last days of summer...

We have tried to pack in as much as possible before the girls start preschool next week...

Grace and Isabel had so much fun with Kalina and Olivia and Cade too!!!

It was fun to watch this little group play together!

Thanks for having us over Sarah!! We had a great time playing with all your toys! :)

Then we spent a day with another of my good friends and her twin girls, jayden and sierra.

(yep, TWO sets of twins in a week...my girls thought it was very crazy...so many twins!)

here are the girls...isabel was not liking the picture idea!

we went to millennium park, sang some songs, did some coloring, then went to the greatly anticipated fountain for some fun!!

that face says it all!!! SO much fun!!! it was so fun watching them talk and play together!!!

Thanks for meeting us Andrea, Jayden and Sierra!! We had so much fun and can't wait to see you SOON to play again!!!

we did some more playing in the sprinkler...this time naked!!

thanks for another fun BBQ Albu's!!!

We went to our last festival and played at the park.

Thanks Grandma and Grampy for a fun afternoon!!

Greg went out with some friends last weekend so the girls and I had some fun...

we made some cookies and had movie night and had popcorn and cookies for dinner!!

We have spent lots of time swinging...

trying to enjoy these last days of hot, hot weather!

We have a big weekend coming up, with a big week next week!!!

Laura's wedding which will be SOOOOO much fun, and preschool!!!

(which means a few tears for me :)

Princess Party!!

We had a princess party for the girls, since that is one of their most favorite things right now!! They were dressed and ready to go...princess dresses and crowns on. That lasted about 10 minutes, before I got their pictures...so this is what I ended up with!

Isabel

and Grace...oh our sweet, sweet Grace.


The girls were SO excited to go swimming, they didn't care about their dresses!!

and who else was loving swimming?

Teddy!!!! love this picture of him! Ella just took it all in. Sweet baby!BBQ fun! Brooke and Teddy

the cake, that I am proud to say I made!

after singing.

eating.

Ella having some icing

and our family picture...

pretty much sums up the girls moods that day.

They were VERY overwhelmed with their party. But as always, we know afterwards how they really felt about it. Both girls may act like they are having the worst time EVER when we are somewhere or doing something, but we get home and they talk, and talk, and talk and reenact the whole thing! And they did a with their party too. Everyone that was there has been taked about ALL week!! And still thanking us for their special birthday party. Thanks to everyone for coming and making their birthday so special, for them, and for Greg and I!!!

very tired princesses.

the BEST part of the party...Grace first, then Isabel. Watch how SWEET Grace is as she sings to her sister!!! LOVE it and it makes me smile huge each time I watch it!!!

Happy 3rd birthday Gracie and Izzy!! Mommy and Daddy love you to the moon and back and back again. We could not be more proud to be your mommy and daddy. You amaze us each and every day with your sweetness, your amazing imaginations, your love for each other, your feisty attitudes, your tender hearts, your strong willed personalities, and your beautiful songs. May you always be best friend sisters and make each other laugh like you do now. We can't wait to see what the next days, weeks and this coming year has to bring for both of you!!

a bunch of 3's

I took the girls for their 3 year check ups this week. We did it a little different than we ever have before...I took each at a different time. Some special mommy time is what I called it! Special mommy time when you get your finger pricked, a TB test, and two shots!! FUN times!

The girls were SO brave with all they had to have done...they made me so proud. And even though they are bigger...man oh man does it still break my heart when they have to get stuck!!

Anyway...they both HAD to wear their princess dresses. Their idea to show their doctor!

Isabel is in blue, Grace is in pink...and has it on over the doctor gown...the doctor said she had never examined a princess!! And she got TWO!!

Anyway they were BOTH...

33 pounds

and

3 ft, 3 inches
Healthy and EXACTLY the same!
(just like they have been since they were born...only a few ounces different at a few different times!! CRAZY to me!! And really...they aren't identical??? Sure makes us wonder!)

michigan birthday

We celebrated Grace and Isabel's birthday many different times over a two week period. So many people to celebrate with! After our family celebration at the cubs game on their birthday, we were lucky enough to have Grandpa and Grandma Carlson come to Michigan for a party. Aunt Laura was there for the weekend too, so she was able to be in on the fun!! It was so fun this year, as the girls really got into their birthday, and were SO excited to get presents and be sung to!!

We got some cute pictures of the girls, but I did a bad job of getting any with anyone else!!

So here are a few from lunch...

opening presents...

Grace is in pink, Isabel is in purple.

blowing out candles and eating cake...

breakfast the next morning. Greg and I feel so lucky to have been able to spend that time with our girls AND our parents (and Laura too!!). We are beyond lucky to have such love and support from our parents. And it means so much to us to see how excited our girls get when they see and spend time with their Grandpa, Grandma, Gigi and Papa!!!

Thank you all for loving Grace.

Thank you all for loving Isabel.

And thank you for making their birthday so special, not only for them, but for us too!!

Michigan Vacation

The girls and I spent over a week in Michigan at my parents house last week and while we were there we were lucky enough to spend some time with lots of special people!!! Below are some of the things we did, with the birthday celebrations to follow soon!!!

The girls have been watching the chain ferry for some time now on our visits to Gigi and Papa's house and even called Doug and Brit one day to ask them to ride it with them...

so guess what!! We all rode the chain ferry across the river and back again. I think it was one of Dougs most favorite rides of his life!!! He loved it! :)Isabel saying...wo, wo, wo Doug, this is fun!!
Of course the girls loved every minute of it and loved watching all the ducks in the river!

After the boat ride we had some ice cream!

That evening, my dad watched the girls while Doug, Brit, Greg and I went out for a great dinner!

beach

sticks + rocks +

water =

perfect time at the beach!

duck boat

This boat is something we all see every time we are in Saugatuk...but we had never been on it. So my mom and I decided it would be a fun thing to do with the girls. So on a VERY, VERY hot day, we went!! It goes around town on the streets, and then in the water...the girls LOVED it!!

Isabel
sweaty Grace and I

the chain boat...we were thinking of you Doug!!

and next time, the girls want Doug and Brit and Daddy to go!!! :)