New Puppy

Here are some pictures of our new puppy, Bella. She is a doberman but we decided to keep her ears floppy. We only got her today, and she has been really sweet so far. But we do expect some crying tonight as this will be the first night for her to be all by herself. The kids love her, and she has been good with the kids so far.

YMCA Half Marathon Walk

The family participated in a long walk last weekend. The walk was organized by the YMCA so Jeni signed the whole family up. In order to get the kids excited to go, we told them they could wear their Halloween costumes. Unfortunately it was pretty chilly.

Marshal was able to walk the 6.5 miles to the half way point, which is the longest he had ever walked. Mya and Avonlea rode in the stroller most of the way.

At the half way point we all enjoyed snacks and water, then Jeni and the kids rode back to the start in a shuttle car. Because we had the stroller (and the shuttle car was very small), Dave ended up walking the 6.5 miles back to the start. Everyone had a good time and we were all proud of Marshal.

Family Camping Trip

Our family did our annual campout to Long Lake this past weekend. The weather was very warm, especially for September. The kids had a fun time climbing trees, poking the fire, and exploring the woods. Avonlea is potty training, but didn't have any problems during the trip. She is doing a great job.

Mya's Baptism

Here are a few pictures of Mya's baptism. She was baptized on August 29th by her dad Dave. Grandma and Grandpa Hemingway came, as well as Jena, Jani, and Larry. Mya was very happy to be baptized. After her baptism, the family went to Lake Michigan to the beach. Unfortunately it was cold and rainy, so we didn't stay there too long. We also stopped by the Kohler Design center to see all of the fancy bathtubs, sinks, and toilets.

Camping Trip to Rock Island

Dave and Marshal went on their annual camping/backpacking trip to Rock Island state park last weekend. The weather turned out to be cold and damp, but Marshal said it was his funnest trip to Rock Island yet. They had a wild ride over there on the ferry (very large swells on Lake Michigan because of the storm), found two new geocaches, and saw some new things on the island. Dave enjoyed all of the wild raspberries that were ready to eat, and Marshal liked the small garter snake that lived near the camp.

Mya's birthday party

Mya's birthday was this past week. We had a small family party on her actual birthday, and she had her sleepover party on Friday nigth and Saturday. Of course, she had to have a pinata. Instead of a normal cake this year, she also decided she would rather have "dirt cake" made from crushed oreos, cream cheese, and gummy worms. She had a lot of fun but is still recovering from the lack of sleep.

Painting Mya's Room

Last weekend we painted Mya's room. She picked this green color out of the Pottery Barn magazine. She actually painted quite a bit; unfortunately a lot ended up on the carpet. For right now she likes the color, but her tastes change so frequently that we don't know how long that will last.

We also painted the entire downstairs (minus the small laundry room) but didn't get a single picture of that.