Home Again at Least for a Little While!

Home again, we have made our trip to Sioux Falls and back. I got to meet my cousin Maclaran she is growing up fast. I had even more fun this trip because I was able to keep up much better with my cousin Malori and Maddax. We had a lot of fun playing with all of Grandma Alina's cool toys. Each night we would take them all out and play until I had to go to bed. I even got to meet a lot of new second and third cousins. One of my favorite parts was seeing Great Auntie Beth, I went right over and gave her a hug. I see her sometimes when she comes to see Ella and Abe.
Right before we left for Sioux Falls Daddy got the call letter to Waupun, WI. He sent back his reply a few days later and it was a yes. We will be moving to Wisconsin in the next few weeks.
More about that later.
My favorite day in Sioux Falls was the day we went to the Zoo. I got to see so many new animals. I even tried to race a big turtle, but he was just to fast for me. Mommy saw her favorite animal the giraffe. She wished it would have come closer to us but it wanted to lay down way out on the grass. I saw, reindeer, camels, emus, monkeys, giraffes, a tiger, an anteater, flamingos, peacocks that followed you around, and lots more. I think Mommy and Daddy had a lot of fun that day too.
The trip home was long I was in the car for 14 hours straight, Mommy and Daddy are both glad that we will not have to do another long drive like that again.

Now back at home they are packing up more and more of the house every day. Today we went to Grandpa and Grandma's house to watch the Euro Cup Final, it was Spain vs Germany. We were all pulling or Germany, but they lost 1-0. Uncle Chris was a big party in Hamburg, Germany watching it on huge TV screens with over 250,000 people.

Happy Father's Day

Daddy-

Happy Father's Day!!! You are the best Daddy in the whole world. I am so glad that we have gotten to spend so much time together. I hope that you had a great day.

Grandpa Gil and Grandpa Buck I hope you both had great days.

Happy Father's Day to all the Daddy's and soon to be Daddy's out there!

New Pics from our vacation

Here are the pictures that I promised you yesterday. The end of the pictures are of what we did after we came home from vacation. I like sticks can you tell.
On top of the dune with Daddy.
Mommy wanted to go and pick strawberries to make strawberry jam. So Thursday morning we got up and Mommy found to a place on the internet and called. They were opening that very morning, so off we went. I fell asleep in the car on the way there. Mommy, Daddy and I picked over 30 lbs of strawberries.
I like running up and down the lane the best.

Well, what do you do with 30 lbs of strawberries in 85 degree heat, why you make jam and crushed strawberries for ice cream and cut strawberries for the winter, and a strawberry rhubarb pie for Daddy.

Sleeping Bear Dunes

Vacation Time has come and gone, oh no not really, Mommy is on break and so is Daddy for a few more weeks. Last week Friday, we got up and finished loading the car and took off for Sleeping Bear Dunes. We arrived to sunshine and Mommy and Daddy's favorite walk in site at Platte River Campground.

The tent was soon up and filled with all the essentials needed for camping. I got to play in the dirt with my toys. My sand toys from Great Aunt Mary came in very handy. Mommy made dinner over the camp stove and we all sat down to dinner at a picnic table. Then it was off for my first ever shower. After my shower, we all went on a walk through the campground. I fell asleep. Later, that night the rain started softly falling and kept a steady pace all night long and the temp dropped and we all had to get more clothes and blankets on.
The next day we headed into Glen Arbor for more bug stuff for our lantern and a stop at Cherry Republic, Mommy's favorite store. Then on the way home it started to rain again. This time the rain was harder and it did not stop. We ate supper under the tarp and then went back to the tent for more fun of playing on Mom and Dad's air mattress. That night the wind really picked up and the rain fell very hard. The thunder was so loud that Mommy was sure that I would wake up crying, but I slept right through it. We had breakfast and lunch under that tarp while the rain fell and the thunder crashed. After a while Mommy could not take being in the tent any longer she was cold and damp and wanted out. So Daddy drove us to Traverse City, we walked around Meijer and the mall for a couple of hours.
Read the sign and to see where we are.
On the way home the rain stopped and we were all glad. During dinner the rain started again. I was not so excited to go to sleep. Mommy tried very hard to get me down, at one point I was asleep, but I woke up and peeked my head over the side of my pack and play and looked at Mommy and Daddy, I giggled at them and they had to laugh back at me. That night we all got wet the tent could not stop the water. However, that was not the worst of it, a raccoon tried to break into the tent, he scratched a hole in the side and then went on to raid our cooler. In the morning Daddy found our food all around the campsite, and what did the raccoon eat our chocolate. The rain finally left us and we went on a tour of the little towns up and down M22. The first stop was Leland, we walked around an old fishing town with really old buildings. Then it was on to Sutton's Bay, we went into some shops there and I said "Hi" and "Bye" to everyone I saw over and over again. We ate lunch at a park by the water and I got to put my feet into Sutton's Bay. The water was cold, I don't know how those other kids were playing in the water. Mommy pushed my jogger back to the car and we were off to Downtown Traverse City, and visit to the book store on to the Cherry Republic Embassy.

I fell asleep so Daddy went to the book store and Mommy and I hung out in the car for a while. She need some rest to because she has a very bad cold that won't go away. Soon I was up and ready for see more sites. Mommy and I met Daddy at the book store, we didn't find much. So off we went in search of more Daddy found shirt and Mommy found a sweatshirt but didn't buy it. Then we all tried the good food at the Cherry Republic Embassy. The people who work their loved waving at me. Then it was off to Meijer, where I lost one of my brand new shoes. Mommy and Daddy were upset and said that it went with all the things going wrong on this vacation. We went out to dinner at Olive Garden, in the room where they seated us two other couple were eating and loved talking to me. Mommy was worried that I was ruining their dinner, but they said not to worry, they have grand kids and loved hearing what I had to say and I had a lot to say in my very loud outdoor voice. After dinner we stopped at Meijer and guess what, they had found my shoe, things were looking up for us. Back at camp, Mommy and I went for a long walk and I fell asleep. The next morning we got up aired out the tent because, it was warm and not raining, the sun was shining. YEAH!!!! We went back into Glen Arbor and bought a lot of stuff at Cherry Republic, and the ladies had to come out and see me, everybody loves me. I even got to help sweep some of the water way, I love helping when I can. Then it was off the Glen Haven, where we heard the Blacksmith talk and Mommy bought a hook to hang in my room. The we went on to the dune climb. I got to play in sand, I love sand, I filled my bucket and dumped it out. Daddy climbed to the top and was gone so long that Mommy and I got worried about him so Mommy picked me up and carried me up the first dune. Daddy had gone on to a spot much higher up, so we waited for him. Then we came down and went back to camp to make pizza pies. After that we I went for a walk with Mommy and would not fall a sleep, finally after an hour of walking Mommy was very tired and coughing a lot so Daddy took over. I like proving that I am still in charge. The next morning the weather report was not good so we packed up and then drove to the big drop off point on Piece Stocking Drive, Daddy took our picture then it was back to camp to finish loading up and on to home. The ride home the sun was shinning oh well, I was very glad to be home, I kept yelling and running to show Mommy my toys.

Check out tomorrow's post for more pictures!

SCHOOL IS OUT FOR GOOD!!!!

Here I am at Grandpa Buck and Grandma Sara's listening to the wind chimes.

Mommy is done teaching for this year and for a while. She finished up her sixth year at Byron Center Christian School today. Daddy and I sent her flowers to her yesterday while she was at school. We are very proud of all the work she has done for us and thankful that she could leave us every day and go to work. Last night was graduation and Mommy was sad when she came home because she had to say good bye to some really great students that she will miss a lot. Then today Daddy and I went to school to pick her up and attend her farewell from all the teachers. They said some very nice things about her and Mommy started crying. I stood in the center of the circle of teachers and wave and when the teachers sang I directed them. I think that helped Mommy stop crying.

Now we are home and packing our stuff up for camping. We leave tomorrow for Sleeping Bear Dunes. Mommy and Daddy are very excited to show me all for their favorite places Up North. I am excited to final learning what camping is all about. I will try and keep you posted on the things that we are doing. We are not sure if we will be able to find Internet up their or not.