Jake's South Carolina Vacation

Jake had a great vacation this year with Nana, Papa, Allison and Emily. They stayed in a condo on Isle of Palms which is not far from Charleston. They enjoyed many things while there, such as Middleton Plantation (where they learned about slavery), an Eco-tour (where they saw and touched many creatures), the market in Charleston, wave runners (where Jake and Nana went 56 mph!) and of course the beach! Thanks for taking Jake, Nana and Papa!

Enjoying himself! He liked learning about slavery while visiting Middleton Plantation.

Jake under the big tree in Middleton.

Jake at the College of Charleston!

Cousins! Jake and Emily were excited to be at their nice condo.

Jake and Nana on the Eco-tour. Jake had the chance to hold a live shrimp, but didn't want too. Instead he threw fish back and found this shell.

They also found this GIANT Horseshoe Crab! Emily wanted to bring it home, but Nana and Papa wouldn't let her... :)

More summer fun...

So we had a very exciting day! We decided to take Jake to the zoo since he didn't go with us the first time. We had a lot of fun even though it was community day and the tickets were half-price--so EVERYONE goes that day... We made it a quick trip but still had a blast. Then, last night we went to an outdoor concert at our local park to watch one of Chris' friends perform with his band. The kids had a great time dancing and playing with friends.

They loved touching the Dog Sharks!

Penguins! (after getting wet trying to pet the sharks!)

Yes, everyone loves the merry-go-round with the animals. Olivia had to ride the dolphin since that is her favorite animal (or at least that is what she said at the time...)

This goat LOVED Jake!
Olivia got a lot of her hair cut and she loves to show it off with a model pose.

Chris' friend Phil playing with his band...

Jake playing with his friends Lathan on the left and Austin on the right. (Don't know what they were looking at though...)

Olivia being a dancing queen!

Our Mini Vacation...

We decided that Olivia deserved a little vacation of her own since Jacob is gone on his wonderful South Carolina vacation with his Nana and Papa. So, today we took Olivia to the zoo! This is her first trip to the zoo and she loved every minute! She squealed through the entire dolphin show and walked all over the place. We can't wait to go back with Jacob after he returns!

Trying to wait patiently for the train to come... they only had one running on such a busy day!

She loved the baby Kodiak Bears, but she thought they smelled bad! (She was right!)

Riding on the gorilla!

Liv and Daddy waiting to see the elephant get a bath!

Olivia loved talking to the roosters!

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Today we decided to take advantage of the nice day and get the kids out of the house. We decided that we would go to the Indians game! We had a great time, even though it started to rain right before the game was to start. It stopped pretty quickly and the rest of the days weather was beautiful. Today was a freebie day too and we all were given an Indian's baseball hat! We are warn out, but enjoyed the time together as a family.

Mommy and her kids!

Daddy and the kids!

Jake was having a great time!



Olivia being a ham!

Mom for the Day

I got to be a mommy for the day on Friday and went with Jake and his crazy first grade class to Eagle Creek Park! We had a great day of learning about plants and animals. We went on a nature hike and made a habitat with a millipede (which we brought home!). We also learned about reptiles and amphibians (where we were able to touch them!) and we saw birds of prey up close! We also were able to visit with our friend Carrie, who used to work with Daddy at the zoo. It was a WARM day, but we had lots of fun!

Jake's 8th Birthday!

Today we had Jake's 8th birthday party at the bowling alley. There were ten boy (YIKES!) but they had a great time.

Here is Jake with all his buddies! Most of them are in his class at school.

Jake in the process of blowing out the candles on his cupcakes!


Even though everyone thought I was CRAZY, I thought that the black frosting (which actually looks a little purple in this picture) turned out great! They also were not as messy as everyone thought they would be. (P.S. the big glob on the front of this one was candle wax!)

Another shot of the boys having fun--eating pizza and drinking pop!

And of course--you can't have a party without presents! He was just a little excited about this one! :)

Auntie Beth Graduates!

We are proud to announce that Auntie Beth (and my sister) has officially graduated from college! She went through commencement on Saturday, May 2 from Saint Mary of the Woods in Terre Haute with her degree in Elementary Education. I guess you could say that I taught my big sister everything she knows when it comes to being a teacher. :) Congrats Beth!