Camping Weekend with Friends

This past weekend we went camping to Ludington State Park with our friends - the Geurinks, the Heukers & the Lucas' (& Throwers came to visit us as on Saturday). We had a wonderful time - it was a beautiful campground with lots of trails and near Lake Michigan and Lake Hammlin. We had great sites - a little sun and a little shade with lots of empty "green" spaces around it so we had tons of room. The kids played together so well and were little adventurers around the campsite. It was just so cute seeing all 4 of them walking around & playing. It was also a fun chance to hang out with our friends, especially around the campfire at night b/c we got to catch up without interruption and have a lot of laughs! We spent most of our time at the campsite, but we did venture out on the trails, up a bunch of stairs to see the skyline view of Ludington, and we also played at the beach by Lake Hammlin. Saturday we attended (& Brad played guitar) our college friend, Johnny's wedding to his fiance Kishon. It happened to be in Ludington which was so cool since we had no idea when we planned the camping trip that it would there. It was a beautiful waterside ceremony and we were blessed to have been there for it. That night ,after the reception, we celebrated Ella's 1st Birthday since we were all together. Although she was super exhausted from not really napping at all the whole weekend, she did manage to hold out for a cupcake! (If she is anything like her mom, she would never miss an opportunity to eat chocolate, especially since it was her first time having it!) It was a wonderful weekend with amazing weather and great friends!Layla and Ella were so cute together!Thanks to the Geurinks & Heukers, Ella was loving these new toys to play with!Playing with Dad at the beachside parkThe girls - Lindsey, Jamie & Mere Oh boy - she is boy crazy already! (Ella & Jonathan)Girls...and boys...will be girls (if you can't tell, Alden, Ella & Layla have ponytails & Jonathan had on a headband:)

"Best Buds" - Brad & Ella, Curt & Alden on our hike along the river

Johnny, Kishon and their baby Ava (10 months) at their wedding

Alden and Ella taking a walk before the ceremony...apparently they wanted to be alone. Brad and Curt joined them later to chaperone:)
Our little family at the receptionI thought this was too cute not to include - Brad and Ella were exhausted after we got back from the wedding so they were taking a cat nap in the car Happy 1st Birthday early my love!

The group - Jill, Brad, Ella, Alden, Curt, Jamie, Joe, Elvis, Mere, Layla, Darrell, Jonathan, & Lindsey (+ Baby Heuker & Baby Geurink :)

Last Beach Day of the Summer

This past Sunday it was so nice out that we couldn't resist going to the beach one last time!

Family Night

This past Friday night we had a family gathering at my parents house to celebrate Brad, whose birthday was Friday night, and my brother Ross and I, whose birthdays were on Saturday. It was a great night just hanging out outside and letting the kids play! It was a great way to celebrate our Birthdays!Ella trying to keep up with the other kids Reed, Kennedy & Carley racing their Gator and Jeep down the drivewayGirls Rule! (Bryan and Kooper taking up last place:))Ella loves my parents dog Josie - all she wanted to do was stand by the fence and pet herMy Mom and Dad (known by my nieces & nephews at Grandpa and Grandma Josie:)

Josie Mae Rotman

Ross and Kolter

Grandpa Rotman and EllaOur little family

Bye Bye Big Star

Labor Day weekend drew our summer up at the cottage to a close. It was an absolutely gorgeous weekend and we had fun doing our favorite things at the lake - laying out in the sun, swimming, playing with Macie (Betsy & Jake's dog), taking boat rides, napping, getting ice cream, reading, watching TV and just hanging out with the family. Although the relaxation factor of being up there was much different this year, it was such a blessing to have Ella there and watch her experience new things. We will miss being up there now that summer is over but we also look forward to weekends at home now! Ella and Lily playingAunt Kylee and EllaBrad found some old VHS's of cartoons and movies that he watched when he was young there so he and Ella were watching bits and pieces:)A little sunset cruise around the lakeIt was hilarious - Ella likes to sit by Brad when he is driving the boat and somehow she grabbed the throttle and the boat lurched forward a bit - she totally freaked out:) (For all you boaters safety people, we were riding during no wake time & she will not keep on a life jacket so just ignore the fact that she isn't wearing one:)Our last boat ride of the year - Ella enjoyed it until she zonked out on Grandma's shoulder"Bye Bye Big Star!"

11 months old!

September 3 marked 11 months since Ella was born. She is such an amazing gift to us. Every month has brought new experiences and joys with her and although it is bittersweet that time has gone by so fast, we are so thankful for our little girl and treasure these past 11 months. Her little personality is really shining through - very strongwilled (definately knows what she wants) but is very cuddly and playful. She is walking now which is so exciting! Although she can be wobbly and falls often, she is a determined little one and prefers to walk around whenever she can. To me there is nothing cuter than seeing such a tiny little person walking around like a little old lady. She is always full of smiles and continues her passion for squealing...very loudly:) Brad and I are convinced she is going to be quite a social butterfly someday because she is not totally content unless she can be in the midst of all the action, especially where other children are concerned. Her favorite things continue to be watching cars & people from the window, playing with toys (especially hitting things together), walking around the house behind her car/bike, being chased around the house by Brad & I, taking walks, squealing at dogs, waving at everything in sight and eating anything as long as she can feed herself and make a mess:). At this point she tends to be a mama's girl, but no one can make her smile and laugh like her daddy! This past month she was at the Dr's for some "poopy problems" so these are her stats as of 2 weeks ago: 22.2lbs (80th percentile) and 30 3/4 in (off the charts). Here are some pictures of her throughout the past month ...

Ella stuffing her face full of rice when we went to Kobe Steakhouse with Betsy, Jake & Lily. The Japanese restaurant was perfect for a night out with her b/c it was loud, there was entertainment (the chef) and food was great even for her!

"Uh-oh Cheerio!"

"I can do it myself!"

My sunscreen baby Einstein look:)

Duck watching at the park
Looking pretty with Daddy!

I love blueberries!

Playing in the sand at the beach

Watching Daddy mow...it was so funny...she would yell and giggle whenever he went by the window and break into tears when she couldn't see him...the cycle continued long enough so that I ended up just going outside the rest of the time he mowed to make her happy:)

"I think I can, I think I can!"
She loves to pick up every little thing she sees on the ground, especially in the driveway...we spend the whole time making sure she doesn't eat it all...woodchips, dead bees, bugs, stones - yuck!

Ella and Daddy
Lately she loves to play with hangers...gotta love the cheap toys:)

"I'm a big kid now!"Bye Bye!