Growing ever so fast!

Walter and Rose E's cousin, Ariel, is visiting this week. Walter was of course more than thrilled to play Geo trax trains with him today

and here they are at the playground in the tunnel. They sure do love spending time with him!
And as for Walter and Rose E they never stop making me laugh. Last week we where talking about the ages of their friends and Walter said "isn't it cool that Rose E is growing faster than Augie (he is one and she is two)." I keep explaining that Rose E was born first but to him it's one big race against time.
Rose E here certainly isn't lacking in her imagination! She decided at supper today that if she put her napkin on her head she would look like a "monster" so she "roared" and we had to act scared. Such a goof.
She also tired quickly of being hot when wearing this hat in our 80 degree weather so converted it into a purse that hauled around her toys! Always thinking!

Happy Birthday Kirsten!

Wow! Six already!

The Bold and the Beautiful!

We finally gave in and gave this boy a haircut! We figured he was due when he came out of the bathroom saying "I need a haircut my curlers are coming through."
This little girl thinks that if she or anybody else is wearing a pretty dress they are a "princess." This week the kids had vacation bible school and I chuckled to myself as I heard her say "look there's a princess" as she referred to one of the adults.
Jeff's Aunt and Uncle and their five boys also came to visit from Grafton, Wisconsin this week. Here we where out at the camp(cabin) doing some jet skiing and four wheeling.
Jeff's cousin Tom and his new wife Jennifer also came to visit from Wisconsin.

A trip back in time

A couple days ago we took a trip to Mackinaw Island. In this picture the big bridge from St. Ignace to Mackinac city is in the background.
A little visitor came to visit us on the balcony of our hotel in St. Ignace.
We took a ferry over to the island and we told Rose E that we would be seeing some big horses on the island (there are no motor vehicles except for a few emergency ones) and she kept saying I want to see cows too. I think she imagined a great big farm. Anyway here is Walter watching other ferries come into the island early in the morning.

A family picture in front of the Grand Hotel.

And a visit to the "Rose Gazebo."

We did lots of hiking and also rode in a horse drawn wagon. Here is Walter posing in front of the horses.

The view of the spectacular historic houses on the island from our ferry

and a view of a pretty tired crew leaving the island.

If you look closely you can see a couple of iron ore ships in this picture as we where leaving St. Ignace in our car.

And finally a trip wouldn't be complete in this family without adding trains into it. This restaurant was an old depot with a caboose attached to it. Of course our little man Walter was thrilled (and his Daddy too).

Laying in the dirt...playing in the dirt...Ahh summer!

Jeff made a sand box for the kids yesterday as you can see he had a little helper in the picture.

I have a feeling that many hours will be spent here, the kids have been loving it!

Last of all, Rose E posing with her "John Deer" and her baby. Oh and according to Walter she is wearing a "flutterfly" shirt (butterfly). These kids sure do make me think about our language sometimes and how a word like butterfly could seem confusing to a young mind.

A weekend in Wisconsin

This weekend we went to Wisconsin for a family reunion, seeing people we haven't seen for ages! We also took the kids to a train museum in Rhinelander, a hike to see some neat bridges and bumming in the touristy town of Minocqua where we had an old fashioned picture taken.
Here are the kids at the reunion with my dad's brother Allen, his wife Cindi and my dad's sister Rosalie it was nice that they where all able to make it from Illinois.
And here is Rose E with my Grandmother (my mom's mother).
And lastly, a shot of my sister Jenny's son, Colton, relaxing in the wagon.

During the trip Little Miss Rose E was a little social butterfly and never stopped smiling. Oh and Walter kept us laughing the whole way home. I normally wouldn't share this but I am still laughing over it. On our journey back to Michigan Walter said "uh oh potty called poo poo(which he hates going anywhere else but home)." So we would race to the next bathroom, he would get in there and say "it was only a daydream, I don't really have to go potty." We had to dash into three bathrooms hearing the panic and the phrase said all over again! What a stinker!

Smile:)

I just never know what this boy is going to say! Yesterday he said "Mama how do people get to heaven if they don't have their own airplanes (when they die)?" Then today we where talking about age and he said "maybe when I'm five I'll be a man!"
And this little lady never stops smiling and is the accessorizing queen of the house! Just plain clothes are way too boring for her! She doesn't go anywhere without a baby in hand too.

Also, one of her favorite things to do right now is to pretend she is a dog (or a cat), now really have you ever seen a dog wearing a John Deere hat?

Good times with friends and family

Walter and his friend Cyrus sharing their train passion!
Off to see the fireworks

Cyrus's brother Augie and Rose E in the park waiting for the fireworks to start. The kids where mesmerized by them and every time Rose E would see one she would say "I want to see another one."

Daddy and Rose E watching the parade in front of our housealong with Kirsten, Walter and Caleand Brady. I think Brady would agree here with Walter and Rose E that the best part of the parade is getting candy!

Here are the kids with Oma and Opa (Great Grandma and Great Grandpa).

Hope you all had a Happy 4 th!

Ahh...the life

These two are always making any spot look cozy!

And as for the other two children... Walter's question of the day was why didn't God put an eye in the front of my head and an eye in the back of my head, and why do these two have to be so close to each other? Always thinking. Then there is Rose E, whom is getting to be quite the little jokester. Yesterday she said "close your eyes" so I closed them and she said "mama's eyes runned out of batteries!" Then today we where in the car and and she said "I'm getting hot" so I said "okay I'll cool it down" and she said "I'll do it" and started to blow (like she does to cool off her food).