New family pictures for 2013!

My family and mom, dad, brother and sisters had a family reunion with my dad's side of the family on Hess Lake in Michigan a few weeks ago.  My cousin, Erica, who is a phenominal photgrapher, took some family photos for us!  The first one below I'm having printed and hanging in our home.  We don't have a family picture hanging in our house anywhere!  

Ava, 3 1/2 years old:

Adalin, 8 1/2 years old:

Kira, 6 1/2 years old:

Little Alaina, 7 1/2 weeks old:

This has got to be my favorite one of my whole family!

My mom and dad:

My 2 sisters and I:

And some more of our sweetest little addition:  

Wild Blackberry Picking

Adam and the olders braved the mosquitoes and went on the hunt around our vacant neighborhood for wild blackberries.  Ava ate them as quickly as she found them.  Adam and the girls actually brought home a few cups of them, then ate them all within a day.  It's the little things like this that make my girls truly happy to the core. 

Random Alaina Pics

A beach bum at 6 1/2 weeks old:

6 1/2 weeks old:

5 1/2 weeks old:

Almost 4 weeks old:

3 1/2 weeks old:

2 weeks, 6 days old:

2 weeks, 5 days old:

4th of July, 2013

Here we are, at the parade in our hometown.  To me, what was weird about going was that I was supposed to deliver Lanie the day before and didn't think I would make the parade this year!  Lanie is hiding in my baby carrier on my front :)  The dogs (in the bottom of the pic) actually did really well even with the firetruck sirens and masses of people.  

The new toilet

We needed a new toilet.  So I went to Home Depot and bought one.  Now, I didn't even think twice about hiring someone to install the thing.  Who needs a plumber when you have YouTube?  A few videos later, I had the old one out and the new one in.  I'm sorta proud of myself.  And it doesn't leak.  Ha!

The definition of "winkie"

The girls took swim lessons this year for the first time.  My mom, and this is just like her, bought them new bathing suits and googles for the much anticipated series of events.  They were so excited about the new gifts, they wore their new suits and goggles pretty much this entire day.  They are hilarious.

One of those Sundays...

It was one of those Sundays when Adam and I were so desperate for a nap that we kept shooing little Ava from our midst in between bouts of slumber.  When we finally woke up for good (after much interruption) we couldn't find her right away.  Then we stumbled upon this:

Under our bed.  Sleeping.  In her undies.  

{2012 School Pics}

I think they are the best yet!

{Family Pictures} September 2012

First Day of School 2012

Kira - Kindergarten
Adalin - 2nd Grade

Both did wonderfully.