Summer Fun- For the Kidz Gymnastics

We met our small group friends at For the Kidz Gymnastics for one of their open gym sessions.  It was fun to let the kids run around and burn off some energy, even though it was quite hot in there.  Kaden will miss being able to go to open gym when he's in school, so I think I may have to keep it a secret if I take the girls during the day.  He loves jumping on the trampolines, running around, and climbing.  Actually, they all do! :)

Boulder Ridge Wild Animal Park

The weather this week has been absolutely beautiful, so we've been trying to take advantage of it and cross some things off of our summer bucket list.  Today we took a trip to Boulder Ridge Wild Animal Park with our neighbors/friends.  I'm so thankful that God has blessed us with amazing neighbors.  Our kids are similar ages and they all get along so well.  It is such a blessing to share life together with another Christian family!  The kids loved spending time at the zoo.  This was a perfect little zoo for our kids.  Everything was close together and they got to see so many different animals- including giraffes!  They even got to pet and hold little chicks and baby rabbits! We enjoyed a ride on the "safari" and enjoyed another picnic lunch.  They all conked out on the way home from all the excitement :)

Summer Fun- Frederick Meijer Gardens

We picked a cool weather day to go to FMG, and while it was much cooler than we thought, we made the most of it and had a fun time anyways.  The bonus of the cooler weather was that there weren't many other people there and the kids didn't get all sweaty from running around :)

After we were done playing, we moved over to the side of FMG and had a picnic lunch that I had packed.  I tried to soak in every minute of this time that we had together.  Hair blowing in the wind, the kids running around, thinking it was the coolest thing ever to have a picnic and eat outside.  Small moments like this are such a blessing and a reminder to slow down and treasure the little things.

Ottawa County Fair

Haworth had their company party at the Ottawa County Fair this year.  The kids thought that was great!  We got tickets to do all kinds of fun things- feed the animals, feed the birds, ride a pony, go on some carnival rides, play some games, and eat fair food.  It was such a fun afternoon and the weather was perfect.

After the fair, we took the kids to Holland State Park.  We picked up a pizza on the way and ate in the sand, watching the boats come in and out of the harbor.  Then we took a walk on the pier.  This was the first time our kids had been out on the pier and they couldn't understand why I was a nervous wreck and made them hold my hand the whole time.  I was reminded how beautiful MI is and I'm thankful we have such amazing places to visit during the summer!

The girls enjoyed some time on the playground while Kaden and Daddy did some big people rides :)

Celebrating 10 yrs in Jamaica!

10 YEARS!!  Wow!  I can't believe how quickly 10 years has flown by.  These past 10 years brought us the blessing of 3 beautiful children, jobs that have met the needs of our family (my changing roles as a mother/teacher, Andy changing jobs several times over the past 10 years), our first house, a new home that we built, friendships gained, times of great faith, struggles, innumerable blessings, a new church home, and so much growth.  We've grown closer together, more in love, bigger in the size of our family, and stronger than I ever could have imagined.  I am blessed to be happily married to the most wonderful husband in the world.  A husband that works hard to support our family, a husband who loves and plays with his children, a patient husband, and a husband who loves God.  God has been so good to us.  Looking forward to the next 50 years together.  I can't wait to see what God has in store for us in the future.

To celebrate our 10-year anniversary, we decided to take a trip to Jamaica for a week without the kids.  Grandpa and Grandma helped watch the kids so we could get away for awhile, and we are so thankful for the opportunity to get refreshed and renewed.  We spent the week relaxing, reading, enjoying delicious food and beverages, and having no schedule or routine.  It was wonderful! :)

Enjoy some pictures from our trip.  Sorry for all of the selfies- sometimes you have no other choice when it's just the 2 of you! :)

Bus ride to the resort

Andy takes advantage of his cool, refreshing towel

First drink of the week

First dinner of the week

Another selfie :)

This is how Andy spent the week

My favorite picture from the week.  It was so beautiful there!

Resort views

Piggies in the sand

Selfie by the ocean

View of the town by our hotel room

Amazing sunset from our balcony

Celebrating my 33rd birthday tonight!

Anniversary champagne breakfast.  Funny thing is that we didn't even like champagne.  Haha!

Relaxing under a hut on the beach while Andy went snorkeling

Snorkling in the water

Snorkeling in the room?!?

Love this man.

Dressed up for yummy Japanese dinner

Enjoying our Asian cuisine

We got to watch the food cooked right in front of us.  The fried rice was amazing- and in the shape of a heart :)

This is how I spent my week

Trying coconut water

I mostly just took a sip for the picture.  I didn't care for it at all.

Beautiful evening