Fun at the Park!

With only 1 short week left before school starts, we decided to enjoy Preston's HOPE Park in Shaker Heights, Ohio. Ava and Sophia were able to join us (along with their mom, Shelby) for a great morning of fun and adventure! We packed up a lunch and spent a few hours burning off some energy and having a blast. This park is awesome and the kids just love it. Too bad it is quite a haul from Copley - a good 45 minutes! Good thing Shelby lives about half way there. Great way to break up the trip! Enjoy the pictures and if you are ever in the Cleveland area with children... stop by for a few hours of free fun!

Daughters and Daughters and Daughters, OH MY!

Yes... it's true. We are having yet another girl! Needless to say this will be the final addition to the Saris family (we are out of bedrooms)! I think the Ultrasound Tech got a pretty good 3D image of the little one - due to arrive sometime around December 31st! Hopefully you can make out the body parts!

Backyard View

Last night, the sky behind our house revealed the most amazing sight! It was orange and glowing!! The houses across our street were all aglow with a tangerine hue. It was beautiful! I just had to take a few pictures. Enjoy!

Clear Lake '11

Well, Ben and Erin Culler finally got us to their home at the lake! We made the 3 hour trip this past weekend and had a blast! Clear Lake is just across the Indiana state line just miles off of Rt. 49 (very close to Ohio and Michigan). We left Friday after lunch and made it home by Sunday for supper. The kids all had a great time and were tuckered out! We went swimming/wading at the sand bar off the island, took many boat rides, swam off their dock in the waist-deep water, and even went tubing!!! Jack LOVED the tube... Lexi, Jill, and Nate were ok with it, but I think preferred to be swimming. The adults even escaped and enjoyed a DELICIOUS dinner at a local restaurant (thanks to Sara the babysitter for taking on all 4 kiddos). All the kids did wonderful and we really enjoyed our time spent with the Culler family. Thanks for having us and maybe we will return next year or even make this a yearly ritual?!?! Enjoy the pictures.

A Crossland Wedding!

Well, Shannon is finally legally part of the family! Marty and Shannon got married on Sat. July 23 and it was a blast! It was also a HOT one!!! We managed to have fun through the sweat and it was so great to see all of Shannon and Marty's family and friends come out to celebrate with them. Flower-girl-Lexi had a minor melt-down just prior to walking down the aisle, but Matron-of Honor-Maely held her hand and she made it to the front of the church. Lexi was a trooper through the heat and with it being a LOOONNNGGG day (she was up by 7:30 and not in bed until 11 pm), I think she did ok. I have 3 albums of pictures... one from Rehearsal Friday night, one from Saturday morning before the wedding, and then one from Saturday afternoon and evening after the wedding. Enjoy!!!
P.S. They are the same pictures as on facebook, so if you have already looked at them you don't need to see them all again!

Rehearsal


Pre-Wedding


Post-Wedding

Lexi's hairpiece choices!

Just for you, Shannon! Let me know what you think!

Headband (off-white)

Headband (off-white)

Headband (off-white)

Headband (silver with rhinestones in the flower centers)

Headband (silver with rhinestones covering it)

Tiara (simple with rhinestones)

Rhinestones that twist into the hair

Pearl flowers that twist into the hair

Saris Family Vacation

Matt and I decided to take the girls to the Atlantic coast for our vacation this summer. We used our time-share and went to Galloway, NJ (which is only 20 minutes from Atlantic City and the Boardwalk). We mostly stayed around the resort and enjoyed the pool and nearby restaurants. On Sunday, we ventured to the coast to see Lucy the Elephant. Lucy is a 6-story hollow wooden Elephant that sits on the Atlantic shore and overlooks the ocean. Matt found the pamphlet in the resort lobby and Lexi just HAD to go see the giant Elephant! It wasn't very impressive, but Lexi liked it.
Then on Monday we ventured back to the coast and walked the Boardwalk. We only went about ½ mile in one direction, but that was plenty for the girls. Then we ate at Rainforest Cafe (where Jill was scared to death of the moving animals) and even let the girls put their toes in the ocean before returning to the resort. The water was very cold and they didn't mind at all to go back to the warm pool.
Tuesday afternoon, we left our resort and headed 1½ hours to Langhorne, PA where we would spend the rest of our vacation. The hotel we stayed at was a mere ¼ mile from Sesame Place! Needless to say, this was the highlight of the trip for the girls. Lexi loves Grover and Jill likes Elmo. We got a few great pictures with both characters. We enjoyed 2 days at the park and then headed home on Friday. Whew! Tiring but enjoyable vacation. Maybe someday we will try it again (not for a few years, though with another baby coming). Enjoy all the pictures!!