Summer Water Fun

Yesterday we went to our friends, Mike and Michelle's, neighborhood pool. Connor had a great time in the water and really did well. I think seeing his friends Evan and Karley jumping and swimming in the water really helped make him less nervous.

Here are daddy and Connor enjoying the water.

Connor about to jump in!

He liked to belly flop which made us all laugh. He even went all the way under water and he tried to kick and swim a little bit.

All the guys enjoying the baby pool.

We have a few little pools for the backyard that Connor has enjoyed on the hot days. Sydney and I hang out in the shade or under an umbrella. I think she is enjoying the sun as much as Connor.

We are on the look out for a new pool as this one is getting a little small for our growing boy! Although, it didn't seem to stop him from having a great time!

We have also visited a local splash park a few times this summer and Connor loves it even more this year. The last time we were there he was doing laps around and through the water!

This splash park even has a great park nearby so Connor enjoyed that as well!

Little Sydney hanging out in the shade and watching her brother play!

The Latest Edition of Sydney

Our baby is already 3 months old and I can't believe how fast the time is going. She is a squirmy worm so this picture of her just makes me laugh. I put her on the couch, propped on pillows, as I had done the month before, and she did not want to sit still.

Tummy time is much more fun, because she really prefers her belly now! I just love her eyes in this picture!

Look at that neck strength!

Sydney recently learned to roll over back to front so I am so happy I was able to capture this on camera. She was pretty much high centered, then .....

she rolled over front to back! That's our girl!

Sydney's First Zoo Visit

Last week we took Sydney to the zoo for the first time! We think she had a good time, but it will be the first of many visits as we love going to the zoo!

Here is a great family picture in front of the elephants!

Some animals we saw!

Greg and the kids with the hippo, Connor's requested animal to see.

Me and the kids with the elephant.

On Connor's first trip to the zoo we got him a giraffe, so we got Sydney a tiger. We took a similar picture with Connor, so we had to recreate the picture with Sydney!

4th of July

This was Miss Sydney's first 4th of July and she was looking pretty darn cute. We had some friends and family over for a BBQ and it was a relaxing day!

Connor enjoying the cupcakes Auntie Shannon and Uncle Jason made!

What great smiles!

Uncle Erik and girlfriend (a.k.a. Erik and Shelby)

It was a hard day for Shannon and Jason's new puppy, Captain! He had a good time playing with his cousins!

Our First Family of Four Vacation!

We just returned from our first trip as a family of four and we had a great time! We went to Michigan to see a lot of my family including relatives in the Detroit area and then the majority of the time was spent up north in Petosky at my grandparent's cottage.

This was Sydney's first flight and she did great. She slept for 95% of the flight and was a happy girl!

We spent the first two nights at my Aunt Mo and Uncle Kevin's house. They live on a lake so we had a great time, especially Connor. They hosted a party for all of my dad's side of the family and it was so nice to see everyone and for them to see Connor all grown up and meet Miss Sydney!

We had smores one night and Connor loved them, despite this funny face!

Great grandpa and Connor.

My aunt and uncle have a beach spot on their property which was so much fun for Connor, he basically walked into the water in his clothes and was digging in the sand for hours!

Papa and Connor enjoying a boat ride.

Sweet Sydney taking a nap with mommy.

Connor and daddy enjoying a jet ski ride.

They even went for a ride on the tube!

The four hour drive up north did not go well, as Sydney did not enjoy our rental car, but we finally got there after five stops! Unfortunately the dislike for the car continued for Sydney, but thankfully now that we are home she has been okay with our cars.

Great Granddaddy and Connor doing some reading.

It was a lot colder in northern Michigan, as you can tell from the coats, but we were right on the water in these pictures so it was a little bit chillier here!

My sweet boy!
Mackinac Island is about hour from Petosky and somewhere I went often in my childhood. To get there you have to take a ferry so the boys sat on top so they could see the Mackinac Bridge and enjoy the ride.

There are no cars allowed on the island so you either ride horses, bikes, or walk. We took a horse carriage ride around the island which was a nice way to see the sites. The week was quite busy so Connor didn't get a good nap all week, so he would catch some zzz's whenever he could. He liked the horses on our ride, but also squeezed in a short nap.

Mackinac Island is known for their fudge, which is great, but here is Connor enjoying some Mackinac Island fudge ice cream, pretty good as well!

Greg, Connor, and I rented bikes and took a ride around the island. We had a great time while Nana and Papa babysat Sydney. Connor liked riding behind dad on the bike, as long as we didn't fall, apparently he thought that was going to happen.

We stopped a few times to take in the sites, including the Mackinac Bridge (you can see it far off in the distance), touch the cold water of Lake Huron, and throw rocks.

Nana and Papa with their grandkids.

Unfortunately our vacation included a trip to the ER for Connor. My grandparent's cottage is over 100 years old and the furnace is on the ground in the kitchen. One morning Connor walked over the very hot furnace barefoot and burned his foot and because it was so hot he fell to his hands and burned his hand. They gave him some pain medication, which helped a lot, put some ointment on the burns, and wrapped them. The first day was rough but Connor was amazing and such a trooper through the whole thing. The doctor said they are 1st degree burns so hopefully they won't scar. They are already looking so much better and now that we are home he likes to show everyone his hand, which was the worst.

Our sweet boy after his rough morning.

This picture doesn't do it justice but you can easily make out the grid marks on his little hand.

Miss Sydney taking a nap.

My Aunt Julie and Uncle Tom also have a cottage up north so we went to their place as well. We enjoyed going on their boat as well!

A lot of my mom's side of the family!

It was a long week, but we had a great time! It was so nice to see family and travel all four of us together, even though we had a few bumps along the way! The kids were amazing which made the trip even easier and having my parents there was so great! They were so helpful and I know they loved spending all that time with their grandkids as much as Connor did! Thanks mom and dad for such a great week!