Beach Bound

Ella celebrated her Eighth Birthday at Grand Haven last Friday. She and three of her buddies donned their bathing suits and hit the waves for lots of sun, fun, and giggles! Ella planned the majority of the festivities on her own. Her wish list in the planning:
Go to Grand Haven
With a few friends
Play on tubes
Walk the Pier
Get ice cream on the pier
Have fun
Eat Pizza
Well we did it ALL!
Here are some pictures of the fun!

Ella, Ella, Lola, and Avery

Did I mention there was tons of GIGGLING??

Superhero Dad made the girls day by "throwing" them in the water! {Dad earned bonus points for skipping work and hanging with a bunch of girls for the day!}

Sandcastle village

Ready to walk the beach and pier

Goofy faces at the lighthouse

On the rocks, what a lovely bunch of ladies

Decisions, decisions...which flavors?

Deliciousness!

Enjoying presents and Pizza! What a perfect way to end the day!

Our Trip to Indy

Slideshow personalized with Smilebox

Mid August we traveled to Indianapolis to visit with the "Indy Moorlags". We had so much fun playing outside and inside. It was warm on Saturday which made playing in the yard and driveway ideal. On Sunday, it rained so we headed to the Indianapolis Children's Museum. We had fun hanging out with Mike, Sarah, Josie and Elyse. We are so excited for the arrival of their little "man" in a few weeks. Here are a few pictures of our fun.

Frolickin Fun

Frolickin Fun

We've been out running through gardens, hanging with dragons, splashing in water, and enjoying ourselves FULLy this summer. It is hard to believe that September is just around the corner. We have been filling our days with sun, fun, family, & friends. I have lots of catching up to do and only a few days left before the rush of "back to school" begins!

A day spent at the gardens... man we never get sick of this place!

Playdate with friends at the lake.

We don't go anywhere without our American Girl Dolls. Christian hanging with the gals!

Treats on the deck and yes there were doll sized rice krispie treats, too!

Lego Land

Carter is completely enamored with Legos these days. He will spend huge chunks of his day building and creating different machines and inventions. He was really into Lego Land this year. They had just redone all the displays and he was in awe! He had such a fun time just checking everything out. Of course when it came for the time to pick one souvenir, he was mostly interested in the kits that cost over $100. :) Silly boy.

The huge helicopter

Woody

Checking out!

Finally a decision was made. Now to get him to wait to open it until we arrive in Michigan....(not as difficult as I thought).

We can't wait to go back to visit the next time!

Mall of America

I haven't been the greatest at keeping up with the blog lately. Lots of pictures to share but with the calendar turning to August, I am trying to wrap up a few projects at home, plan for Ella's birthday and begin thinking of going back to school.
Here are some pictures of our fun at the MOA. We rode rides, met cartoon characters, ate lunch at the Rainforest Cafe, and then enjoyed dessert at American Girl!

Ella thought the chairs were fun!

It definitely had lots of atmosphere. The fog and thunderstorms were a huge hit along with the different fish tanks.

The food was delicious too!

Oh yes, we loved the talking tree!

The infamous American Girl Doll Store!

Our happy little shopper

Birthday Desserts were AMAZING!

They have it planned down to the perfect details. They let Coconut sit on the counter, brought her a waterdish, and had pink lemonade and "ice cream with sprinkles" for Ainsley. (the doll)

Enjoying our time together ...just us girls!

Can you even stand this?? How stinking cute. Ella was giddy!

We met and hugged a few characters!

The WonderPets

The Backyardigans

The rides

Here Ella and Carter are on the top of the Ferris Wheel. A fun ride with dad.
It was a fun trip for all. We had a quick rest on our way to Uncle Ryan's then we were off to the Twins game.

Take Me Out ......

TO THE BALLGAME! During our time in Minnesota we HAD to make our way to Target Field. This year it just so happened the Twins were playing the Tigers. To the dismay of the men, the Tigers were victorious. But we still had a wonderful time despite the loss and the heat! Here are a few pictures of our fun.

The Moorlag men enjoying the game and the "dogs"!

On the way to the ballpark
{Excuse the picture order- I am having trouble with uploading pics to Blogger}

Ella and Grandpa!