This summer, the boys & I took a little road trip to Grand Rapids to visit the Fox family. The girls loved hanging (aka babysitting) the boys and it was fun to see everyone, plus my Aunt Karen & cousin Adam were in town.
Road trip selfie, warning the Fox family that we were on our way!
Tyler & Megan - the world's best helper!
Shootin' hoops on their awesome sport court
At the park with Adam
We spent A LOT of time in the pool!
4th of July this year was a blast spending it with our close friends the Wolak's & Zak's, along with most of their neighborhood that was part of the party!
Tyler & Braxton in their picnic table fort
My awesome momma friends, Jody & Katie
Popsicles, water balloons, way too many cookies, and fireworks were non-stop at this party!
Trying to relax for a few minutes in these awesome MI chairs painted in Spartan colors! Erik and I want these chairs!!
It's been YEARS since we've hung out with our MSU friends and a lot has changed since then! Our nights lives look a lot different now that we all have kiddos! We enjoyed a few days on the west side of Michigan in a rental home with our friends the Massey's, Bishop's and Blocksma's. 8 adults and 8 kiddos makes for a busy (and loud) house but we had a blast!
Future Spartans
Our rental house had it's own private beach and swimming area. AWESOME!
Tyler couldn't get enough of the water & sand. It was a fun (and messy) trip!
Loving lake life!
Tyler riding down on a cooler full of beer. College Tyler will probably be doing the same thing some day......oh boy....
The boys, still lookin' good after all these years!
While we were out of town that weekend, my brother & sister-in-law welcomed Baby Howard (Howie) to the family! He's the only one now to carry on the Ellis name!
A few weeks later, my sister & brother-in-law also welcomed a new baby into the family! Baby Colin. So cute & snuggly!
Evan was very interested in baby Colin
Evan had to take his fishing pole when we went to meet Baby Howie. Uncle Danny helped him try to catch a fish. No luck, but he still thought it was fun.
This summer was packed with a lot of activities for Evan. He played tee-ball and went to several local camps.
Go Team Jaguar!
Tough 3rd baseman
"Mom, is the game over yet?"
Evan went to 3 different VBS (vacation bible school) camps this year. They all had really fun themes, activities and Evan loved them! Star Wars camp was his favorite though. The volunteers dressed up as Star Wars characters! Here's Evan with his buddies Sam & Lily (and Tyler wanted to be part of the action too!).
Evan, Kellan & Landon at a camp out event together
Safety Town! I found my Safety Town certificate back from 1986...wow!
Ready for VBS!
Farm Camp was a lot of fun. The kids made butter, went on nature/animal walks, did experiments and played with a lot of animals.
This is Abu the goat. He roamed free and likes to play with the kids (probably because they usually have food). He was often find on the play structure, stuck somehow, trying to climb it.
When Evan wasn't at camp (and Tyler wasn't at school when Mommy had to work), the boys spent all their time outdoors. They loved the sandbox even though the sand was mostly out of the box rather than in it....
We visited the zoo dinosaur exhibit twice this summer. Tyler was a little confused/scared. He didn't want to look at the camera in fear that the dinosaur behind him might get him.
Tyler still worried about that dinosaur....
This picture pretty much sums up our days.
Mommy was silly, trying to get some work done, when the boys came in to see what I was up to. Evan couldn't just let Tyler play in the car nicely. There's a picture of Erik & David when they were young, and Erik is attacking David in the same little Cozy Coupe. Boys!
This happens often....this was on another day....
Evan & his buddy Kellan playing on the slip n' slide and having snacks. They are too funny together. Driving them to camp and watching them play, they have the funniest conversations such as what snacks they like the best, what their favorite Taylor Swift song is (yes, I'm not kidding) and whose mom has a cooler minivan. No joke. These two...BFF's!
Evan went to Farm Camp and Madelyn & Evan met him one day for lunch!
Tyler. Such a goof ball!
Just a normal morning, hanging out.
Tyler, your obsession with sports & balls just grows as you get older. You'll do anything to shoot a hoop, hit a ball or throw one.
On a normal day, these are about how many balls Tyler plays with. I picked these up in various places throughout the house. At least he's diverse!
Mommy & Daddy also escaped for a day of fun on the lake with friends. We all have kiddos the same age and were just dying for a day to relax, lounge on the lake and have a few cocktails.....here's some of the PG pictures from the day. ;)
Stacy & I at her bridal shower
The happy couple! They received a lot of great gifts at their shower. Made Erik & I want to register again. After being married this long, we now realize what we really should've registered for!
Headed to rehearsal dinner
The Groomsman
I'm lucky to be surrounded by such handsome boys!
The boys hung out before the wedding and then headed to Grandma & Grandpa's so Mom & Dad could enjoy the night!
The Anderson boys...it was impossible to get Evan & Tyler to stand still for this picture unfortunately.
Mr. & Mrs. Anderson!
I thought this was such a fun idea! Wedding selfie!
My new sister-in-law!
This Summer we also had the chance to see my Grandma Joyce and give her great big hugs (and slobbery kisses from the boys). She was diagnosed with cancer back in July and lived her last few months with my Aunt, Uncle and Cousins in Grand Rapids. I miss her so much and am grateful for all the memories with her from trips to Florida, Disney World. golf cart rides, shopping trips, and her cards for all of our birthdays and holiday's. I know she's looking down on my family every day from heaven with Grandpa Sam now!
Erik & I were lucky to have Grandparents for around as long as we did, and we are lucky to still have my Grandpa Bergmooser in our lives. I want to write-up a blog post soon about our Grandparents once I collect some info/pics from our parents. Evan & Tyler, it's good for you to know your family history! :)
May the road rise to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine upon your face. And the rains fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, may God hold you in the hollow of His hand. XO Grandma.
OK, now I am ALMOST done with summer pics. What would I do without a digital camera/iPhone and the Internet!? Love that it helps me capture all these memories for our family.
