Old MacDonald's Petting Zoo

Last year we took Davis to Old MacDonald Petting Zoo. This was Isaac's first visit and we had a blast! For anyone who would like to have their own petting zoo, this one is for sale. We talked to the owners and they are ready to retire. :)

Isaac loved the animals, especially this little goat who was just about his size! This picture reminds us of when Davis came face to face with a camel a couple years ago!

We are so happy to be back with Dan, we missed him so much while we were away! What a perfect day to spend as a family!

Davis is definately in prime petting zoo age. He carried his bucket of animal feed around like a pro and was sure to feed any animal he met, except the Emu... there were rumors he would bite.

In addition to the animals, they still have lots of outdoor toys and a picnic area. Isaac loves to drive, here he is trying his hand at the cozy coupe.

The After Party!

After the wedding festivities were over, and David and Laura were off to St. Thomas, we decided it was time for some rest and relaxation! I brought the boys to Mom and Dad's house because we had a bunch of family coming for a visit. Thankfully, I didn't have to do any of the picture taking since some of my relatives are budding professional photographers. (or at least I think they should be.)

Molly was the happiest dog around for Dad to be home. It was hard on her to have everyone away for 5 days, but she is back to herself and as you can see, didn't have too bad of a time with us around. Isaac loved being with Grandma. Davis was held by so many people as a baby that he just automatically went to everyone without hesitation. Isaac is more cautious, and Grandma is one of the few other people other then Dan and I that he will reach out for. (sometimes even from my arms!)

Isaac floated with me in the water for at least 30 minutes! I was thrilled... we have another fish!

My cousin, Daniel (affectionately now named Uncle Daniel for the boys) was the favorite among Davis and Isaac. Others could come and try to take Isaac from me and he would cry wanting me back. When Daniel scooped him up, he would more then likely be great! And, well, Davis loved him because he is so much fun and was very willing to play with him a lot.

Peek a boo!
Here is my Grandma! I think this is such a beautiful picture of her, and no one would ever guess that she is having such a big birthday next year. I won't give it away, but it does start with an 8 and end with a 0!
Back to water fun, Davis is hard to keep up with these days. He is our adventurer and always ready for one after another. Water guns are one of his new favorite discoveries.
Tubing adventures: Here you have Aunt Renee and Daniel riding the wild ride, and below you'll see a much calmer ride with Davis aboard! He was in charge of speed using his thumb up and down. We have a future watersport little boy as his thumb was up way more then down!

We missed Dan a lot, and were so happy to be reunited with him later in the week!

Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Grinnell!!

My baby brother got married this past weekend to my wonderful new sister, Laura! What an awesome time it was! We had babysitters for the kids throughout the weekend, and Dan also took care of them a lot, so I was able to thoroughly soak in and enjoy the weekend. Until Friday, I don't think I truly realized what was happening, until we rehearsed the ceremony: there was my little brother, with my precious Dad (as best man) at the end of the aisle. I was then pretty much an emotional wreck especially for the rest of that evening!! We love Laura so much and are thrilled that she is now a Grinnell!

The siblings!! All 6 of us!

This is one of my favorite pictures of Mom as it captures her excitement and what she is the best at -- welcoming and loving everyone!

Here is precious Daddy with Davis.

Side story: Dad takes Davis on owl hunts at their house to find a plastic owl that he hides in the woods. Davis gets so excited to see where the owl has flown each time we visit! Well, on top of the church entryway, sat the same exact owl! (it must be his twin!) Gramps was so wonderful to take the time in the few minutes between the wedding and reception to show Davis where the owl had flown. Thanks, Daddy! What a special memory!

Our family! The boys were super and enjoyed the girls that babysat them, but they did make a special appearance for the family pictures. Thank you Aunt Annie for making them these adorable outfits!! Congratulations David and Laura!

Birthday celebrations!

Yesterday was filled with a happy birthday boy and a happy celebration! I really need to blog about our celebration with all of our family over 4th of July, but as we speak we are getting ready for David and Laura's wedding this weekend, so I am just going to tell you about our celebration on Isaac's "actual" birthday!

Isaac woke up happy as can be after waking up a couple times in the middle of the night. See those adorable big teeth?! Well, I think their neighbors to the right and left are trying to pop through for his birthday. :) (or maybe he was just so excited about his big day that he couldn't sleep!)

For birthday breakfast I served a couple of Isaac's favorites, eggs and watermelon. He can eat his weight in watermelon, and he LOVES it!

Before Dan left for work, we had Isaac open his card and a present.

Fast forward to dinner time, we had our good friends, Sharon and Oren over with their son, Aiden, to celebrate. Thankfully, they are very easy going as we served them burned hotdogs, burned corn, slightly overcooked sweet potato fries and less then frozen icecream. We had such a great time and Isaac loved it all! (well, except the icecream... not yet, but we did give him a cupcake which you can see he is devouring!!

Brotherly love. This is a small example of how it is hard to share as brothers. Isaac received a really fun toy from Aiden, but Davis was really the one who instantly wanted it after he helped him open it. Now that Isaac is mobile a whole new facet of this has come up as he can now "take" Davis's toys and "tear up" his things. (words in quotations are Davis's) I'll take any pointers ya'll want to give!! I know this is only the beginning!

Our wonderful friends (and thankfully, neighbors also!!) Thank you for coming for Isaac's special day!

Happy 1st Birthday Isaac

Our baby is one year old today. It seems like yesterday we brought home our little 6 1/2 pound bundle, who is now just under 25 pounds!!

As I think over the last year, I reminisce about how good God is and what a blessing Isaac is to our family. He absolutely brings so much joy to us.

In the last few weeks, he has grown up so much! Here are a few of my favorite things about you that I never want to forget. These are for you Isaac! (and for me too!!)

1.) Isaac, you are taking your first steps! I feel like we waited and waited for you to sit up, and then just crawl 3 weeks ago. Now you have found freedom and are enthusiastically racing towards walking. Unfortunately, this has led to several bruises on your precious little head, but after a good cry you get right back at it!

2.) You know several different signs and you use them! You are able to tell me more, all done, up, dog, and especially ball. (that is your favorite and you are constantly asking for balls!)

3.) You have gone from not saying anything, but now you say mama and dada to us (and to the correct parent!) and also you say daw for dog. It is no wonder since you have lots of dogs in your life!!

4.) Speaking of dogs, you absolutely love them and I believe that you are Scruffy's biggest fan. You have incredible squeals of excitement each morning when you hear Scruffy, or see him.

5.) You love to race around in your walker and chase people, Scruffy, and balls all over the house. Your daddy said that he needs to make a scary movie of you chasing us around as it can really hurt our feet Davis still asks to be picked up just about every time you are in the walker so you won't "get" him!

6.) Your favorite stuffed animal is your rabbit and you love to cuddle with him at night while sucking your thumb. During the day, you love to play balls, cars, and big legos too! You love to take things out of containers, and even sometimes you like to put them back in!

7.) You love to be outside. Going in the stroller, or swinging in the swing always seems to calm you down and put you right at ease. You don't love the kiddie (or adult) pool yet, but I am hopeful that you will soon!!

8.) You love your mommy and daddy and would love to be held for most of the day. We totally love the cuddles, and you give a lot of them!!

9.) Your favorite foods are fruit, and lots more fruit! Watermelon is your favorite these days, though peaches are definitely a close 2nd.

10.) You have 6 teeth and we think more are on the way! They just seem to have popped up so fast and I love your teeth filled grin!

We LOVE you Isaac. Thank you for your smiles, your cuddles, your curiosity, and the absolute joy you bring to our family. With this birthday, I am excited to see you become one year old, but I also have little pangs of sadness as I realize you are growing up and now officially a toddler. :)

Dan's New Website -- thisbeautifulearth.org

I just put finished a new website. It shows how the earth changes throughout the seasons, using NASA images. I was hoping that it would be interesting for educators or anyone in meterology. Let me know what you think about it. (and tell your friends)

thisbeautifulearth.org

Excitement

If you ask Davis what he is doing tomorrow, he will excitedly tell you that he is going to GRANDMA and GRAMPS's house! We are going down to celebrate first, Isaac's 1st birthday! (a little early!) and also the 4th of July. Can it really be almost a year since he entered our lives?! Time has absolutely flown by!!