Las Vegas

Here's some pics from my quick trip to Vegas. I had a great time. I went to Bonnie Springs which is an old Western Town. It was very hot and the town was cheesey, but it was nice to just walk around and hang out away from the busyness of the city. After that we went to The Mirage to see the baby tigers and the dolphins. That was a lot of fun, not to mention AIR CONDITIONED!!! The dolphins and animals in the Secret Garden were very cool. Addie really enjoyed it also. Unfortunately, I got stuck in Vegas. Can you believe I missed my plane. I got to the airport as the plane was boarding. Oooops. So, they got me rebooked for the next day and my mom got me set up in a room at the Excalibur. It was et up a little weird to get checked in but the hotel was really nice. My room was right behind the castle part that is lit up at night so they had blinds to block out the light. Addie was a trooper right up until we got on the plane. For the first time on the whole whirlwind trip she was a bit of a monster. Overall, it was a great trip.

Addie missed Ethan

Addie missed Ethan so much. I got some video of this phone call but have had trouble uploading it. I'll keep trying though. She was laughing and talking and was just so excited to be talking to Ethan. It was adorable. For the first couple of days that Ethan was gone Addie sat for hours in the window waiting for him to come home. It was very sweet and very sad.

Ethan's trip to Michigan

So, Ethan and my parents went on a trip to Michigan. It sounds like they all had a great time. It was a very short trip. So for those of you in Cleveland, I am very sorry we didn't tell you he would be in Michigan but the trip was very short. Only 4 days, 2 of them partial days.

Ethan had a great time. He got to meet lots of cousins and played very hard. They threw him a birthday party and he came home with all sorts of goodies he was excited about. Thank you guy for doing that for him. It was very sweet.

Yay for John Deere!!

Ethan and???

Ethan and Emma??

Ethan and my Grandpa Bill at Big Boy

Ethan loves Big Boy burgers

Ethan and Tracy??
On the buggy with Cheryl
A fruitcake?
Blowing out the candles. Lucky guy. How hard can it be to blow out 6 candles. I'm jealous.
Yay for presents!!

Scooter Girl

Addie has become so independant. She just got on the scooter one day and started trying to ride.

He! He! He!

Look mom, NO FEET!!

Standing on the scooter sure is a lot of work!!

Addie needs some refreshment after all that work.

All done Mom. Here take it.

Tom Petty

For Mother's Day and Father's Day I got tickets for my parents to Tom Petty. So, on August 16 we all sat around the campsite playing in the sun and drinking until it was time to go to the concert. We had a great time and all I have to say after spending the weekend is thank goodness for AC. As irritated as I sometimes get about all themoney Derek thinks we need to spend on our camper the AC really makes it worthwhile. So, we all had a blast and are looking forward to doing it again for Labor Day for Dave Matthews. Whoohoo!!

Ethan really enjoyed sitting on top of the camper and being able to

see all the campers and for once in his life he got to be tall.

Ethan is sooooooo hot

Stacy and Joe

The Piper Clan - Jack, Jennifer, Stacy and Joe
Niki and Jack playing around pre-really drunk Niki
I guess Ethan found something pretty funny
Addie thought Joe's camper was so cool
Addie and Jack are checking out the cows in the neighboring field
Here's Addie rolling down the hill at the concert before it gets too busy.

Point Defiance Zoo

On Tuesday Laura had the playgroup scheduled to go to the zoo. The weather sucked and it ended up being just her and her friend Brooke going to the zoo. The weather ended up being perfect. Cool enough to keep the crowds away but no rain. They went to Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma. I generally hate going to this zoo because it is on this huge giant hill and all the cages seem small to me but they have gotten a lot of funding to improve the zoo and apparently it has gotten a lot better. I'll have to make my way back there sometime soon. The kids had a blast.

After this trip to the zoo Laura dropped Ethan off with Derek who took him to the airport where he got onto a plane with my parents for a very quick trip to Michigan. My aunt recently found out she has Pancreatic cancer so my parents wanted to see her and decided to take Ethan along. He's having an absolute blast out there playing with all of his cousins that I don't think he has ever met. We'll have pictures up from his trip soon. My parents took one of my cameras but that doesn't mean they'll use it. They are even having a birthday party for him on Friday. I'm sure he's going to feel like one special boy.

Ethan is "King of the Toddlers"

Too bad there is glass. They look fun to play with.
Kisses for Timon
Bubba helping Addie see the meerkats.
Addie's a snail that moves at very high speeds.
I'm guessing this is a slide, but it looks like Addie is in somethings throat. Zoo playgrounds can be so strange.

(Laura informed me that this is a sea anemone)

Ethan's caught in the web!!!
I have no idea what this is, but the kids liked it

(Again I got informed...this is a nest)

Addie loves the sand but hates to get dirty
Whatcha lookin' at Ethan?
See the fish? Addie says it's right there.

Did you need something? I was looking at the fish.
Hey Ethan! Having fun at the zoo? I'd say the smile says YES!! She was so proud to be up on here by herself, even if only for a second. And off she goesWhat a BIG girl

He is the sweetest big brother EVER!!
We can't forget a couple pictures of Kason
Down the slide she goes

WHEEEEEEE!!!!She's almost thereAnd all done and to the bottom. I think she enjoyed that.Such a sweet boyI think Addie loves the animals almost as much as Ethan loves animals!!