Big Smiles

We have enjoyed good times over the past few months... even just at the mall. Marilyn is at such a great age and is so much fun!

Here she is riding the school bus at the mall... her reward for being a good girl. (She does not always get the reward... hard to believe!) She was also so cute holding the hands of the mannequins in a store... thank goodness for the handiness of a camera phone.

Making silly faces in her club house.

And our beautiful daisies! They were huge this year and I just could not get over how nice they looked. Hunter even surprised me with several bouquets for the house.

Indiana State Fair

We enjoyed three fair visits this year. But the State Fair was by far the hottest. It was a sticky, HOT night when we went, as they all seemed to be in early August. Hopefully next year it will be a bit cooler, and we can enjoy it a bit more. We all rode the ferris wheel together and then watched a bit of the roller derby game. Fun!

Fun Days with Dad

Marilyn and Hunter enjoyed several days of fun trips to the Zoo and Children's Museum while our sitter was on maternity leave. Here are some shots of their fun adventures.

Which always ended the same way...

with a very sleepy bear.

Marion County Fair

We also made a trip to the Marion County Fair this year. It was a great time and Marilyn was THRILLED to ride the rides. She had an unlimited ride bracelet and had a blast. I think the Dumbo ride was her favorite.

More Fun with Grandma Jane

Here are a few more pictures of our wonderful visit with Grandma Jane!

Hamilton County Fair

Grandma Jane came to town for a visit in July. Sorry for the delay in posting, but the hard drive went out on our computer and caused some technical difficulties . Here are some pictures from her wonderful visit and the Hamilton County Fair.

Marilyn loved the llamas. Having never had much experience with them- we were all intrigued. And yes, we did recite the book, Llama Llama Red Pajama... one of Marilyn's favorites.

It was a warm night but lots of fun. We had a wonderful visit with Grandma Jane, and we can't wait for her next visit. Only a few more weeks until Marilyn's birthday.

A Day of Fishing

We enjoyed a beautiful Saturday at Great-Grandma & Grandpa Brenton's new house. The weather was perfect for relaxing on the porch, and the fish were biting.

Pappaw & Marilyn fishing...

And they caught one within minutes!

And Dad caught an even bigger one!

I love this picture.

Marlyn is perfectly situated between Great-Grandpa and Pappaw all equipped with their poles and ready for an evening of fishing. Lots of love here!

Hunter's First 5K

I just love this one! Marilyn's sign says it all- Her Daddy Rocks! A few weeks ago, on a very hot evening, Hunter completed his first 5K Cross Country run, and he did great. We were so pumped as we stood there cheering him on.

Coach Marilyn stretching and encouraging Hunter. Hunter did a great job and far exceeded even my wildest expectations. We are so proud of him... especially on a 90 degree plus night.

The next series of photos is a collection I subconsciously entitled "before Marilyn's first cast". She was playing on the playground while Hunter was running, and she was confident that she could keep up with the big kids. I watched for a little while, snapped a few pictures, asked her to please not follow the big kids as they climbed up the slide... then I did what every "good" mom does. I turned my head and waited for the crying to start. Amazingly, it didn't.

She played hard and had a good time dangling from the monkey bars, walking the planks and climbing up the ladders. And she didn't get hurt... at least not this time. I'm sure she won't escape her genes for long and will eventually end up in a cast- but at least this time our little daredevil prevailed unharmed.

Yes, she is in her Sleeping Beauty jammies... some battles need not be fought daily.

Princess Dress

Marilyn is such a goofy girl. She has become very interested in all things princesses. Here she is in her fancy "princess dress' spinning and twirling in her ballet shoes...

Then not even ten minutes later, she was outside driving her gator in her fancy princess dress. She is so funny!

Mennel Family Camping Trip

On Father's Day weekend we were blessed with a campground full of family! My mom's siblings and their families and our grandparents gathered for a weekend of fun and quality family time. The fun started on Thursday, and Mom & Dad took their favorite little camper Miss Marilyn with them. We arrived on Saturday afternoon from Chicago where we were celebrating Chris & Abbey's wedding. It was hot and muggy, but being able to spend such fun times with 70 members of our large family was wonderful.

Aunt Nancy brought some creative games for the kids... and the adults!

Vaseline on the nose... cotton ball on the nose transported to the plate... so cute

We surprised Marilyn with this Disney princess bag from the Disney store when we arrived. She then carried it EVERYWHERE around the campground and filled it with her treasures.

Our little camper! We had not been away from Marilyn for more than two nights, so it was a bit hard to be in Chicago for 3 1/2 days. I must say I was very excited to see how well she done with Grandma & Pappaw... and them with her. And she was in heaven! She loves spending time with them and it makes us so happy to know we can have a little couple time without worrying.