Madison's 4th Birthday!

Madison turned 4 years old yesterday. She started her day by going to school. She had a special snack, her class sang to her, and she got a present from her teacher! We had a family party later that night and she got lots of presents and had yummy birthday cake! Madison has such a fun personality and always keeps up laughing! She is such a good helper and tries hard to obey her parents. We love her so much! Here are a few of Madison's favorite things now that she is a four year old.
favorite food: lasagna
favorite color: pink
favorite treat: apple (I don't think that is actually the truth)
favorite thing to do: paint and play on the slide
favorite toys to play with: purses and babies
favorite movie: Dora

Madison getting her birthday book at school.

Madison's Barbie cake. I made this myself and I really struggle when it comes to cake decorating. This is actually one of my few attempts. It turned out pretty good and Madison loved it which is what's most important!

The birthday girl getting ready to open presents.

She got everything she had asked for!

Madison getting ready to blow out her candles and of course her big brother was right there to help her.

Madison's first day of school

Madison started school today and has been so excited! It has been hard for her to watch Gavin go to school every day while she stays home. We visited her classroom last week and she was so excited about the dress ups and the sand table. She was concerned that there weren't any purses for her to play with and wanted to take her own. Her teacher this year is Mrs. Hall and we are very excited for a fun filled year!

Madison in her first day of school outfit.

Madison outside her new classroom.

Madison at the sand table. She was very glad to get her hands in there.

Mark's Birthday

We went out to dinner for Mark's 30th birthday last weekend. We went to a place called Lotta Watta Creek. The name says it all because you get so much food. We topped it off with a brownie mudslide, it was delicious! I love spending time with Mark he is such a great husband and father! I love him so much and look forward to spending many more birthdays together!



The brownie mudslide. It was huge but well worth it!

Gavin's a First Grader!

Gavin started first grade today. He was very excited but also very nervous! They did a lot of rennovating at his school this summer so it was like going to a brand new school. I took him to school and he rode the bus home. I always worry that he will get off at the wrong stop. Today Mark and I waited and waited for him to get off the bus. The bus was really late so I was getting a little worried, but he made it home and had a great first day of school!

Gavin decked out in his new school attire.

Gavin's teacher is Miss Hogg. He loves his new classroom and his new desk.

Mom's Birthday

We had a great party for my Mom's Birthday! She will probably be mad at me for posting these pictures but she was such a good sport! Riley got her sunglasses, a crown, and a wand so she could be a princess for a day. And boy did she look beautiful! We were so glad we were there to celebrate!

Grandma's entrance to the party!

Madison also thought it was necessary for Grandma to carry the princess coloring book.

Grandma blowing out the candles. I guess you have to try really hard when you have that many candles to blow out! We sure love you Mom!

Rolling Hills Ranch

One of our favorite places to visit in Ohio is Rolling Hills Ranch. It is in Amish Country and they take you on a wagon ride through 80 acres to feed all the animals. The animals walk right up to the wagon and you feed them from a bucket. It is so beautiful and we see all kinds of animals.

Grandpa Binks and the grandkids. They sure love their grandpa!

This is how close all the animals would get and some of them would take the bucket from your hands. So we had to hold on tight!

This large animal resembled an elk but I can't remember the name of it. Everyone got a chance to feed him. He was one of the few large animals that didn't try to rip the bucket out of your hands. I know from experience because I had a pretty serious tug of war with one of the elk. I almost fell off the wagon but I was not about to let him get it. Luckily, I kept the bucket and stayed on the wagon!

Mark really enjoys harassing the animals. He gets some of them pretty mad and they chase us through the park. I'm just waiting for one of them to get him back.

They also have a petting zoo. Gavin and Madison loved petting all the animals.

Our Little Vacation

When Mark finished school this summer we went to visit my Mom and Dad in Ohio. We always have so much fun when we go. It is so beautiful and peaceful there. We spent our time riding horses, going to the lake, feeding the animals at Rolling Hills Ranch, and celebrating my Mom's 50th birthday. It was a nice and relaxing trip and just what we needed!

Gavin learned how to ride the horse all by himself this year. Every free time he had he would spend on the horses. And of course he couldn't do it without a cowboy hat.

What a handsome cowboy! Madison enjoyed riding the horses too. She wasn't as brave as Gavin and wasn't quite ready to ride by herself. Her favorite thing was feeding the horses carrots and apples.

We went to a lake near my parents house. Not only was there a lake but a swimming pool too. Gavin, Madison, and Hobbs had so much fun playing in all the water!

This is a picture of my dad in the hammock. I thought it was so funny because it was so close to touching the ground. But doesn't he look comfortable!

Gavin and I taking a little rest!

We even ventured out on the raft. We didn't make it very far because Gavin and Madison wanted to jump out every few inches.