Pedicures with Colleen

Madelyn & Colleen
We are on our way for girls night!

I took Madelyn and Colleen to get pedicures last night.  Colleen is our next door neighbor and she is so good with our kids - she plays with them, watches them, comes up with games….and our kids just love her.

One of Madelyn's teachers at daycare is going to Cosmetology school so we went to visit Ms. DeLaine.  It was Madelyn's first experience with a pedicure and at first she didn't know what to think but by the end she was loving the water and all the pampering.  We ended the night with ice cream!

It was such a fun night and I'm so excited to do these "girly" things with Madelyn!!! :)

Pretty toe nails!

Madelyn & Ms DeLaine

Bishop Family Weekend

We continued our Bishop Family Weekend tradition!  This marks 5 years.  Every year gets better and better as the kids are able to do more and more.  This year we went to Arrowwood in Alexandria.  It was the perfect place, esp for our families at this stage in our life.

They had so much to do and we took in a lot of it.  We arrived on Friday morning and went swimming.  The outdoor pool was extremely warm so it wasn't very refreshing but it was perfect for the kids so they didn't get cold.  Madelyn really took off with her swimming.  She was all over the pool, swimming by herself with only a noodle.  Jack is our fearless one - he was jumping and basically diving off the side!

There were kid activities throughout the weekend so they decorated cookies on Friday afternoon.  We had a bonfire on Friday night - it was the perfect summer evening.

The "big" kids posing for a picture!

Saturday was rainy and dreary but we took advantage of the indoor water park.  I had visions of how much the kids would love it…..that wasn't the case.  Madelyn wasn't a fan of much except going down the slide with Auntie!  I tried to take her on the lazy river and she cried the whole time.  Jack enjoyed going down the slides with Daddy for a bit but then he was all done.  I think they were pretty worn out from Friday so it was a lot to take in.  We headed back to the condo and Bishop kept swimming.

Off to the waterpark!

There was a zip line that the kids loved!  They all got in on the action, even Jack!  We played mini golf - now that's an experience with 6 adults and 4 kids under 5.  Thankfully it was still dreary so not many people were playing!

I didn't get a picture of Bishop zip lining….guessing he was off looking for frogs!

Madelyn & Papa
Love this picture of these two!

We ended the day going swimming in the outdoor pool again after it cleared up.  The outdoor pool was definitely the hit for our family!

Having a ton of fun in the water with Bishop!

And how could I forget looking for frogs!  Bishop could have looked for frogs all weekend…..no lie!  He just loves it and gets so into it.  It's so fun to watch!  Auntie, Uncle Luke, Papa and Ryan took turns looking for frogs - even the girls got into it!  I watched from the balcony :)

Always a fun weekend filled with great times, amazing memories and lots of laughs!

Nora & Madelyn putting on make up

Jack's favorite part of the weekend…..Nana time!

Magnatiles with Nana

My sweet niece - love her smile!

Madelyn loved her time with Auntie putting puzzles together!

Started with 4 and now we are up to 10!

This was the final picture of the weekend!
The youngest ones were done with pictures :)

Ice Cream

Today I had a craving for ice cream….real, homemade ice cream.  Ryan found a place in Plymouth - "Honey & Mackie's"…..it is honestly some of the best ice cream I've ever had!  We will definitely be heading back there!

Kids typically like ice cream but Jack loves ice cream and loves eating it from a cone.  He does really well and doesn't spill as much as you would think….considering he's only 18 months old.  Fun little afternoon adventure on a hot and muggy day!  We love summer!!!

Cabin time!

Bennett, Madelyn, Cal, Lyla, Jack
The best we could get :)

Every year we are fortunate to be invited to my best friend's cabin.  I have been going there since I met Katie, which was in college.  It is a perfect location as it's less than 90 min from our house so we typically make a day trip of it.  We always have a blast and this year was no exception!

Their twins are 5 and their baby is almost 1.  It's perfect for everyone as Madelyn loves playing with Lyla & Cal and then Jack and Bennett "play" together……with as much playing as you can do when you're almost 1 and 18 months.

It was a gorgeous day to be at the lake!  Humid and warm so the water felt great but the breeze kept it cool enough so we weren't too hot.  We played on the beach (right in front of their cabin), went on a couple boat rides, Madelyn/Ryan swam in the middle of the lake, Bennett/Jack napped on Katie/me, then we took the pontoon to the bar & grill across the lake for dinner.  

The kids did great!  Jack got his second wind around 7:00 so we didn't leave until close to 8:30.  The kids were out within 10 minutes of being in the car.  So thankful for such awesome friends!  We truly enjoy every time we get to see the Papke's!  Never a shortage of laughs!  In a few years we will able to actually sit back and relax a little - these days we are constantly chasing kids but we wouldn't have it any other way!

Bennet & Jack

Madelyn & Lyla

Madelyn & Daddy swimming!

Bouncing on the trampoline!

Eating treats!

  

Jack loved stacking blocks!
He was really concentrating!

Captain Madelyn!!

  

Rain

Tonight it started raining and Jack couldn't have been happier.  We were in the garage and Jack started to peak his head out.  I wasn't sure what he would think when his little head started getting wet…..well, the pictures tell the whole story - he was loving it!  There is nothing more precious than seeing the pure joy on the face of children!  Madelyn on the other hand didn't want anything to do with getting wet - I'm not one bit surprised! :)  Fun ending to a fun weekend!!!