Green Beans & more

Every two days, GiGi and I have been out picking and snipping green beans. Today we had a little bit more help snipping them. Bumpa, Alex, & Olivia joined in the fun. We got those beans done in no time. Alex & Olivia were both possessive of "their" piles of beans to break in half.

We also had chores for this kids to do. They would actually get excited when we told them it was time to vacuum and swiffer. Go figure...I am sure this excitement will wear off:(

Sanford & Daughter

Why pay money to go to the gym when you can work out for free with Sanford? Bumpa has been "cleaning" out the barn...well trying to make a dent in it, which for those of you who know is easier said than done. I decided to go out and work with Bumpa for a few hours. I learned a lot about separating the "junk" and learned about a lot of different car parts, etc. I also got a very good workout in...and I didn't even have to pay for a membership.

Hot Dog Roast

Many say three times is a charm, however, for us it only took two attempts.  We tried to have a hot dog roast on Sunday, however, it was too windy, so Monday it was.  We packed up the food and just a few minutes later, we were at the pond for our hot dog roast.  The kids (minus Alex for a while) loved running around while the food was cooking...Alex...well he loved sitting at the table waiting for the food. 

Chicken BBQ

This past weekend was the churches annual chicken BBQ. So, GiGi and Bumpa got to the church early to help prepare the food...Bumpa was on chicken duty...and GiGi, well she was on "everything" duty. The food was delicious and the kids had a really good time. Alex ate really fast because he wanted to get into the bounce house. There was a polka band...and I know it may come as a surprise, but Olivia was the most interested in the music. She danced and danced...as a matter of fact, she got her cousins to come out and dance with her, and GiGi well, she was not that far behind. At the end of the afternoon, both Alex and Olivia were just so tired that they "crashed" together.

Fun at the Farm

We continue to stay busy at the farm. The kids enjoy their daily golf cart rides "over the bridge" to look for berries, swimming in the pool, and playing on the swing set. Today, Alex and Olivia helped break the green beans in half after Ali, GiGi and I picked and snipped the ends of the green beans. Bumpa and I tried to get Alex and Olivia to stand in the tractor wheel so we could get their pictures, but they wouldn't, so Bumpa had to do it himself. Well, I guess I should get back to helping Bumpa...we are going through scrap. Until tomorrow...

Summer Time Fun

The summer has gone by very fast. It was filled with a lot of fun days and time with family. We were able to have Ali & Anna with us for a week, and toward the end of the week, the rest of their family joined us. GiGi & Bumpa were able to join us for a Tigers game in Cleveland...to bad the Tigers couldn't even score a run. At least we got to see Pudge in one of his last games as a Tiger. Now we are spending a week on the farm with Alex & Liz...keeping GiGi and Bumpa on their toes. The two girls have been helping GiGi cook & pick green beans, and all three kids have been doing their "jobs" cleaning the back room. I am sure we will have many more adventures to write about during this week at the farm.

Disney Family Vacation

This year we decided to take a family vacation to Disney. We went there with Dale's sister Debbie and her family and were able to spend a week in the land of magic...and it was truly magical! We left on July 5th to begin our adventures and had a week full of fun planned for the kids. We were able to dine with characters each day we were there which was a pretty cool treat. We hit Donald's safari breakfast, Cinderella's Royal Table, Princess Storybook dining at Akershaus, Chef Mickey's, and The Crystal Palace. Olivia LOVED spotting and pointing at the characters and princesses, however, once they got close or it was time to get her picture taken...she got shy! Then they would leave and she would talk all about them. By far, her favorite characters were Goofy and Pluto, and her favorite princess was Ariel!
Her favorite rides were Buzz Lightyear at Magic Kingdom, Toy Story Mania at Hollywood Studios, but the best for her....Cinderella's Carousel (we did this ride at least 20 times and each time she just had to have a purple horse) and each time it was over we heard...AGAIN, AGAIN! She also liked the Tea Cups, but again, she needed a purple tea cup and if one wasn't available, she would get mad.
She really got excited about the parades, especially the SpectroMagic parade at Magic Kingdom, we saw it three times and each time was just as magical for her as the first.
She also really enjoyed swimming, especially once we got her a lifevest to wear in the "big" pool. She was very independent and wanted to do the swimming all by herself. She even went down a waterslide that was at the pool all on her own!
I could ramble on more and more about our trip since we had such a great time, but I won't bore all of you with all of the details.
Sorry there are soooo many pictures, but I promise that that is only a fraction of the 550+ pictures that we took.