First Cabin Weekend of 2010

We finally made it up to the cabin on May 14! It was soooo nice and relaxing, much needed! We were all (even Lena) in a great mood upon returning, albeit very dirty :) Alena slept super well up there for both her naps and at night. We vacated the cabin during her "sleep times" so that she wasn't distracted, but it was so nice outside that we didn't want to be all cooped up inside anyway! Since Alena's pack n play was next to our bed, in the morning, she's stand up and stare at us. Sometimes she's mutter something while still keeping the nuk in her mouth. She especially liked going for rides on the various vehicles (seen below). It was even more fun for her if she was in front (not between mama and dada on the ATV), and going very fast! She thoroughly enjoyed herself, and we are thankful for that.

Dada letting Alena take a ride on one of his very favorite things... the tractor!!! She loved to go fast (see her hair flying back)

She seemed to know just what to do to get it going... shift!

We all had to cool off by the creek. Even though the creek is icy cold, she would scrunch her toes in the sand and leave her fingers in the water until she couldn't take it anymore.

Relaxing by the creek. Grandpa is watching Jack (the dog).

Another fun thing to ride... the lawnmower!

She had lots of time to read her books and play with her toys outside. It was so sunny and warm that having a hat and sunscreen was a must during the day!

She seemed to know exactly what to do with the ATV, as well. Gotta hold on to the hand grips and press the "start" button!

Chatting it up before Dada gave her a ride :)

Alena riding on the tractor with her dada.

A fun and fast four wheeler ride!

Home Time

Making sure that whatever Dada has, she has, too :) She loves to pretend she's drinking from an unopen can or bottle!

Hanging out under the coffee table with Mama

The little girl knows she's cute, even after she just woke up for a nap. She also love to see Dada!

Her first wagon ride! She sure LOVED that!

Lena's first bubble bath! She didn't quite know what to think of it!

Spring Celebration at Heritage Hill

As the title suggests, we went to Heritage Hill State Park in Green Bay for their Spring Celebration! It was so neat to be able to go, especially since Eric was super sick the day before! He was still under the weather that day, but was a good sport. It was a gorgeous, sunny day... perfect for their event!

Unfortunately, we didn't get very many photos. The one above shows Alena petting some baby goats :) She also got to see and sometimes pet bunnies, a horse, alpacas, chicks, sheep, and some huge draft horses! She seemed to really enjoy herself! Mama and Dada enjoyed seeing all of the old buildings, especially the fur trader's cabin. We could totally live in it!

We certainly hope to have more opportunities like this to have fun as a family doing something new, outdoors!

Weekend on Birch Rd

She got to try out the little rocking chair that her mama used when she was a little girl. This was her favorite way to "sit" on it.

Now she's sitting nice while Dada shows her the Jack in the Box.

Lena loves to play with leaves and hear them crinkle. Grandma Hawkins showed her how to let the leaves fall down.

Of course, she couldn't reach quite as high as Grandma, so she just put the leaves on Grandma's head instead!

Having some relaxing time in Grandpa Cance's backyard while Alena makes her nobbish face. What a goofball!

Point Beach

Living here on the shore of Lake Michigan, we really have to savor any warm days in the spring! This time of year, the forecast usually includes a "cooler by the lake" clause. This doesn't make us very happy when we're all craving the warmth! But, there was one really nice day (about 75-80 degrees), a couple of weeks ago, when we decided to have a picnic supper at Point Beach.

Catching the breeze on Mama's shoulders

Family shot :) Alena was thinking about smiling, I guess!

Upon our return home, we decided to strip the baby down to her diaper and have her use her fingerpaints to decorate a milk carton that will soon become a small birdfeeder. Alena seemed to think that the paint was some kind of food. She kept on putting her paint covered hands in her little mush - YUK!

On her way back into the house for a bath!

MS Walk 2010

We traveled up to Wausau to participate in the MS Walk with the family. Aunt Roxy suffers from MS, so we have made an effort to have a Walk team every year for the last 3 years. This year, our team was our largest so far! We hope to raise money for the MS Society which serves those with MS in the local area and helps to fund research. It is a fun time for our family to get together and show Aunt Roxy that we really care!

Here's the DeNamur part of our Walk MS team :)

Our whole team: Zee Rockinators!

She Plays Piano, Too!

Doesn't she looks like she might be a mini piano virtuoso?