2010 Spring Recap

We've had so many things going on in our family that are blog-worthy and I have FINALLY made the time to blog about a few highlights!

Madeline and her cousin, O., love to play together. They are so funny to listen to and to watch when they play. I couldn't resist snapping this picture. They both decided to dress up. O looks super important talking on Madeline's pink phone and Madeline obviously thinks she's a beautiful little ballerina.

I took a few cake decorating classes during the Spring and Summer of 2010. These are my very first cakes. It was really fun to learn several different techniques and my family all loved eating the many cakes I baked!

An Orioles game with great seats, fun friends, cousins, and great weather!

Madeline and cousin O. love the sandbox. What child doesn't love to play without shoes and get sand all over and inside their clothes?

This also brings back some of my own blissful childhood memories:)

Joshua is still in band, playing the saxophone. Here you can see him a bit, even though this picture was taken from the very back of a dark auditorium, so not the best shot. Nevertheless, he is doing really well and is 1st seat this year!

Orioles game! We had great seats for this game, but the weather was a little chilly, not what you expect during baseball season! We still had a really fantastic time!

Mike brought Zachary on a fishing trip to the Chesapeake Bay during the Spring of 2010. Zachary had so much fun that he talked about it for weeks afterwards. These are the fish they caught. Here in Maryland we call these Rockfish. This year Joshua gets to go!

Our kids absolutely love to roast marshmallows and hot dogs with Opa in the backyard. Such a simple, yet enjoyable and relaxing thing to do!

Washington D.C. Cherry Blossoms!

World War II Memorial in Washington D.C.

Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial in Washington D.C.

Madeline with her cousin O. at one of the many fun parks near our house.

Nest like a Heron....Madeline with cousins O and M at the Baltimore Zoo.

Baltimore Zoo with cousins.

Our Boys Sing an African song

African song from the Olivier boys

We were all thoroughly entertained with this song. Zach and Cameron learned it in school, then taught it to Joshua. Fun times.

End of Summer 2010 and Into Fall

Last year Mike turned 40. We had a family party. I made the cake, which was also my final cake for the cake class I was taking. Mike thought the partying was over with a very humble family party.....little did he know:)

First Day of School..all dressed in Ravens gear!

Joshua hiking on one of his many Scout hikes/campouts.

Six Flags! We ended the summer with a wet and wild bang. We went to Six Flags. Here we are soaked after going on a wet boat ride....so fun! The Six Flags here also has a water park, so we were able to enjoy water slides, wave pool, lazy river, and roller coasters all in the same day. I'm not a fan of roller coasters and I get frightened every time my children go on one. I'm always super happy when they step off those rides, but I still let them have fun:) I love to hang out with Madeline on the little rides. We all had a great time!

Swim Team!

This is Joshua in All-City. He swam free style and butterfly. He did really well in both. He earned 3rd place in butterfly in the 13 and 14 year old age group!

Cameron swam back stroke and free style in All-City.

He did really well in his age group too.

Zachary swam on swim team this year, but he decided to go on his first scout campout instead of swim in the All-City meet this year. This picture is him at day camp, though, since I don't seem to have a picture of him on his first campout.

I also can't seem to find a single picture of him at a meet this summer. I'm going to have to ask around for a picture!

Baseball!

The baseball season is really fun in our family.

All three boys love the game and their mom and dad love to watch them play!

Cameron hit a triple here. He really had an awesome hit!

The top picture is him running home.





Zachary is catching a ball and preparing to hit a ball here.
He did a fantastic job this year!

Joshua was pitcher this year for his team. He pitched most games, missing maybe 2. When he wasn't pitching during the game, he was usually playing shortstop. Joshua also really improved his hitting this year. This was the first season where he managed to not break a SINGLE bone! Yay!!! He got to play all season! It was so fun to finally see his incredible baseball skills all season long!

Assateague National Seashore

This is the first thing we saw when we drove into the park.

There were so many wild ponies and the kids absolutely loved seeing them!

Zachary and Joshua had a fantastic time using their boogie boards.

It took Madeline a while to brave the water, but once she did, she couldn't stop laughing as the waves came up and hit her feet.

Cameron worked really hard on this sand castle and

Zachary helped with some finishing touches.

Madeline and Brooklyn had the best time just playing in the sand.

Boogie boards! The boys have so much fun riding

the waves and this was a gorgeous day for doing that!

The three boys that I LOVE!

With my sweet and oh so adorable little princess that I LOVE!


We ate at a place that served seafood after spending the day at the beach.

The food was great, but the wait was long!

Emma and Madeline had so much fun together while waiting for their food. I can't believe how happy all the kids stayed. We were there for several hours, but it was a fun several hours!

4th of July Fun!

Cousins! We got together with Paul & Jennifer's family and Jeff & Shelly's family. Jeff and Shelly came to visit D.C. so we were able to spend the 4th together. Some weren't very happy to have their picture taken. Some were hiding, but if you look closely, you can see them all in this picture!

Madeline with her cousin, Cade. They are so stinkin cute together! I just can't get over it:)

I actually sewed this dress for Madeline. I was supposed to sew a matching skirt for me, but ran out of time...so hopefully soon it will happen.

Paul, the gourment chef. He cooked up some great meat for us all. Super Delicious!

Rachel and Nicole. We spent the 4th with cousins from my side and Mike's side.
These girls had a great time together!



Dishing up.




The boys played a great game of Uno.




Sparkler fun!!






More sparkler fun!







Fireworks.

Random shot of two lively girls! Emma and Madeline really hit it off. It's been a while since we've seen them. Madeline's already been asking when she gets to see Emma again.

Watching the fireworks.....on top of the car.

There are lots of trees here, so you have to get creative!

Boys atop a different car. It's funny how they split themselves up like that.

Ladies watching the fireworks. We had fun too!