July update

July is flying by and I have not had time to update my blog lately. So here is a quick overview. After we recovered from the birthday party fun for Javin we dove right into a garage sale!! It went pretty good and we sold a bunch of stuff. But somehow there was still a lot leftover! Oh well. I love to clear out the clutter in my house. It makes me feel lighter! We had quite a few Amish buggies stop by. It was interesting to see my stroller hanging out of the back of buggy as it drove out the lane. :)

We made our annual trip to Orrville for rides at the carnival and fireworks. Not as good as Red, White and Boom, but worth the trip for around here. Javin can't wait for his trip to the big amusement park. This kid loves fast rides!

My parents took the kids to the zoo in Cleveland. Kailyn was so excited for this trip and would ask me eveyday if it was time to go. They enjoyed seeing all the animals. It was a hot, hot day but they all survived the heat.

We tried out the canal tow path at the Cuyahoga Recreation Park near Cleveland with the Bichsel family. We boarded a train and rode a little more than 6 miles on it, then rode our bikes back to our car along the tow path. It was a beautiful day and we had a fun time.

This week the kids have been at the Millersburg pool for swimming lessons. They both have been doing awesome! The water is usually pretty cold but they have been able to just get right in and practice. Javin is in an advanced class and Kailyn is in a beginner class.

We got some unexpected tickets to see the Indians play baseball this week. That was real treat! The seats were fabulous and we had an awesome comeback game to watch. The Indians won it in the 11th inning! Broken bats, homeruns, booing fans, double plays - fun times!

Sheriff Javin had a wild and fun birthday this week. His kids' party was filled with play time, games, and cake.

The cake story starts the evening before the party. I made Javin a Sheriff Badge cake in the shape of a star. I had it all frosted and partly decorated when I took a break to put him to bed. I left the cake on the counter. When I came back down awhile later. Molly had ate one of the star points off the cake!! Thankfully, I was able to use leftover pieces to make another star point. That dog loves to eat cake! At least it wasn't chocolate this time!

Mimi got to take him out for breakfast to start off his birthday celebration and then the party began.

The kids played outside on the swings and with the outside toys until lunch was served. Pizza does the trick with little party goers.

Then came presents. He got such nice gifts from his friends. He gave the biggest reaction to his sister's gift of a jump rope. He has been jumping rope like crazy now. We saw the movie Jump In and he was inspired to learn how to do it. He also got a Slip N Slide which we promptly got out and set up for the rest of the party. The kids had a great time sliding on it. After they dried off a bit, they played a few party games. The human tug of war at the end of London Bridges was quite funny and water balloon relays were bursting with fun. For his Sheriff theme he had handcuffs and sheriff's badges for all his friends. Ben's wondering when Javin is going to get those handcuffs off his arm! Happy 7th , Javin!