Blake's last day of 1st grade

This year flew by and Blake learned so much and became more confident in his school work. He made so many new friends in his class and we are so proud of him.

After school we went for ice-cream and met up with Adelyn (we have to soak up all the time with her as we can since she is moving in a few weeks to Florida)

 The more accurate picture!

Mommy and Kids Date

Louis was spending the day golfing so I wanted to do a special Mommy date with the kids. We had a big agenda and the kids had a blast. First, we hit up Build-A-Bear to get outfits for our stuff animals. Then we ate at Rainforest Cafe. The kids are obsessed with that place and were so excited.

 There happen to be a guy walking around doing free balloon animals so the kids got a Tiger and a Monkey.

 The kids had never been to Legoland Experience so we headed there next. The first room we saw was a replica of downtown Chicago.

 Then posed in the jungle

Getting a little bit of the dark side

 Blake rode on a virtual reality ride and LOVED it

 We saw a 4D movie

 Rode some rides

 The kids loved this shooting game and we rode it 5 times!

We ended with some ice cream. These kids had a blast and we were all exhausted!

Brooke's Goddard Graduation

I don't know how it is possible but Brooke has completed Jr. Kindergarten and is almost done with Goddard (just have summer camp left). I swear we were just doing this for Blake.

The night before I ran to Wal-Mart and grabbed a $5 dress (the only one in the entire store I thought she would consider wearing) for the occasion. As you can see, she still rocks her own sense of style with the shoes.

 They all performed a few songs- it was super cute

 Getting her diploma

 I can't wait to re-create this picture (plus Evie) when they are seniors in high school. 

Brooke, Ruth, Teagan and Piper

 Blake's goofy smile aka I dont want to pose for a picture

 Mrs. Hildebrandt has taught my kids so much

Marco Island

At the end of May we took a family trip with Louis' parents to Marco Island Florida. We had never been there before and were so looking forward to fun in the sun. We needed the sunshine and warmth desperately. 

After our early morning flight we had some time to kill before being able to get into our condo so near the Fort Myers airport we found a Bass Pro and the kids were beyond excited!

 The condo had bunk beds and honestly this was one of the highlights for the kids.

 View of Marco Island from our deck

 We had to hit the water as soon as we got there

 We spent a lot of time swimming in the pool and ocean. The kids loved having the pool mostly to themselves.

 The ocean was clear, calm and so warm- it was warmer than the pool!

 Building their castle and river

 We went to dinner at Snooks Inn which is a staple in Marco Island and the kids enjoyed the scenery and eating outdoors.

 The best part- they had the ring toss game they love

 We got tickets for a dolphin/manatee and shelling boat tour and we all had a fantastic time. We saw dolphins and manatees so it was perfect.

 We also got to see Cape Romano which used to be houses but due to erosion and weather have been damaged

 We stopped at one of the 10,000 islands to look for shells. This island was FILLED with them and did not disappoint. Each kid had a huge bag full.

 Dinner with a water view is always better

More ocean swimming

 Blake and Louis looking at fish, crabs, starfish etc

 Louis' parents watched the kids one night so we could have a date night. We headed to the JW Marriott and it was so lovely and relaxing watching the sunset with this guy.

 Meanwhile, the grandparents took the kids mini-golfing. Another highlight for the kids!

 On my morning beach walk I saw a turtle's nest. So cool!

 The kids wanted to go back mini-golfing the next day. It was soooo hot but the kids loved it again

 The kids wanted to see the turtle's nest again

 Kendall (Louis' second cousin) lives in Fort Myers for nursing school so she came to visit us for a bit.

 I convinced the kids to not wear under armour for one picture. We clean up nice.

It was a great trip and we had a lot of fun and it was a great way to kick off summer.