THE Beach

Probably THE most talked about part of our vacation was that we would be spending lots of time at the beach. What we did't take in to consideration was that 1. Noah would be too sick to want to play outside, and 2. It was only going to be 50 degrees AND raining for the first three days. But we tried anyway. We got up bright and early on Monday and donned our bathing suits (and sweatshirts) and headed to the beach. The boys headed straight for the water but quickly decided it was too cool. It was also quite windy. We tried out all our new toys but after just 30 minutes Noah decided he had had enough. Benjamin lasted another 30 minutes or so, then we were back in the cabin. Assuming the position. Laying in our super cool bunk beds. Watching the Disney channel. Oh, thank goodness for the Disney channel.
Now, this video is not all that exciting BUT you can see the waves and hear the wind. You might get a better understanding of why we didn't stay very long. (And no laughing at Benjamin's swim PANTS, Grandma! Maybe someday he will grow in to his shorts...)

Road Trip #2

Having just made the trip to Michigan the beginning of June, we felt like we had a pretty good understanding of what stood before us. We had a little more time to pack for this trip, so we were smarter in that aspect. In fact, when we finally packed the car, we were a little concerned we were leaving out something as we really had a lot of space left. And with being gone for three weeks, that wasn't our expectation. I think we still ended up overpacking a bit, but we didn't forget anything important and that is always the main concern in my book. MUCH THANKS to our friends Betsy and Grace for watching the boys for a full day so I could pack without my little "helpers". (I was apprehensive about sending the boys together as they can be quite a handful but she insisted and swears they behaved perfectly. All I know is that it was a HUGE help to have them out of the house for a day!) They came home and took a nice, long nap. Another bonus. Unfortuantely, Noah woke up with a temp and a seal-sounding cough. I called the doctor explaining we were headed out of town the following morning but she was sure it was croup and there was nothing they could do. He was definitely not acting like himself and complained a lot about his throat so I decided we would take him to the doctor in the morning. We were packed and in the car by 9:00AM. Would have made for a lovely departure time but we had the sloooooowest experience at the doctor's office EVER! After waiting for TWO HOURS and having them find NOTHING, armed with nothing more than Tylenol, we were underway. (They did do a strep culture but said we wouldn't know for 24 hours how that turned out.) Might as well eat lunch first then we could drive like the wind. 12:20, we were finally pulling out of town. Unfortunately, we had decided to drive 8 hours the first day so we would only have 4 the next and could enjoy the beach when we arrived. What were we thinking? Oh, what a long day it was. Poor Noah said maybe three words the whole two days we were in the car. He just sat looking out the window and dozing off and on. He didn't even want to play with his travel toys!! Benjamin did his best to make up for the lack of talking as I am pretty sure his mouth stopped only during his two twenty minute naps. He enjoyed saying "Tommy and Bobby. Tommy and Bobby," the most and when he ran out of other things to talk about, he just repeated that over and over and over. So add in bathroom breaks, stopping for meals and to let kids stretch their legs, we finally pulled away from dinner about 8:30PM. Darkness setting in, along with the darkest, most threatening sky you could imagine. (Mom told us the next day we were under tornado watches but chose not to share that with me while we were driving, thank goodness.) Soon as it got dark, it just poured. It was so hard at times, we couldn't see anything. It was blowing like crazy. I was freaking out. No really. Benjamin - still not sleeping - was starting to lose his mind. I even tried giving him one of Abby's pacifiers. Didn't help. Oh, and we were closing in on Chicago traffic. I wanted to die. We eventually made it our hotel about 10:30. I vowed that night that we would never again try to drive more than 4 hours in any given day. (My husband just smiled and nodded.) Sunday's travel was just peachy, though. Except that our poor Noah was still miserable, it was a picture-perfect day. Once we got around Chicago (and most of Indiana) I took the wheel and we were home free. It was such a wonderful feeling to be in Michigan, headed to the beach, on vacation, for three weeks. My whole car was asleep I had Simon and Garfunkel on my iPod. Life was good. We arrived about 4:30. The beach and THE lake were just as pretty as could be. We unloaded and headed to dinner and the grocery store. We were finally on vacation!!!

Fast forward to three weeks later, our trip home was problem-free. As I supected, my husband did not approve my "four hours only" day plan but getting away just after lunch AND gaining an hour as we traveled, it was all good. We made it home late afternoon on Sunday. Noah was most definitely feeling better on this trip and talked. A lot. Had to make up for the trip up, I suppose. He's gotten really good at recognizing license plates and loves playing the game which I love. He doesn't have them all memorized, obviously, but when he sees a new one he says, "What's the license plate with the mountains on it?" We say, "Colorado." And he'll say, "Colorado." Then he instructs us to "Auuhhh..." And he is not afraid to coach us severa times on sounding just right. And don't you dare call out a license that he hasn't seen first. You may be just trying to point it out to him but he will think you are trying to call it for yourself and this will cause much screaming and fake crying. Oh, and Benjamin loves to call out "'Braska." or "Michigan." Of course, his big brother never EVER accepts this. Ah, the joys of sibling rivalry.

We eventually found out on Wednesday that Noah did, in fact, have strep throat all along. Their test machine was broken and they were just now getting the result. Poor kid. They actually called as we were on our way in to a pediatrician's office with Abby. She came down with a horrible cough and was having trouble sleeping at night. She had an ear infection - thankfully nothing more. So with two children on antibiotics by Wedensday, we were finally ALL able to enjoy vacation.

How Safe is Your Street?

Ours? Definitely safe. And walks around the block? No problem there either. My boys have got our backs.And thank goodness we are having an unseasonably cool summer so no boys were harmed in the making of this trip around the block. As in, nobody died of heat exhaustion. Now that is not to say they were not super sweaty when they took their masks off, but suc is the price for high fashion when you are exercising, right?

Party in Aisle 4

Have you ever purchased a toy and had the batteries go dead almost immediately? We are probably to blame. If you are ever in need of some excitement, join us on a trip to the toy aisle at Target or Walmart. Never a dull moment - never.

The Great Divide

We finally decided it was time to separate Abby. Give her a place of her own to roam and grow - and decorate as she wishes. For one, she was all too interested in playing ONLY with the boys' toys. No matter how many things we gave her, she'd go directly to the train table and open the drawers and pull out all the little pieces and stick them directly in to her mouth. We'd go through and clean everything up, give her back her giant, mouthing safe toys, tunr our backs for two seconds and she'd be right back at the train table. Tisk. Tisk. Tisk. Secondly, we thought she deserved to roam without her brothers jumping on her. We put a gate between what should be the living and dining rooms. She seems very happy in there - most of the time. (If she thinks it is time to eat and you put her in there and then don't stay? She is NOT happy.) And I appreciate the piece of mind it gives me while I am out of the room. Now if I could just convince Benjamin to stop throwing things in there, we'd be golden. O, and the boys wants me to make sure you notice whose side is messy. They tried telling me Abby was the troublemaker and I guess now they have their proof.

A Tale of Two Parties

Abby got to celebrate her first birthday is style. Because we were in Michigan up until a week before her birthday AND Uncle Scott had plans for her birthday weekend (his 25th class reunion - he was a little excited to say the least), we decided to have a Michigan party AND a Kansas party. This was especially exciting for me because it meant we got to celebrate with a lot of special people from home that are not usually included because they are so far away.I'll be the first to admit I went a little overboard on the Michigan cake. Perhaps taking on a multi-layer AND rainbow cake for the first time was a little much, but it all turned out. AND Grandma Bonnie got the cake to the restaurant without it falling apart - another bonus. We had the party at Little Caeser's because there was supposed to be a hot air balloon show that night. The restaurant was right across the street from the airport and would have been perfect viewing had it not been only 65 degrees and rainy. (I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that is the coldest birthday Abby will ever have.) So, we missed out on the balloons but that just meant we got to spend more time inside visiting with our guests. Abs did a great job tearing her cake apart. She didn't eat all that much but she loved playing with it. (Daddy thinks she just ate too much pizza.) Unfortuntely, we ran out of time to open gifts so we had to do that at home. She did pretty well with her first paper ripping and seemed genuinely interested in what was inside the packages (unlike her brothers - they were more interested in the paper). So one party down and I'd say it was a big success. Two weeks later we celebrated with our family and friends in Kansas. Once again, she was in to her presents. I let daddy help open gifts this time. He loved it. Just kidding, daddy. I think maybe he just wanted me to stop flashing the camera in his face. Again, she loved opening the presents.I opted to go a little simpler on this cake. Noah and Eric helped with the sprinkles. I think it turned out very nice. And Abby made sure to pace herself at dinner so she had room for cake. And eat it she did. Now I thought I got a video of her shoving it in - turns out I didn't. But you can see that how neatly she just picked it up and put it in her mouth. She ate pretty much this whole piece and didn't have a but a drop on her dress. Good job, Abs. We are, of course, looking forward to many more parties with our sweet girl. Hopefully she doesn't grow up thinking she needs two parties every year.

ABBY IS 1!!

That bittersweet day arrived. Miss Abigail Mae had her FIRST birthday! Her big brothers and I took her to the farmer to celebrate - and she didn't cry, so she must have enjoyed it. After daddy got home, we went to the swimming pool. She really likes that... While this past year has been anything but easy on our family it has been a wonderful adventure. It is hard to believe one little girl could add so much love and happiness to a household. None of us can see her without beaming - and she more often than not returns the smile. 99% of her awake time is spent smiling, squealing, clapping, or singing. (The other one percent is screaming that we aren't feeding her fast enough.) This past month she started crawling on hands and knees and she is quick! Just this past week she and Grandma Bonnie worked a lot on pulling up. (I think that means we have some time before she is walking and I am quite alright with that.) She continues to be an excellent eater and is totally focused. She does not utter a word until she is done. (Unless, like I mentioned before, we are not serving her fast enough.) She still loves her brothers, although more from a distance - as they love her just as much but with a lot more touching. She is getting in to books and loves to sit and turn pages. I think she is actually getting her top two molars this week, which brings her teeth total to 10. We just couldn't have asked for a better baby had we picked one ourselves. We have loved these past 365 days and look forward to many, many more. Happy birthday, baby girl!!!

Home Again. Home Again. Jiggity-jig.

Well, it is hard to believe but the most anticipated event of our summer has come and gone. We returned from our three week vacation to Michigan and are back at home trying to settle back in to life as normal. Despite some illnesses and less-than-perfect weather, we had a wonderful time. We got to do a lot of things AND relax. We were finally there long enough that I didn't feel rushed to try and accomplish all we wanted to do. I think we were all a little sad to have to leave but I'm sure it will be good to be back home again - once we get all settled in. I had all these great intentions of using my time away to get caught up on my blog and, well, you can see that did not happen. Our week in Ludington, we were all in one room so to get the kids to sleep meant lights off for everyone. Once we got to my parents', the boys forgot how to go to bed at a normal hour, so it was often 10 or later before I could get them to stay in bed. And once I did, the internet seemed to be on the blink - every night! What were the chances, right? So, needless to say, I have a lot of work to do to get caught up. Hope you hang in there to follow our escapades. We really did have a great trip. And now, July is almost over. How is that possible? So, wish me luck on unpacking, laundering, and most importantly getting used to being just me 'against' the three kids. Much thanks to our hosts and to Christopher for allowing our extended getaway. Now, is it too early to start planning our next vacation?

First Word

Don't have it on tape - 'cuz you know how that goes, but Abby has her first word. "Amen". She even knows when to say it. She's still keeping it a secret from daddy but mommy, her brothers, and her grandmothers have heard it. Pretty cute, I gotta say...

When Life Hands You Dirt...

Make a mud bath!! The boys had THE most fun with this activity. Grandma Bonnie did not think this was such a good idea but I think that is because she could not hear their squeals of extreme joy as they played. They perfected skiing and even made a few mud angels. Noah didn't even mind the hosing off afterwards, Benjamin was not such a fan of that. They have asked to do this about a hundred times but I am pretty sure daddy wouldn't be so happy about their burrowing a hole in to our already troubled backyard so I am trying to hold off. I know - so mean.

11 Months

Who feels a FIRST birthday coming on?

This Little Light of Mine

Abby got her first 'Target toy' to keep her occupied while mommy did some shopping. Didn't take her long to figure out what to do with it. This video was actually taken later in the evening. I am surprised that the flashlight still works AND that she hadn't worn out her thumb.

Mother's Day

I didn't get the chance to post about Mother's Day lat month but didn't want it to go unmentioned. Christopher always does such a nice job of making me feel appreciated as a mother. Or, helping the children, I should say. And I know he feels a lot of pressure because I am a make-it-yourself-er and I think he feels he should be too. But this year he really outdid himself. And even held to a theme which always scores bonus points in my funny little world. He managed to get all the children to the pottery store to make me this "ice cream dish". It came with a letter that reads in part: "A mother's hands are so important in the life of a child. They help dress a child in the morning. They help tie shoes before school. They help make jelly sandwiches. Everyday. They help guide a child safely on their way... There are so many more things that a mother's hands do. The children have made this bowl for you with their hands. Something to help hold things for you. I hope you will cherish holding their hands while you hold on to their gift." I also got a pretty, little heart-shaped necklace that reads, "A mother holds her child's hand for a short while and their hearts forever." He thought it fit in nicely with the bowl. Not bad, hunh? And he also took Noah to Lowe's to make this planter.

Father's Day

We celebrated the special day by taking daddy to the zoo. It was a very warm day but we always enjoy walking around and seeing what we can. This visit was especially fun because Benjamin got his first try to feed the lorikeets. He was not afraid at all. Unfortunately, Noah sneezed as we were entering the feeding area and dropped his feeding cup so he just had to stand and watch this time around.
I love that the kids are getting older and can help with celebrating their dad. I found this cute questionnaire idea and thought I would try it out. I was very impressed with how well Noah did. He knew what every question was asking and, I think, did a pretty good job answering them.

My Great Dad

My daddy is 4 years old.

He weighs 3 lbs. and is "kinda big, about here (showing hand)."

His hair is black and his eyes are green.

My dad loves to relax by going to work and he likes to wear his Star Wars shirt.

He loves to cook pancakes.

His favorite household chore is painting.

His favorite show is Star Wars and his favorite song is Star Wars.

Daddy always tells me about the creatures in Star Wars.

It makes him happy when I share toys.

When my dad shops, he loves to buy Pop Tarts, bananas, and milk.

If he could go on a trip, he would go to Africa to look for snakes and turtles and he would take his grandpa.

I love it when my dad helps me blow bubbles.

I also had Noah draw a picture of his dad on the bottom of the card. He was so proud as he stood there and I read his card to his dad. It was pretty precious. I look forward to doing this each year to have a record of how the answers change. I had seen this 'Daddy's Footprints' poem a long time ago and wanted to do something with it.

I made a picture this year but am not 100% satisfied with the outcome so will probably continue working on it. The poem reads:

Daddy's Footsteps

“Walk a little slower, Daddy”,

Said a little child so small.

“I’m following in your footsteps,

And I don’t want to fall.

Sometimes your steps are very fast,

Sometimes they’re hard to see;

So walk a little slower, Daddy,

For you are leading me.

Someday when I’m all grown up,

You’re what I want to be;

Then I will have a little child

Who’ll want to follow me.

And I would want to lead just right,

And know that I was true;

So, walk a little slower, Daddy,

For I must follow you.”

-Author unknown

And, lastly, Abby got daddy her first Father's Day tie. Now that he dresses up on Tie Tuesday she felt obligated. I thought she did a very nice job with her first attempt.

6 Years and Counting

Six years ago today Christopher and I were married. The day and ceremony were beautiful yet they pale in comparison with what has occurred in the 2190 days since. I don't brag about my Christopher very often because, c'mon, who here [besides my mom] wants to hear about how wonderful he is. But the truth is, I am one lucky girl. These 6 years have certainly had their challenges and definitely their blessings. And Christopher has been there right beside me every step of the way. Just some of his highlights: He comes home every day for lunch. He does the dishes after every meal. He irons his own clothes. He cleans the bathrooms. He takes out the trash. He is a wonderful daddy! And has been from the very beginning! He was at every OB appt. (for all three kiddos). The semester that I was teaching while pregnant with Noah and sick beyond belief, he brought me breakfast in bed every morning, made my lunch every day, and even drove me to and from work on occasion. He has cleaned more than his share of messes. And he never complains! Not about anything! He's suffered through some pretty sorry living conditions and has had to do more than his share of housework. He's had to care for all the animals (and still does most of the time because I can't seem to remember to do it). He gets up and goes to work every day no matter how hard I try to convince him to just skip it. He works hard all day at the office then comes home and jumps right in with what I need here without ever taking a break - sometimes without even changing his clothes. He is always up for one of my crazy adventures and will always humor me by listening to my outrageous ideas. It is just such a blessing to wake up every day with my best friend and to know that no matter what we will face that day we are in it together. I am definitely looking forward to our future and many more anniversaries. I love you, Christopher!

Road Trip

We've had our summer vacation to Michigan planned for some time. After driving with the boys less than three hours in March, Christopher thought maybe we should do some sort of trial run before July as thought the boys could use some practice. Well, he got his wish. Although, I don't think driving the entire way to Michigan really qualifies as a test run, but it is what it is, right? So we loaded up the car and headed north. Our hope had been to set out as soon as Noah was out of camp at noon. That didn't happen. (Editor's note: no shocker. We are never on time anywhere. Ever. Any. Where.) After hitting a neighborhood garage sale and picking up a whole house full of furniture, we still had some packing to do. The boys were so excited to be headed to Michigan and to have their travel backpacks, they sat in the car for over an hour holding their packs just waiting for the go-head to tear them open while covered in their travel blankets with their pillows in place. We didn't end up leaving until almost 4PM and had a good 6.5 hour drive ahead of us. While there was no sleeping to be had, they rode like champs for two days. In all honesty, with spending four out of five days in a car, they were angels! We found a new highway (36) that allowed us to avoid I-70. Takes us all the way to Indianapolis if we would choose to go that far on it. We were the only car on the road and saw just some beautiful parts of the Midwest. We have decided not to be the family that just turns on a movie and tunes out the drive. Yes, we realize this will lead to some loud travel. Believe me, we know. But, we also had some pretty fun moments. The boys have mastered joke telling. We came up with a new "Guess Who I Am" game. And the boys had a LOT of practice on recognizing several different car models. My kids can spot a PT Cruiser from a mile away. And, really, if you are ever responsible for doing something to make my children the happiest kids on earth, take them to a hotel. Boy, is that fun. We did pull out an old portable CD player, though. We were hoping that if Noah was kept quiet, the other two would be able to nap. Nothing in that previous sentence worked out as we had hoped, but the headphones did give them something else to argue about. All kidding aside, I am very grateful for a lifestyle that allowed us to drop everything and head to Michigan. I am also grateful for a husband who knew I needed to be there and wanted to be there with me. My grandma's service was beautiful and I am so glad we were there. Now we unpack, wash clothes, and pack to do it all over. And, yes. We do color-coordinate our traveling clothes.

6.2.09

My mom called this morning and said Grandpa had called first thing this morning requesting everyone come to town. The nursing home had called and said grandma had taken a turn for the worse over night. They were headed up. I requestsed that they call Christopher because I didn't want to get the dreaded news over the phone while I was home alone. After lunch there was a beautiful summer rain falling as I napped with my Noah. When I heard Christopher's car door close hours before he should have been home, I knew exactly why. Strangely enough, it wasn't as devastating as I thought it was going to be. Perhaps that is because I was so thankful for the extra time we had her here on earth as we thought we were close to losing her last summer. I got some beautiful pictures of her with my baby girl and know that she was so pleased to get to hold her, if only once. Maybe it is because it was such a gradual decline that we were able to prepare ourselves for the inevitable. It also helped to talk to my mom who was present when she passed to hear that it was very peaceful. I can't help but be reminded of a song they used to play on my mom's radio station when I was younger: "Heaven's got to be a happy place, my [grandpa's] going there. Everyone around with smiles on their faces, folks who really care." She will certainly be missed but I am, of course, grateful to know that she is no longer in any pain and that she has been reunited with many loved ones and is reaping the wonderful reward that is hers in heaven today.