Our Mini Vacation

On July 2nd, we surprised the girls with a mini vacation to the Great Wolf Lodge just south of Olympia. The GWL is an indoor waterpark/resort. Even after we'd arrived to the lodge, the girls just thought we were staying in a really cool hotel. They had no idea that there was a waterpark just waiting for them. The room was fantastic and we had a blast while we were there. Hayley was hilarious. She's completely unafraid of just about anything and wanted to participate in every possible thing she could. If only she were taller, we would've taken her on the bigger rides. But she enjoyed going on the smaller kid slides over and over and over...you get the point. Ashley on the other hand took a while to get into the swing of things. She was completely content just playing in the kiddie pools/splashers. She avoided all the bucket drops (1000 gallons to be precise) of water at all costs. I personally bribed and threatened her to get her on the BIG waterslides with me and John. By the end of day 1, she was okay with maybe going on one big ride tomorrow with each of us. By day 2, they were kinda fun and she was ready to slide. :) Not too much though. She still wanted to play in the water but at least now she was giggling and smiling at every turn. All in all, we had a great time at the resort and look forward to maybe another trip in the fall.

The girls first glimpse of the hotel lobby.





The huge bucket of water that drenches passers by. :)





Our silly family at the restaurant.



Mmmm, fondue for dessert!


Good Night Girls!

John's going to Hungary!!!

We've kind of known that there was a good possibility of this happening for about a month but it's official as of Monday that he will be going to Hungary for a month with his boss and two others from his Det. In general, this shouldn't be a hard working tdy by any means. He'll probably have a ton of fun traveling, sight seeing, eating, and hanging out with old friends who moved there early this year. The purpose of the trip is to ensure that those starting the maintenance squadron there at the brand new NATO base really know what they're doing. If any problems come up, they can train them up to date so as the aircraft begin arriving they are prepared to handle all the problems that may arise. John doesn't exactly expect there to be much to do though. But he's happy to have the opportunity to tour another country. We'll of course miss him at home but are excited for whatever goodies he might find to bring us home! :) (Oh yeah, and for this amazing opportunity!) But especially the goodies!!! John will fly out mid July. At least we'll get to spend the 4th together and he'll be home a couple weeks ahead of Ashley's 5th birthday. I think I need a pampering session before he leaves.

Hayley turned the BIG 3!!!

We all celebrated Hayley Belle's 3rd birthday last week and she couldn't have been more happy about it. She is so excited to be a Big Girl now. John worked that day so that morning I took the girls along our neighbor friends Ebony, Eamon, and Amara to the zoo. We had a lot of fun on her special day.






After our day at the zoo, we headed home to wait for Dad to make his way home. Then the real birthday fun began! Hayley loved opening her gifts as always.







We capped off the day with dinner and dessert out. We still can't believe that our little love is 3 years old now. It's crazy how fast her baby stage seemed to fly on by. She went to her doctor for her 3 year old check up today and is now 39.5 inches tall and weighs in at 33 lbs even. Such a Big Girl!

Hayley Belle's 3rd Birthday Bash

This past Saturday, the 13th of June, we celebrated Hayley's 3rd birthday with family and friends. In tradition we kept with the bbq style only this year we added in some water fun for the kids. Thankfully, the weather cooperated and everything turned out great. As always, we appreciate all of the Arnold side that joins us for these special occasions. It's always great to see them again and catch up. Having our friends here is a double bonus. Thanks to everyone who came for our little love's birthday party. She was so happy the entire day. Here are some pictures of Hayley's special day. I still can't believe my baby will be 3 years old tomorrow.