A beautiful day

We have an awesome backyard....except when it rains. The trees and the poor drainage make it a muddy mess for days. With all the rain we've had this summer, it's been hit or miss for playing outdoors. We've started having some beautiful fall days now though, so we've been taking advantage of them. At the beginning of this week we played in the backyard for a couple of hours and burned some much needed energy! The kids had a great time swinging and playing on the slide and in the clubhouse.

This old pump was cemented into the ground as a landscape piece, but we put our swingset where it was. So now it leans against the fence until we find a better place for it!

Look out Brynn...here comes Lauren.

This is what Dexter prefers to do on a sunny day.

Hailey loves to swing!

Peeking over the clubhouse wall.

I thought this swing would be fun because they would be able to pump themselves. I was wrong...and now I just have another swing to push.:)

Adam & Elise's wedding

Ryan's sister Elise was married this past Saturday at Copper Creek Golf Course in Pleasant Hill. It turned out to be a perfectly beautiful day for the outdoor ceremony. Lots of friends and family came to help them celebrate and I think everything went pretty smoothly! Lucas and Reagan were the ring bearer and flower girl and I was honored to be the Matron of Honor. It was fun to see our little family all dressed up for the occasion. Congratulations, Adam & Elise!

Reagan in her flower girl dress. She loved to twirl!

Drew looking good in his shirt and tie!

Lauren enjoying a snack with Grandpa Wayne before the ceremony.

The bride, bridesmaids and flower girl

The Notebooms looking spiffy!

The entire Mike Noteboom family

The Great Grandkids with their Omas and Opa

When Reagan got almost to the end of the aisle she said, "Uh Oh, I ran out of flowers!" I was trying to motion her to just keep on walking!

The rings

We finally got to dance. All Reagan really cared about was the cake and dancing!

Drew and Lauren on the dance floor.

Ryan thought Drew looked like a stock broker after a long day at work.:)

We finally got Luke out on the dance floor and boy does he have some moves!

A miniature Fred Astaire. Hee Hee!

Exhausted!

We had a great time camping this weekend with almost all of the Van Mersbergen extended family. Every year we get together for a camping trip. Last year we started going to a Loop campsite at Saylorville, which is really nice for all the kids we have along. They can run and ride their bikes and we don't have to worry about them being on the road. Unfortunately I forgot my camera, so I'll have to try to snag pictures from family members. We had a great time. It was nice to be able to use my Uncle Jim and Aunt Arlene's old camper again....especially last night when it rained (Thanks again, guys!)! Drew is definitely our child that likes camping the least. I'm not sure what his deal is, because he loves to be outdoors, but he gets so tired and crabby. I asked him if he likes camping and he shook his head "no" with a sad look on his face.:) Hopefully once he turns three he'll enjoy it more! It was a great weekend. The kids were so exhausted that they were all in bed by 6:30. I think it will be an early night for me as well! It kind of marks the end of our summer activities, but this weather is getting me excited for fall! Next weekend is Ryan's sister's wedding, so look for those pictures to be coming soon. I won't forget my camera this time.:)