Cutler Fam in Indy: days 3-6

By the looks of this post, you could say we took a lot of pictures.  I really can't take the credit though.  Kimber is definitely the pro photographer of the group:)

To sum up our adventures with the whole Cutler clan:

day 3: water park

day 4: zoo

day 5: Sunday with the Christensen crew

day 6: 4th of July!

Splash Island was a lot of fun.  Jaden LOVED the water and playing with his aunts and uncles.
 Though it was overcast... believe me, we still got toasted.

soooo happy!

He loves Grammy and G-pa 'C'

We all had to try the lily-pad crossing!  Hilarious.

Jaden misses everyone like CRAZY!  He asks for them daily.  It's so sweet:)

lunch and just hangin'

Grammy taught him how to blow bubbles in the water.  It's the cutest!

After a fun day in the water, Mom and Dad C. treated everyone to some Dairy Queen ice cream and pizza.

Yes, in that order:)

We played games late into the night and had an oreo-tasting contest!  

The question: Does name-brand really make a difference when it comes to Oreos??

Answer: YES!!!  The scores were unanimous!

On a scale from 1-5...

Oreo: 5

Great Value Twist & Shouts: 4 (actually not too bad)

Kroger Kid-O's: 2

Assorted Creme Sandwich Cookies: 1

Kimber's homemade oreos: 10!

(We still have some in our cupboard if you want some, but you can probably guess which ones are left!)

The next day we were off to the zoo!  Can you believe Tayli and Karlee had never been to the zoo!  EVER!  Karlee is an animal fanatic, so we had to take her!

Just a glimpse of some of the animals we saw that day...

Karlee was most excited about the seals and dolphin show... of course! ;)

You could call us a family of penguins;)

Most of us even got the guts to pet some sharks!

We played outside the rest of the afternoon...

Karlee saved our frisbee a time or two :)

...and pulled out the kiddie pool one more time.

:a glimpse of our all-American grilling feast:

After a family devotional where we shared our thoughts and testimonies about the freedoms we enjoy, and a wonderful fast and testimony meeting full of patriotism...

we spent our Sunday evening with Danny and Monique and their crew as our "pre-Independence Day" celebration!

Homemade brick-oven pizza of course!

:and a little patriotic dessert:

:hanging out in their gorgeous backyard:

:and a little fireworks/sparklers:

Perfect way to welcome in the 4th if you ask me!

On the actual holiday, we enjoyed a hearty breakfast and then went to our ward cookout.  

Oh, and during the morning workout, Mom C. and Karlee spotted a turtle in the street!  It was totally random, so we let it free in our backyard forest after unsuccessfully finding its owner.

p.s.  Jaden loved doing G-pa's workouts with him:)

Then it was time to say our goodbyes!  It's always hard to see family go, but we're grateful for the time we had to share with them.  Thank you for all your efforts in making the trip!  We miss you very much!

:and just because Jaden was so cute in his festive attire:

Cutler Fam in Indy: days 1-2

We love having visitors and we LOVE seeing family.  So put the two together, and that makes for such a fun week.  We were pretty traveled out after our massive road trip last summer and flying all over the place during the Christmas Holiday, so we thought we'd invite the family to us this year.  With Casey and Kimber with us, it just made sense to get together with the rest of the Cutler crew:)

First things first.  Jaden wanted to show off his room and toys to Grammie and Grama (not sure why he went from calling Grandpa C. "Gapa" to Grama, but I guess it works:)  He was excited about all the attention from Kar-kar (Karlee) and Lee-lee (Tayli), too. 

Mom and Dad C. thought it would be fun to see the dental school.  Cody gave them a little tour and it was great to see all the new labs/facilities they are putting in.

Grandpa and Jaden became best buds from the get-go.  They even coordinated outfits for the trip to the school;)

After a good look at all the dental stuff, we took the fam to a cute little restaurant called, Creation's Cafe.  It's close to campus and sits right on the canal.  Here we are making our way to the "People Mover" (an air train).  It's pretty cool if you ask me.

Waiting for the train.  Jaden loves them... can you tell? :)

Once on the train, Jaden was pretty chill checkin' it all out.  As the ride went on, he got more and more excited to be riding a real train!  "Choo-choo!"

It made a stop right across the street from the cafe.  Cody and I had eaten there once before and sat outdoors.  We thought we'd check out the inside this time.  It was pretty sweet with a signing wall and tons of games to stay entertained while waiting to be served.

We tried out Bingo, and appointed Dad C. as our spokesmen.

 The food was de.lic.ious.

Mom C. and Karlee took Jaden to see the ducks on the canal while we finished up our meals.  Jaden LOVED them!  

"Duckie - Quack - quack!" (over and over)

 It was fun walking the canal.  Simply beautiful!

 By the time we were done, we were all exhausted!  We still managed to get a few photos on our way out though.

That night: shopping at the outlets and Mexican feast:)

 The next day, we stayed close to home.  Tennis at the park, pool time in the back yard...

We brought along the bikes, and I think Karlee was just as much a fan as Jaden was;)

(Jaden made a friend on the toy car)

The pool was a hit!  Jaden, Karlee, and Casey were the biggest fans.

Yes, they all fit!

Seriously, couldn't get enough of it!


We ended the day with an evening BBQ and had the Merkleys over.  It was fun for everyone to catch up and reminisce.


Jaden soaked up the attention... esp. from Casey and Mike!  He adores them.

 

 

Karlee wanted to make it a Luau night, so she decorated with leis and we did a little limbo, too.  Lacey was the champ!

We ended the night with a little marshmallow roasting.  Yum.

next: days 3-6

Ode to Dad

Father's Day has come and gone, and though it has taken me until now to post about the amazing fathers in my life, it sure doesn't mean I don't have the BEST dads around!  What can I say, I am one blessed girl.  I love my dad, dad-in-law, and sweet husband more than anything.  

Thank you for showing me the way.

Thank you for raising my wonderful spouse and shaping him into the extraordinary man and father he is today. 

Jaden and I surprised Cody with his favorite breakfast to kick-off Father's Day this year.  Of course, Jaden wanted to eat his breakfast right next to Daddy:)

(homemade biscuits with sausage topped with country gravy and our own little egg mcmuffin creation)

: just hangin' :

: like father like son :

I love all the fathers in my life.  Thanks for everything!