Summer Highlights - July

Wow!  July was a busy month!


Cole and Mark went to the Battle Creek Air Show with his Cub Scout Pack.  It was almost 100 degrees so they didn't stay long enough to watch the Blue Angels, but they enjoyed what they were able to see.

Since they came home early, we decided to go watch fireworks that night.  We found a different place to sit and were able to have fun running and dancing with the live band while we waited for the fireworks to start.

Much more fun to dance and sing than just sit and wait for the fireworks!

We headed to Chicago for Jackie & Jeremy's wedding. We spent a day at the Brookfield Zoo and really enjoyed (except that it was almost 100 degrees).  They had several unique exhibits and animals that are rarely seen at zoos.  After the zoo, a dinner in the room of Subway, same late night swimming (it was an outdoor pool and we decided to be done when a bat kept swooping over the pool!), and lots of bed jumping, we left the next day for the wedding.  The ceremony was beautiful and the reception was lots of fun!

We happened to be at the seals right at feeding / training time.

This polar bear was beautiful and a rare zoo animal.

The best thing about the zoo could have been finding this hat for Kara.  SO. ADORABLE!

Fighting to give Uncle Mike his program

Is it almost time to dance?

There's something about Mary Aunt Shirley!  Cole loves to dance with her!
Exhibit A  Jackie & Jeremy's wedding - July 2011

Exhibit B  David & Katie's wedding - July 2010

Exhibit C (or the one that started it all)  Florida - February 2008

Cole with his new love, Jess, cousin Mike's girlfriend

"Kara, here's our plan.  You keep Mike busy while I steal Jess away"

Beautiful bride and groom

When we got home, I watched our good friend's two boys so all four kids could take swimming lessons together.  The class was taught by the 'swim nazi' and I describe it as the class you take when you pay lots of money to gentler, kinder teachers, and your child still can't swim!  They were doing some form of swimming the first day, and Cole had to jump off the diving board the second day and swim the distance to the wall.  By the third day, both were swimming the width of the pool!  We opted to take a second week of classes since they were doing well and enjoying (finally).  The second week they worked on honing their skills and fun stuff like diving and cannonballs.  Oh, and it was almost 100 degrees those two weeks as well!

Jump or get thrown!

Yes, he was kind of holding Kara's head down.

Cole would rather jump than get thrown.

The kids and I drove out to Brighton to have a mini family reunion at our Uncle Jim and Aunt Jean's.  We had two Uncles in town from Ohio and Pennsylvania, and enjoyed visiting with them.  The kids really liked practicing their new swimming skills in the hotel pool.  Pretend there are cute pictures here.  : )


Mark's company treated the employees to a Whitecaps game.  It was almost 100 degrees (hmm, a trend perhaps?) when the game started but once the sun went down it was very enjoyable.  They were setting off fireworks that night, so we were sticking around until it got dark.  Mark's boss found a fun vendor and bought all the kids flashing light up teeth.  The game was fun, but Cole and Kara really loved those teeth!

Man in yellow shirt = Mark's boss