June 2010-Summer Begins!

PLAYING CATCH UP SINCE JUNE...will post a month at at time...SORRY!!

June was great fun...as the weather warmed up and our trips to the beach began!! We love getting out to the lake as much as possible during the summer!!

We headed out to Lake Michigan to continue our Father's Day tradition of celebrating with the whole fam on the beach and grilling out...fun, relaxing, quiet...a great way to celebrate Dads!!Isla's 1st Father's Day with her Dad...she's got him completely smitten:) Love that corn, Mom!!

Grammy brought noodles to the beach...forever to be known as "noodle swords" Where's Aunt Libbie? Taking the picture:(

Father's Day weekend was the beginning of Alan's few days off during June...so, we had planned ahead to spend Sunday at the beach with the whole family and then continue up the lakeshore to one of our favorite campgrounds in Muskegon and camp for 2 nights. Isla's first camping experience...both of the kids were in heaven getting to play in sand on the beach, then dirt, leaves, sticks, etc. in the campground. The days were a perfect 75-80 and sunny, and the nights cool in the 60's-perfect to sleep well. It was a great first camping trip of the summer and Isla was a champ!!
How could we need this much stuff for 2 nights of camping??

Oak loved playing ladder ball with Daddy as much as possible

Isla was only crawling, so the amount of dirt and sticks on her little knees bothered her at times...so, she spent quite a bit of time just riding around on our backs:)

Lots of beach play-time! Alan and I are big beach-bums...so, we love that our kids love the beach, too!! Michigan summers are a blast!

Daddy taking some great candids...

During the last week in June, we headed out to a close-by, inland lake and beach on a lazy Saturday afternoon. Daddy got hold of the camera, again, and took some fun pictures...

Normally I wouldn't allow a picture to be posted showing my lower half, but Oak and I were having so much fun "erasing" our names in the sand, it had to be shown:)

We can't get enough of those cute buns...little chunkers:)

March Through May of the Carter Crew

Well, I finally got the pictures off my phone and am able to upload to the computer (wow, its amazing all the time this new technology saved me;)
1) I am posting chronologically beginning in March
2) I will put up as many pictures for each "event" as I would have had I posted these all separately- so get ready for lots of pictures:) (not all great exposure since they were on my phone, sorry:)
3) Once again- I am sorry to those of you who keep up with us through these pics and I have jipped you out of seeing our life over these past 3 months: Isla's growth and change since being a 7 month old to our now very mobile, talkative, wrestling 10 month old:) Oak potty-trained and riding his bike fast "like Dash"- and so very much a gentleman taking care of his mom and sister always-and hilarious in his talkativeness- "almost 3 year old"s sure do pick "it all up". Alan working his buns off and being the best Dad and Husband ever! And me, just trying to keep up and have fun!
Thanks for your grace!! We have had a blessed, busy, fun, crazy, wonderful past three months- thanks for sharing in it with us!

March began with warm days (now, of course we still had bouts of snow and cold through April and May, but we enjoyed being able to start more outside play right away in March) Easter Celebration- We had a neighbor egg hunt on Friday evening (after I had vein sugery all morning:), family time on Easter Sunday morning, and then another fun egg hunt with Grammy, Grampy, Uncle Tim, and Aunt Libbie on Sunday afternoon Spring Break-Quick trip to Chicago (Oh how we love our Chi-town) First swim of the season- warm enough for Michiganders when the sun is out even if the water is still 50 degress coming out of the hose:) Spring Schedule- "Monday Playgrounds" and "Friday Hikes"

Saturday outing to Meijer Gardens with Daddy

Isla's first "taste" and touch of sand Oak "riding" his tricycle alone for the first time- after practicing since last Fall, it finally clicked for him how to pedal on his own- and since then he has been off. No parent handle, no help if he tips over...his own words are "momma, I am a big boy now, I don't need your help." Yep, you guessed it, some tears from momma were shed...I did reply that even big boys need help sometimes- we all do, and that it is okay to ask for it. Of course, the depth of this comment was lost on my two year old:) Where does the time go, literally, where does it go? We are so proud of our ever-growing, ever-changing, amazing son!!

Play Day with Buddy, Asa...digging, bubbles, riding...and ending with a cut up head, sorry Asa:)

Papa and Granna Carter visited in Mid-May for 6 days...and as usual, I forget to take pictures for most of their visit-sorry:). I did catch a few when we went to the zoo and this one with Granna and Isla is beautiful!

A real brown bear- the animals came alive to Oak this year at the zoo, as he has spent most of the last year obsessed with any growling animal, lions, tigers, bears, dragons, monsters, etc.

Too cute in this too big helmet from Grammy

Lazy summer afternoons- its almost mandatory, as soon as naps are over, all the kids file out of their respective houses in their swimsuits and hit one of the backyard pools- and it has been wonderful-since we have been in the 90's for two weeks (too hot for Michigan in May:)

First 2010 trip to Millenium Park Isla officially started crawling at about 8 months and has been off like a shot since then- she loves to walk with our hands now and is trying to move around from furniture to furniture, she loves to wrestle with Daddy and Oak after dinner, she thinks Oak is the funniest person and will laugh at what he does for no reason at all, she is babbling a lot (dada, mamama, ooooo-and of course lots of screeching and growling- her trademarks:), she still has the sweetest smile that lights up the room (and my heart every day:) We are so thankful for this amazing baby girl and the privilege to have her as our daughter!!

Fun family trip to Home Dept on Memorial Day:) Lots of home improvements around here lately- and of course those lead to more fix-ups that we have to get done:)

So Sorry...

Meijer Gardens on Saturday, May 1...butterflies, blooming tulips and flowers, tree forts, and a real water Great Lakes play time:)

Okay, I know I have been bad before about getting photos up- but I think this is longest I have gone- over 2 months...I am so sorry!!! I have been taking lots of pictures, but with my camera on my phone and now have discovered I don't have an easy way to upload them to my computer- so it will be a slow process of emailing them all to myself to be able to save them to the computer and then upload them here (technology saves us so much time, right??:)


In reality a lot has happened in the last two months, so many fun, new things in our family...Easter, spring has been beautiful, outdoor play is in full bloom, Oak has been potty trained since first week in March, Isla is crawling all over and trying to walk some, too (with our hands of course:) for a month now...and babbling all the time....just so much!


So, I am really sorry that we have not shared our March and April 2010 lives with you yet...but we will soon!!
Thanks for understanding and loving us still:)!

Mid-Winter Break

Old Mission Peninsula Lighthouse

Traverse City Children's Museum

Isla in her first swimsuit...Alan got chills she looked so cute...don't you just want to squeeze those adorable chubby legs?

Oak warmed up to swimming again after about 5 minutes (since he hadn't swam since last September) and wanted to jump to Daddy over and over again

Alan got a 4 day weekend at the end of February, so with no extra money, we decided we needed some fresh air and to get out of town...we found a very affordable, clean, nice, with a pool hotel in Traverse City, northern MI...one of the best year-around tourist towns on Lake Michigan...and took off for 3 nights. It was such a nice respite as a family...we enjoyed the travel, the beauty of the northern snow, winter on Lake MI (the water was still a beautiful turquoise and blue even though it was 10 degrees out), wineries and vineyards (some of the best in the U.S. on the 45th Parallel), swimming in the pool (Oak couldn't get enough of it), good food, fun shops, and an overall friendly place. Alan now has added "own a cherry farm or vineyard on Mission Peninsula" to his list of things to do before he dies:) It truly is a great area, and we had so much fun as a family just getting away for a little bit!