Caleb quotes

Caleb has been reading the book, "If You Give A Pig A Pancake." It starts with, "If you give a pig a pancake, he'll ask for some maple syrup." Yesterday at supper, Caleb said, "If you give a Cardale a pancake, he's going to throw it up." We started laughing so hard. You can probably figure out why Caleb said that, yes, Cardale did throw up after we gave him a piece of pancake. He has a very sensitive gag reflex.

It is fun watching Caleb develop a sense of humor.

Last weekend Nate's parents came for a visit. The boys always enjoy seeing them. On Saturday, they took the boys to the beach. Caleb doesn't like Lake Michigan and Isaac kept eating sand, but overall they had fun!:)

We also had our annual college friends get together last weekend. We went out for a kid-free dinner on Friday night. It is so nice to have uninterrupted conversation! On Saturday afternoon we went to one of our friend's house and hung out. Originally we had planned on going to the beach with all of our kids, however there were 6 babies added to the group over this past year. Babies and beaches do not mix well, so we wisely nixed that idea. It's always fun to see everyone again!

Fun Times

I thought I would post some new pics of the boys. I pulled out the kiddie pool this week and the boys loved it! Isaac mostly enjoyed getting in and out of the pool repeatedly. Caleb enjoyed having a playmate in the pool! I put Cardale's toes in as well, but I couldn't get a picture of all three boys-Isaac doesn't sit still for long and he goes under easily. Cardale was happy sitting in the stroller and observing the mayhem.

Another exciting development is that Isaac is walking! He has been practicing taking steps on his own. The farthest he has gone is about halfway across the room. I love watching babies learn to walk. They look like little Frankensteins with their arms straight out in front of them.

Today is a rainy day here, but that is ok. The last picture is of the boys "watching" golf together. Isaac only sat there for the picture and then wanted down. My Mom was here for a couple days which was a huge help. We always enjoy having visitors!

Fourth of July

Going for a bike ride with Dad!
Caleb went fishing for the first time and loved it.

We had a very nice holiday weekend. We went to my grandparent's cottage in WI and my sister rode along with us. The trip out there was so long! Traffic was horrible and it took us 7 hours. Cardale is a champion traveler though! Isaac doesn't like being confined for any period of time.:) We had a relaxing time there. Some of my extended family was there and they helped out alot with the kids. The weather was perfect! I went waterskiing for the first time in a couple years. Last year I was pregnant and couldn't go. It was such a great feeling. It was like all the responsibility fell off my shoulders. I wasn't a mother of three anymore- I just felt like I was 16 again! We also did some kayaking and dragged Caleb on a boat ride. He was pretty much scared the whole time and kept asking when the ride would be done. Maybe he'll like it more next year.

Yesterday we went to a foster care picnic that Bethany put on. I'm glad we went. It was encouraging to talk with other foster parents. To be reassured that we're doing a good thing, that no our kids are not going to be scarred for life, and that it's ok and normal to not always like being foster parents. There are definitely moments when Nate and I say, "Can you imagine how easy life would be right now with only two kids?" But, we just have to look at Cardale to realize that we wouldn't want to change anything.