Collins Reunion Weekend

This year for the first time we hosted the Collins Family reunion in East Jordan. Aaron, Sheri, Kayla and Khloe came up for the weekend. In addition to the reunion, we celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary, Kurt's birthday, and Sheri's (early) birthday! As usual, Kayla and Cassidy had a blast together. Here they are, bleary-eyed, cuddled up under a blanket together, watching a movie to wind down before bedtime. Travis is very interested in his 6-month younger cousin, Khloe. He loves to crawl over to her and gently (or sometimes not gently enough!) touch her face or her arm. Here they are together, mere seconds before the swing Khloe is in bonked Trav right in the noggin. He survived without much drama, but let me tell you, that girl is lethal in that swing! (Ha ha ha)The day of the reunion was sunny and warm. We had rented the beach building so we could be in or out. The girls had fun blowing bubbles with cousin Ted's girls.Then it was on to playing in the sand.

Cassidy, preparing to blow mommy a kiss!Our little water-loving girl had so much fun in the lake!

Another outdoorsy baby

Just like his big sister, Trav loves to play outside in the grass!

Grandpa and Grandma visit

Grandpa and Grandma Faust came up for a mid-week visit.

We drove up to Harbor Springs to have lunch (okay, really to get some Tom's Mom's Cookies!) What a beautiful day! We did a little shopping and had a great lunch overlooking the harbor. Travis had a great time demolishing orange slices at lunch.

How to make a Pumpkin really, really, really happy

Our girl looooooooves water. That's no secret. She loves taking a bath, splashing in the lake, and being in her pool. Today we pulled out the giraffe pool, which she used and loved last summer but didn't remember. She was SO excited! Here's the proof. Sometimes your smile is so big you have to close your eyes:

Who needs pool toys when you find a tiny piece of a stick to play with and love? Not Cassidy!

Meanwhile...

Travis loves being outside too. He's happy (as always) to crawl around, play with whatever toy he can get his hands on, and adoringly watch his big sister. Playing outside makes Trav hungry!

I want to be a big kid.

July

So far, July has been full of the most beautiful, warm, sunny days,perfect for chasing bubbles... and trying out the tree swing for the first time! Oh, no! They keep getting away from me!
This one's mine for sure!Cassidy just ran around with that pointer finger extended, ready to pop!pop!pop! every bubble she could catch. She would happily chase bubbles all day!

Still Little

She's still finding small spaces to crawl into!

Summer Vacation

We love visiting Port Huron to see the Faust family. We stayed a few nights with Grandpa and Grandma then moved over to Aaron and Sheri's for a few days. We enjoyed walks, bike rides, a birthday party, a Mexican Fiesta party, and a fun Father's Day BBQ. Kayla and Cassidy played and laughed and reminded us yet again how we'd love to live closer together. Here, Kurt got to test out his new bike trailer (Father's Day gift) with the girls in tow.

The girls enjoyed their meals together at Kayla's little table and chairs in the kitchen. I made lunch for them one day and asked Kayla if she liked quesadillas, lima beans and applesauce. She said she didn't like any of that. She did, however, eat Magic Beans, Cheesy Triangles and Saucy Apple Cups. It's all in the phrasing! What cute little gals we have.

Travis spent most of his vacation trying to crawl.

Swinging with cousin Caitlyn on Grandpa's backyard swing

Celebrating Kayla's 4th Birthday

We kicked off our Port Huron vacation at Kayla's 4th birthday party. As usual, the Faust family was blessed with perfect weather for her outdoor party! Here are the girls checking out Kayla's new princess castle.Daddy and his "mini-me"Cassidy dove right in to playing with Kayla's new computer. Grandpa's little buddy