Random July pics

One night when we went out on the boat it was "cold." (Probably high 60s). The boys snuggled up in their sweatshirts and under their towels in the front of the boat to stay warm. 

By the time Ed was done skiing, they looked like this:

(asleep!)

Three boys in jammies!

We attended a Kalamazoo Growlers (college-age Minor League-like baseball) game with my cousin Andrea and her family. We tailgated beforehand and headed into the game. These two were really into the game!

All four of the bigger boys, though Jojo and Dominic were a bit squirmier. Ben, not pictured, was of course the squirmiest!

Taking a hike at the park with friends Daisy and Finley

Just a cute Jojo pic

Ben is 11 months!

Almost one year old!

Guess who has no interest in holding still for pictures?

But he loves his monkey!

When you have a third kid, you tell them, "wait, keep doing that dangerous thing so I can get a picture!" rather than rushing to stop them. With walking conquered, Ben moved on to climbing. Anything and everything.

Jojo leading him on a walk through the front yard.

The other boys love their Batman shirts, so when I saw this one with an attached cape, I had to get it for him! Adorable!

Niagara Falls continued

We stayed in a condo at Holiday Valley, a ski resort not too far from Niagara Falls. The property had two pools, one with a small waterslide, and mountain bike trails that the dads and older cousins used. But mostly we just hung out together! We also celebrated the family's July and August birthdays.

Jojo got a multi-tool for his birthday!

Grandma and Rachel got raincoats! (matching green!)

Singing to the July/August birthdays with eclair cake. And of course Corban can't resist the bunny ears!

 Cousins lined up eating dessert!

Our boys were quite enamored with their youngest cousin on the trip, Rachel, who they called "Rica" since that's what she called herself. They liked to entertain her. 

Bat boys! Our three have batman shirts and we bought Aidan that one for his birthday.

Grandma with Benjy (in his bat cape!)

Niagara Falls with cousins!

We don't see the Miller cousins often enough besides Christmas because Michigan to Massachusetts is a long trip! However, this summer we decided to meet (along with Tom and Alice) near Niagara Falls for a few days of fun! We stayed on the American side, doing the walk along the bottom of the falls and riding the boat, as well as wandering through the museum. 

All thirteen of us. I spent half our day at Niagara Falls trying to count eight children (Ben was in a back carrier, so he wasn't going anywhere). I ultimately gave up and just focused on my two--it's too hard to get to eight before they all are on the move again!

We had a picture-perfect day. 

Ben was fairly content in the carrier most of the day.

See Thomas and Lauren hugging? These kids were so excited to see each other!

Most of the kids. 

The Miller family in front of the falls.

Our family of five

We walked down by the base of the falls.

You can see Ed, MB, Jack, and a bunch of the kids here:

Boy cousins getting soaked!

Ed was able to rip the garbage bag raincoat to accommodate Ben as we walked down by the base of the falls.

Our photogenic child. :)

We traded Ben and I wore him (you can just see his head peeking out!) when we did the Maiden of the Mist boat ride.

The power of the falls is amazing! If you were on the deck, you really needed to be holding on so you didn't get knocked down. And obviously you got very wet!

Rachel fell asleep and she and Jack stayed dry away from the edge of the boat.

Not our boat, but the kind of boat we rode:

Admiring the falls from my back.

Riding the trolley to the museum

Ice cream for lunch! They had sorbet, so Jojo was able to have some. Because of his allergy, we haven't often gotten ice cream cones--the boys barely knew what to do with them!

On the way back from the falls to where we were staying, we had another treat--dinner at Dinosaur, a fantastic BBQ restaurant we loved when we lived in NJ. What a great day!

Friends at the park

We had one last picnic at the park to say goodbye to our friends. This get-together featured six families with a total of fifteen kids plus one on the way!

The closest thing to a group photo. The older kids (except for one) all attended preschool together for two years. Most of the younger kids did too.

When you're the littlest one, you get plopped on the ground with food to keep you occupied.

Syd and Ben restrained in their strollers while we played a little baseball.

There was a hot air balloon launch in the park. The kids were fascinated!

Water fun in the yard

Hot July days means plenty of time playing outside!

I am still in love with Ben's hat. So glad he and Jojo could both wear it. Even though he's pulling it off here, it usually stays on.

Slip and slide fun!

Um...Ben didn't like the sprinkler.

Mohawk baby!

We moved the slip and slide to the sledding hill. Certainly helps with acceleration!

Notice the hint of Ben in this photo (lower left corner).

Even I got in on the fun!