#puremeissigan

Another Meiss family vacation on Lake Michigan has come & gone. This year we stayed right on the beach, which was great. We loved our views & the 58 steps to the beach :-) This meant less stress getting ready to go to the beach & we could come & go a lot easier! The weather was less than desirable, but we made the best of it. 

 

Celebrating Aaron's 35th birthday.

We tried out a paddle board this year. Ezra enjoyed using it as a diving board.

Building a sand turtle with grandma

 

 

Ezekiel (2 weeks) & Hadassah (14 weeks) hanging out together. 

 

 

We enjoyed a visit from our dear friend Ashley & her boys (Miles, 6, & Eli, 3). Our families grew up going on beach trips together each year :-) 

 

Burying Micah in the sand.

 

Ezra's favorite activity at the beach was throwing rocks in the water. Moses loved rolling around in the sand. Both were cautious around the water so we didn't need to worry. Having the beach to ourselves was helpful as well :-)

 

Playing yard games. The kids enjoyed football, croquet, bags, & tennis during the week.

Cousins! We're so happy they are able to make great memories together. Excited to add to the bunch with Nathaniel & Karmelle expecting in March of 2014!

 

Hadassah at 12 weeks

Hadassah is 12 weeks today! It is hard to believe it's been that long. She is a very good baby. Very content & laid back which is great since her brothers can be a bit high maintenance :-) She is already drooling like crazy, so we are hoping that a tooth will come in soon. She is also trying to smile & talk which I absolutely love!

Hadassah with her Great-Aunt Marilyn on July 4th.

Hadassah's first trip to Michigan Ave.

Here her brothers are loving on her. She is such a joy to our family :-)

Family fun in Chicago!

Last week we took a family trip to Chicago to visit my brother Zach & to go to Shedd Aquarium & Lincoln Park Zoo.  

  

The boys loved playing at the park around the corner from Zach's. We went each of the three days that we were there.

We had Roots Pizza the first night. The waitress brought out pizza dough for the boys to play with (or eat) while we waited :)

Zach took Moses down by the lake before heading into Shedd.

We got there right when it opened & the boys lasted about an hour & a half. It was an Illinois Resident Free Day, so we were able to enjoy the aquarium for free! 

 Ezra is looking at an alligator's eyes that were right above the water while the rest of its body was underwater.

This picture is blurry, but I wanted to include it anyway. We are trying to pet sturgeon from Lake Michigan. We were surprised that Moses wanted to try to touch a huge fish, but he tried! He couldn't reach down far enough to actually touch one. 

By the end of our time at Shedd, the adults were looking at the exhibits while Ezra & Hadassah slept & Moses tried to figure out the map. 

Day 3, we tackled the zoo.  Unfortunately, we were caught in rain for about 45 minutes. Both boys said their favorite animal to see was the lion. 

 Watching the apes & trying to stay dry :)

One of the many city views that I love!

When I asked Moses what he liked about Chicago he stated, "Staying at Uncle Zach's." I suggested that he could like more than one thing, but he insisted being at Zach's was it. The trip was good for Aaron & I to realize we can handle family outings with three kids :-) 

Hadassah at 2 Months

It's hard to believe that it has been 9 weeks since Hadassah's birth. She is a very easy going baby, which is nice since her brothers are a bit more high maintenance right now (especially Ezra). She is sleeping 8-10 hours at night & loves the attention she receives from her brothers. At her 2 month dr. appt she was 24.3" long (95th percentile) & 11 lbs 1 oz (50th percentile). Here are some pictures from the past few weeks:

Hadassah hanging out with Aunt Dawn.

Great-grandma & Hadassah

Micah & Ezra loving on Hadassah.

This is my best picture of Hadassah smiling. The poor girl gets neglected by the camera. We'll have to work on that. :-)

Ezra turns 2!

On June 9, Ezra turned 2. We were able to celebrate the special occasion twice. He is talking more & more, but is still very hard to understand.  Example: his word for grandpa sounds like his words for basketball & pop tart.  Water & Moses sound similar, as do sausage & outside. We definitely need to know the context of our conversation to be able to understand what he is trying to say. He also does not always say his "j" sound as in meep (jeep), nym (gym), & nuice (juice), but will say Jake (as in Jake & the Neverland Pirates). He is a constant source of laughs for our family & he knows & loves it. Ezra is about 95% potty trained, for which I am very thankful!

The Flash!

Today the boys went to the doctor's for their 2 year & 4 year well visits. They both did awesome--Ezra had no tears, even with the blood draw to check for lead. Ezra was 36 inches tall & 30 lbs, just slightly above average for his age. Moses was 41.5 inches & 36 lbs. in the 70th percentile for his height & weight. Afterward, we headed to a nearby spray park as a reward for the boys.

They are starting to fight & argue these days. I remind them that they are brothers & will be for life, so  they might as well be friends. It isn't really working right now. Hopefully in time. . . 

Aaron's school held a baby shower for us & the Garber family at the end of the school year. It was nice to see his co-workers & to celebrate the new babies.

Hadassah is now 7 weeks old. Here she is enjoying the spray park today. 

So far, she has been such a laid back baby. In the past few days she has starting to suck on her fingers. I'm trying to discourage it, but she gags most times I try to give her the pacifier. We'll see what happens.She will go to the doctor for a 2 month check up in a couple of weeks. 

Hadassah Kay Dohner

Hadassah Kay Dohner was born on Wednesday, April 24 at 3:57 AM. She weighed 8 lbs 3 oz & was 20.75 inches long. 

 Moses & Ezra visiting their new baby sister. They both love her to pieces.

 Surprise visit from Aunt Dianne!

 Kisses from big brothers :-)

Welcome home, Haddie!