This is the newest game that Izzy and Trevor like to play! Sometimes I wonder which one of them likes it more!!!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Izzy is 17 months!
Seriously! She's almost 1 and 1/2!!! Wow!
No, she can't ride the tricycle yet, but don't tell HER that!
Words she can say:
mama
dada (at least sometimes, many times she calls him mama too!)
baby
no
peek-boo
up-y (as in, "pick me up-y")
thank you (more like tank-u)
cookie
beep (as in, push on my nose and say "beep")
kitty
brother (sounds like "bubba" or "bruba")
coffee
diaper
poop
bus
dino (and usually, this is followed by "raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa")
She understands all kinds of things beyond what she can say, including "put your cup in the sink" (which she does!), "sit down"(which she doesn't do!), "time for diaper/jammies" (and when she hears this she heads for the stairs), and "shoes" and then she'll got get hers so we can go outside.
She's the queen of dirty looks! Dare you say hello to her, she'll grace you with one, and even once she knows you and is comfortable around you, you'll get a variety of looks somewhere between shy, cute, coy, and mean! It's too cute most of the time! However, she LOVES the camera, so it's actualy quite hard to get a picture of the diry looks.... this is close to one of them!
She loves to climb, and isn't particular about what she's climbing. The couch, the table (I found her standing in the middle of the kitchen table once!), the toys, the slide. She climbs anything she can! She also loves playing with anything that belongs to her brothers. She's gotten very attached to toy dinos, has learned to say the word, and loves to watch "Dinosaur Train" on TV with them!!
She loves playing with her brothers. She and Trev seem to have a special bond, but with him gone all day at school, she's been hanging with Blake a lot more and having a great time!
Ah yes, she's definitely growing up!
No, she can't ride the tricycle yet, but don't tell HER that!
Words she can say:
mama
dada (at least sometimes, many times she calls him mama too!)
baby
no
peek-boo
up-y (as in, "pick me up-y")
thank you (more like tank-u)
cookie
beep (as in, push on my nose and say "beep")
kitty
brother (sounds like "bubba" or "bruba")
coffee
diaper
poop
bus
dino (and usually, this is followed by "raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa")
She understands all kinds of things beyond what she can say, including "put your cup in the sink" (which she does!), "sit down"(which she doesn't do!), "time for diaper/jammies" (and when she hears this she heads for the stairs), and "shoes" and then she'll got get hers so we can go outside.
She's the queen of dirty looks! Dare you say hello to her, she'll grace you with one, and even once she knows you and is comfortable around you, you'll get a variety of looks somewhere between shy, cute, coy, and mean! It's too cute most of the time! However, she LOVES the camera, so it's actualy quite hard to get a picture of the diry looks.... this is close to one of them!
She loves to climb, and isn't particular about what she's climbing. The couch, the table (I found her standing in the middle of the kitchen table once!), the toys, the slide. She climbs anything she can! She also loves playing with anything that belongs to her brothers. She's gotten very attached to toy dinos, has learned to say the word, and loves to watch "Dinosaur Train" on TV with them!!
She loves playing with her brothers. She and Trev seem to have a special bond, but with him gone all day at school, she's been hanging with Blake a lot more and having a great time!Ah yes, she's definitely growing up!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
School Times Two
Finally, everyone is back to school around here.
Trevor started first grade 3.5 weeks ago, on August 17! Yes, mid-August is now back-to-school time. Personally, that feels way too early and way to HOT for school. Day 1 was no problem, it was also a half-day. He knew that there were 4 or 5 kids from kindergarten that would be in his first grade class. He was curious and excited to meet his teacher, see his friends, and meet his new classmates.
Trevor's first day, Blake and Izzy were waiting with him at the bus stop.
Trev was all smiles, with his hair spiked, the shirt he picked out ("Blame My Sister") and his skull sling!
The bus is coming, GROUP HUG everyone!!
Day 2 and onward, have been a struggle of varying degrees. Each morning he tells me he doesn't want to go to school. Some days it's a mention of it, other days it's a meltdown!!! His reasons vary from being bored by doing kindergarten level work (review), to missing his brother and sister, to it not being fair since I don't go to school (and get to spend all day with Izzy), to him not feeling good. He gets on the bus with tears in his eyes, nearly every day.
Inevitably, he gets home with a HUGE smile on his face and happy stories of friends and what happened that day in class. But as the evening goes on, he refuses to do homework, and starts to get upset again at the thought of going back to school.
Izzy is ALWAYS thrilled to see him. She cries when the bus leaves with him on it, and runs out to meet him when it drops him off!
On the plus side, he's doing amazing work....he's a pro at spelling (100% on all three spelling tests so far), he's great at math, and he's pretty good at reading! Now if only they would do something that would challenge him!!! ;)
Yesterday, Blake FINALLY started school. The fact that B didn't start til now did not help Trevor at all! So hopefully, things will get smoother from here!
Blake was ready, if not excited, to go back. We see quite a few of his school friends during the summer as their mom's are friends of mine. This year brings a new classroom, new teachers, and more days of school.
B willingly posed, with Izzy before we left. This is one of the RARE times that he didn't run the other way or hide when the camera came out!!! Since he had a backpack, she needed one too!
We got to the room, and immediately Blake and Izzy were off playing with dinos. I had to wonder who was the kid going to school as Izzy seemed ready to stay and play, and could have cared less if I was there!!
One of the projects of the day was to find their name and make a beaded necklace to wear for the first week. Beads are one of Blake's favorite activities, he's quite the artistic child, so he was thrilled to do this.
Eventually, we left the dinosaurs, and Blake decided to work with the Lincoln Logs. He, of course, built the tallest house he could, with as many logs as he could find. As he finished, one of his teachers came over and asked if he was a Packer fan since the roof was green & gold. He claimed no, but I know he is!!
Incidentally, that was his only interaction with any of his teachers. While he knows their names, he didn't want to talk to any of them yesterday! Tomorrow is his first regular day where I drop him off for 2.5 hours and come back later. We'll see how he does!!!
Trevor started first grade 3.5 weeks ago, on August 17! Yes, mid-August is now back-to-school time. Personally, that feels way too early and way to HOT for school. Day 1 was no problem, it was also a half-day. He knew that there were 4 or 5 kids from kindergarten that would be in his first grade class. He was curious and excited to meet his teacher, see his friends, and meet his new classmates.
Trevor's first day, Blake and Izzy were waiting with him at the bus stop.
Trev was all smiles, with his hair spiked, the shirt he picked out ("Blame My Sister") and his skull sling!
The bus is coming, GROUP HUG everyone!!
Day 2 and onward, have been a struggle of varying degrees. Each morning he tells me he doesn't want to go to school. Some days it's a mention of it, other days it's a meltdown!!! His reasons vary from being bored by doing kindergarten level work (review), to missing his brother and sister, to it not being fair since I don't go to school (and get to spend all day with Izzy), to him not feeling good. He gets on the bus with tears in his eyes, nearly every day.
Inevitably, he gets home with a HUGE smile on his face and happy stories of friends and what happened that day in class. But as the evening goes on, he refuses to do homework, and starts to get upset again at the thought of going back to school.
Izzy is ALWAYS thrilled to see him. She cries when the bus leaves with him on it, and runs out to meet him when it drops him off!
On the plus side, he's doing amazing work....he's a pro at spelling (100% on all three spelling tests so far), he's great at math, and he's pretty good at reading! Now if only they would do something that would challenge him!!! ;)
Yesterday, Blake FINALLY started school. The fact that B didn't start til now did not help Trevor at all! So hopefully, things will get smoother from here!
Blake was ready, if not excited, to go back. We see quite a few of his school friends during the summer as their mom's are friends of mine. This year brings a new classroom, new teachers, and more days of school.
B willingly posed, with Izzy before we left. This is one of the RARE times that he didn't run the other way or hide when the camera came out!!! Since he had a backpack, she needed one too!
We got to the room, and immediately Blake and Izzy were off playing with dinos. I had to wonder who was the kid going to school as Izzy seemed ready to stay and play, and could have cared less if I was there!!One of the projects of the day was to find their name and make a beaded necklace to wear for the first week. Beads are one of Blake's favorite activities, he's quite the artistic child, so he was thrilled to do this.
Eventually, we left the dinosaurs, and Blake decided to work with the Lincoln Logs. He, of course, built the tallest house he could, with as many logs as he could find. As he finished, one of his teachers came over and asked if he was a Packer fan since the roof was green & gold. He claimed no, but I know he is!!
Incidentally, that was his only interaction with any of his teachers. While he knows their names, he didn't want to talk to any of them yesterday! Tomorrow is his first regular day where I drop him off for 2.5 hours and come back later. We'll see how he does!!!Sunday, August 22, 2010
Bucket List Part Deux
Just after my Bucket List post, I read an article in a parenting magazine, "Savor the Last Drops of Summer". Basically, a list of things you should manage to do this summer. Many we did, many we did not.
So now a "Bucket List 2011" of all the things we didn't do this year:
So now a "Bucket List 2011" of all the things we didn't do this year:
- Visit the seashore (we did make it to a lakeshore this year)
- Lie in a hammock
- Jump off a diving board
- Make a fort
- Find a rainbow
- Stargaze
- Look for cloud formations
- Take a nap on the lawn
- Search for sea glass
- Skip rocks
- Dig for worms
- Set up a lemonade stand
- Put on a play
- Make mud pies
- Tell ghost stories
- Build a sand castle
- Learn to do a cartwheel
- Play kickball
- Do the hula
- Go on a scavenger hunt
- Build a box car
Saturday, August 21, 2010
6 years and 2 weeks
That's how long it took.
Do you know for what??
For the first of my children to break a bone.
2 weeks after his 6th birthday, Trevor broke his right collarbone. Daddy, Blake and Izzy were present in the room when it happened. Me... I was 692 miles away on vacation in upstate New York!!! Talk about feeling helpless!!
It all started because t-ball was canceled. Although the weather seemed nice, apparently there was standing water on the field.
During the morning, a used disposable diaper had been ripped apart and the little beads that absorb the moisture were all over the floor of the boys room. So Daddy wanted to vacuum it up. He did so with all three kids in the room (kudos to him, but I think that's crazy... I would have put a movie on and left them downstairs!).
As he vacuumed he decided to clean the rest of their room, including under a chair in the corner where the cats sleep. So he moved the chair out of the corner of the room, and into the middle and the kids played on it.
(Can you figure out what happened yet??).
Both boys were on the chair (I have no idea where Izzy was)... T was sitting on it, and B climbed up the back of the chair (which is normal, but has no effect when the chair is in the corner). B climbed up... the chair tipped over... T flew out of the chair, and whacked his collarbone on the bunk bed post.
Immediately, two things were true... Trevor felt no pain and Daddy KNEW it was broken. He KNEW because he broke his twice as a kid. I later learned that his Dad broke his once so it's a requirement for the oldest son on that side of the family. On the plus side, Daddy's younger brother didn't break his, so we can hope B won't either!!
After finding Aunt Kate to come stay with B and Iz, Daddy took T to the ER. It took an x-ray, a 3-minute visit by the Dr, and a $450 ER bill to tell us what we already knew. It took $50 to get T a sling that he HATED (because it has teddy bears and balloons on it and is very babyish).
On Sunday I came home. Nothing much had changed. Monday, as recommended by the ER doc, I took him to an orthopedist to recheck it and see if anything else needed to be done. She said it was fine, nothing to worry about, sling for 4 weeks, no swimming, t-ball etc, and she'd recheck it in a month.
A few days later Aunt Kate provided a great fix for the sling....
For the most part Trev has been pretty good during this last month. But the realization that he couldn't play t-ball (3 weeks left) or swim for the week of summer camp (which started 2 days after he broke it) made him REALLY mad. Mostly because it was Blake's 'fault' that he was injured, but Blake was able to do all those activities. The other part of the problem is that it's never hurt him. It's hard to stop a 6-year-old from being active when the broken bone doesn't hurt!!!
I've tried to take pictures of the two sides, but it's very hard to see anything in pictures. At first there was a visible difference, and even now there is still a bump on the side he broke. I just hope that doesn't mean it healed wrong!!!
Tuesday is his follow up appointment with new x-rays scheduled. In the last week he's been swimming and I even let him play the last week of t-ball (lefty of course!). I'm just hoping that the x-ray shows all is well!!!
Do you know for what??
For the first of my children to break a bone.
2 weeks after his 6th birthday, Trevor broke his right collarbone. Daddy, Blake and Izzy were present in the room when it happened. Me... I was 692 miles away on vacation in upstate New York!!! Talk about feeling helpless!!
It all started because t-ball was canceled. Although the weather seemed nice, apparently there was standing water on the field.
During the morning, a used disposable diaper had been ripped apart and the little beads that absorb the moisture were all over the floor of the boys room. So Daddy wanted to vacuum it up. He did so with all three kids in the room (kudos to him, but I think that's crazy... I would have put a movie on and left them downstairs!).
As he vacuumed he decided to clean the rest of their room, including under a chair in the corner where the cats sleep. So he moved the chair out of the corner of the room, and into the middle and the kids played on it.
(Can you figure out what happened yet??).
Both boys were on the chair (I have no idea where Izzy was)... T was sitting on it, and B climbed up the back of the chair (which is normal, but has no effect when the chair is in the corner). B climbed up... the chair tipped over... T flew out of the chair, and whacked his collarbone on the bunk bed post.
Immediately, two things were true... Trevor felt no pain and Daddy KNEW it was broken. He KNEW because he broke his twice as a kid. I later learned that his Dad broke his once so it's a requirement for the oldest son on that side of the family. On the plus side, Daddy's younger brother didn't break his, so we can hope B won't either!!
After finding Aunt Kate to come stay with B and Iz, Daddy took T to the ER. It took an x-ray, a 3-minute visit by the Dr, and a $450 ER bill to tell us what we already knew. It took $50 to get T a sling that he HATED (because it has teddy bears and balloons on it and is very babyish).
On Sunday I came home. Nothing much had changed. Monday, as recommended by the ER doc, I took him to an orthopedist to recheck it and see if anything else needed to be done. She said it was fine, nothing to worry about, sling for 4 weeks, no swimming, t-ball etc, and she'd recheck it in a month.
A few days later Aunt Kate provided a great fix for the sling....
For the most part Trev has been pretty good during this last month. But the realization that he couldn't play t-ball (3 weeks left) or swim for the week of summer camp (which started 2 days after he broke it) made him REALLY mad. Mostly because it was Blake's 'fault' that he was injured, but Blake was able to do all those activities. The other part of the problem is that it's never hurt him. It's hard to stop a 6-year-old from being active when the broken bone doesn't hurt!!!
I've tried to take pictures of the two sides, but it's very hard to see anything in pictures. At first there was a visible difference, and even now there is still a bump on the side he broke. I just hope that doesn't mean it healed wrong!!!
Tuesday is his follow up appointment with new x-rays scheduled. In the last week he's been swimming and I even let him play the last week of t-ball (lefty of course!). I'm just hoping that the x-ray shows all is well!!!
Friday, August 13, 2010
Bucket List
When summer vacation started on May 27th, I didn't ask Trev what he wanted to do this summer. In retrospect, I should have. I didn't ask Blake either, but that is probably for the best!!
Regardless, I tried to plan a fun summer that all three kids would enjoy and that would take advantage of all the free time we would have. After all, this fall brings full-time school and that restricts the activities that we can participate in (or at least, when we can participate in them).
As I look back, here's a few of the things we can check of this summer's bucket list:
Regardless, I tried to plan a fun summer that all three kids would enjoy and that would take advantage of all the free time we would have. After all, this fall brings full-time school and that restricts the activities that we can participate in (or at least, when we can participate in them).
As I look back, here's a few of the things we can check of this summer's bucket list:
- participate in soccer league (Trev)
- attend graduation party
- attend mommy's volleyball games (and stay up and out past bedtime!)
- go to lots of friend's birthday parties and celebrate two of our own
- go to new village park grand opening, play in soccer tournament, win our first game, play in the rain, and jump in huge mud puddles
- learn all about reptiles at the library
- go to lots of new parks and a bunch of old favorites
- go to a MLB baseball game (not the Cubs!-at the kids request)
- visit Grandpa
- learn how to make cool scientific reactions using basic household materials (vinegar, baking soda, m&m's and more) (more fun at the library)
- go camping and get REALLY dirty
- go strawberry picking
- make LOTS of strawberry and raspberry jam
- go to summer camp
- learn to swim (Trevor!!!!)
- practice reading
- spend the night at Grandma's
- go to the zoo
- watch at least two sets of fireworks, and set off some of our own
- participate in t-ball league (T & B)
- learn about dinosaurs at the library (and show off our knowledge - good job Blake!)
- attend Zoo camp and be a "Junior Zookeeper" for the day
- go to the pediatrician and not get shots (Trevor! Izzy still had to get shots!)
- survive a week with Mommy gone on vacation (they survived, but there are scars!)
- go to the movies
- go to Great America
- go to the farmer's market
- go to the 'skyscrapers' (what the boys call going downtown) to various museums
- go fishing with Grandpa
- make home-made ice cream
Friday, August 6, 2010
Trevor's 6th Birthday (a month late!)
So we celebrated on time, have no fear, but it's taken me until now to post the pictures and story!!
The actual day started with breakfast of Trev's choice, Swedish pancakes made by Daddy, and then tball practice followed by lunch at Culvers! Then we headed home to be there in time for guests and the party!
As always Trev ends up with a backyard pool party, but the kids always seem to have a good time. We ended up with about 10 other kids here in addition to our 3, and while less than many of our regular coffee playdates, it was still plenty of kids and plenty of fun!! But we did miss those friends who couldn't join us! I think all the kids had a great time in the pool and sprinklers, and playing with the water guns and balloons.
spraying each other with the sprinkler
everyone in the pool
it's time to slip n slide
Time for water balloons
everybody run, water balloon fight!!
Izzy slept thru some of the festivities, but that was just fine with her as she wanted NOTHING to do with the pool or sprinkler!
The birthday theme this year was Space as Trev has become very interested in all things space and all 9 planets. He still considers Pluto a planet and is very offended if you dare to say there are only 8!! So Daddy made a space cake, and we had some space decorations as well as themed goody bags.
the space table cloth that the boys painted
Saturn
Neptune
T's cake with the WHOLE milky way on it, including a few extra details (click the picture to see it bigger). This is by far one of my favorite cakes of all the ones Daddy has made so far.
everyone enjoying the yummy beautiful cake!
Later in the evening, Grandma, Kate and Scary joined us for present opening and more cake. Trev was thrilled with all his presents, and the fact that most of them were Lego related!! He's easy to please in that respect these days!!
it's present time!
the fish pillow he's been wanting for MONTHS (and it's almost as big as him!)
The actual day started with breakfast of Trev's choice, Swedish pancakes made by Daddy, and then tball practice followed by lunch at Culvers! Then we headed home to be there in time for guests and the party!
As always Trev ends up with a backyard pool party, but the kids always seem to have a good time. We ended up with about 10 other kids here in addition to our 3, and while less than many of our regular coffee playdates, it was still plenty of kids and plenty of fun!! But we did miss those friends who couldn't join us! I think all the kids had a great time in the pool and sprinklers, and playing with the water guns and balloons.
spraying each other with the sprinkler
everyone in the pool
it's time to slip n slide
Time for water balloons
everybody run, water balloon fight!!
Izzy slept thru some of the festivities, but that was just fine with her as she wanted NOTHING to do with the pool or sprinkler!
The birthday theme this year was Space as Trev has become very interested in all things space and all 9 planets. He still considers Pluto a planet and is very offended if you dare to say there are only 8!! So Daddy made a space cake, and we had some space decorations as well as themed goody bags.the space table cloth that the boys painted
Saturn
Neptune
T's cake with the WHOLE milky way on it, including a few extra details (click the picture to see it bigger). This is by far one of my favorite cakes of all the ones Daddy has made so far.
everyone enjoying the yummy beautiful cake!
Later in the evening, Grandma, Kate and Scary joined us for present opening and more cake. Trev was thrilled with all his presents, and the fact that most of them were Lego related!! He's easy to please in that respect these days!!
it's present time!
the fish pillow he's been wanting for MONTHS (and it's almost as big as him!)
Thursday, July 29, 2010
T-ball
Many times in the past, we have asked the boys if they want to participate in various sports: swimming, soccer, t-ball. Initially, Blake has resisted them all. He now willingly takes swim lessons, but only if he's with Trevor. He's declined many chances to play soccer and t-ball, and prefers sitting on the sidelines watching. Once he said he'd play soccer and we signed him up, only to have him refuse on the first day.
Again, this spring we asked if he wanted to play t-ball, and this time he said yes. I was cautiously hopeful since the t-ball was for 4-6 year-olds, so both boys would be playing together. Not so gently, I reminded and 'encouraged' B that he was going to play t-ball and that if he did, we could go to Culver's for lunch after. After 4.5 years of parenting this kid, I've learned how to motivate him!!!
Week 1 of t-ball was in mid- June, while we were camping. Oh well.... It wasn't very expensive to sign them up, so I wasn't too upset we were missing one.
Week 2 of t-ball was canceled due to standing water on the playing field! Yes, we had a good amount of rain in mid-June but I was sad that this was the case. So we had our own t-ball practice in the backyard, and I think the boys had a good time!!
T batting
T throwing to B, who might catch it, if he takes his glove off his head!
The boys trying to catch the balls Daddy was hitting.
Daddy hitting balls to the boys
Then they had a week off for 4th of July.
Week 3 of t-ball was on Trevor's birthday. They were excited to go play, and they both ran on to the field with out an argument! They got put on teams, and got to pick their own numbers.
B trying to beat the throw to first
B getting the ball to throw out the runner
T running past the kid in front of him. He always HAS to be in front!
T taking a swing.
B getting ready to bat
Week 4 was similar to week 3. They worked on more skills and fundamentals. I am pretty impressed by the organization running this program. There are a good number of 'coaches' for the number of kids playing, they focus on basic skills and really reinforce them (good throwing stance, running the bases, how to hold the bat, etc.) and yet they do it in a really fun way so the kids are having a good time and don't realize how much they are learning and how hard they are working. I think it was money well spent.
B (blue hat) and T (red hat) playing the field.
T playing 1st and hoping someone will throw him the ball so he can get someone out!
B taking off for first after hitting the ball.
Week 5 was rained out while I was on vacation. Lucky Daddy didn't have to deal with taking them on his own while I was out of town.
So instead of t-ball finishing up this weekend, we've got 3 more weeks to go. I guess it's not a bad thing since we don't have vacation plans, but it's not exactly how I planned it! I just hope August isn't burning hot!!
I LOVE the jersey numbers they picked. I will always remember how old they were for this season of t-ball!
Again, this spring we asked if he wanted to play t-ball, and this time he said yes. I was cautiously hopeful since the t-ball was for 4-6 year-olds, so both boys would be playing together. Not so gently, I reminded and 'encouraged' B that he was going to play t-ball and that if he did, we could go to Culver's for lunch after. After 4.5 years of parenting this kid, I've learned how to motivate him!!!
Week 1 of t-ball was in mid- June, while we were camping. Oh well.... It wasn't very expensive to sign them up, so I wasn't too upset we were missing one.
Week 2 of t-ball was canceled due to standing water on the playing field! Yes, we had a good amount of rain in mid-June but I was sad that this was the case. So we had our own t-ball practice in the backyard, and I think the boys had a good time!!
T batting
T throwing to B, who might catch it, if he takes his glove off his head!
The boys trying to catch the balls Daddy was hitting.
Daddy hitting balls to the boys
Then they had a week off for 4th of July.
Week 3 of t-ball was on Trevor's birthday. They were excited to go play, and they both ran on to the field with out an argument! They got put on teams, and got to pick their own numbers.
B trying to beat the throw to first
B getting the ball to throw out the runner
T running past the kid in front of him. He always HAS to be in front!
T taking a swing.
B getting ready to bat
Week 4 was similar to week 3. They worked on more skills and fundamentals. I am pretty impressed by the organization running this program. There are a good number of 'coaches' for the number of kids playing, they focus on basic skills and really reinforce them (good throwing stance, running the bases, how to hold the bat, etc.) and yet they do it in a really fun way so the kids are having a good time and don't realize how much they are learning and how hard they are working. I think it was money well spent.
B (blue hat) and T (red hat) playing the field.
T playing 1st and hoping someone will throw him the ball so he can get someone out!
B taking off for first after hitting the ball.
Week 5 was rained out while I was on vacation. Lucky Daddy didn't have to deal with taking them on his own while I was out of town.
So instead of t-ball finishing up this weekend, we've got 3 more weeks to go. I guess it's not a bad thing since we don't have vacation plans, but it's not exactly how I planned it! I just hope August isn't burning hot!!
I LOVE the jersey numbers they picked. I will always remember how old they were for this season of t-ball!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
July....
Hmmm, it seems a month (okay, closer to 5 weeks!) have passed and I have not posted a darn thing!!! Just in case you were wondering, here's what we've been up to:
So that's why I haven't been blogging much lately. I'm going to try and post some photos of all that stuff, although some of them are already on Facebook. And I'm going to try to post about at least a few of the most important happenings here in the next week!!!
- Strawberry picking
- Making jam (strawberry and home-grown raspberry)
- Going to the strawberry festival (we ate the most DELICIOUS chocolate covered strawberries, and came home with strawberry donuts!
- T-ball for the boys
- Volleyball league for me
- 2 weeks of YMCA summer camp for the boys
- Library visits, including a session about Dinosaurs, a science session, and lots of book checkout and reading
- A zoo camp one morning that gave the boys a chance to be "junior zookeepers for a day"
- Trevor's 6th birthday and party
- My birthday and dinner out with my girlfriends
- A birthday party for a good friend of the boys
- Dr visits (well-checks) for Trev (6 year) and Izzy (15 month)
- Trevor's 6 year old photos
- Summer familly birthday party for Trevor, me, Aunt Kate, and cousin Melissa
- My week long vacation to New York with my Mom
So that's why I haven't been blogging much lately. I'm going to try and post some photos of all that stuff, although some of them are already on Facebook. And I'm going to try to post about at least a few of the most important happenings here in the next week!!!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Camping Trip
Sunday we got back from our annual 5 day camping trip. This year we tried somewhere new, hubby's theory is that there are SO many places in this world, why would you keep going to the same ones, no matter how great they are.
So this year we headed to a state park just south of Muskegon, MI. Not too long of a drive, and we planned the trip so we avoided rush hour (for the most part!). We got there and got set up pretty easily, and the boys were super excited. Izzy was content just to watch from her stroller for the moment. We spent the next 4 days exploring, hiking, playing, swimming, and cooking over the fire!!!
One day, Daddy took both boys for a hike. When they got back the first thing Blake ran to tell me was, "Mommy, when we were hiking, we went potty in Nature!"
One afternoon, I took the boys to the beach to play. I coated each of them with sunscreen, and they came home looking pretty good. Me, I came home looking like a lobster!!! Oopsies!
We also took the time to walk down the stream which started right at the lake. We followed it down and around the bend where we found lots of trees and logs that had fallen across the stream. The boys spent a good hour crossing the trees "like animals" (on all fours) and completing "missions"! They would say to each other, "Your mission is to cross the stream without getting wet and without the other kids getting in your way. Do you accept this mission??" Apparently they've watched WAY too many spy cartoons (which ones are those anyway??).
Izzy wasn't a big fan of the dirt/sand combination that was the ground at the campsite. She would walk and play with the toys we had and was happy most of the time. BUT, if she fell down, she was NOT happy. She didn't want to touch the dirt!!! She would sit there (or lie there on her tummy!) with her hands in the air and wait for someone to get her up. And if you didn't come soon enough, she would scream for you!!!
The boys also had a great time playing with their toy dinosaurs around the campsite. They would bury the dinosaur skeletons in the sand and then be paleontologists and "discover" them, and they would let their other dinosaurs go on field trips and eat the plants ("Well they are herbivores Mom!")!
One day the boys and I took a hike to the Sand Dune Staircase. 207 steps up (and 207 back down!). But it was totally worth it!!! Even the boys agreed!
The view from the top:
Lessons learned:
It was a great trip. The boys spent the car ride home asking when we would go camping again. I'd love to go again this summer, but I don't think Daddy's work schedule will allow it =(. We'll definitely fit one in next summer.....somewhere new of course!
So this year we headed to a state park just south of Muskegon, MI. Not too long of a drive, and we planned the trip so we avoided rush hour (for the most part!). We got there and got set up pretty easily, and the boys were super excited. Izzy was content just to watch from her stroller for the moment. We spent the next 4 days exploring, hiking, playing, swimming, and cooking over the fire!!!
One day, Daddy took both boys for a hike. When they got back the first thing Blake ran to tell me was, "Mommy, when we were hiking, we went potty in Nature!"
One afternoon, I took the boys to the beach to play. I coated each of them with sunscreen, and they came home looking pretty good. Me, I came home looking like a lobster!!! Oopsies!
We also took the time to walk down the stream which started right at the lake. We followed it down and around the bend where we found lots of trees and logs that had fallen across the stream. The boys spent a good hour crossing the trees "like animals" (on all fours) and completing "missions"! They would say to each other, "Your mission is to cross the stream without getting wet and without the other kids getting in your way. Do you accept this mission??" Apparently they've watched WAY too many spy cartoons (which ones are those anyway??).
Izzy wasn't a big fan of the dirt/sand combination that was the ground at the campsite. She would walk and play with the toys we had and was happy most of the time. BUT, if she fell down, she was NOT happy. She didn't want to touch the dirt!!! She would sit there (or lie there on her tummy!) with her hands in the air and wait for someone to get her up. And if you didn't come soon enough, she would scream for you!!!
The boys also had a great time playing with their toy dinosaurs around the campsite. They would bury the dinosaur skeletons in the sand and then be paleontologists and "discover" them, and they would let their other dinosaurs go on field trips and eat the plants ("Well they are herbivores Mom!")!
One day the boys and I took a hike to the Sand Dune Staircase. 207 steps up (and 207 back down!). But it was totally worth it!!! Even the boys agreed!
The view from the top:
Lessons learned:
- splitting the boys up to sleep in two different tents is a GREAT idea!!!
- glow sticks are good!!
- waiting to put them to bed until it's actually dark (which is pretty late in MI) and they are exhausted is also a GREAT idea!!!
- taking the boys away from the campsite for an hour or two in the afternoon is the best way to get Izzy to take a nap. Repeat this same thing when she goes to bed at night or she will stay up playing in her pack n play until 11:30!!!!
- dessert is the best meal of the day, ESPECIALLY when it is cooked over the campfire. Marshmallows, smores, and apple pies (in the pie irons) were huge hits and all of us had seconds and thirds!!!
- the boys loved all the classes for kids that the DNRE offered. They learned about turtles, ladybugs, and mammals. They know what: crepuscular, diurnal, and nocturnal mean and which animals are which. Do you???
It was a great trip. The boys spent the car ride home asking when we would go camping again. I'd love to go again this summer, but I don't think Daddy's work schedule will allow it =(. We'll definitely fit one in next summer.....somewhere new of course!
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