping wonderfully - like 12 hours a night, and either sleeping through the night or waking up just once to get a drink or get tucked in again. And since he is sleeping so much better, he is SO much happier...and so are WE :-) After the surgery, Brett was quite the lucky little boy because he got, not one, but TWO different care packages from friends (Thanks to our great friends the Boone's and the Lokers!). All of his new treasures really helped to improve his spirits after a hard morning at the hospital. Here is a picture of Brett painting with the cool new "paintbrush" he got from the Boone's. He had a blast!

One evening when Kyle was mowing the grass he found this little guy...

And one 3 year old little boy + a toad = hours of FUN!

At one point Brett told me, "I want to keep him. I love him, mommy." I had to tell him that we could play with him for awhile, but eventually he would have to hop back to his family. 

The Slip n' Slide has a been lots of fun this summer too!

The sprinklers are his favorite part!

Here's a picture of Brett enjoying a lazy afternoon - train movie on and a book in hand :-)

That same day we decided to do some building with mini marshmellows and toothpicks!

We made lots of things, like houses, helicopters, and shapes!

 Brett thoughts it was pretty cool :-)

And lastly, to finish this post, here is a picture of Brett immersed in his books :-) Happy reading!!

Sharon Mills

Next month, on July 8th, Kyle and I will celebrate our 6th year anniversary!! In some ways it seems like we have been married much longer than that - it's hard to remember a time without him right by my side. Then, in other ways, it seems like just yesterday we said "I do". I remember that day so vividly, and it really was one of my most favorite days EVER. It was a beautiful sunny day - perfect for our outdoor wedding at Sharon Mills park in Manchester. Every summer since we've gotten married, we drive out to relive the memories of when we became husband and wife. We reminisce about how magical that day was, enjoy the pure beauty of our surroundings, and imagine what our future will look like. This past Sunday, after celebrating my parent's 40th anniversary, we decided it was a great day to go back to Sharon Mills for an evening picnic. Brett was in his glory, surrounded by all the wonderful things nature has to offer, and we all had so much fun together!

My sweet little boy LOVED the water! 

 One of our favorite parts was finding all the clams in the water...

 and splashing!!

"Look mommy! I found a really big one!!"

We had so much fun walking through the cool water! 

And found many treasures to take home!

Of course, Kyle and I had to get in a few shots of just the two of us :-)

He is the love of my life :-)

And together, we brought this sweet boy into our lives! He is our sunshine :-)

And here is a picture of Brett and one of the many flowers he picked for me. He sure knows how to melt his mama's heart :-)

My two favorite boys

I love this picture!

The architecture is amazing! Sharon Mills was once owned by Henry Ford, and eventually became a winery before being bought by the Washtenaw County parks and Recreation in 1999. I wish I took more pictures -- the whole place is just breathtaking!!