Successful Sailing Trip

So, we decided to try sailing together as a family again Sunday. The last attempt was very unsuccessful but this time was wonderful. We still are not smooth at going in and out of the water. We definitely need some practice there but overall it was really fun. The kids got comfortable with the tilting of the boat when the wind took the sails (I am sure there is a technical term for this that Matt will nicely point out). Riley really enjoyed it and Carter was ok until he got tired so we called it quits after almost four hours. Here are a few shots that we got. The last picture is of the kids Saturday night. We celebrated my niece and nephew's birthday and the kids were eating cake and ice cream. Emily is there on the end but you can barely see her.

Day at the Fair

We spent the afternoon at the Hudsonville Fair. We go every year and with Matt's new traveling schedule we had to go during the day today. Papa Dan, Grandma Jennifer and Uncle Jason went along with us. We had a nice time. It was really warm but it was not busy. We did not wait in any lines and we were able to do everything we wanted. Riley even went on the Zipper with us. That is the ride that goes around vertically while your two person car spins 360 degrees. She was upside down and it was a pretty long ride. She definitely fits into our family because Matt and I LOVE roller coaters. Carter also did everything he was tall enough for. No fear. Our future trips to amusement parks look promising! Anyway here are some pictures from the afternoon.

I love this picture. This pig was truly enjoying the water and it was not two minutes later and he was sleeping. Very cute.











This is one of those situations that needed a picture. A carnival worker on a counter next to the sign that says "Please Do Not Sit on the Counter"

Kids+Waterslide+Mud= BIG MESS

Today we went over to my mom's to spend the day on the waterslide. They are putting an underground pool in and they are selling this waterslide so we wanted to use it at least one more time. So I took the kids and the two boys that I watch over for the afternoon. Here are some photos of them swimming and then turning it into a muddy mess. Check out the changes in the color of the water in the pool.

Camping at Yankee Springs Again

We were able to get out camping again last weekend. We went to the same place we went earlier this summer. We love going to Yankee Springs for a couple reasons. We like that it is not even an hour from home and we can stay in a rustic campground. We were only there an hour or so before Riley crashed on her bike. The pictures are of her face but she is pretty banged up all over. The bruising around her eye is the worst today but the swelling is gone. Thank goodness she had her helmet on because her face would have been scraped up too. She said that she ate some dirt when she went down and that is was gross. :)





After the fall we had dinner. Carter is eating an egg roll off the fire and Riley was experimenting with grilled blueberries. (You can only guess how they turned out).




Saturday we made biscuits and gravy on the fire. That was a lot of fun and Riley did most of the work. Then we went miniature golfing at an old fashioned mini golf place with the cool obstacles. We went to the beach for a swim and then had dinner. It was a beautiful evening and we had a great time. We are hoping to get back there one more time before it is too cold. We will see though.

Bathroom Remodel

Ok so the bathroom is not totally done yet but I am sharing the before and after pictures anyway. I will hopefully take a shower in my new bathroom soon!

Riley's Final Pictures

Riley's 7 year pictures are done and posted on Abby's photography blog.

www.wierengaphotography.blogspot.com

Carter, Riley and their favorite new activity

"CapCaps"

Saturday night we went to the Whitecaps game with Papa Ron and Grandma Phyllis. We had a blast and the weather was perfect. Carter loves to go see the "CapCaps" and Riley loves to eat the food. She is definitely my daughter...goes for the food not the game!

Preschool

Ok, so I am finally done cleaning and organizing the basement so that I can teach preschool down there. I had to post some pictures for the little ones who are so excited to come to preschool. Hope you enjoy! I am very excited.

When I was not cleaning the basement

I realized today that I have not been taking any pictures so I got the camera out and took some! When I just loaded them on the computer I found more that I have not shared from this week. Although I feel like all I have done this week is clean the basement, other things have been going on. The basement is clean and I will post some pictures of the "preschool" area. Carter is so excited for preschool. I am teaching preschool to Carter, Mason, Sadie and Brynn this year. I have been putting together an area in the basement that is conducive to just that. We hung posters and got out all of "mom's school stuff." I have to admit it was a lot of fun going through all of my boxes from my classroom. I am really excited to utilize my teaching skills and still be able to stay home. I am very lucky :)

Saturday we went over to my mom's and swam in the big inflatable slide/pool and went in the pond too. Mason and Emily were there too and it was a lot of fun. We had fire food (for those who don't eat that with us..it is anything you can put on a cooking stick such as chicken nuggets, taquitos, chimichangas, cheese filled pretzels, egg rolls, shrimp, meat and so on) and as always ate way too much.





Obviously, Carter was a little apprehensive in the pond.


Here are some other photos from the last few days. Enjoy!





This is a video of Carter driving his tractor. Carter has a reputation already as a crazy driver. He actually does really well. He drives in between the cars and out the back door of the garage and never hits anything. He LOVES his tractor.