Camping = Playing Hard

I don't think the girls stopped all weekend long during our Memorial Day camping trip at Wheel-In Campground in Pennsylvania. We were so excited to be able to join our family and friends for what has been a Memorial Day tradition for many years. The last time we were able to be there was 5 years ago, the weekend before Aaron and I got married, so it was great to be able to get back.

We got in Friday evening and the festivities started with marshmallows over the fire. Alyssa slept in a tent with Daddy, and Lauren slept in the camper with Momma, Nana and PapPap. Alyssa was so excited about sleeping in a sleeping bag, she tried it out for a few nights before our trip.

Saturday and Sunday were filled with fun with friends, both new and old.There was lots of running around the campsites with lawnmowers, riding (for Alyssa) and climbing (for Lauren) on tricycles, and a few trips to the playground and sand box.

 

 Uncle Wally and Aunt Dena brought a pool to help everyone stay cool. The water was cold when it was first put in each morning. Alyssa and Mitchell didn't seem to mind and even Lauren braved the frigid water. 

 

 

 Lauren wasn't too crazy about the splashing water and immediately headed out when the splashing got to be too much.

 And Drew really wasn't sure about the cold water, he much preferred to sit on the side and take all the silliness in from a distance.

Another way the kids stayed cool was playing in the creek. Wading in the creek quickly became splashing in the creek, trying to skip rocks, sitting in the creek, and even looking for sea shells.

 

 

 

 

The girls were exhausted from all the fun. Naps were rough as the heat made it tough to sleep. Even when napping in their underwear they woke up sweaty.

Everyone enjoyed all the yummy food too. Lauren was constantly in the coolers and digging around for something to munch on. Alyssa really enjoyed her hot dog, breakfast mountain pies, and s'mores.

Some of the other highlights from the weekend include a hayride around the campground and upper field,

fishing with Ralph,

and trying out new moves at the dance.

 

Photos don't really show their dancing spirits. To see Alyssa so excited to be "dancing" with other kids and trying out some crazy, one-legged dance moves was priceless. And what to say about Lauren...she got warmed up slowly, just clapping her hands together while being held, but then she let loose. She clapped, bounced, danced, turned, and more all with eyes that glimmered with pure joy and excitement. I've never quite seen her so into the moment and having so much fun. That night when I put Alyssa to bed and we said our prayers, she reminded me to thank God for the fun time at the dance; it was that much of a hit!

The best part of the weekend was just getting away and spending time with family and friends. We all had such a good time, and Alyssa is already asking when we can do it again!

 

(I love this last picture!)
A special thanks to Dena and Lisa for sharing their photos with us. I was being a "bad mom" and was too into the moments to want to bother with taking out a camera. Many of the photos posted here were taken by Lisa :)

The Thinker

Our little Alyssa is putting things together and doing some serious thinking these days. Here are some of her deep thoughts:

Me: I'm so luck that God gave me two such happy girls who are good listeners.
Alyssa: Why did God give me to you?
Me: Because Momma and Daddy loved each other so much, he thought we needed two little girls to love. So he gave us you.
Alyssa: Otherwise what would have happened?
Me:  Hmmmm....I don't know what would have happened.


At Meijer this evening, she noticed that Sandy (the mechanical horse) was not there. I reminded her that Sandy wasn't working last time we were there so maybe they had to send her to the repair store to get her fixed up, to which she replied: Maybe Sandy is at the animal doctor by the Old Macdonalds (i.e., McDonalds) where we stopped on our trip to Pennsylvania.

Happy Girls

As parents you have lots of dreams for your kids, but so often you hear parents say they just want their kids to be happy. And that's true for us, we want our girls to be happy. And really they are happy kids with a great sense of humor. Over this past weekend, we saw Lauren really come into her own with singing songs. She's chiming in more all the time - If you're happy and you know it, The Wheels on the Bus - are two where she really gets going. I caught this little video in the car during our drive home from Pennsylvania yesterday. Lauren isn't quite as animated as normal (this was the third time through after all), but you can get a glimpse of my happy girls :)

Mornings

Mornings can be a bit hectic at our house, especially when all of us are trying to get ready at the same time. But I love mornings with the girls.

Alyssa wakes up the happiest of moods. If I don't go to the gym and am still in bed when she wakes up, she comes running over and crawls in and cuddles with me. She's officially my "cuddle bug" in the mornings. At bedtime, she'll even ask sometimes for me to stay home from the gym so we can cuddle. She and I love to eat breakfast together in the mornings. We listen to the birds and comment on how pretty the sun is as it rises.

Lauren, on the other hand, is not quite a morning person. She doesn't really like to get up and get going in the morning. She'd be happy to stay in a wet diaper and pjs all morning. But I've found that if I wake her up singing or with music and then cuddle and read her a book, she's usually a little more amenable to getting her clothes changed.

Some mornings, Alyssa will even crawl in Lauren's crib and read her a book. They like to have all the babies in the crib and read together. It's too cute.

We really love singing together in the mornings too. It used to be "Heigh Ho" and "This is the Day" in the car on the way to day care in the mornings, but we've added a new couple songs to our repetoire "Rise and Shine", "Mr. Sun", and "Good morning Mr. Zip Zip Zip". Alyssa and I love it when Lauren joins in with us and we are able to catch her singing with us the other day a little bit. You'll have to turn your speakers up to hear her but it's there. (No comments on my singing please!).

Non-stop fun

Grammy, Papa, and Auntie Stacy came for a visit earlier this month, and the girls had a blast spending time with them. From the moment they arrived, there was something fun to do every day.

Grammy and Papa arrived Tuesday evening, and on Wednesday morning they headed out to Holland for some of the Tulip Time festivities. Normally there are thousands of tulips to see, but because of the unseasonable temperatures in March and April, the tulips had already bloomed and this year's festival was affectionately referred to as "Stem Fest." They were able to watch the Volksparade ("People's Parade"), complete with bands, street scrubbers, floats, and Dutch dancers. The only thing missing (and the most important thing in Alyssa's world) was candy.

Thursday was a work day - cutting down trees in the wooded area behind the house. There were lots of dead trees along the edge, so Aaron, Papa, and I worked to clear some of them out - what a difference it makes. The girls loved watching the trees fall and even helped pick up some of the sticks once all the trees were down. The highlight of the girls' day might have been cooking in the basement with Grammy and going to the park with Papa.

Friday brought the arrival of Auntie Stacy. Everyone got up early to head to Lansing to pick her up. After a visit to the Michigan State campus, they headed to a super fun children's science museum where they played in water, stood in bubbles, and more.

Saturday was a big day for me. It was the day of the Fifth Third River Bank Run, a 25k (15.5 mi) race that I'd been training for. While Aaron and I headed downtown early, the girls stayed here and made signs to cheer me on. How awesome it was to see everyone just a few blocks from the finish line, gave me the little push I needed to finish strong. They both really liked the snacks I got for finishing - granola bars, bananas, and bagel bites! As they were cheering for all the runners, Alyssa would laugh hysterically when a man would run past without a shirt "Ha ha ha! He doesn't have any shirt on!" - just wait until she gets to the beach this summer!

From there it was back out to Holland for the Muziekparade ("Music Parade"). It ended up being kind of rainy but we enjoyed all the bands nonetheless. Everyone got lots of cuddle time with the girls as we tried to keep them dry.

After dinner that night we had a little mini-celebration for Lauren's birthday, complete with cake and ice cream and presents. I think Lauren was most excited about the cake (especially the icing), but she enjoyed opening all her presents too. She's getting good at doing her Africa animals puzzle!

The next day was Mother's Day, and what a special treat to be able to celebrate with Grammy. After church, we made a yummy brunch and opened gifts. Grammy loved her mug and I loved my new hat! After resting (and napping), we headed downtown to explore. It was a quiet afternoon downtown, so we could walk around and explore, and we enjoyed a nice dinner out at Alyssa's favorite class of restaurant, Chinese. The girls shared an adult order of chicken & broccoli; there wasn't too awful much left for leftovers!

On Monday, the girls got to go have their pictures taken (a favorite activity for Alyssa) and then headed to Chuck E. Cheese for lunch and games. What a fun day! And finally, on Tuesday, we spent the morning at Meijer Garden's looking flowers, playing, and riding the tram learning about art. That night we lit our first fire in the new fire pit and roasted marshmallows - yum!

Everyone had to leave on Wednesday morning. We were sad to have all the fun end, but the girls were happy to get back to day care and their friends. They had missed their buddies. But they're already looking forward to another visit with their family this summer in Minnesota!

Weekend quotes

Sometimes you just have to laugh at what the girls do and say. These are some of the quotes from this weekend:

(while we're watering plants)
Alyssa: Can I see the hose? (Aaron gives her the hose.) Where's Lauren?


(while discussing options for swim classes)
Me: So you can either do a class where momma or daddy get in the water with you or you can do a class where it's just other kids. You would have to get into the water without momma or daddy.
Alyssa: I want to go with the other kids.
Me: Ok, so you'll do the class by yourself.
(A few seconds lapse.)
Alyssa: But I'll need someone to drive me there.


(while eating dinner)
Alyssa: When are my friends going to come over to roast hot dogs?
Me: They're sick, so they can't come this weekend.
Alyssa: Maybe we can have someone else over.
Me: Who would you like to invite?
Alyssa: Gavin.
Me: It's too late to call them now.
Alyssa: Well, maybe you can text 'em.




(at the breakfast table when Aaron puts Alyssa's plate on the table)
Lauren: A-da eggs ready.
Ok, so you have to know that "A-da" is code for Alyssa and you have to see the other to know that it was "eggs ready" but that's totally what she said.


Love how their little minds work!

Tumble Bugs

Alyssa had her last gymnastics class for the summer a few weeks. Because it was the last class, they invited parents to come into the gym and take pictures. Alyssa was so excited to show off what she can do; I swear she had a smile on her face the whole time.

After stretching and jumping in the foam pit, they headed off for a round of floor exercises. 

Then they went over to the balance beams; this is one of Alyssa's favorite events. They crawled like dogs and cats on one balance beam, walked sideways or backwards on another, and got to walk across the high beam too.

After the beam, there were a few more floor exercises.

And finally they all got to head to the tumble track where they tried jumping like pencils, bouncing up from their butts, running and more. This brought lots of smiles and giggles from all the kids and parents alike!

At the end of the night, they had a little ceremony where each of the gymnasts received a certificate and got to stand on the podium. Alyssa was so proud. We were so proud of all that she learned and how she was a good listener and that she followed directions.

Sister Love

I know I've said it before but I absolutely adore watching the girls play together. It is so amazing to see the bond that they already have at such a young age. At least once a day I catch each of them showing they love the other in a small way - a hug, a smile, a kind gesture or word, sharing a toy, etc. Alyssa's actions are more obvious, often taking the form of words or hugs, while Lauren's can be more subtle - asking "A go?" or returning a book or toy to Alyssa at bedtime. It really melts my heart to watch them together.

Don't get me wrong. They have their fair share of disagreements too, usually over who gets to play with something or help do something, but generally they are quite affectionate.

We caught these few moments on camera / video over the past few weeks and wanted to share.

Alyssa trying to help Lauren put her shoes on after playing at the mall.

The girls running through the kid's gate into the Children's Garden at Meijer Gardens.

 Alyssa reading a book to Lauren one night while we cooked dinner. Can you figure out what story it is?

And then there's this little conversation that I had with Alyssa a few weeks ago during bath time with the girls.
     Alyssa: Lauren has such pretty blue eyes.
     Me: Yes, you both have pretty blue eyes.
     Alyssa: But Lauren's are just the cutest.
Awwww!

As I'm waiting for the video to upload here, I'm uploading photos from when Lauren was first born to be printed (I know, I know, it's been two years!) and it reminded me of how from the very beginning they loved each other, so I just have to share.