Relaxed Ella

Just look at that TONGUE!!! I always laugh because it is too big for her little mouth and is alwasy falling out!
Play time with Michael!

I'm not sure who is enjoying themself more!!!

The Prize

Some may say he lost the battle, but I say he won the prize. My Grandpa went to be with his Heavenly Father Tuesday night. We take comfort in knowing that his pain is gone, his body is healed, and he is rejoicing in the presence of God. We mourn that Grandpa is no longer here on earth with us, yet rejoice in the time we were able to spend with him and the memories we have of him.

Grandpa was a hard working man of skill. He was talented with wood and every time we would visit, he would have a new creation for us. Somewhere we have a box of all the wooden animals he made. We would always visit him in his workshop and watch him as he showed us to to make things and what tools were used for what.

Every summer us grandkids would get to spend a week with my Grandparents, for my brother and I, it was the time we could spend with just Grandma and Grandpa. We wold stay up late at night playing dice and Rummikub. We went on all kinds of adventures: fishing for sunfish and catching catfish instead, long drives through the mountains, visiting the locks, going to car shows, 5 pin bowling, trips downtown Toronto, visiting the CN tower, spending the day at Ontario place, getting ice-cream at the corner store, going to the beach...

Though we may lay him in the ground today, we have some many memories of Grandpa that we can treasure forever. It's those memories, the ones that we cherish forever, that will keep Grandpa alive in our hearts.

Grandpa, you'll be missed, but I know we will meet again in Heaven. I love you!

Summer Survival Kit

I never really noticed it, but I change up my "beauty regimen" during the summer. I find that I don't need to wear as much make-up (nor do I want to as it usually just sweats off). When I do use it, I opt for a lightweight mineral powder and a touch of mascara.



With the humid weather we get in Michigan, I am absolutely loving this new hair product. It is the best frizz-fighter I have used yet, and it makes my hair so soft and smells amazing! Best of all, I've been using it and it really does meet the expectations I had for it! No frizz. All day!



Like most people, I sweat more in the summer, and the sweat makes me tend to break out a little more on my back and chest. I was thrilled when I found this new product! My skin is clearer than ever!

What are your favorite summer beauty secrets?

All AVON products shown in this post are available here.

Ella's New Toy

When Ella was visiting "her" grandparents last weekend, she inherited a new squeeky ball toy. Can you tell she likes it?

Family Fun

Our weekend in Canada was pretty much a non-stop family reunion. We arrived Friday evening just in time for dinner. After eating, we had our Jack-and-Jill shower (see previous post). By time everyone left, it was bed time!

Saturday morning, I got up early to make breakfast...cinnamon rolls! After eating we had a little bit of time to get ready before the whole family came over for morning coffee and cake. We were celebrating my Grandparent's 55th Anniversary. They like to celebrate all day long! Around 11 everyone was there and we started serving cake. We visited again until about 1:30 and then we headed to Aunt Anita's house to relax by the pool.

It was an absolutely perfect day to spend in the sun and in the pool. It was so much fun to have everyone together!

After spending the afternoon at the pool, we headed back to Grandma's house for a family picture and dinner. Grandpa was feeling well enough to join us for the picture and dinner, so that was a huge blessing! I don't have a picture of the whole family on my camera, but when I get it, I'll be sure to share! We had Chinese food catered from a popular local restaurant, and we enjoyed dining outside.

I hadn't seen my cousin Jason in nearly 5 years (since my Grandparent's 50th), and he was able to make it with his family. It was so good to see him and meet his two beautiful children! Above is his 2-1/2 year old, Chase. He is such a sweet boy. I just can't get over how much he looks like his daddy did when he was younger! And below is his gorgeous baby girl, Alaura. She turned 1 on Sunday so we had a birthday cake for her Saturday afternoon. Alaura took to Mike and I very well and she was so fun to play with and cuddle.

She was absolutely enamored with Mike. Every time she would look at him, her eyes would light up and she would get an enormous smile. We just had to get a picture of her looking at him.

Mike couldn't help but fall in love with her as well...who wouldn't love such a sweet baby?

We had a wonderful weekend with everyone, it went by way too quickly, but a lot of fun was had and lots of memories were made!

For Love...or Money?

In the past 2 days, this topic has come up twice and I just couldn't believe it.

I was watching a tv show yesterday in which the a woman found out that her dad had paid her ex-boyfriend $10,000 to dump her and never see her again. He did it and she never knew why he had dumped her.

Then today, I was driving home and on the radio the DJ was talking about a letter he received from a woman stating that her future mother-in-law offered her $25,000 to leave her fiance and never contact him again.

Now, as someone who is literally counting down the days to her wedding (85 days to go!), I just can't imagine those situations. For someone to even consider taking money and leaving someone they love just blows my mind! I asked Mike yesterday (jokingly because I knew the answer) what he would do if someone offered him $10,000 to leave me. His words were, "I wouldn't take it. I wouldn't do it for all the money in the world." (Yep, that's my man!) And I feel the exact way about him.

I guess the way I see it is that if you would even consider taking money in exchange for someone you love, then you must not really love them in the first place. And if you don't love them, you certainly should not be preparing to marry them.

I'm in love with my future-husband, and I wouldn't trade him for anything in the whole world!

(Thanks for bearing with me on my media-driven tirade!)

Wedding Shower

Mike and I had our very first wedding shower this weekend. We drove up to Canada for the weekend for a huge family get-together. Friday night we were all together so my Aunt Anita threw us a shower. She did a wonderful job and we had a blast!
We all gathered in the living room for the festivities. Aunt Anita had a game for us, men versus women. The women had to answer questions that men would typically know and vice versa. There were questions about what tool you would use for a product, what spice was in a bag, what ingredient would not be used in a recipe, or what car emblem the picture was of. The men won!!!

There was a whole table full of munchies that we snacked on while we played games. But then, it was time for gifts! We recieved this beautiful frame from my mom.

My Aung got us a bunch of huge towels.

Aunt Anita brought us a beautiful cake...it was absoultely delicious! We had enough that we were able to bring some home and share it with Mike's family as well.

We got a lot of items from our registry. The evening was a great time with our family, and it was especially special because Mike and I were both able to be there!

For Katie

Hi Katie (and the rest of the tribe),

Melissa went to Canada for the weekend, so she took me to Grandma and Grandpa Y's house. I really liked riding in the car. She put the window down a little bit for me and I tried to stick my head out but it was too big! The breeze sure felt good, it was so hot in the car, and I loved having my tongue out!

Grandma and Grandpa said I was a very good girl and they loved me so much. I got to play inside with them. I also got to play outside with the cats. One of them swatted me across the face, I thought she wanted to play so I chased her a bit, but it turns out she was just mean so I stayed away from her then. There were lots of neat things to explore at their house. Melissa finally came back for me today, and I was very excited to go back home. We played outside for a bit and I got to run. I worried Melissa a bit though because I went to explore at our neighbor's house. I was a good girl though and I came back when she called me. I ran and ran and ran. We finally got inside and I crashed on the floor while Melissa worked out.

Melissa turned on the TV and I curled up on my chair. After a busy weekend, I was sure ready for a nap! Well, I'm going to go back to sleep now. I miss you tons!

Love and slobbery kisses,

Ella

Painting

One done and seven to go!!! Rooms, that is...I finished painting the master bedroom on Saturday afternoon. I am thrilled with how it turned out! (The pictures make the blue a bit brighter than it is in person.) I was able to finish this room and begin priming the living room. My goal for Saturday is to finish priming the living room and the guest bedroom. My dad and Mike's mom have offered to help, so we should be able to get a lot accomplished!

It's been so fun to see our house take shape and really become ours!!!

"And where is Mike when you're doing all this painting?" you might wonder. Well my friends, he is just goofing off a bit and having fun while I'm slaving away!

JUST KIDDING!!!! He is working incredibly hard as well. He worked on ripping up the flooring in the half-bath. The chunk he got out the other day is where the toilet was sitting, since he has his head in the hole, you might be able to call him a poop-head! (Haha...I love you Mike!)