Our friends, Patty and Olivia, invited us to spend the morning at their neighborhood pool. We haven't visited with them in a while, so it was a fun way to spend the morning. Ben took a little bit of time to warm up to the pool, but after a while he was having fun in his float. He seems to do better with pools than splash parks. I think he just doesn't like the water splashing in his face. I just got a couple pictures because it was hard to have the camera nearby when I was with him in the pool. Testing out the water in the big pool. He brought some of his Cars color changers to play with in the little pool.

One of our local theaters had Alvin and the Chipmunks playing today for $1. Ben and I had never seen it before, so I thought it might be a fun way to spend the morning. He did an awesome job sitting still on my lap during the whole movie. I was very surprised because the previews ran for almost a half an hour and I didn't think the movie would hold his attention that long. Ben really liked the parts when the chipmunks would dance and sing. Curt asked Ben last night if he was going to go on a date with mom today. He laughed and said, "Nooo!" It was a movie and popcorn...sounds like a date to me. :) Enjoying some yummy popcorn before the movie started.

This weekend Molly (Curt's sister), Tim, and kids (Abby, Katie, and Brady) came for a visit. The weather was extremely hot, so we spent as much time indoors as possible. These high temps have made me very thankful for air-conditioning! On Friday morning, the guys went golfing and the rest of us had a nice lazy morning at home. Saturday we went to the zoo. This was their first visit to the Fort Wayne zoo. It was fun to show them around a place we love to visit. We had such a fun weekend together! I forgot to get my camera out most of the time, so I'm sure I missed a lot of great moments. I'll have to try better next time. :) Ben giving Brady a kiss on Friday night. Brady giving Curt a cute smile. :) Ben, Katie, and Molly looking at the monkeys. Katie and Ben in the safari car. The kids tried out the cot with mosquito netting. Watching the leopards. Ben trying to smile with a mouth full of food. The humidity really did wonderful things to my hair. Looking at the zebras. Ben ...

The Fort Wayne Children's Zoo celebrated Bill (the lion's) 4th birthday today. They had a few stations planned for the kids throughout the African Journey section. Ben and I went with our friends Erin (Will) and Bekah (Tiana, Isaiah, and Amarah). It was a hotter day than I was expecting. We were all pretty sweaty after our visit. Thankfully, we were able to sit in the shade to enjoy our lunch together. Ben posing for his picture as "Bill." All of the kids (minus Amarah) piled into the safari car. They had some binoculars available that the kids could use to look for Bill at the lion exhibit. Isaiah is looking for him in this picture. After his turn, Isaiah helped show Ben how to use the binoculars. Ben, Isaiah, and Tiana looking at the mongoose. Tiana feeding the giraffe. Ben and Will playing the drums. Will has a big birthday coming up in a few days...he's going to be 2 years old! Watching the sea lions. Lunch Time!

Tonight, Ben fell on the floor and got a little rug burn on his forehead from the carpet. He looked at the injury in the mirror and decided that he needed a band-aid...or a "bandain" as he calls them. Reading a book with dad after taking care of the injury. Who wouldn't look good with a Cars band-aid on their forehead?

Ben and I took a trip to the zoo today. We spent most of our time in the African Journey section, which is one of our favorite parts. Most of the animals were pretty active (besides the sleeping hyenas), so it was fun to stop and watch them walk around. Ben stopped to say hi to the pelican. He was very excited to feed the giraffes. Our last few visits, the giraffes haven't come close enough to eat. The lady even gave Ben two pieces of lettuce, for the price of one, since one piece was a little small. Beating on the drums. A smile from Ben before the train ride got started.

This morning, Ben and I displayed our artistic talents (or in my case lack of :) ) on the back patio. It was nice because the backyard was still shaded at that time of day and we were able to draw for a long time without getting too hot. By the time we were done, we had chalk all over our clothes and Ben even got some on his nose! I don't think there's really an easy way to draw with sidewalk chalk and stay clean. Ben thinking about what to draw next. He said he was drawing a picture of mom, dad, and Ben. I think we look pretty good! He took Felipe and Turner outside with us (from Handy Manny ) and asked me to draw them. My artistic skills have no limits...Ha! :)

Seven years ago, on a beautiful Saturday, I married my best friend. I can't imagine going through life without him by my side. I look forward to many more years celebrating life together. Happy Anniversary Curt!

On Saturday, we spent the evening on Lake Cadillac with Curt's family. It was fun to be out on on the lake with the whole family. Ben had fun riding on the boat and didn't even complain about his life jacket at all! We've been visiting Cadillac for the weekend to celebrate the birthdays of my mother-in-law and niece Jenna. Today, we also went to a family reunion, but I neglected to get my camera out the whole time. :( Curt and Ben all set for the voyage to begin. Katie and Jacob Peyton, me (with wind blown hair), and Ben Ben's Uncle Tim let him take a turn driving the boat. Ben sitting with his Pop. Giving Grandma a hug.

This afternoon, Ben carefully built some houses with his little blocks. He was so focused on it that I decided to snap a few pictures of the progress. Working on his houses. Adding another roof. A big smile after all the work was over! :)

Since we didn't have any big plans scheduled for this 4th of July, we decided to spend the morning at Buckner Park. We took Ben there a few times last summer, but this was the first trip this year. It is pretty hot and sunny out today and it helped to cool off in the splash pad. After having a picnic lunch, we headed home for nap time. Ben is not very adventurous when it comes to water. He especially doesn't like freezing cold water (even when it's hot out). It took a little coaxing to get him to come into the water. We took turns helping Ben reach for the water. He got brave enough to touch a tiny fountain, but he stayed away from all of the big ones. He seemed to like the playground a lot more than the splash pad. Overall, we had a fun morning together enjoying the sunshine!