One Happy Girl

Our summer started with a little (okay, some days a lot) of fighting between the girls among other less than stellar behaviors.  We decided we'd take a different approach than punishing them so we came up with an incentive for good behavior; have 7 days without any problems (they did get 1 warning each day) and they could choose a friend to come along with us to the place of their choice-the zoo, Bay Beach, movies, etc.  This worked very well for Madi (we'll talk about Grace another day;) and she had quickly earned a day with a friend at Bay Beach.  Well, life happened and while I promised her we would get there, it just hadn't happened yet.  So, yesterday I texted her friend's mom and asked if she could go to Bay Beach with us today, all without Madi knowing.  We got ready to go to Green Bay this morning, them thinking we were just going for boring old groceries, and made a pit-stop at her friends house.  When her friend came out, the look on Madi's face was priceless.  We were at Bay Beach for about 3 hours and all the kids had so much fun.  They decided on the mall for lunch so everyone could pick out what they wanted to eat.  The girls wanted to go in Justice and had a fun time shopping while mommy found some awesome deals.  Sorry it took me so long to make good on my promise sweet girl...hope you had a fun day! 

 Wyatt, Madi, Izzy, and Gracie

 Love the look on Grace's face

 Trying to take a selfie of all of us with a huge camera didn't work out so well.  Madi said that's why I need an iPhone.  Selfies aren't really my thing anyway so I'll stick with my dumb phone:)

 Ferris wheel

 It's too bright to look up at you!

 Look ma, no hands!

 He was yelling at the top of his lungs, he loved it!

 The looks on their faces make me so happy

 Wyatt was trying to steer both wheels at the same time

 Pure joy

 More yelling

 Grace was loving the swings

 Hard to pick them out, but Madi and Izzy on the swings

 I think this was Wyatt's favorite

 This girl is trouble

 These dirty buggers attacked Grace, Wyatt, and I.  Both kids were screaming and we spilled our soda.  Then some teenage boys came to our rescue and got them to leave us alone so I could calm my kids down.  Thankful for the good Samaritans we encountered today:)

 

 

Happy Birthday Wyatt John

Happy 2nd Birthday Wyatt John Reed!  I don't even know where to begin with this little boy who I am so extremely blessed to call my son.  It's so hard to believe that it's been 2 years since we drove WAY over the speed limit on our way to Green Bay to welcome this little boy into the world.  I  cried most of the way there and just knew he was going to be born in the car.  Thankfully we made it and he came into this world 9lbs. 15oz. of pure perfection.  He is so full of joy and such a friendly little boy.  I love watching him grow, learn, and explore.  Happy Birthday Wy man, mommy loves you more than you could ever know!

 Trying to roll over, just minutes old

 1st Birthday

2nd Birthday

Welter Family Camping Weekend 2015

What a beautiful weekend it was camping with Dave's extended family at his Aunt & Uncle's cabin near Laona, WI.  They are such a fun group and it's so fun watching 2nd cousins become good friends.  We spent Thursday-Saturday night and had the best time.  The weather was perfect and we spent two days enjoying the beautiful beach.  Grace and Wyatt were asleep before we ever left their driveway which is the true sign of a fun-filled weekend:)  Thanks for all the memories Welter Family, we can't wait until next year! 

 John and Shirley had fun signs lining the road into their cabin.  Forgot to get pictures of all of them:)

 They made a "fort"-so cute!

 The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup:)

 Madi book worm reading by the fire. 

 Lunch time

 Little man playing in the giant sandbox, aka, the beach.  It's like a dream come true for him. 

 We did some kayaking and it was sooooo much fun. 

 Swinging in a swim diaper + sand from head to toe = one happy little boy

 Oh this girl...

 Cousin fun

 The entire crew!

 Sleepy eyed kids.  One morning they slept until 8:00 which never happens.  I guess we wore them out!

 There were some serious games of Beers-bie going on. 

 Beach fun.

 More kayaking fun. 

 3 of Dave's Aunts (Julie, Pam, and Shirley) and his cousin and her boyfriend at the beach

Our Little Buckaroo is Turning 2

We could not have asked for a more beautiful day to celebrate our little man's 2nd birthday.  It seems as every weekend during the summer is filled with something, so we opted to celebrate his birthday on Father's Day and it was just the most perfect day.  Dave and I were talking last night
 about how happy Wyatt was during his party (and all the kids for that matter, they were all having so much fun).  Watching him (and the girls on their birthdays) so happy is the reason I love planning their parties.  I had so much fun with his party and was amazed what I could come up with from stuff I had around the house.  Thanks to everyone who celebrated with us and thanks to my mom for making another beautiful cake.  She never ceases to amaze me.  And now...be prepared for picture overload!

 

We had a pretty rough crowd at his party:)

 

The kids played, and played, and played!

 

We ate lots of yummy food and cake...

 

Wyatt got some wonderful birthday gifts

 

And we sang Happy Birthday to the little boy who was grinning from ear-to-ear the whole time.  Unfortunately, he got a little too close to the flame and burned his lip:(  Good thing he's tough. 

He will break out singing "Happy Birthday to Papa" multiple times a day so he thought it was great that we were singing to him!