Staycation

After much debate about what we should do for our family vacation this year, we decided on a staycation. We decided that it would be fun to check out some of our local attractions and enjoy some time at home, instead of trying to get the kids to nap in hotel rooms and stay happy on long car trips. We also wanted to celebrate Maggie's first birthday at home and have time to get ready for her first birthday party. We packed a lot into a short week. We went to St. Joseph, Michigan to enjoy the beach, visited Black Pine Animal Sanctuary, had a picnic at a local park, played at the downtown FW library, visited Parkview Field to check out the baseball stadium, paddle boated at Chain O' Lakes, celebrated Maggie's first birthday, and even got to visit with family.

Chain O'Lakes State Park

Although we didn't plan it, the kids enjoyed playing in the water

at Chain O'Lakes. Unfortunately we didn't get any pics when we

were paddle boating.

Look at this trick!

Skipping rocks.

What a pretty sunset.

Parkview Field

Here we are checking out Parkview Field.

FW Downtown Library

The kids always enjoy playing at the downtown

library and having Daddy along made it even more

fun!

Birthday Girl

Cake is yummy!

A smash cake all for me.

At Black Pine we got to feed the animals right out of

our hands. Both kids really enjoyed that.

Maggie always enjoys playing at the park, so

we decided to do that as part of her birthday celebration.

A picnic lunch at the park was a great way to celebrate

Maggie's summer birthday.

Maggie had blueberry pancakes for her birthday breakfast.

Here she is checking out part of her birthday gift.

Good morning birthday girl!

A Trip to St. Joseph Michigan

We started our staycation on Monday evening with a trip
to St. Joseph Michigan. We went out to dinner, played at

the beach, and then stayed overnight in a hotel. In the morning

we went to the Curious Kids Museum, swam at the beach, rode

the carousel, and did some shopping and sightseeing downtown. If you

have never been to St. Joseph we recommend you go. It is such a cute little

town. We love that there is such a nice beach town so close to us (even if

it isn't the ocean).

Ben loved the carousel.

The town is filled with statues of dogs. Ben

liked this one because he thought it looked like

Mudge (from Henry and Mudge).

Ben enjoyed sightseeing around town.

Ben with another doggie.

Not only is there a wonderful beach, there is also a fabulous
splash pad in St. Joe. Maggie was much more excited about it

than Ben.

Mommy and Maggie as news anchors at the

Curious Kids Museum.

Daddy and Ben playing news anchors.

Maggie enjoyed climbing in the building that

Daddy and Ben built.

Ben got to dress up as a firefighter.

Family picture at the hotel. This might be our

best family shot ever. Everyone is looking and smiling.

Too bad we are sitting on a hotel bed. :)

Cute!

Ben and Mommy enjoying a sunset at the beach.

Ben LOVES the beach!

Sand does not taste very good.

Someone dug a giant hole in the sand. What fun!

This place is great!

Sand angel.

We've got our toes in the water...

Pretty baby!

The beach is like one giant sandbox.

July

How Does Our Garden Grow?

This is our first year with a garden at our new house, and it

has definitely been trial and error. Many of our flowers and

vegetables have grown beautifully, while others have not.

Several of our tomatoes have developed a condition called

blossom bottom rot and some critter keeps eating my Morning

Glories and Lillies. Overall though we are really enjoying our

garden.

Christmas in July

Because my extended family is so large and busy, we

celebrate Christmas in July instead of December.

We have a blast playing games, riding the zipline,

eating a ton of good food, and enjoying family time.

Ice Cream Social

One of our favorite events during TRF is the ice cream social.

We get to enjoy ice cream and listen to Grandpa Keefer play in

the band. Can you hear the tubas?

Maggie has recently started climbing on EVERYTHING.

She is quite a little monkey!

Ben came downstairs recently in this outfit and announced that

he was ready for the day. Keep in mind that it was around

90 degrees that day, and he chose a sweater, sweatpants

that are too small and his hair wasn't combed. He is becoming

quite the independent little boy. :)

Three Rivers Festival Parade

Every year we go to the TRF parade with the Keefer's. We

had a lot of fun this year even though it was really hot.

Fourth of July Camping Trip

We spent the fourth of July weekend camping with Grandpa and Grandma Gaerte.

We had so much fun and really enjoyed the beautiful scenery.

Below are some pics from that weekend.

Some Fun Shots of Ben