Michigan Wedding Weekend

Finally made it to Michigan Friday evening. Saturday (after a splash in the hotel pool) we helped with wedding prep, had the rehearsal & rehearsal dinner. Tyler really wasn't too thrilled to practice his "ring bearer" duties of carrying the "here comes the bride" sign.

 I got some quick pre-wedding photos of the outdoor decorations. This is the drink/appetizer area.

 A cool photo display on the side of their shed.

 The ceremony was under their apple orchard in the front yard

 Tables set for dinner

 This is the dance area. It looked really cool at night with all the Christmas lights on and lanterns hung in the apple trees.

  Nicki created this cool gift/card area.

 And family wedding photos were on display.

 Our niece Sarah getting ready to be the Jr. Bridesmaid. She had her hair braided, wore an altered dress that the Bride used to wear, and even got stick-on nails!

Tyler and Hannah were all dressed up waiting for pictures and then waiting for the wedding to start. They decided to dance in Aunt Nicki's kitchen.

 

 Hannah adores her big brother!

 Haselhuhn Family wedding photo

The Bride (Aunt Nicki) and the Ring/Sign Bearer (Tyler)

 He wasn't too excited during the rehearsal, but he did great carrying the sign down the aisle for the wedding!

Here comes the Bride!

 

 And here she is! The wedding was at their home in Michigan - very pretty outdoor ceremony & reception! 

 This photo of Tyler reminds me of something funny he said on the way home. We will call it Weddings From The Eyes of 3 Year-Old. We were leaving Michigan and talking about all the fun things Tyler got to do on our trip so far. He agreed to most things we mentioned, but when I said, "and you got to help Aunt Nicki on her big day by carrying the sign at the wedding." He dryly responded, "No Mom, that wasn't my best (favorite) part! There was standing (dramatic pause) and standing (pause) and standing (pause), and for WHAT.....NUTHing!!!" At this point we were laughing so hard we barely heard him say, "Nothing exciting...like fishing or anything!" So, weddings to him are even more boring than sitting and waiting for fish to bite! LOL Funny story to remind him of at his own wedding in the future!

 Adam reading scripture at the wedding

 Haselhuhn family chat

 Bride dancing with her Mom

 Dancing to the fun live band - it was like a hoedown and Tyler really liked the fast music.

 We really enjoyed our 3-night stay at the Jackson, MI Comfort Inn!

 Takes a lot for this family of 4 to be gone for 6 days - cooler of food, wedding clothes, swim suits, car games for the kids.....

Tyler was very proud of the new Angry Birds bag Aunt Nicki gave him for being her sign bearer.

Michigan - Here We Come!

Adam's sister Nicki got married over Labor Day Weekend in Michigan. We took an extra day to travel there & back and turned the adventure into a mini family vacation. So, on the way out we stopped in Iowa City at the Children's museum.

Tyler found the train room right away

After traveling, Hannah couldn't wait to run, climb, and play!

Hannah driving a tractor in the farm room

Playing in the music room

Tyler was excited about the aviation room and tried out every plane!

Hot air balloon "ride"

After a quick food court dinner the kids rode on the carousel

 Finally made it to our Hotel in Illinois for the night & went swimming

 

 Breakfast in the hotel before heading out



 After a hotel stay we drove to the Indiana Sand Dunes and stopped at West Beach for a quick dip in Lake Michigan.

Hannah was more interested in playing with the sand and talking to the seagulls than playing in the water.

"This lake is gigantic!"

Neat scenery!

 

Had to let Adam take at least one photo of me to prove that I really was there!

 

August Campout

We had made plans way last spring with my Stephens side to go camping in August - so despite the rain forecast for much of the weekend - we went anyway. And, once you tell a preschooler he is going camping with his cousins - there is no backing down! We loaded the poor little RAV4 to the gills and headed to Lake Icaria near Corning, IA. We stopped along the way for a picnic dinner.

We lucked out to get the tent set up between rain storms, but it rained almost all night. Of course our kids are the first ones up, so we tried to keep them entertained in the dry tent until breakfast. Hannah can entertain herself with my purse for hours!

 

 Tyler actually slept in - he can't so this at home, but somehow camping makes him extra sleepy - even with a little sister climbing over his air mattress!

 Looks exciting doesn't it!! :)

 And the rain continued all day Saturday so we spent much of our time in Aunt Mary & Uncle Brian's camper playing games, watching movies, eating, and napping.

 

 After begging me for most of the day, I finally gave in and let the boy out of the camper and out into the puddles!

 By dinner the rain had finally quit and left behind a ton of mud - and guess who wanted to play in that too? Like a bug to light!

 We were all sitting and watching for him to make a face plant in the mud puddle, but he luckily kept his balance...

 ...all but his nose!

 We never did make it out onto the lake before we had to pack up & head out but it was a memorable family camping trip nonetheless!

Tyler Tales

Two quick stories to share before I forget what he said....

We have been getting ready for Tyler to start 3 year-old Preschool two mornings a week from 8-11am. Rarely this summer have Tyler, Hannah, and I been ready to leave the house before 9am, so we have all been practicing a new early morning routine this week. It hasn't been easy and Tyler has actually been tired enough to take an afternoon nap again. On days he does this, a whole new child appears at dinner - one who is much sweeter, funny, kind, and patient than our no-nap kid typically is. So, yesterday he had just woken up from a nap before we had tacos for dinner. He did great and made two funny comments after we had eatten.
#1: "Dad next time you have to tell the tacos to be stronger, so they can control themselves and not make a mess on the floor!"

#2: Well, see, I have already forgotten....if it ever comes back to me, I will update this post! LOL

Tyler's School Open House

Trinity Lutheran School Sonshine Preschool Open House. We got to meet the staff, sign up to help with some fundraisers, drop off our school supplies, play with the toys, turn in paperwork & most importantly meet Mrs. Foley!

 It was hard getting Tyler to leave - he was having so much fun!

 Tyler's teacher is the one in the green top & brown skirt.

Preschool starts on Thursday and he will be going every Tuesday and Thursday from 8:00-11:00am