Fun with cousins #2

Grandma H and Steph came home early from work one day so James, Katelyn and I could join them on a very fun outing to St. Joseph. Katherine was still not well, so she stayed at Grandma's with her mom.

The trip started with a ride on the carousel. Katelyn and James both get serious faces sometimes when they are focused on something, but trust me...they loved it.

After the ride, we walked to a new little water park. It is just a little place where kids can splash and play around. Well, I guess adults do too. A 40+ year old man came and started splashing around with some teenage girls near Katelyn. He was splashing Katelyn and almost boxing her out. It was very odd and somewhat creepy. We moved to the other side of the park.

Other than the strange man, the park was very fun.
I really like the look of joy on James' face in this one.
I love this picture of Katelyn playing in the water.

After splashing around for a bit, we went down to the beach. I love beaches along Lake Michigan. I'm not a huge fan of salt water, so my opinion is that they are better than the ocean. If you haven't tried them out you should come visit. Really, we like visitors. We can take you to some terrific spots along Lake Michigan.

Steph and James walking out to the water.

Getting in the water with Aunt Steph.

James enjoyed being brave and playing in the water.

Katelyn loves water, but she's not a fan of waves. This makes swimming at the beach not as enjoyable. She mostly liked the sand and a playground nearby.

Walking along with Grandma H. after a very fun outing!

Fun with cousins #1

Fun times were had with cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents last week. One thing we got to do was go to the Randall's farm. It was a place full of excitement for small people! Katelyn and James got to...

see chickens, a cat, and dog

jump on a trampoline

eat yummy food

pet and ride horses

...and go for a tractor ride (with Uncle Ben)!

After the ride the kids (Katherine was sick, :( so she didn't get to come) climbed back on the tractor and just wanted to sit there. Even though none of the pictures turned out great, I love them. I just love that they wanted to sit there together. They are cute kids!

Independence Day

We had a wonderful opportunity to spend the 4th of July weekend (and beyond) with lots of family. We headed to Grandma and Grandpa H's house where Katelyn's Anderson cousins (and Aunt) were visiting. Lots has happened recently. We did lots of fun things, and we also got sick. We seem to be on the road to recovery now, so hopefully I'll be posting more soon. Here is just a bit about our Independence Day festivities.

We tried to get a good cousins picture after church on the 4th. Maybe someone else got one. There were several cameras clicking. It just didn't happen on our camera. I think I could crop Katelyn out of this and at least have a cute siblings picture for the Anderson family. Don't be deceived by the picture. Katelyn loves her cousins and being close to them. She wants to do everything just like James. Obviously she just wasn't up for posing at the time. However, moments later she was ready to do so.


Katelyn really loved the fireworks. No photos of that. Sparklers...those were serious business. She seemed to enjoy them, because she kept wanting to hold them. No smiling though. She just remained focused on that burning thing in her hand. Makes sense to me. I wouldn't be too trusting of them either.

What's Wrong?

I had a big step forward with Katelyn today. She started crying while playing. I didn't know what was wrong or what had happened.

I held her on my lap, and I was asking her what was wrong. I said, "Just tell me what is wrong." She got up and walked over and pointed to where there was a small amount of blood on a blanket.

Next I asked, "Can you show me?"

She stuck out her tongue which had blood on it. She apparently bit her tongue while playing.

I'm sorry she got hurt, but I'm so glad my big, grown-up 18-month old can now "explain" to me what happened when she got hurt.