LAGOON!!!

What would a Holland summer be without our annual trip to Lagoon?!  Thanks to Tyler's generous company we get to enjoy our day there for FREE.  It can't get much better then that....though it would be worth the price of a ticket to just enter the gates and people watch!  Seriously, Lagoon attracts an interesting breed of people.  Lagoon has become an extended Holland family tradition so the fun is spent with cousins, aunts & uncles, and grandparents.  This year we even convinced (forced!) Kelsey to join in the fun.  Thank goodness for her.  It meant that I enjoyed the action from the sidelines but didn't have to step foot on any ride that I didn't want to go on.  I am not a huge fan of rides that spin and make me feel like I might loose my lunch and either is Tyler.  Wimps?  Yup.  But they usually prefer aunt Kelsey anyway so we let them ride the "big rides" all they wanted and they rode everything.  Kylee and Nick had no fear and Austin went on all the big rides he was tall enough to get on.  I personally enjoyed the train the most with the carousel being a close second.  Even Summer branched out this year and enjoyed the kiddie rides.  It was a great day.  The weather was just right and the lines weren't too long.  I am already looking forward to next year!

Celebration...

Summer walked around singing "Happy Birthday" to herself all day long with an added "cha cha cha" at the end thanks to the influence of her brother's and sister!  She was scared of the candle on her cake but did blow it out on her first attempt.  She was spoiled by grandparents and great grandparents and spent the evening eating watermelon & tacos and playing outside with cousins.  She is now in bed with her new blanket but wouldn't give up the "blue blankie" as I hope she might.  I attempted replacing her bottle with her new princess sippy cup tonight but it was too painful for us both so I gave in.  It was a perfect day.  I can't believe that I gave birth to my sweet Summer two years ago.  It was a day much like today and she has been making me happy since she arrived.  Happy Birthday Miss Summer Evelyn!

Summer is TWO!

Today my sweet Summer is 2 years old!

She makes us smile every day.

She loves Justin Beiber and knows the chorus to most of his songs.

She loves cuddling in bed at night with Kylee.

She loves vanilla yogurt, bananas, graham crackers, cereal and string cheese.

She has an obsession with water bottles.

She likes to play with cars and balls.

She loves to go on walks.

She is stubborn but sweet.

She is my best sleeper.

She loves her "blue blankie" and finds it when she is sad.

She loves to sing patty cake and likes to be tickled at the end of the song.

She is a blessing and we love her dearly!

2 weeks old

 1 year old

2 years old

Lovin' Summer

I am loving these first few days of Summer.

Tonight...

Dad is at meetings.

Mom is mowing the lawn and weeding the flower beds.

Kylee is at gymnastics.

Nick is at the park playing baseball with friends.

Austin and Summer are happily playing together.

Summer means...

Bedtime is no longer 8:00 p.m.

Wake up time is no longer 7:00 a.m.

Baths are a must every night because the kids are filthy.

The mosquito repellent and sunscreen come out.

The fridge is full of popsicles.

Dinner is served when I can convince the kids to come in.

Survived the mud

I joined 6 of my favorite ladies and participated in the "Dirty Dash" at Soldier Hollow today.  To say that we got ourselves dirty is an understatement.  We certainly made a mess of ourselves but it was oh so much fun!  I promise that I was not the only one wearing a shower cap...we all had them but mine stayed on until the bitter end and actually came in handy!  I also have my eye closed in the picture - that would be because I was caked in mud and could seriously not open that eye.  Oh the sacrifices we make for a cute picture at the finish line!  I thought all week about how I was going to accomplish this race without getting muddy.  The thought of being caked in slimy, stinky, wet mud just did not sound fun.  As you can see, I did not succeed.  I don't think my shoes will ever come clean but it was worth every dirty step!  Thanks ladies for a memorable day.  

 As you can see, Aunt Kelsey deserves the "Aunt of the year award".  She is hands down the best Aunt in the entire world.  Kylee really wanted to participate in the "Piglet Plunge" and all it took was a phone call to find her running buddy.  Brooklyn also joined in the fun and these three cute girls were great sports and were all smiles at the finish line.  

AFTER

BEFORE

A huge thank you to my sweet mom who spent the days as the photographer/babysitter/moral support.  Maybe I can convince her to join in the fun next year?  It was a beautiful day in the mountains!

School is OUT...

...the children (and mom) SHOUT, hip hooray for summer!

 Kylee and Mrs. Gallegos

Nick and cute Mrs. Reid (sorry it's blurry)

On to a summer of exciting plans!  Basketball camps, baseball games, volleyball camps, piano, neighborhood friends, cousins, and family vacations.  Both kids were sad to see the year end because their teachers are so FABULOUS but I think the sadness lasted about 5 minutes.  Yeah for sleeping in, no schedule, and time spent together!

Memorial Week Happenings!

Memorial Day weekend was a busy one.  It started with the celebration of my dad's 60th birthday!  We went to dinner on Saturday night and then had family dinner on Sunday.  My sister Abbey put together a book of letters that were collected from all the many people who love my dad.  People wrote very touching things - it was a great reminder of how truly amazing my dad really is! (Not that I needed to be reminded) 

 Monday we had an extended family and friend gathering to celebrate again.  Pictured below are a few of the Hill cousins:

Nick, Carter, Coleman, Brady, Griffin, Max, Austin and Easton.

 Grandma, Aunt Sarah, Aunt Sharon, Luke, Brady and Easton joined us on Tuesday to watch Kylee and Nick in the dance festival at school.  We have passed along the "Beiber Fever" to these three and they were dancing around.  It was hilarious!  Austin truly believes he can do the moon walk.  I didn't even know he knew what it was.  I love the relationship that these three have!