Long Time, No Posts

It has been forever since I've losted posted. It has been a hectic and crazy busy summer. I got a laptop today, so now I'm mobile! No more excuses, right? Well, except for the excuse of not enough time, that is still my #1 excuse. The good thing is, I'm a total procrastinator, and I'm supposed to be cleaning up my house for my sister's bachelorette party in a couple weeks, but instead, I'm playing with my new laptop... Therefore decided to update the blog.

Our family experienced a huge loss this summer. Grandpa, or as the girls affectionately call him, "Daddy's Daddy" died in July. There is a huge hole in our lives that can never be replaced. Although the girls don't truly understand, they know that grandpa died and that he is in heaven. Now Maddie cries at night sometimes because she doesn't want to grow up because she doesn't want to die. She is such a deep thinker. She doesn't want to get big because she doesn't want to have a baby, and now she doesn't want to die. How do you explain death to a child when it's hard for adults to understand? Why did grandpa have to die? We all miss him a bunch and we will make sure to talk about him all the time so that the girls will remember him. It's still hard though, especially for daddy, because his daddy was his best friend. I hope our girls remain as close to us through the years as we have been with our parents.
We have been able to take a few mini vacations this summer, which has been a much needed break for all of us. We went to Manistee and stayed in a beautiful home on Lake Michigan with our own private beach. It was a fabulous vacation, and exactly what we needed to recharge our batteries. The girls had a blast swimming and playing in the sand and we all enjoyed just getting away. We also went to Traverse City and the most beautiful place in the US, Sleeping Bear Dunes. it really is spectacular and even mommy and daddy climbed to the top without having a heart attack. Olivia ran up and down twice. If only we could bottle her energy! Everyone enjoyed playing in the sand and we even had the perfect weather. The girls favorite part of the trip was the pool at the hotel, but hey, at least they had fun! It's all about creating memories, right? And this summer, we have created many.
We went blueberry picking, went to Great Lakes Crossing, the Detroit Zoo, the Toledo Zoo, and many trips to the Saginaw Zoo. Olivia learned how to swim, and now we can't keep her out of the water. The twins are getting braver, and even Maddie is getting in the water now too.
We are all preparing for Amy's wedding in a couple weeks. Lots to do, and never enough time, Summer is almost over and yet it feels like it just began. As much as I hate the heat, I know I will be longing for the days of summer before long.