Oakland County Fair

We visited the Fair this year and in Michigan they do it a little different than we were used to, I thought for sure it would be hot and my kids would see every ride and want them...no not here we pay per car, and then the 4H puts on awesome displays and animal exhibits, petting zoo, circus the list goes on and on, so we enjoyed lots of crazy animals!!!

Gentry didn't enjoy the smells she stayed away!!! The other kids loved it, they pet kangaroo's, zebras, llama's, turkey, rabbits, goats.

they had pig racing, and Nate cheered for a pot belly pig that won so here is with the ribbon and the two who really did the cheering!!!

waiting for pig racing, I do have good kids.

this rabbit had red eyes, Wilson asked if it was a ninja?

This picture is for Papa Bird, this rabbit was HUGE, it was ridiculous, I had Ethan put his head there so you could see how big it was but you still can's tell. Papa could eat off of this for about a month.

Ethan said I pet a pig, goat, cow and horse all at once.

Some more free entertainment, Ethan had never climbed like this before and he was addicted.

So was Kate.

While the other kids climbed the little ones bounced.

WILSON!!! he loved the fair, the clown in the circus had him giggling, but when I asked him what he liked the most he said the cowgirl's on the ropes, the trapeze girl's.

Fourth of JULY!!!

For a week before the actual 4th you can hear and sometimes see fireworks, each town takes there turn to set them off, our town was on the actual 4th, and they let them off from barges in the middle of our lake, and they were FANTASTIC. The pictures below are our own fireworks. not pictured, The Milford parade, 50 foot slip and slide with 11 kids and 2 dads sliding all over the place!!! We BBQ with the Cragun's, so the next few pictures are all 11 kids having a great 4th together, in case you don't know who the Cragun's are they are a family that Nate met last fall when he was here doing his interviews, and then ended up matching into he exact same program as Nate, so moving here we had built in friends, there kids match up perfect, Ethan has Jonah and Enoch, they are 8 and 10, Kate has Sam and Asher they are all 6, Wilson and Gentry have Hirum, who if you can believe this they all have the same Birthday so they are all 4, and Sam LOVES LOVES LOVES Olivia who is just 2 months younger. We are so lucky to have them.

Nate and Scott let the big boys light the fireworks this year, boys and fire.

Yvette, Jonah, Sam, Ethan, Wilson, Gentry, Kate, Hirum, and Asher

Oh my twiners I LOVE THEM!!!

SAM IS UNBELIEVABLE!!!

Yes we did start fireworks when it was a little light still...at 9 pm because it doesn't get dark until 10-10:30.

Kate, Ethan, Hirum, Gentry, and Wilson

Our first trip to the beach

The water is warm the air is warm and the kids have fun, we go often.


all 4

Kate Love's the beach.

Ethan rescuing Wilson, not really he was showing him how shallow it is and Wilson didn't go willingly.

First offical visitor

Besides birds, this little toad was the first critter to come over, we still see him occasionally, and if Wilson is outside he grabs him and holds him for as long as he can.


the girl's didn't hold him at first, but they did at the end.

Father's Day 2011 in Michigan

We visited the Nature preserve behind our house hoping to see wild life, this is what we found...
4 children not cooperating for a picture, between these two pictures you get every one's face.


There is Wilson...

Gentry on the trail.

Kate, her hair is amazing in the humidity!!!

Wilson really was there but when we say sit for a picture he runs if we say OK run he stops and smiles. So here are the 4 that would sit, that was all I wanted just sit for a minute.

reading up on the wildlife that lives in the preserve.

On the dock looking at upper Straits Lake, this is the Lake the connects to our sub division, we walk down to play.

Our first week here we were seeing the most beautiful birds, the Cardinal's are the brightest red, Nate said he wanted binoculars, so for Father's Day the kids gave him a bird feeder and binoculars, on the Nature Walk the kids found lots of good stuff.

Wilson, and Kate

Ethan, isn't it beautiful, this is what most of the area around our house looks like, it is seriously Fantastic, Nate would say he couldn't describe how different it was going to be, and nobody could describe how neat it is to live in the "forest." When we pulled up to our house Wilson asked in his best funny voice, our house is in the forest?

the Dad on Father's Day.

YES he really is as cute as this picture portrays, All of you that know him, this picture will just make you miss him, so skip to the next one, because he is so AWESOME!!!

What did they find? Wilson loved the binoculars.

Checking out the neighborhood...

We decided to walk to Ethan's school, and Kate was the photographer the whole way there. Gentry is so FANTASTIC!!!


Sam's face is the best!!!

boys and there sticks...Ethan trying to negotiate a new stick for the cool one that Wilson found.

The Walk.

Squirrel

I love that the kids are walking but taking in something a little different, and Kate helping Sam she is a great big sister. And Wilson was the first to the top.

Attic

In our past home's Nate has done alot of electrical add ins, this time has been no different except that Ethan is learning the trade now!!! So this is for Papa Dan a third generation, working on pulling wire through the attic.

Pirate ship

This is our pool in Des Moines, We will definately stop here again!!! I got all of the kids on the slide but they look like blurs, Sam and Nate were the only one's in focus. There was also two big swirly twirly slides, Wilson and Ethan stayed on it the whole time.


Here is all 5!!!