JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes

This year was Dan's 5th year as the walk chair for the JDRF walk in Dayton. They had a great turn out and made $30,000 more than they did last year! It's great to see how much of a difference all the walkers are able to make each year. Battelle's Batalion, Dan's employer's walk team, did a great job raising money as well.

My mom, sister Jeri, and niece Megan were also able to come walk with us. Braden and Megan loved the Wegerzen gardens halfway through the walk. They loved it so much I think we ended up with last place!! We had a great time!

Thank you to everyone who walked and helped us raise money!

Emma's 2nd Birthday Party

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Emma had an awesome Dora the Explorer birthday party! The kids all got Dora backpacks with maps to find their party favors after Swiper hid them. They had to find their way through the chocolate tree grove, wind-y forest, and crocodile lake to get to their party favors in Boots's house. The Shaws have inspired us for Braden's next party, they definitely have great imaginations! Thanks for such a good time and yummy lunch!

Braden Style

Do you like his outfit? All the important items are there, diaper, zoo ride anklet, Thomas tattoo, and some cool shoes! Unfortunately, his mean parents thought this wasn't quite enough for Emma's birthday party so he soon had to change.

Day Out with Thomas

We spent Sunday morning visiting Thomas in Lebanon. Braden was a little shocked to see such a humongous Thomas. Once the shock wore off, of course the first thing out of his mouth was "Wanna ride Thomas?". To think his silly parents thought he wouldn't realize that you could actually ride Thomas. Sadly though he'll have to wait until next year. The train tent and bouncy house took his mind off the train ride.

Removing Braden from the bouncy house instigated a series of two year old tantrums that lasted into the evening. I think this passionate display of emotions just means that he had a great time and didn't want it to end!

The nice lady at BK gave him this crown which stopped his tantrum for about 30 seconds. Unfortunately, it continued on when we got home! Poor guy, it is rough being 2! After a good nap he felt all better. He'll fondly remember this fun morning every time he looks at his new Thomas tattoo (for at least a couple weeks anyway)!

Gatlinburg

Dan, Braden, and I went on our first family vacation together! We had a great time!

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Brown County, Indiana

We went to Brown County, Indiana over Labor Day weekend with my sisters and their families. My sister Jeri and her husband have been going to a cabin there for a couple of years to get away and they invited us to come along this year. It was great to go on a little vacation and literally get away from it all. The kids all had a great time playing outside (when we tore them away from their Nintendo DS's). Braden LOVES having his aunts, uncles, and cousins around to play with him. He also learned quickly that he could snag a DS if his cousins weren't watching! We definitely have a future video gamer on our hands!

Jacob's Birthday Party

We went to a birthday party for Jacob Dice at one of our favorite places, the sprayground. Of course, the kids all loved the sprayground and playground. We had yummy Centerville pizza and Maggie Moo's came to make sundaes for everyone. Maggie Moo's did a great job of serving all the kids their ice cream and then they clean up after themselves and head out. It was a great birthday party idea!
Click on the picture of Jacob (the one on the right) and his buddy to see the rest of the album....

From Jacob Dice's Bday Party

The Boyd Family Came to Visit

Dale and family came to visit and help Julie get her house on the market. They put in a lot of hard work over the weekend and it paid off. The house looked great!

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Katie, Braden's cousin, was able to stay with us for the whole weekend. He loved all the attention and had a blast playing with Katie. He really liked to see her when he woke up in the morning and missed her when she left! Thanks for all your help Katie!

Sprayground Play Day

We went to the Sprayground again with the Shaws and Ian (my nephew). It was a beautiful day and all the kids had a blast playing outside. As usual Braden didn't want to get into the water but had fun playing around it. They all loved the playground and sandbox there. Ian even helped all the little ones use the digger!

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From Sprayground Day

PS- Sorry I have been such a blogging slacker! I'm going to get up to date soon!

July 4th.... a little late......

We spent a very rainy July 4th in Centerville playing with Braden. There were very wet bouncy houses, pony rides, and a petting zoo. Braden had so much fun riding the pony and wanted to do it again and again. Fortunately, it was FREE! You gotta love that! He also loved the petting zoo. He and the camel became good friends so we hung out there for awhile. We also went to a party at the Tompkins, thanks for having us guys! But we forgot our camera for that part of the day. Braden didn't quite make it for the fireworks that evening so we are looking forward to next year!