Summer Fun!!

Kyle has been slacking on the blog lately, so I thought it was time I caught everyone up! We have had such a fun summer and enjoyed so many activities as you'll see below - and really, each day is just such a blessing to experience new things through the eyes of an almost 3 year old - and I love every minute!

One Saturday morning we decided to go to the Trout Farm in Dexter so Brett could experience fishing for the very first time. He loved being able to help Papa hold the fishing pole and reel in the fish! We couldn't get him to touch the fish though - that part was a little too scary!

Kyle and Brett trying out the swing set at the Trout Farm

I love this shot of Brett and Papa holding the fishing rod together :-)

As you can see, Brett couldn't keep his eyes off the fish!

Papa, Yana, Brett, and Kyle going for the gold!

During lunch time one day I let Brett eat Mac n' Cheese in the Living room unsupervised. When I checked in on him, this is what I saw. Lesson learned!

Peek-a-boo!!

Here is a picture of Brett working hard on his little puppet he was making at the Chelsea Summer Festival. He LOVES doing art projects!

Uncle Matt came for a visit and brought Brett a matching Cookie Monster Google shirt. Look how happy and cute they are?!

Earlier this summer we decided to check out the Waterloo Nature Center. Brett got to see some critters (butterflies, a turtle, and a snake), and here he is making a fox footprint mold. That project was definitely a hit!

"Wow Mama! Look at all those BEES!"

Here Brett is pushing buttons on one of the displays and listening to the animal sounds. He thought it was pretty cool :-)

We have had such a great summer and now are ready for fall. I love the season changes in Michigan and the crisp fall air that follows hot summer days. Also, we have many fun activities to look forward to....play group 4 mornings a week, story time at the library, a 2 year old program that will meet on Fridays, and a trip up north just the 3 of us. Oh, and of course, cider mills, pumpkin patches, and Halloween too!

The Summer So Far

There has been only one word to describe this Summer in the Midwest.....hot! We have been trying to stay cool and not live in the air conditioning. In early July, we did our annual trip back to WI to see family. It is always a good time. As Brett is getting older I think he is enjoying it more and more every year because there are so many fun things to do like go to the lake, Wisconsin Dells, the minor baseball park, go to the pool, and more. Here's some of the highlights:

Grandma and Grandpa Mo got Brett a little Lightening McQueen paddleboard that he loves. He was so happy that morning in the water with Kristin, being pulled around the pool. We have since used it in our little backyard pool with Brett standing on it like he is surfing and then purposely falling down.

The only age when it is cool to wear a matching swimsuit like your dad!

We had some "snaps" that we gave the kids for the 4th. A big hit!

Chillin in Grandpa and Grandma Mo's backyard

Brett's first sparkler in Grandpa and Grandma Bingham's backyard. He had fun holding it and swirling it around. Although, when we got back to MI, we noticed there were small burn holes in his swimming suit.....I'm guessing it was from the sparklers. Please don't turn us in to the authorities.

Is there anything better than ice cream on a hot Summer night!

No trip to central WI is complete without a trip to the Dells....and if you are in the Dells you might as well take a Duck tour. It was hot that day but Brett still talks about going on the Duck ride that took us through the tunnel of trees and on the Wisconsin River.

We officially got Brett and his cousin Lily to smile at the same time for a picture.

Brett playing with play-dough with my cousin's daughter and my brother's girlfriend.

As a final update, I just measured Brett yesterday and he has grown about 3" since his 2nd birthday. We also were wondering why his shoes weren't fitting so well lately. We got him new shoes in the Spring with "plenty of room to grow". Apparently not!

Brett's favorite Summer pastime

working at the car wash

getting the wheels

lovin life

smiles

New Videos

Brett has been loving the warmer weather. It was close to 80 on Sunday! We all were in shorts. Kristin and I already see long Summer nights outside with bedtimes past 9pm.

This past weekend was the first time that Kristin was gone from Brett for a long weekend (she went to Chicago to see her brother). It was a boys weekend and Brett and I had a lot of fun hanging out with his Papa, heading to UofM's "dinosaur" museum, and playing outside. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be but it also wasn't as easy either.....if that makes sense. We missed Kristin but we know it was good for her to get away too. God bless stay at home moms!

Several people have suggested I add some videos, so enjoy!

Denver

Earlier this month the whole family flew to Denver. My brothers and I hit the slopes for a few days while Megan and Kristin and Brett's cousin Lily stayed in Denver. The last day we all hungout together.

"Baby Lily" as Brett calls her. She is now walking!

lookout!

Brett loved hanging out with with his Uncle Casey. Probably because Casey acts kind of the same age sometimes. He kept saying "Casey play, Casey play"

At the Denver airport doing laps on the escalator to pass the time

His Aunt Megan got him trucks that he loved playing with in the dirt outside their house. It was fairly warm that week and Kristin said that while I was gone, Brett wanted to play outside constantly. I don't blame him after a long winter in Michigan.

maybe a "righty" now, who knows

smiles

checking for leaks

Columbus, Ohio

We recently went to Columbus, OH for the weekend to visit our friends Todd, Carla, and their daughter Marina. We had a great time catching up, eating good food, and exploring C-Bus. Brett even got to go to Marina's music class and hangout with some fellow toddlers. While it was only slightly warmer than Michigan, it was nice enough to visit the Columbus zoo on Saturday morning. Great zoo which we hope to also visit when it is warmer because it looked like there was a lot more to explore. The brown bear was definitly the highlight.

smile

Todd and Marina

Close enough for Brett to say "up Daddy!"

at least 10 feet tall!

flying foxes....Kristin's favorite, I think she took about 50 pictures of them

the aquarium

Brett and Marina in her tent. Apparently he likes to pose for pictures now!

Reliving the Super Bowl

The Pack may have won the Super Bowl a month ago but they are Champs for the entire year so no need to rush the blog post! For the Super Bowl, we had the neighbors over and had fun watching the kids destroy the house and eating all kinds of good food. Brett may not remember his first Packer's Super Bowl when he is older but we have started him young as a Pack fan.

Apparently Thomas the Train was cooler than raising the #1 sign
In Wisconsin, this is called "formal wear"

Climbing up on the dads

intense moment

alternative viewing options for the kids