Summer Fun!

We spent a lot of time outside this week and I loved it! Summer is such a wonderful time of year, too bad it goes by so fast. Carter was at two different Vacation Bible Schools over the past 2 weeks and he enjoyed them both very much. I am so glad that he is learning about God and having fun while he is doing it. We called him our teenager this week because we had to wake him up at 8:00 every day and he was never home. Griffin and I really enjoy our mornings together. It is funny how easy it is with one child! Hope you are all enjoying your summer so far! I have attached a few photos to show what we were up to this week.

Book Worm

I think I have become a book worm. I have been reading a ton lately and have found some great books. I am bookless right now and it is driving me crazy.
I thought I would post a few of my recent favorites. Some are inspirational while others are just entertaining. So here are a few worth checking out:
-90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper
-The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch-if you watched his lecture on-line, this is even better.
-Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
-The Pact: A Love Story by Jodi Picoult
Any books by Emily Griffin I would recommend, they are fun, female reading.

Please share your favorites in the comments section!

Home Away From Home

We bought a camper a few weeks ago and this past weekend we finally got to use it. We went camping with Ty's brother, his wife and their kids. We certainly do not rough it as the campground had a pool, playground, mini golf, arcade and a small window service grill. Not to mention the very clean bathrooms and showers. None the less, we were camping in the great outdoors and sleeping in a camper sure beats a tent!! As you can see from the picture we brought a lot of things; too much according to Ty and Troy. The kids had a lot of fun and the weather was pretty good. I think camping is something we will enjoy doing as a family for many years to come!

Triathletes!!

Last Saturday Ty and I, along with our good friends Jill and Mick Stabenow participated in a couples min-triathlon in Osseo. This was our 2nd year doing it and the Stabenow's 3rd year. It consisted of a 2-mile canoe around Lake Martha, 11 mile bike ride and 3 mile run. We are proud to say that we did better than the last time so the training has paid off. It sure is tough when you are doing it but feels great when it is done. It is nice because it is a very layed back event so it does not feel very competitive, although Ty beats me every time even though I train way more than him. It is a very fun and fulfilling event!!

Is it finally Summer??

I think it is finally summer! This spring we decided we were going to try and keep our lawn looking decent. We live in a neighborhood full of retired people who spend several hours everyday on lawn care. Ours usually looks sub-par at best. So when the neighbors got their sprinklers out today, so did I! Carter thought it was nice enough outside to run through it. I would disagree but he is a kid and a boy so he didn't care how cold it was. Then he walked up to me and gave me some flowers that he picked just for me. What a sweetheart, he is going to break many hearts some day. I hope you are all having as good of a day as we are!

Thomas the Train

Last week we spent a couple of days in Green Bay. We went there to see the "Day out with Thomas." This is something we thought about doing when Carter was in the Thomas phase and never did. Now that Griffin is in that phase we decided this would be our chance. So last Wednesday we headed to Green Bay. We had been told about a park called Bay Beach so we checked it out and it was perfect for our boys. The rides were a quarter to fifty cents each, seriously!! They rode on everything and I think we spent $12.00, I recommend checking it out of you are ever in the area. It was cold, lower 60's and windy due to the big lake that is right there. It was nice because it was not very busy. Thursday was the Big Day! The Day Out was held at the National Railway Museum so there was a lot to do and many trains to see. Riding Thomas was especially fun because it was pouring outside but we were dry inside the train. Unfortunately we had to leave earlier than we wanted to due to the rain, but still enjoyed it a lot.
I am going to try and attach a couple of photos, hope it works!

Why Blog??

After a couple close friends started blogs and I became addicted to reading their's and other women's that I don't even know, I decided I would probably really enjoy doing one myself. As my family does not get to see us very often, it is my hope that this can help them feel closer to us. It is also a great way to keep a journal of our daily lives, something that we often take for granted and time that goes by too fast!
Welcome to the Ellis' family blog, hope you enjoy keeping up with us!!