The Wood Gang . . .

Auntie Christina holding Seda for the first time.

 It only took 5 months, but I finally got to meet Hadley and Christina finally got to meet Seda!! We had a VERY short visit with the Wood gang, but we made the best of it. Charlie had a lot of fun running around crazy and playing with Jameson and Liam while Christina and I were able to catch up a bit. We did get maybe a few minutes to hold each other's new baby girl, but of course it didn't last as long as we wanted to. Hadley was so stinkin' cute, but it made me sad that I didn't get to see her as a newborn. At least we got to see her before she started walking! ;) It was so nice to see the Woods again, and hopefully it won't be too long until we see them again!

Charlie rolling on the ground with Hadley.

Jameson playing with the color car transporter.

Look at those eyes. Liam loves his milk!

Charlie and Jameson hangin' out.

All three boys sharing and playing so well together.

Charlie keeping Hadley company.

Painting . . .

The other day Charlie asked if he could paint. He isn't super into coloring, but he really liked painting. It took a couple times for him to learn how to wash his brush off before using another color, but after awhile he was a pro! Grandpa and Grandma got him finger painting stuff for his birthday, so that's what we are going to try next!

Dan, Mary and the Kids . . .

Charlie and Matt burritos after swimming in the pool.

 We spent most of Memorial Day weekend with Dan, Mary, Matt and Gwen. It was so nice to spend some extended time with them... we haven't been able to do that it a long time. Charlie and Matthew had so much fun together. We always talked about how nice it would be one day when we could just let the kids play together and not have to watch them, and it's crazy to think that the time has finally come! The weather wasn't the greatest, but we made the best of it. The boys took a dip in the pool, Gwen joined them in the bounce house, they fished, we took some boat rides, played with all the toys at the cottage, enjoyed many meals together, and even had a couple bon fires with smores.We even got a surprise visit from Papa and Mimi! They were in the Cayman Islands for part of the weekend, but they drove up early the next morning to spend a couple days with us. It was such a nice weekend together with the family... we can't wait for the next time!

Matthew holding Seda for the first time.

Charlie and Papa fishing off the dock.

Charlie's getting real good at casting.

Papa and his boys.

How cute are these three!

Seda fit perfectly in this little spot on the boat!

Auntie Mary, Uncle Dan, and Gwen enjoying the boat ride.

Uncle Pete/Daddy making sure the boys don't bounce out!

Seda enjoying her boat ride.

Just enjoying the scenery.

Charlie's first smore with Dad!

Smores . . . need I say more?

Lovin' on his baby girl.

Time with the Extended Cousins . . .

All the cousins!

 On Friday of Memorial Day weekend, we spent the day with Uncle Jack, Aunt Judy, my cousins, and their kiddos. Uncle Jack and Aunt Judy had us all over to their cottage for some play time and lunch. It was so nice to see my extended family again. The last time I saw my cousins was the Friday after Thanksgiving, and then I hadn't seen my aunt and uncle for at least 9 months (they never got to see me pregnant with either of my kids). It's so crazy to look around the room and see all of the little ones playing together. All of my memories growing up include my aunt and uncle and my cousins, David and Dennis; they were like two more brothers to me. As usual, it wasn't enough time together, but I'm glad we got the little time we did. Melissa even came back to our house during nap time to get pictures of Seda for me!! A BIG thanks to Uncle Jack and Aunt Judy for hosting everyone. The food was great and the company was even better! We really appreciate you helping us to be able to get everyone together when we are in from out of town!

Uncle Jack was telling the kids stories while hanging with Seda. They were lovin' every minute of it!

All the kiddos, minus Seda, eating lunch. All the adults had to stand to eat... it's so crazy to see all our kids together like this!

Meeting Baby Matthew!

Seda: "What the heck is wrong, Matthew? You are freakin' out!"

 We headed down to Traverse City for Memorial Day Weekend to finally meet baby Matthew and to see my extended family that I haven't seen in a long time. We started our weekend with having breakfast with Mark, Kelly, Drew and Matthew. It felt so weird that we hadn't met each other's new additions yet! Most of our visit was Kelly and I inside feeding the babies while Pete and Mark had the boys outside playing. We wish we could have spent more time together, but they were headed to the UP for the weekend, and we needed to get out to see Pete's parents. I'm glad we at least got to meet our adorable new nephew and spend a little quality time together. Hopefully it won't be too long until we can all get back together and have it be a longer visit!
After Mark and Kelly's, we headed out to Pete's parents house. We celebrated Pete's birthday with them, and just spent the afternoon catching up. Charlie had a great time playing with all the new outdoor toys Grandma got, and Seda just took in the scenery. She was all smiles for Grandpa, so that was really cute. We stayed until a little after dinner, then we headed back to the cottage. Again, it was a short visit, but it was nice to be able to visit for a bit. We are so fortunate that Pete's parents come visit us a lot so it doesn't feel like forever since we've seen them!

Charlie lovin' on his sister.

The best shot we could get of the four of them together. I LOVE Drew's face!

Charlie helped Dad blow out his birthday candles.

I was trying to capture Seda smiling for Grandpa, but she wouldn't cooperate.