Over the river and through the woods....

We just spent a week at my parents house in Michigan. We had a wonderful time. We had perfect weather, went on lots of fun outings, and spent time with family.

Patrick and Parker John are good Buds. Ella Jane and McKenna seemed to have a lot of fun together. It's nice to have cousins so close in age.
Papa loves having his grandchildren around. In this picture he is holding his youngest (of 8) grandchild, Gabryelle. She's now 7 months old and a total joy! Isabelle loved being the big girl with all the girl cousins! McKenna is 2 1/2. She said the cutest thing to Isabelle. "I love you Isabelle. Can I taste your ice cream?" Smart girl!

We spent a morning one morning at a nearby nature center. The kids enjoyed the hike in the woods with Papa seeing all the animals and birds. The center rescues local wildlife. We saw owls, hawks, bobcats, deer, and more.

My parents neighbors were very generous to let us use their pool every day. The big kids love being in the water!

There are a few kids who live on the same street as my parents. Lauren is Isabelle's age (but about a foot taller) and Katie is Jack's age.

We got to go to the annual Howell Balloon Fest. It was amazing! After going on a few rides we sat down and watched close to 100 balloons lift off. It was a beautiful site and this picture does not do it justice!


For any of you who have known me before adulthood you will remember my New Kids on the Block phase. As teenagers my good friend, Becky, and I loved them! We went to as many concerts that babysitting money could buy and even tried chasing them down at hotels and in their bus after concerts. Yes, we were THOSE girls! So, this past year when the guys announced they were having a reunion tour Becky and I knew we had to go! We went to the concert in October and again in June. It was so much fun reliving such a fun part of our teen years. It may seem a bit dorky to most of you, but it was very nostalgic. At least this time I didn't loose my voice! Now instead of thousands of screaming girls the concerts are filled with thousands of screaming moms wearing bad mom jeans, with their bad mom haircuts, and driving mini-vans! Pretty funny!