Time flies (Part 2!)

Before I get to our pictures of the last couple of weeks, I have to just say... Man, William sure has grown a TON since we've been back!  Our time here has gone so quickly, so I haven't been the best at tracking all of his milestones, but he's had lots!

WILLIAM UPDATE:  (If you're a picture person, you can skip this long paragraph!) Well, my little boy is now 8 1/2 months and crawling like a pro.  He is getting pretty fast and likes to go from his hands and feet to his belly.  It's pretty entertaining to watch.  He also is still SOOOO active.  I can hardly hold him in my arms without him moving his arms, kicking his legs, turning his head and trying to grab at whatever he can.  (This should make for a very interesting and LONG flight... pray for us!) He has also become much more aware of where I am and likes to be comforted by mommy (which I'm not complaining an ounce about!)  He's got a lot more opinions and he's pretty quirky.  I think it's just hilarious. As of today, he loves anything to do with water, bath time, eating, sucking on hair (weird, I know), sucking his thumb, being held, looking at trees, riding on people's shoulders, dogs, swinging, being outside, loud noises, his night time bottle, his sleep sack, looking at himself in the mirror and drooling :)  William doesn't like lying back, being in the car for too long, having his face washed or basically having to sit still.  With each passing day, he discovers more and more and I'm discovering more and more things that I adore about him.  He's at such a fun stage and I can't wait to see him continue to grow... just not TOO fast! :)

And now on to the fun stuff...

DOUGIE & KRISTI'S WEDDING!!!!  It was a beautiful weekend celebrating a beautiful couple.  I just love my brother oh so much and it filled me with such joy to see him so happy.  I always knew he deserved the best and he certainly found it in Kristi! Their wedding was fun, personal, crazy & COLD!  Who would've thought we would be freezing during their outdoor ceremony at the end of July?  I was actually shivering while they were saying their vows, but I guess I shouldn't complain... I've been wanting some cold weather for the last 2 1/2 years!  Anyway, I'm so excited for their future together and for welcoming another sister to the Ishikawa family.  We love you, Doug & Kristi!

William trying on his wedding attire :)

Rehearsing

My cute Bubby Bear!

The girls at the rehearsal dinner

A quick pic before the ceremony

How cute is he?!?!

Kristi's grandma and our grandma... matching!  (And no, not on purpose!  But don't they look great?!)

Mom & Dad with the handsome groom

The absolutely gorgeous bride!

Me and my new sister :)

Family pic :)

The Ishikawa girls

Laughing at the speeches

William was such a trooper all night... but at this point he had had enough and was ready to go home to bed.

Aren't they a stunning couple?!

Not your typical first dance.  Although a very typical Doug dance.

Leila loves to dance!

Mother/Son dance

They're pretty cute

Natey was so tired, he fell asleep in Aimee's arms while dancing!  Too cute.

Kristi's giving Doug the "DON'T DO IT" look...

"NO SERIOUSLY..."

Oh, but he did.

All grown up and married, but still young at heart.

ISHIKAWA FAMILY VACATION! After Doug & Kristi's wedding, we stayed up in Michigan to have a family vacation with my side of the family.  So fun.  We played games, went to the beach, ate lots of great food and just hung out with one another.  It was perfect.  

My boys

Ama plays the "Egg game" with the grand kids.  They have to answer a question right to get an egg... and sometimes they have treats inside!  They love it.

Bath time!  The kids loved bath time cuz it had jets and cool lights :)

Bubbles!

Walking the beach with my Lou Lou

She loves vacation.

Bubby aka Elton John

A very serious game of RISK

Uncle Dougie with his nephews

He loves bath time!

He loves cuddling with Ama, too :)

Love that face

So, I went outside to take some pics of the kids coming back from their fun wagon ride...

And I was greeted with this face.

And this one.

And this one.  Apparently Uncle Matt accidentally tipped the wagon and all 3 kids fell out onto the gravel!  Eek!  After soothing the crying kids, picking gravel out of their mouths and face and preparing Ama for the news... all was well!

Leila was emotionally traumatized though.

We all thought she looked like the girl from Les Mis :)

Man, vacations have changed since having 3 kids join the family!  Once all the kids are down and sleeping, it's party time!  (Or bed time...)

Leila is a great big cousin!

William hates lying back

So cute

Beach time with Daddy

A couple days after returning from Michigan we celebrated Leila's 4th birthday!  She's gotten so big and grown up so much.  It's crazy.  Matt & Aimee threw a princess party for her and she loved it!

Birthday party fashion show with all her new dresses

My high school friend, Brandy, was also in town so we got to visit with her!

 SAUDER FAMILY (EXTENDED) VACATION!!  I know, I know... you're probably rolling your eyes at how many vacations we went on this summer.  It was a lot, but when you don't see your family all year you have a lot of catching up to do!  I've said it before, but we are continually reminded of how blessed we are to have such fun, generous, loving families.  So... for our last week in the States, we headed up to Wisconsin for a couple of days to be with Steven's extended family for their annual vacation.  Steven always looks forward to this time and I must say, I've jumped on that bandwagon!  Thanks Grandma & Grandpa Sauder for such a fun time together... always!

William's first time @ the Ostoff 

Loving the water!

Until a wave came and scared him!

Uncle Phil "tossing" William around

Loves riding on Grandpa's shoulders 

Laughing at Auntie Kate! 

William's recently discovered a love for mirrors... he thinks its hilarious to give himself kisses!

They do kinda look alike, don't you think?

William didn't take an afternoon nap that day, so Steven and I waited in the car when he fell asleep on the way to dinner.  Anything to get a few more minutes of nap time!

The Sauder brothers always play this joke on their sister Jan... she's such a good sport!

So good to see Traci & Jason!

And Jessie, too!

Steven thinks he looks like Cousin Eddie with that hat on

Took Mom & Dad out to a nice dinner to say THANK YOU for all the did for us this summer!

Soaking up our last couple of days with cousins

Trying Ama's hair piece on Bubby!  We all thought it was hilarious! 

(Little did we know that he also had a raisin stuck up his nose the entire day... Matt ended up performing a little "surgery" after we went out to dinner! HA!)

"Swimming" with Auntie Aimee

William's all ready to go back to Thailand!

Well, we did have a ton of fun this summer.  Lots of good time with family and friends.  It was just what we needed after coming off a very rough year.  We can't thank you all enough for taking the time to bless us with your time and possessions.  While we did get a lot of good time with our loved ones, Steven was also busy completing the business plan for Thailand.  This is a HUGE accomplishment and I am so very proud of him for all his hard work and perseverance.  It definitely hasn't been easy, but he never gave up and kept his eyes on Jesus for his strength and purpose.  I admire you, babe.  You're the absolute best.  

And before I get too sappy, I'll leave you with my favorite video to date.  We went out with my family for Thai food and discovered how much William loves rice!  It's a good thing we're going back to Thailand...this will make Pawn very happy!