Seaway Run

I did it! I ran the 15k! I was pretty nervous since the most I have run is 7.5mi. I finished with a time of 1 hour 23 minutes. It is an average of 8:57 minute mile. I am very happy with that. I really enjoyed the race and how well organized it was. It felt good and I really felt like I could have run more at that same pace....maybe a half Marathon? I think the River Bank will be my goal next year considering my surgery is a month away. Unfortunately the family wasn't there to greet me at the finish....I was just that fast :-) When I came home Adeline wanted to touch me and feel how sweaty I was. Then she told me to take a shower :-)

Duck Lake

Missy and I took the kids to Duck Lake which is a channel right off of Lake Michigan and is so shallow it is perfect for little kids.
Andrew loves Matthias and was playing trucks with him

Ladies watch out!

Adeline and Anna were having a very long conversation with this young boy. When they finally came back we asked what they were talking about and Addy said they talked about Toy Story 3.

Andrew is pretty strong....he has no problem lifting the truck in and out of the water

Adeline and Anna made a birthday cake out of mud on the truck and even had some candles made out of sticks. They started singing together but once I got the camera out they were on to their solos....the video is still pretty cute.

Can't stop going to the beach....

...it's just too much fun. Thank you Uncle Josh for suggesting Andrew take home your old truck, and thank you Grandma for letting us. I promise we clean it really well after playing with it on the beach.
We got to watch a lot of people parasailing

Adeline was excited when she saw the Dillers approaching

All three kids laid out their towels to catch some rays

Andrew had no problem playing with the Liebrant boys who found a hole to dig around and build sand castles

"Screwdrivers"

For James birthday we went and surprised him at work with a bunch of balloons and butterscotch cookies. As soon as we entered Adeline started to sing Happy Birthday all the way into James office. I was impressed at how quietly she sang. We all know Adeline is pretty loud even with her "inside" voice but she was just about whispering it. It was very sweet. When James came home from work we had dinner together and then went to Craig's Cruisers. Adeline is a very articulate girl so it was funny to me that she kept calling it screwdrivers. I think she just didn't want to take the time to learn the words. She now says it fine but for awhile it was always screwdrivers.

Addy and I played some air hockey
James made the big mistake of lifting Andrew up to shoot the basket through the hoop and this was the ONLY place Andrew wanted to be the rest of the time.

I think this is the first gun Adeline has ever held. She looks pretty intense.

Putting together our tickets

The only way we got Andrew away from the basketball hoop was to drive a car

Andrew was very excited about all of the toy options

The three of them choosing their fortune

Addy chose some candy and Andrew chose a balloon ball

After the arcade Addy and Daddy hit the batting cages.

Andrew was keeping busy with his bat and balls

It was a great family evening. Happy birthday Daddy!

I think Andrew was jealous of Brooke...

..and all her pretty bows.

Toy Story 3

For James and Bethany's birthdays we all went to see Toy Story 3. I think Adeline was the most excited. It was fun to fill the van. Betsey and Josh followed behind.

A pretty full load.

Filling up almost a whole row. There was a lady in front of us who I don't think was very happy with the fact that we had two toddlers and I was taking pictures. Bethany was very ready to give her a piece of her mind. In my defence these pictures were taken before the movie started.

I really like this shot

We were hoping Andrew would sleep during the movie like Shrek but unfortunately he did not.

Family shot

That's 70 pounds your carrying James....you're so strong.

Adeline's Alphabet

Adeline and I have been working on her alphabet for awhile now. We have been using flash cards, adding new letters along the way. When we got the van we noticed that the dvd player was on way too much and we wanted the kids if they were watching it for it to at least be educational. So we got some Leap Frog dvds and Adeline just soaked them up. We got a new set of flash cards with the dvds and she has been a sponge ever since. Here is a video of her letters and their sounds. We are very proud of our little girl as she continues to amaze us.

Yum! Ice Cream!

Each of the kids are doing so well feeding themselves. Expecially when it is something like ice cream.

Ummmm...Hey Buddy....

I don't think you are going to get very far...I think you are a little too big.

Someone is going to be a big sister.....

We are very happy to hear the news that Josh and Bethany are expecting. The baby is expected to arrive the end of January. I am sure Adeline has a lot of advice for Brooke when the baby arrives.

Beach fun

During the summer the beach is the perfect place for a play date. Today we met up with our friends Carrie, Issiah, and Eli. We went to a different part of the beach a bit more exclusive and with the dunes on either side it blocked most of the wind.
Adeline had a great time with Issiah in the water...they were in it most of the day.

I think that might be a curl in Andrew's hair??? I know, I know....not really.

Andrew and Eli. Eli is two months younger than Andrew but I think he is now heavier. You can tell he has an older brother because all he wanted to do was beat up on Andrew.

I started filling up a hole in the sand in water for the boys to play with.

Adeline was helping Carrie and Issiah build a castle. It didn't last long because Eli and Andrew were on the move.

All four kids in their fun mud puddle.

The end of our fun day....

A GREAT DAY!