Determination

Can't you just see it on his face!

Ty loves to swim. The kids thought he needed goggles yesterday at my sister-in-law's pool. The little stinker can swim out to the dock and back at the lake. He loves being in the water and floating around.

My friend Jill posted a look-a-like meter on her blog showing her and her husband's pictures with each of their kids with a dial showing which parent the kids looks more like. I have done my own look-a-like meter. You may remember the one I did for Ty a while back. Here is Lindsey.

He Talks!

You can tell that things are clicking with Ty this past week. He seems to be understanding so many more things and he started saying words. He has been saying 'dad' and 'that' (short for what's that?) for a while and every once and a while mom. Here is a list of the new words he picked up over the past few days:
duck
deer - pronounced dee
frog (emphasis on the 'g')
Kaila
woof - for dog
truck
For those that know our struggles with Lindsey over the past year you will appreciate how excited I am to hear that beautiful 'k' sound coming from Ty!

Holland 2008

Jake and cousin Brea on the pier

Lindsey fell asleep in the stroller on the way back from the beach. I can't believe she still fits in there.

Ty and cousin Kaila at Tunnel Park. We rode our bikes to the park to go swimming and play on the play ground.

It was a great week. The kids played hard. The weather was beautiful! Jake got to sleep in a tent with Noah and Kyle. The same night Lindsey slept in a tent with the big girls. She thought that was pretty cool. The girls said she kept them up late. They were both taking naps by 11am the next morning!

The fireworks on the beach were awesome. We all brought our blankets and chairs to watch the sunset and play on the beach while we waited.

Ty had no fear. He walked right out into the water and once his swimmies took over he would just float. He would walk down the beach forever never once looking for mom. The cousins were a big help watching him and making sure he didn't wander away. He would stand out in the middle of the road and wave to everyone that passed by.

Now it's back to reality. We are already looking forward to next year!

Happy 4th of July

We were camping at Holland State Park over the 4th this year. It was a beautiful weekend! The park had a bike parade for the kids. They decorated their bikes and rode up and down the rows. You can tell by Jake's face in the above picture how excited he was!

Lindsey's Style

I have had a fun time watching Lindsey over the past month picking out her various outfits. She is one of those kids that changes her outfit many times a day for different reasons. Sometimes it is because she got wet, sometimes because she needs her pretty dress on and sometimes it is just because she wants to. The funny thing is that I tried to get her to wear tights all winter and she wouldn't do it. Now that it is 80 degrees she puts them on. Here are a few of my favorites....

Children's Museum

At the end of the school year I went with Jake to the Children's Musuem. We had a great time. The picture above is Jake and his friend Brendan in looking in the funny mirror. Jake had such a great year at school. He grew so much, physically and mentally. At the beginning of the year his teacher measured and weighed him and then did it again at the end of the year. Jake grew 3" and gained 12 lbs! No wonder he doesn't have any pants that fit him. He also can write his name, recognize all letters and numbers and many other things that he couldn't do last September. We are very proud of him!