Thursday, October 28, 2010

Guess who just turned TWO?

That's right, our little Michael just had a birthday! He turned 2 this past Saturday, Oct 23rd. We celebrated on Friday late afternoon with a small pumpkin patch party. We then headed to a local pizza spot for dinner. It was a wet day that day but the kids did not seem to mind. They made pumpkin crafts, went on rides, enjoyed birthday cake, and even picked out a pumpkin of their own to take home. I have posted a few pictures from Michael's party for you.

I figured this post would be the perfect time to give an update on our little guy. Michael continues to have such a sweet little personality. He is so silly and loves to laugh and make others laugh too. He cracks himself up all the time. Michael plays so well by himself and really does not need to be entertained much. That being said, he likes to take off on his own quite a bit too. At a park you have a keep an eagle eye on this boy. Within seconds he will stray from the fun play structure equipment to the more exciting soccer fields where all the birds are hanging out!!!

At 2 years Michael...........
loves to ride his tricycle (aka his "bike"), he does not pedal yet but he is fast on his feet
has mastered riding a scooter
loves to jump
likes to color and draw (sometimes on other things that paper)
could play outside ALL DAY
is a good sleep and eater
likes anything with wheels... cars, trucks, trains,
likes dinosaurs
has a least a couple hundred words he can say (Gracyn, Macie, Michael, No, Eat, Bike, Outside,
Mommy, Daddy, car, truck, train, etc........)
copies EVERYTHING big sis does
has been to Illinois, Lake Tahoe, Yosemite, South Dakota, Iowa, Colorado, Mexico, Maui, Disneyland, Bass Lake, and Santa Barbara.
is still a big kid but has slowed down on growth 85% in height and 80% in weight.
is happy, happy, happy boy.
can count to 7
is starting to learn colors but always guesses pink first!
can sing the ABCs (sort of), itsy bitsy spider, twinkle twinkle little star, and jingle bells
loves to make dinosaur and lion noises, very loud!

I'm sure there are many more accomplishments I could add to the list and this list seems to grow with everyday. We are so blessed to have this little boy a part of our family and than God everyday for him! Happy Birthday Baby Michael!!












Monday, October 25, 2010

Yosemite Family Trip

We just got back from a trip to Yosemite National Park. What an amazing and beautiful place. We stayed in a 4 bedroom cabin/house inside the park near the south gate entrance. We went with Dave's parents and brother for our annual Ard Family trip. The weather was perfect. We only had a little rain the last day but other than that is was very warm and sunny. We saw as much as we could, hiked as far as we could with the kids, and also enjoyed some relaxing. Here are a few pictures. Enjoy!


Mariposa Grove


Half Dome

Our silly and very dirty kids
Little explorers
Yosemite Valley

Thursday, October 7, 2010

The past week

I'm just posting a quick update and a few pictures of the last week.

Thankfully it seems fall is finally here. We had 100 degree weather for about 4 days straight last weekend so I have been loving these 70 degree days! Below are some pictures from the Down Syndrome Buddy Walk and a play date with our neighbors. Everyone is doing well and I am now 20 weeks pregnant! It's crazy to believe that we are half way there. Enjoy the photos!