Fun at the Dells!

Chris and I took the girls to the Wisconsin Dells for a couple of days. We had a fantastic time! The girls (especially Mira) really enjoyed the waterpark. We stayed at Chula Vista and thought it was a great resort. We'd definitely go there again. Some photos of our adventure:

Me and Amelia in the Wave pool:
Chris and Amelia:
Mira loved a few of the water slides. She was braver than I thought she'd be:
Mira and Chris racing down the red slide:
Chris won, but not until the very end:
Here is Chris on the yellow slide. It's a very steep drop!
After we said goodbye to the Dells, we drove to Cousin Sarah's and John's house and stayed with them for a night. It was so wonderful to see them again! Thanks for having us over! We had a great time.

The three girls shared a bed. Amelia kept talking! And they were up at 6:00 am. Maybe we won't let them share a bed next year!
Me and sweet Cousin Sarah! I miss you!
Jack!
John!
Awww. Sarah and Gabe. What a sweet baby!
It was a really fun weekend. I think we all needed to get away for a little while and this was a perfect escape.

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to my wonderful husband! Hope you had a great day, honey.
And a very happy Father's Day to my dad! I love you so much, Dad. Hope your day was terrific, too. Looking forward to seeing you again soon!

Our deck. Great neighbors. Good conversation.

We had a wonderfully lazy Saturday afternoon on our deck. A few of our neighbors came over and we just hung out all afternoon and chatted. The kids played in the pool and used the slip 'n' slide. It was beautiful weather!

Mira, Zach, and Kelly on the slip 'n' slide:
Mira, jumping for joy!
Loving the pool on a hot summer day:
My darling baby:
Neighbor and friend, Kami, and her darling boy Luke (one of her three sons):
Here's to another wonderful day tomorrow! We are headed to the Park Reserve's man-made lake to hang out with some neighbors. No seaweed, no fish. That's my kind of lake!

Dinner with the Cooks!

Last night, Chris's cousin Darrin, wife Alli, daughter Danielle, and his aunt Karen and uncle Steve came over for dinner. We had such a nice time! We grilled out and the kids played in the yard and the pool. It was a great afternoon.

Mira and great-uncle Steve:
The whole group at dinner:
Danielle in the pool:
My sweet Mira:
Steve and Karen:
Amelia in the pool:
Amelia in the backyard:
Me and Chris:
Alli and Darrin:

Potential potty training and ANOTHER lost tooth!

We've been working a little on getting Amelia to try potty training. She doesn't seem to be showing much interest, but once in a while she'll ask to sit on the potty. Hopefully she'll begin training in earnest in the next few weeks. I think it's time to pull out the stickers and M&Ms. They worked like a charm for Mira.
And Mira lost ANOTHER tooth today. It's been very loose for a few days, so it's nice that it finally came out. I think the tooth fairy will have a smaller payout this time . . . especially since we can't find the tooth! {Don't worry, she didn't swallow it. We lost the baggie it was in. Hopefully it will turn up at daycare.}

So, since Mira didn't have a tooth to offer, she wanted me to write a note to the tooth fairy instead:

Dear Tooth Fairy,
I lost my tooth today. I am sorry, but I can't find it. I hope you can still leave me some money for my lost tooth. I love you, Tooth Fairy. Love, Mira

Hopefully, that note will get her a couple bucks!

Singing in the rain, just singing in the rain

Mira enjoyed a nice shower this afternoon by frolicking in the rain.
I love this photo of Mira.
My tiger lilies are nearly blooming! Three are already here and I think the rest are coming this week. They are so beautiful! You can see how many blooms we get two photos above.
Sassy baby eating yogurt. Can you guess what else she had for dinner?

Another afternoon at the lake

Chris's aunt and uncle were in town this week, so we all met out at Chris's dad's house to visit this afternoon. It was so nice to see them! We'll be having them over for dinner on Friday, and I'll post pictures of them then. They somehow escaped my camera today!

Mira and Cara are enjoying time on the air mattresses:
Having fun catching fish off the dock:
Chris's cousin Darrin and his wife Ally, and our sister-in-law, Ann:
Chris's brother Matt:
Randy looking at Amelia's baby book I created:

Pine Island Cheese Fest!

We had a very busy day yesterday! First we walked a 5K with lots of relatives to raise money for the breast cancer 3-day (see post after this one), then we went to Pine Island where my brother and his family live for Cheese Fest, then to my brother's house for a grill-out. We had a great, but tiring, day!

Cheese Fest had a great carnival. We loved the carousel:

Mira tried a fishing game and won a prize!

Mira and Amelia on a ride:
Mom and Anna:
Justin and Anna:
Mira and Amelia were thrilled to get to hold Anna:
Some of the group outside playing horseshoes and bags:
Dad brought his boat along! He, Jeff, and Justin are going to fix it up a little for the maiden voyage. Any ideas for the boat's name?

And my apologies for not having more photos of everyone else! We had a great time at Jeff and Sara's house. Thanks for having us!