Happy Father's Day in Amsterdam

Brad, here's a little something from Ellie to you...



You are the best dad and we wish we could celebrate with you today. Thanks for being such a great role model for our sweet girl. We love you so much and appreciate all that you! Talk to you soon.

White Lake Videos

Ellie got a lot of attention from all of the older kids at the lake this year and she ate it up! Here she is with Ty & John performing one of their favorite tricks.

Ellie loved to "jump" off of the platform into the water as well as stick her face in the lake. She is becoming quite the little dare devil in the water these days.

White Lake 2010

50+ years ago my Grandad, his brothers, and their dad thought it would be nice to build a house on the lake, White Lake to be exact. Ever since then White Lake has been the place where the Avery family gathers each year to spend time together basking in the sun, playing in the water, and eating lots of homemade ice cream. This place (and the memories that have been made there) hold such a sweet place in my heart that I can't even begin to explain it. The old cottage has been out of the family for over a decade now, but thankfully the Avery's presence at White Lake each summer is still going strong! I am so thankful to be a part of such a neat tradition and I pray Ellie will grow up with the same fond memories that I have had there. Here are some of the highlights from this years reunion...

Ben & Ellie, lake buddies

A sweet shot of Allison & Meg

Ellie got a lot of love from her older cousins and she loved (almost) every minute of it!

Ellie & Paige

cousins,

cousins,

and more cousins.

All of the kiddos dressed up as super heroes

Pudding Paint

Today was not a fun day to be outside. In beteween rain showers and the thick humidity we decided to stay put in our beloved AC! After Ellie's afternoon nap I let her paint with pudding for the first time and she had a great time! I use the term painting loosely, she basically just spread it all over her plate, but she had fun doing it! So far Ellie seems to love crafts, which makes me so happy. I have been looking forward to us having fun making things together. I am so thankful to have a girl who loves arts and crafts. Let the fun begin!

She enjoyed eating the pudding as much as she liked "painting" with it!