4th of July in Chelan

During the week of 4th of July we spent a really fun week in the sun with my family in Chelan! My mom and Steve were wonderful enough to rent a house right on the lake that we all stayed at together. It was a week filled with warm weather, cousin playtime, water parks, jet skis, swimming in the lake and baby ducks*!

We headed over on the Friday before the 4th-which happened to be Mckinley's birthday (I also had an interview that morning-more on that later). It was a very busy day, and I kind of feel bad that it took away from Mckinley's birthday, but I think she still had a great day and she didn't know the difference. The trip went really well except for when Mckinley threw Kyan's beloved stuffed elephant out the window at 60 mph! Let's just say that little moment ended with Kevin saying, "I will always remember this day now." And yes, we turned around to try and find it, but no, we did not. :( We got into Chelan just in time to have a birthday dinner overlooking the lake. I even brought a candle to have the waiter put in a piece of cake (my funny daughter though didn't like the cake, ha!). Then we were off to the house to start our fun week---after we stopped at Walmart to try and find a replacement elephant with no luck though!

The week was incredibly fun. Mckinley and Kyan both had a blast all week spending time with family and getting in lots of play time. Mckinley LOVED the water. Whether it was flying down a water slide, playing on the shore of the lake, or being thrown into the lake by her daddy she was in heaven! Kyan on the other hand pretty much hated being actually in the water. He eventually let us put him in a floaty on the lake, but wouldn't spend time in the water without screaming! (he did fall out of the floaty once under dad's watchful eye and completely go under however!)

As usual, it was wonderful to spend such a long amount of time with my family. I wish I could bottle the entire trip in my mind like a movie so I could revisit it whenever I wanted. I want to remember every little detail of my kids and Kevin-even how crazy I felt when Kinley threw that elephant out the window!

I can't believe the summer is half over!!

*These baby ducks hatched a couple days after we got there. Their nest was literally steps from our house. We found this one lost from the mama duck one morning. The neighbors got a net and reunited them though! It got SO close to Mckinley (and by so close, I mean she picked it up by the head on a couple of occasions!).

 (In this picture, Mckinley is singing "You are my Sunshine" to the baby duck because we told her it was lost from its mommy. She said it must be sad, so she would sing to it.)

Unfortunately, I hardly took my camera out! I did get a couple shots though and my sis-in-law also sent me some! Here is the small collection that I do have!

                 (yes, Mckinley was riding her bike in her PJs--don't judge, we were on vacation!)

Mckinley, our 3 year old...

On June 29th my little angel turned 3 years old! Words cannot begin to describe the amount of love I feel for this little girl. She has been Kevin and my first experience at everything parenting related. She has shown us how all encompassing the love for a child can be. She fills my soul to the brim with happiness and adoration. She has the most wonderful little personality-definitely full of emotion! :) She is smart. She is a free spirit. She is silly. She is inquisitive. She is stubborn. She is a lover of the outdoors and the water. She could run and spin in circles for hours. She makes my heart burst when she laughs uncontrollably. She finds connections in her experiences. She is surprising and predictable at the same time. She goes until she crashes. She has an incredible memory. She ADORES her family. She always includes Max in discussions about our family (or pictures!). She misses people when they are gone. She is emotional. She is beautiful. She is part me and part Kevin. She is increasingly concerned about how things affect Kyan. She sings constantly and makes up songs regularly. She smiles with her mouth wide open. She loves to teach Kyan and takes great pride in his learning. She has eyes that sparkle. She makes some sort of noise 80% of the day. She has a special stuffed elephant. She is not much of a snuggler, which makes those special moments she does even extra sweet. She is very dramatic about getting hurt. She loves books just as much as she does the TV and iPad. She has a believing child spirit in things magical. She is amazing.

This past year has been wonderful and trying. The terrible twos were present on most days. The transition of adding Kyan to our family was, I believe, more difficult than I thought at the time. However, she has grown tremendously. Her listening skills and understanding of the importance of being kind have started to take shape. She is definitely emotional, but she is beginning to learn how to handle those emotions, as am I.

I am beyond excited to see the person she becomes. As I think back over the past three years I can so easily remember having this feeling many, many times. Even with that, it has been so dramatically better than I ever could have imagined.

Mckinley, my little angel bug, I love you so much!


Three years ago...

 

Two years ago...

 

One year ago...

And now...