Saturday night we attended a birthday party for my friend Amy's son, Carson. Carson turned 3 years old and had a fun train theme for his party. Amy, Jason (her husband), and Carson live in OH. We met and became friends when we all lived in Indy. Amy's family lives in Fort Wayne and we've been able to stay in touch over the last few years. It's always fun to visit with friends that you don't get to see very often! The kids all had train hats and bandannas in their goody bags. Amy wisely told them they had to pose for a picture before they could start on the pinata. Carson and Ben Carson taking the first hit at the pinata. Ben's turn to take a whack at it!

The weather is beautiful out today and we had a great morning at the park with our friends. We met my friend Bekah and her kids (Tiana, Isaiah, and Amarah) at Grabill Park. There was no one else there, so we had the run of the place. The kids played and played and played. Later, after a picnic lunch, we headed home so that all the munchkins could get some rest. Playing on the train. Going down one of the smaller slides. Riding a horse (or perhaps a zebra...I'm not sure). Swinging with Tiana. Riding on another kind of swing. We had such a fun time at the park. It's always nice to hang out with friends! :)

Today it was time for a trip out into the world. We've been at home the last couple days and I needed to get out and do something. I wasn't sure what I felt like doing, so I let Ben choose from either the mall or the zoo. He chose the mall and away we went! We started with a snack from Starbucks...coffee for me and milk & cookie for Ben. He played in the play area for a while. Took a boat ride. Threw a few pennies into the fountain. Curt met us for lunch and then they took a carousel ride together. We had a fun morning and it was great to get out of the house! :)

Last Friday, we were able to spend a few hours soaking up the sun at the Grand Haven Beach. I wish we lived closer to Lake Michigan and could go there more often. My parents, Jacob (my brother), and Bella (my cousin's daughter) came along too. It was 75 degrees and sunny...I couldn't have asked for better weather. Ben loved playing in the sand and water. We'll definitely have to fit in a trip again next summer! Ben had so much fun playing in the sand with his sand toys. Me and Curt My mom and dad Curt and Ben checking out the water after we first arrived. Bella wanted to put her toes in the water too! Jacob and Bella My dad, Ben, and Curt took a walk down the beach to the pier/lighthouse. Gramps and Ben out on the pier. They saw a Coast Guard boat near the pier. We, of course, had to stop for an ice cream treat before heading back to my parent's house for the rest of the weekend.

This sweet girl is my niece Molly. She is having major surgery tomorrow morning (Monday) to solve some problems caused by a Chiari 1 Malformation. She recently started showing signs of scoliosis and since she is only seven years old, she was sent to a neurologist to find out if there was anything going on in her brain. That's when the malformation was discovered. It is working as a plug for her spinal fluid. The doctors are going to create some kind of "patch" to allow the spinal fluid to flow through. The surgery will take 2-4 hours and she will spend a few days recovering in the hospital in Grand Rapids. Please pray for to surgery to go smoothly and for God to guide the doctor's hands. WE LOVE YOU MOLLY! ***Update*** This is a picture of Molly recovering after surgery. (Taken from my sister's facebook) The surgery went well and lasted a couple of hours. It sounds like she will be in quite a bit of pain for a few days, so please keep praying for her to get...

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.