The Condos

I took so many pictures that I decided to make them into little collages in order to fit more in this post. Just click on them if you want to see the pictures a little bigger:)

 Every year since I was a baby my family has gone up to some condos on Lake Pend Orielle along with some of my cousins. I have so many fun memories as a kid of these vacations!I was telling my husband how I remember it feeling like Christmas morning when we would round the corner on the highway and see them up ahead. It's become such a fun tradition where we can all really spend some quality time together swimming, playing tennis, pickle-ball, basketball, racquetball, canoeing, doing crafts, playing games and staying up late talking and watching movies. Now my cousins and I are all married and get to watch our own do the same things we all did. I think this year was has been one of the funnest for me because Lexi was old enough to really get into all the activities and play more with her older cousins.

Some of my older cousins recently started a tradition of doing "Camp Cousins" where a few of us each take one day and organize an activity to do with all the kids so the other parents can have some free time. For ours the boys decorated hats and the girls decorated flip flops. We were in trouble when they finished up super early, but Uncle Zack saved the day by creating an imaginary Zoo Train. Who knew he was so creative and good with kids? He had them all lined up in chairs and took them on this imaginary ride seeing all sorts of animals. They all got really into it. Of course Lexi with her huge imagination was almost brought to tears when she thought she lost her ticket to get on the train and when the monkeys stole all her snacks!

Here are the all the kids on the "train" and the boys and girls with their hats and flip flops...

We had bought the kids some matching outfits so we went out and did a little photo shoot. It went pretty well all things considered...

















Some fun pictures down by the lake...

One thing we always participate in is the Frogorama paddle boat race where you try to scoop up the most plastic frogs out of the lake. Here are some of the teams from my family...

We got Lexi and Brookie some matching unicorn shirts so we had to do a little photo shoot. They are so funny and cute together. They are growing up and changing so fast it makes me sad! They are both so independent and smart. I love listening to their conversations together and how they are always complimenting, encouraging and correcting each other. I love how they can talk so well, but still can't pronounce everything right. Brooke calls Lexi "Exi" and Lexi calls Brooke "Burk". Brooke calls Paisley "Plays" or "Playsley".  Below this collage is a picture of these two from a year ago. I just can't believe how much they've changed!

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Paisley was so much fun this year too! She is just such a happy girl and a joy to have in our family. She is almost always smiling and happy. She likes to tag along with the older kids and gets frustrated a lot when she can't do everything they are doing. She can say mama, dadda, ball, and aya (pacifier)  and can sign please and bird. Even though she can't talk much yet she is really good at communicating what she wants. She's pretty quiet most the time until she sees something she wants and lets out the highest pitched squeal announcing her presence.

I had so much fun hanging out with my little sister Sadie! I hadn't seen her since last year at the condos and that was way too long! She is expecting her first baby (a girl) in September so I got to do my first maternity photo shoot! She is such a tiny and cute pregnant person. I am so excited to go visit her in Hawaii when her baby is born!

 It also a tradition every year for Sadie, Abbey and I to go take "sister pictures". We just to out by ourselves and set the timer on the camera and have fun taking silly pictures. I know they are going to kill me for posting the ones on the railroad tracks, but I just couldn't resist. We are always trying to come up with new ways of posing for these pictures. The eyes crossed one is for you Abbey! She is always asking me to cross my eyes for her and now I understand why.

This is just one of my favorite pictures that I had to share of Abbey and Paisley partly because its adorable and partly because I took a similar picture in the same spot 2 years prior. Can you see the resemblance between my girls?

Abbey and Paisley 2012

Abbey and Lexi 2010