Happy Birthday Lauren!

Lauren turned 4 Saturday! It's so amazing how fast she has grown up! She is turning into quite the little girl! She has her own personality and likes to get her way. She will try very hard to get what she wants, even if it means asking both mom and dad! She is still loving dance and is doing great in swimming this summer. She will go under the water to do "head bobs," as she calls them. She loves pink and purple and loves to wear skirts. Very girly!

 Dylan had his last soccer game this morning, and boy was it hot! I didn't think it would be too bad, but I was wrong! At least it was at 9:30 and not at 1! He got a medal, so I had him show it off with his friend Kaleb.

 After the game, we let Lauren choose what she wanted to do. She had some birthday money and a gift card for Toy's R Us, so we went there to find something that she wanted. She ended up picking out Polly Pocket. She is really into small little characters these days. She played with them all afternoon, too! We had a cookout with family to celebrate her birthday. It was fun to get together, but poor Lauren was the only little girl! There were all boys here! I guess she got more attention that way! 

 

She got some great gifts this year! A polly pocket set, Princess Fairies, Barbies, and a doodle cat (that you can color with a marker). She loved opening her gifts and did such a great job at saying 'Thank you.'

 My mom made her this pretty dress and Aunt Crystal got her twinkle toes shoes! She really loves them!

What a great day to celebrate such a special little girl! Happy Birthday Lauren!

Happy 4th!

 

What a wonderful, busy weekend we had for the fourth of July! I ended up babysitting on Monday and Tuesday, since both families were taking vacations the end of the week. It worked out really good for both of our families! Wednesday, we spent the morning relaxing. It was really nice to spend time with my family at home. After naps, we headed over to Tropicanoe Cove (again) to meet Ricky's parents and brother. It was family night again and it wasn't too busy. Score for us! Plus, grandma watched the kids so we could go down the water-slide with Alex and Dylan. 

 

We went over to Ricky's parents house for a cookout and then went to the Elks (a golf course close to our house) to see the fireworks show. 

 

We only got bitten by a few bugs, and the kids weren't too scared of the fireworks. We were sitting close to where they were setting the fireworks off, so we almost had to look straight up to see them! It was a good show and the kids liked it, other than Ethan covering his ears.

Thursday morning, we had all of my family coming over for lunch and then we headed north for a weekend get-a-way. We stopped at the Albanese Candy Factory in Merrillville first, which was a huge hit with everyone! They had amazing gummy candies and they were fairly cheap! 

 

After we were all on a sugar rush, we drove the rest of the way to Michigan City. We spent the afternoon at the pool, since it was 100+ degrees outside. The kids loved it!

Until it hit Ethan that he hadn't napped that day! ( I just love that pouty face!)

After dinner, we headed to the beach to check it out. Ricky stayed back with Ethan to put him to sleep. The other kids had a great time exploring the beach! My kids had been asking all day when we were going to be at the beach. It was a beautiful evening and the water felt great! Lauren wasn't too sure about the water at first, but by Friday, she was a little fish!

 

Lauren and Jazlynn were so cute!

 

Dylan exploring the lighthouse pier.

The boys had so much fun together! 4 boys, less than 2 years apart in age.

Grandma and Grandpa with most of the kids!
 

 Friday, we all went to breakfast together and then headed to the Dunes. We tried to find a good beach for the kids, but most of them were hiking trails or very rocky beaches. We found one that was ok, so we stayed there for a few hours. It was a beach with cool water, so nobody seemed to mind. We all went back to the hotel for lunch and then hung out in our rooms for a little while to rest. It was way too hot to be outside in the afternoon. The older kids went swimming with Grandma and we played some games. A nice afternoon! We ordered pizza for dinner and then went to a sand Dune for a hike. My mom wanted to let the kids play in the sand, and it was a lot cooler in the evening.
 
Ethan didn't want to go down the hill. He was happy just playing with his truck at the top of the dune!
We all ended up playing in the water, too, so we had a huge mess at the end of the night!

 
 
 
The hike back up the hill wasn't too fun. Ethan had to be carried, so it took a little while! The older kids had a blast!





Saturday morning, we had breakfast and then packed up our stuff and headed to the beach. We wanted to just enjoy the water and spend the day there. Ricky's brother, Kris and his family ended up being in the same hotel and at the same beach as us, so we got to hang out with them on Saturday, too. What a small world! We found out the day before we left that we were going to be at the same place! We stayed at the beach from about 10 til 3 and loved every minute of it! The kids were passed out in the car before we even got 4 blocks out!
 
 Just love that  priceless face!

  You have to cover someone with sand when you are at the beach!

The water was about waist deep really far out, so the kids had a great time with a ton of space to play! 
 
 I love her precious looks! So sweet and innocent!
 
 Ethan played with this truck for over an hour! Too bad we forgot it at the beach! I hope it makes some other little boy just as happy!
 

  The kids absolutely LOVED the beach. The weather was hot, the water was cool, it was a perfect combination!I think we will have to make this an annual vacation spot! What a great weekend with my family!