Hoosier Girl: July 2013

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Summer, summer, summer! :)

We are having SO MUCH FUN this summer!!!

We recently celebrated my husband and my TENTH wedding anniversary. We went to Shipshewana, Indiana as a family to celebrate with dinner at the Blue Gate Restaurant, a cheese factory for some AWESOME cheese samples, and a park for the kids to play.

Bryatt was having his third round of cheese samples, I believe, lol. They have the BEST CHEESE EVER!!! You can also watch them make cheese, which is pretty awesome.
www.babyswiss.com/dkh_cheese.htm

  Hubby, Baylen, Me, Bryatt, Grandma Far, Broden, and Grandpa at the Blue Gate Restaurant.
           www.riegsecker.com/shipshewana/bluegaterestaurant/
                         (It was delicious!)

Bryatt after he enjoyed his drumstick.

I can't believe its been 10 years already! Love, love, LOVE this man!

<3 Love <3

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Scidmore Park

About a week later we visited Three Rivers Michigan to check out Scidmore Park. Its this great park/petting zoo. The kids had such a good time.

Scidmore Park's super sweet playground. :)

Broden, Baylen & Bryatt. They are so cute!!!

Scidmore Park also has Ostriches, llamas, ponies, chickens, ducks, turtles, a pig, a tortoise, and inside the building all sorts of snakes, spiders, lizards, iguanas, sugar gliders, and birds. It is a really neat place. www.michigan.org › Farm Markets

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The Zoo

The first week of June, we went to the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo. It was so fun to watch how excited the kids were. It was a blast!
kidszoo.org/

(girly screech of excitement)
We got to feed the giraffes! <3

Baylen, J., Grandma Near, Bryatt, really big frog, & Broden.

Bryatt's first train ride. :)

I painted my babies favorite animals on their shirt for the zoo. They really liked them.

They were standing in front of this guy...yikes!

They had so many beautiful peacocks! We had a great time. :)

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Baseball

Baylen and Broden just finished up baseball for the season. This was Broden's first year in t-ball. This is Baylen's fourth year of ball. It was a very exciting season.

Baylen (9yrs old), Daddy (Asst. Coach), and Broden (5yrs old).

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Splish Splash!

Our first day of swimming this summer. (Beginning of June)

Can you tell how stoked they are to get in the pool?!?

Already to swim! My arm wasn't long enough to get all of everybody in the pic, ha ha.

Oh glorious summer, you are going by waaaaaaay too quickly!

Monday, July 8, 2013

Glasses and braces at the same time?!?!?

Tough stuff....

My wonderfully handsome 9 year old has gone through a tough spring emotionally. We all want to look and feel our best and no one wants to feel out of place or awkward or different from others. Baylen had to get glasses for school work and screen time which he felt was awful enough, but then about 1 and a half months later had to get an expander then step 1 of braces. NOT fun stuff! I would much rather take glasses over all the mental and emotional discomfort he had to go through. However I do know that they are both for his own good. Many, many people wear glasses, they look good on him too. He is also fortunate that he only has to wear them sometimes. The expander and braces suck. But his father and I will do anything we can to help their health and self confidence. Baylen was going to have major dental problems later if we didn't address it now. Even though the orthodontist bills are extreme and make it very financially tight, it will definitely be worth it.

Baylen in his new glasses, playing the Wii.

I think they make him look sophisticated.

On our way to the orthodontist....yes, I let them dress themselves......

Explaining to Baylen what he'll have done...

Yeah, mom, I'm doing ok.....

Never mind mom, I hate this....

I don't know how to feel...is it over?

Just happy its over with!

It was an adjustment, but as you can tell by a much more recent photo, he appears to be over it. And everyone has been super supportive. :) Love this kid! My tough guy.

Monster Trucks and the Circus....

The "Circus"

So....we missed the Shrine Circus when it came to our area because of not having the extra cash. The boys weren't aware of it even happening but I was completely bummed because I had planned on taking them. Well, a few months later there was this "circus" that was going to be at our local armory where adults were $10 but kids were free. That sounded pretty good. Mind you, I knew it couldn't be as awesome or near as big as the Shrine Circus because of the price and it being in a small building. It was about the size of a school gym. The pictures I have below are pretty much all there was. (Other than a REALLY old pony they brought out to stand on a stool and a misbehaving monkey.)

The circus performers were talented and all, it just wasn't enough for me to do it again. Lol.

Regardless, there were smiles from the boys & they were entertained even when hubby and I weren't and that's all that matters. :)