Cute Random Videos

Fun can always be had on the Slip N Slide!!!!!

I think Shea and Uncle Rob better watch out - their hurdling records might just be in danger - check out this one from Ryan!!!

Here is Zoe singing Shelby to sleep - TOO CUTE!!!

Jared's Fish!

Jared and Doug went on their first overnight Cub Scout camping trip. They had a good time together and Jared caught a whopper!

Shelby's Birthday!

We all went to the ceramics studio and painted something for Shelby's birthday - it was a lot of fun. Shelby loved her Tinkerbell cake and Grandma Janet helped her paint her penguin bank. Ryan and Zoe used every color they could find on their items. I can't wait to see how they turn out after firing. They will be quite colorful for sure!! We brought Shelby's best friend, Emily with us and she had a great time as well - btw - Emily was the one who had Shelby stay at her house while we were in Taiwan!

Photos of Daytona trip

Just a bunch of photos! All in all - the kids had a great time. It was fun for us, too - but a lot of work to drive that far with the 4 of them! The boys got along great in the van and had fun watching Alvin & the Chipmunks in English, Spanish and French! The girls had a little tougher time getting along, but they are learning how to be sisters!

Daytona trip - July 2 - 9, 2008

We drove all day on the 3rd, then crashed at a hotel - the kids were wiped out after 8 hours in the car and swimming at the hotel. Definitely no problem getting them to sleep!

When we go to Mom's place in Ormond Beach (a suburb of Daytona) on the 4th, we went down to the inlet/river/whatever in Daytona Beach to see the fireworks, but never made it that long. The kids were wiped out and cranky, so we walked around a little and went back to Mom's house to get them (and us) to bed. Zoe and Ryan fell asleep before we even made it back to Mom's and it is a 15 minute drive!

July 5th - our first real day in Daytona Beach and this picture of Shelby says it all!!! The kids LOVED the beach and Shelby could've chased waves all day!

All of the kids loved the waves, digging in the sand and trying to find shells, although we didn't find many the first day.

Doug and I went to the race at Daytona International Speedway on Sat night - it was fun, but neither of our drivers won (my favorite had to leave the race with the flu). It was cool to finally see a race there after watching so many on TV from there.

We went to Busch Gardens in Tampa on Sunday - it was pretty cool - lots of amazing plants and fun animals to see. We got rained on twice - big time. The first time, we weathered the storm under a fake tree - the picture below is of Zoe, Shelby and Ryan in the tunnel under the tree. The second time, it was a downpour and it was getting late, so we bought ponchos and made a break for the van.

Aren't we cute!!?? - ok, I'm not - but the kids sure are! We had extra clothes for the kids, but not for us, so we froze our bottoms off the whole drive back to Mom's house.

We're Back! Did you miss us? =)

I know, I know! It has almost been a whole month since my last blog! Please forgive me! We have had a VERY busy July. We went on a road trip to Daytona for 7 days, had Shelby's birthday, and Jared & Doug had their first official Cub Scout camping trip! There is MUCH to catch up on - so this will be a biggie! ENJOY!!!

Stuff I forgot from the trip!

Crackers anyone?
Yes, that's right - a Hello Kitty Airplane - and just when you thought you had seen it all!!!
I'm not 100% sure what this sign is supposed to mean....are people with canes supposed to watch out for people in wheelchairs???
this is cranky-pants after 20+ hours of traveling. She really did well. All 3 of us were ready to be home - this was taken during our 2 hour delay in Detroit before the final flight home.

Random Fun Pics!

here are Shelby & Zoe in their matching Chinese outfits! The girls would wear these 24/7 if we let them!











We went to the park behind our house, had a quick bike riding session and then hit the fountains - the kids had a great time!!














Things are going well here. Zoe is still fitting in like any other 7 year old girl. She is very active, very smart and we really couldn't have hoped that things would be going this well! I am attaching several pics of all of the kids during some of our summer fun! We are leaving for Florida on Thurs the 3rd, so there will be some more to see soon!