Dutch Wonderland

The day the kids most eagerly await - Dutch Wonderland! Every summer when my family comes to visit we head up to Lancaster, Pennsylvania to spend a day at this fun little amusement park. What made it even better this year was that David came along for the fun.

All lined up in a row...I passed on this ride; it terrifies me!

We all love the rollercoasters, especially because there's usually no line.

The kids are excited to watch the show, The Princess and the Frog.

Soaked! That's what happens when you sit in the splash zone!

The men love taking the kids on the bumper cars - they have as much fun as the kids!

Yay! The log ride with Grandpa!

Oh no! Grandpa lost something! And I'm not talking about his hair. (Sorry, Dad, couldn't resist!)

There it is! Thank goodness his hat blew into the water and it followed the stream right to where a worker could pick it up.

Evidence that I was really there that day.

The water park which is always a nice way to end the day. The kids love the water slides, especially the black tube.

Another wonderful day at Dutch Wonderland!

Gettysburg

When my family visits we tend to do a lot of the same activities because we have so much fun doing them. However this visit we did make it to a new spot - Gettysburg. David and I and the kids have been before but my dad hasn't so was interested in checking it out. With a brand new museum center and plenty of battle sites to visit, Gettysburg is definitely an important place to see.

Hangin' with one of the best, President Abraham Lincoln.

The site where Pickett's charge took place.

While we were there a boy scout troop decided to reenact Pickett's Charge, complete with weapons and flags. It was so fun watching them charge up the field, whooping and hollering. Noah played the part of a Union soldier, ready to meet them in battle!

Xander and Kellan admiring the Robert E. Lee memorial.

Grandpa decided to lead the kids on a charge of their own.

They didn't make it that far!

Retreat! Retreat!

Although we didn't get to see all the battle sites that took place during the battle at Gettysburg it was great to visit and see the things we were able to see. I think it is so important to take the kids to these places so they can learn to appreciate the great sacrifices that have been made.

Surprise!

We told the kids that this was going to be a party-free year. The past few years of big parties has really worn me out - Mom is tired! But as Savannah's birthday got closer and closer I just couldn't resist celebrating her birthday in a special way. I knew that she had really had her heart set on a Monster High birthday party and had been the most disappointed out of the three kids when we put a kibosh on the parties. So, wanting to celebrate my amazing girl's birthday in a way that she would truly remember and love, I decided to throw her a surprise party with a Monster High theme, of course. To get Savannah out of the house David took her on a special Daddy/Daughter date - out to dinner and then to buy the IPod touch that she had saved up for.

Once they were gone the rest of us scrambled to get everything set up for the party. Friends started arriving around 6:30 and hung out doing fun little games and coloring activities until Savannah arrived.

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of the big surprise moment because I was busy videotaping her reaction but it was so much fun to see the surprise on her face when all her friends jumped out and yelled, "Surprise!" Savannah told me later that she felt like she was in a dream. We got right into the theme of things, an introduction to Monster High and straight down to the backyard for a little "Cleo Says" game. I, of course, took on the role of Cleo de Nile.

Next was the Make a Monster Face cookie decorating although a lot of the candy that was for decorative purposes ended up in bellies rather than on cookies!

The girls headed down to the back patio to mix up some yummy Ghoulia Yelps special potion. With a little mixing and adding of special ingredients, the girls witnessed a bubbly surprise!

I love Noah's expression when the drink bubbled over. Too bad the drink wasn't as fun to drink as it was to make.

After that the girls split into 4 teams and had to design some funky fashion with materials they received in a bag. One girl from each team then walked the catwalk while her fashionable ensemble was described by another girl from the team. I was impressed with what the girls came up with from trash bags, aluminum foil, ribbon,and a few other items.

What would a Monster High party be without some Freeze Dance? This one involved some monsterific moves where the finalists were whittled down until we finally got the winner!

The last game of the night was the Froggie Dash inspired by the character Laguna Blue. Check out these frogs!

This picture of Savannah doing the frog jump always makes me laugh!

We all headed inside to sing Happy Birthday and enjoy cake and ice cream. This beautiful cake was done by my friend Tara Long and I just couldn't get over what a fabulous job she had done. It always pains me to cut these amazing cakes!

To end the night the girls watched a Monster High movie and then it was done! Another fun party accomplished!

And what do you know? Savannah is already telling me ideas for her next birthday party!!!

The Decade Mark

Yes, Savannah has hit it, the first decade milestone! Double digits! Where did the past 10 years go? I'd like to share 10 fun facts about Savannah:

• She's an amazing girl!  Okay, that pretty much sums up everything about her!
• She plays the violin and the piano.
• She is a tremendous soccer player and just made the Northern Elite Travel soccer team.
• She loves to draw and paint and has made the walls of her bedroom into her own personal gallery.
• She is a loyal friend.
• She loves animals and wants to be a zoologist when she grows up.
• Savannah is extremely creative, always leading her brothers and the neighborhood kids in some game or adventure that she has come up with.
• She has a very obedient spirit and strives to be the best person she can be.
• She looks for ways to be kind to others and include those who might be left out.
• She loves to laugh and has a great cackling, witch laugh.

The traditional birthday morning balloons...

and present!  Savannah just loves Tinkerbell!

The past few years Savannah has been lucky enough to have grandparents and cousins visit on her birthday and this year was no exception. Grandma and Grandpa Schaeffer as well as Aunt Heidi, Uncle Ryan, and McKenna, Ashlyn, and Kellan arrived right on her special day, just in time for dinner, dessert, and presents.

What would a birthday be without a new Monster High doll?

This year I talked Savannah into having Strawberry Pie for dessert and boy, was it yummy!

Savannah's Favorites at 10 Years Old:

Movie:  Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief

Book:  the Harry Potter series

Color: red

Food:  chicken Parmesan

Fruit:  watermelon

Vegetable:  broccoli (or as she likes to call them, trees)

Dessert:  ice cream

Candy:  jolly ranchers

Sport to play:  soccer

Sport to watch:  football

Thing to do:  read and draw

Holiday:  Flag Day (hmmm, I wonder why?)

Season:  spring

Animal:  lion

Scripture Hero:  Ammon

Temple:  Nauvoo

Restaurant:  Red Robin

Place to go:  the Virgin Islands

BFFs:  Kate, Kaia, Celine, Natalie, and Lauren

Happy Birthday, my special girl!

School is Out!

It's hard to believe but another school year has come to an end! To celebrate each class had a fun picnic day where parents and siblings got to join the students at school for lunch and games. Savannah always enjoys some extra time with her friends!

Xander with one of his best buddies, Tyler.

Noah especially loved hanging out with Xander's class because he got to hang out with all the guys rather than a bunch of older girls.

The hit of the picnic was this tic-tac-toe bean bag game that one of the dads brought. The kids loved it, especially Noah. He ended up being the big winner!

The official "last day of school" picture. Xander doesn't look too thrilled because he wasn't. When I picked up the kids at the bus stop, Xander bawled the whole way home. He said he is going to miss Ms. Carpenter because she is so nice, he's going to miss Mr. O'Donnell because he's funny, and school because it's his favorite subject!

Savannah with her reading award...

and her art display.

Xander also had some of his art on display at the school (along with every other student)...

and was very proud of all the little awards he earned this year. He was so proud of them that he displayed them on his dressar.

The kids don't seem to be missing school too much because we've been keeping them busy but every once in awhile Xander will mention to me how much he misses his teachers and how he can't wait to start second grade!