Weekend in Chicago

We went to Chicago last weekend to visit Uncle Jeff, Aunt Lesley, and Noah and see their beautiful new home! Uncle Alex went with us and Nana and Aunt Lyndsey went too! We had a great weekend together (though it went too quickly, of course!) and enjoyed lots of time at the beach. Emerson had tons of fun chasing Noah around, trying to keep up with her big cousin! She's anxious to meet her new little cousin soon :-)

Nana taught the kids how to dig a hole in the sand--they loved it!

Lounging on the couch with Aunt Lyndsey

We went out for ice cream but Emmie wasn't interested in eating, she just wanted to spin on the stools!

Pool & Pony Day!

My friend Katie's mother-in-law invited us to her farm for "Pool & Pony Day"! Our friend Jayce joined us and we all had a wonderful time! Emerson was not scared of the horse at all and got right on, looking very comfortable! The kids each got a turn to ride the horse up and down the driveway while the rest of the gang walked along behind. After that, we had a quick lunch and swam in their pool. The kids had a great time and it was a beautiful day!

A Visit to Grandma & Grandpa Ross's

Emerson and I spent a few days at my parents' house last week. We had lots of fun! We went to the park, did some shopping, and played outdoors. Emmie drove the toy cars and tractors (she wouldn't ride on a real tractor this time) and we got to see an Amish horse and buggy drive past their house! Grandma & Grandpa even babysat Emmie so I could get together with some friends! We both had a wonderful visit!

Emmie was eager to help Grandma pick up sticks in the yard!

One of Emmie's favorite hobbies is to play with stickers. I think her cousin Noah taught her this! My mom had lots of colorful stickers for her to play with. I think it's funny how carefully she places them on the paper, but she puts them right on top of each other on her shirt!

Coast Guard Festival

Uncle Alex and Mimi came to visit us a couple weeks ago (sorry, I'm a little behind with the blog!) We all went to Grand Haven for the evening for the Coast Guard Festival. We had a delicious dinner at Snug Harbor, then walked around the carnival, where Emmie had her first carousel ride. She loved it! As soon as it stopped, she said "again?" She and Nick also took a ride on the huge "Fun Slide" too. She loved it as well though you can't quite tell by the picture!














Nick, Mimi, and Alex had a fierce carnival game competition and Emerson got to keep the beautiful prizes! She looks pretty dazed in this picture...way past bedtime!

We took a break from eating our elephant ear to snap this picture on the walk back to our car. It was a beautiful night on Lake Michigan!

Wedding Weekend

Grandma Lisa and Aunt Nina came to stay with us before our friends Nicole and Pernell's wedding...Emerson had lots of fun entertaining them, playing with them, and we even squeezed in a shopping trip! That weekend, Aunt Lesley, Uncle Jeff, and Noah came to stay with us for the wedding. Emerson had so much fun playing with Noah and all the gifts that Grandma Lisa brought back from China...see underwear pictures below :-) While we all went to the wedding, Emmie and Noah stayed at our house and played with Aunt Pam, Mackenzie, and Madison.

On Sunday, we all met up again for a post-wedding brunch. We got to see Aunt Lyn, Uncle Doug, Rachael, Grandma Lisa, Aunt Nina, Uncle Rich, Aunt Sarah, and Dave. Emerson and Noah had a wonderful time playing in the sandbox and on the swings, but I think Emerson really enjoyed sampling off of everyone's plates!