Embracing 36!

Exactly two months ago I celebrated my 36th Birthday.  Birthdays are a much bigger deal to my five year old than they are to me, but since she lives with me, I get some extra celebrating too. 

This year my Birthday was on a Sunday.  Normally that would mean that I would have been on kid duty while Brandon prepped for church stuff, BUT not this year.  Brandon was on sabbatical and he was there for all the Sunday morning fun.  While on sabbatical we went and visited different area churches so we had extra time to relax before preparing for church.  

As is T's custom, she made me many cards and wrapped up some of her own things so that I would have something to open! 

T: I couldn't wait for Mommy to open the presents!

T: I did my own wrapping!

T: I sure love my mom!

Check out this amazing writing!

Special days are hard for someone in our family, but I am thankful that he was willing to take  a picture!

After the presents were open we got ready for church.  T had plenty of things to bring along.  We ended sitting in the front row of a very large church.  I guess that is what my kids are used to!

T: You never know what you might need!

After church we went to a friends house for lunch.  It was so nice to spend time with friends on a special day.  As an added bonus, they watched the kids for a couple of hours so Brandon and I could go for a walk down by the Lake!  As usual, I was struck by the fact that I get to live here in this amazing place!

The view looking back at our community!

The view looking out onto the water!

The afternoon found me not feeling well so Brandon sacrificially took the kids out for dinner at Culvers while I cuddled on the couch and had a long phone chat with my mom!

M: These gluten free buns are GREAT!

After Culvers the kids really wanted to have some cuddle and book time so I ended the day reading books to my sweet kiddos.  What a special day!

I sure do love these two!

Wooden Shoes, A Band of Badgers, and 7x2

Each year at the very end of July, a special and unique festival in held in a community near ours.  The town has a very rich Dutch heritage and celebrates with a huge parade featuring many people dancing in wooden shoes.  It was very interesting for us to watch and we really enjoyed the parade.  We were able to go with Charissa and her kids which made the whole day more exciting!  The kids were thrilled to have candy and time together.

When best buddies are 10 months apart it is pretty important to get pictures of them during the six weeks that they are the same age!   They have no idea the sweetness their friendship has been since they were babies!  I am so thankful they have each other!

M: We are BOTH SEVEN!

Dancing down the street!

The kids were impressed!

After the parade an area marching band did a 5th Quarter show.  We had GREAT seats and the kids were able to get in on the action.  They LOVED it!!!

Front row seats!

T loved this girl who looked like her... and I am pretty sure the feeling was mutual!

They other kids were standing in a circle, but T had other plans.

She confidently walked to a circle of band members

and went right into the middle of their circle. 

This was celebrated by all!

T: I even got a hug at the end!

It's T time all the time!

This summer was a very T filled summer for me.  Many times the days got long, but I kept reminding myself that the season with my sidekick would be short and soon she would be going to summer school and Park each day and I need to treasure up these times.  

T started out with lots of activity as I have previously written about, but once the crazy week was over she didn't have too much going on.  She did go to Princess Camp in late July and attended a morning 5 Day Club (with M) during the following week. The rest of her time was spent hanging out with me.  

Our mornings were usually filled with walking dates and park dates with friends!  Our afternoons were filled with trips to libraries, pools, and special playdates with older girls.  We were able to attend some incredible library programs and watched magic shows, comedy shows, dance parties, animal shows, and learning about other nature.  T and I really enjoyed the library programming.  T also enjoyed getting LOTS of books.  We had almost 100 books in our home at a time for most of the summer.  I did a lot of reading and we got in many hours of cuddle time!  We also baked and had tea parties.  We played school and family and store and restaurant and thousands of other games.  T also added weekly private OT to her schedule and we learned a lot about her strong body and all the heavy work she needs to be successful! 

I want to write a bit more about T's special playdates.  Before the summer started I was pretty nervous about how I would get things done with T around.  She does NOT like to share me with home keeping or dinner prep.  She sees me as her BFF ready to play at all times.  When we have limited time together this works out OK, but it wouldn't fly for the whole summer. I came up with a great plan.  I hired three young "big" girls (around 3-5th grade) to be buddies to T for the summer.  Each girl came one afternoon a week and I was here the whole time.  One of the girls ended up only being able to come twice, but the others each came five times! They PLAYED together and enjoyed each other and the bigs got great pre-babysitting experience (and some spending money) and I got time to clean up the house and prep dinners.  It was lovely!  It was such a win for our whole family!  I know we will do this again next summer!!!

Here are some pictures from special moments throughout the summer. 

T had a GREAT time at the 5 Day Club.  It was so well run!  She loved the end of the week party and was proud of her faceprint!

T: Do you see my flower? 

Princess Camp was held at an area church and our special princess fit right in with the other girls in the class.  It was so sweet to hear about what she learned and the teachers were very generous to share special princess things with T!

T: Do you like my new wand? 

T: I am ready to be fancy!

T: I asked mommy to pose just like me!

T: We are buddies! 

T: I love to play/eat!

One Sunday we had a Dedication party/Graduation party/Birthday party all on the same day.  T decided to bring some cards along so she could play War with others at the party!  What a hoot!

T: Doris knew how to play War!

T: Sometimes we like to enjoy sun together!

T: Check out this bracelet I got from the library!

T: This is N!  She is one of my special big girl playdate friends!

Get Outside Day!

As a mom of two kids with lots of energy,  I try to locate fun and engaging activities of them to do  pretty much all the time.  My kids THRIVE when they are active and outside our home.  Back on July 22nd (a Saturday) I tried to pack in WAY TOO MUCH!  We got it all in, but it was a bit crazy!  

Our day started with a very fun event at the Children's Center.  T loved it and M tolerated it.  Then it was time for Get Outside Day.  Brandon met us there and we had a range of joy and sorrow.  T had a pool playdate planned and we were so behind schedule.  Amazingly as we were leaving we spotted our wonderful friends who hang out with M each week and they agreed to let him stay with them for a while.  It was AMAZING!  

T had a great afternoon at the pool and I got to know the mom of some of her good friends.  Brandon got to work on his last sermon before sabbatical and M got to stay at Get Outside Day.  

So... what exactly was this event?  It was a day to enjoy time outside doing 4 wheelings/ ATV driving, target practice, archery, learn about land and animals, test out some bird calls and much much more hunting and outdoor related fun.  We will plan a lot more time into our schedule for this event next year!

Face paint and turkey hats!!!

T: I could not wait to ride with Daddy!

T: We are ready to rock!

T: I held on tight and screamed the WHOLE TIME!

M: I got to ride by myself.  First the guy held a rope behind me. 

M: Then I did it all by myself!

T: Is this alive? 

T: Nope, it is deadl! 

Great fun outside, but I hope we never actually own one!  

F!sh Day!

F!sh Day is one of my kids favorite days of the year!  Truly, if you asked them what their best days are they would say: Christmas, Birthday, F!sh Day and Fire Station Open House!  Amazingly we are just a few days away from the open house (in real time... longer is blog posting time) and I am finally posting about F!sh Day.  

This year was quite warm.  The kids did better than usual sleeping until a reasonable hour, but were quite eager to get to the parade early.  We have so much fun watching the parade with friends and laughing and cheering together.  

After the parade we were able to go to our dear friends/neighbors house to celebrate more.  Then we came home a both kids napped!  It is quite a tiring day.  After the naps we went downtown for fish and "fish chips" as my kids call them.  

We were so thankful that Brandon didn't have to preach and we were able to be together during the hours of waiting for the fireworks.  We did make it to the fireworks, but it was a buggy event.  It was the only night the whole summer that the misquotes were out here.  Bummer.  

Overall it was a fun and food filled day and our kids are already looking forward to next year!

Annual Family photo!!!

M and T:  Our friends have the best shade tent!

T: I loved all the costume people!

M: Every day I get to see Corey is a great day!

M: I LOVE the bands!  I recorded them. 

M: I need to be a part of your family photo!

Steel Drum Band!

Have you ever heard of steel drums?  I admit, before this summer, a steel drum band was only something I sang about as a child listening to my favorite Beach Boys cassette tape... I digress...  This July I got to hear a steel drum band live.  I was so impressed.  After the performance I was able to try one out.  So fascinating... no wonder all those people in Kokomo fell in love listening to them!

We were able to meet with the traveling team for lunch and our kids got a chance to play the drums too.  They opted for the drum set they were more familiar with.  Our church uses electric drums, so playing on a real set was pretty fascinating for our kiddos.  

M: This guy was awesome and let me practice on his great drum set!

T: I got to be SO LOUD!!!  You didn't even have to plug in this drum set!

The band!

Fourth of July Roadtrip

The annual 4th of July post is here.  This post takes me days and days to sort out pictures and work through the timeline.  We get pictures from many sources when you consider cameras and  phones.  Blogger imports them by number which means that I have to scroll back and forth to line up the events.  Anyway, I don't always get the order correct and the fact that the events happened over two months ago doesn't help the process either, ha!  Here we go!

Day One Friday June 30th: 

M went to summer school as usual.  Brandon and I packed while T "helped" which meant she packed most of what she owned!  I wanted to give her a free screen pass, but I knew the kids would be watching movies in the car so we just kept moving forward and were able to pick up M a little early.  

The drive was pretty uneventful.  The kids had gone so long without movies that they truly enjoyed the movie time and the audio book time and were quite content travelers. 

When we arrived to MO, Grandpa Tom was grilling some tasty chicken. Brandon's sister and kids arrived soon after we did.  It was so fun to be together.  We had great food and conversation and got all the unpacking done and the rooms settled.  

Tom was grilling, the adults were chatting on the deck, and the kids were playing outside.  All of the sudden the deck swing broke with Brandon on it.  There was much much laughter!  Better him than an older person.  He was not hurt at all.  

He was a good sport...

...and clearly made a full recovery!

T: I couldn't wait to get my room set up and play with A!

M: Grandpa Tom taught me a new game!

Day Two Saturday July 1st: 

I am not sure the events of the mornings, but you can rest assured that the kids were up early and that Grandpa Tom was a huge help! 

Early that morning the kids and Judy decorated the cake we ate at lunch.

Working together!

The finished product!

Once the cake was decorated, it was time to get ready for the photo shoot.  This year Tom and Judy ran with a fun brainstorm idea about a family photo/Christmas card pic.  The photo essentially tells a story with each of us wearing something that is meaningful to us or represents us.  It is a bit odd, but a pretty fun idea and I am proud to say we did it!  

The photographer started by trying to find a location in Tom and Judy's yard that didn't have sun spots. We decided that down below their house (on the road) they might be able to find a good location.  They have a steep and curving driveway.  I don't really love driving up and down it forward, but I would never attempt to back down the driveway.  In search for better lighting everyone was backing down the driveway.  The photographer ended up getting her car off the driveway in into a dangerous spot.  This lead to delays and laughter and ultimately deciding to just leave the car until after the photos were taken. 

Strike a pose. 

T: We were really like models!

After the family photos it was time to access the photographer's car and call AAA because it would have been dangerous to try to get it out.  While we were waiting for AAA the kids befriended a neighborhood dog, and many members of Judy's family arrived.  

M and T:  We think you should keep this dog Grandma and Grandpa! 

M: I really needed to regulate myself after the photo shoot. (NO JOKE) 

As you can see from the photo below, the car was leaning a lot and very close to a tree so the tow truck was super helpful. 

The tow truck driver had a lot of help, which was needed actually!

After the car drama was over it was time to eat and play at Grandma and Grandpa's house.  The kids just love being together.  The girls changed out of their new fancy dresses for some patriotic apparel.

T: It was fun to wear flag clothes like A and Grandma Judy!

Awww, a picture of Brandon and I without the kids!  Fun!

T LOVES Brandon's cousins T and T.  She gravitates towards the younger T and is not easily swayed in her quest to get his attention.  T was interested in having a little snooze and our T was not having it!

T:  T was sleeping and we were not impressed!

T: I know how to wake him up, you just lift up his eyelids (she does this a lot, super refreshing way to wake up, ha!)

T: See, isn't fun to be awake??? 

After they were done mercilessly harassing playing with T they all decided to play downstairs.  The games sometimes involve sports, but often just involve wrestling, tackling and being silly!  

Spinning each other is a great way to begin a wrestling match. 

M: Daddy's Aunt Jeanette is pretty strong. 

M: I LOVE A!!

M: A knows some great moves!

Cousins and Buddies.  They are 9 months apart!  

Wrestling wore them out so they took a few minute Lego break to cool off!

T: I love being around other kids who love Legos!

Once everyone had a bit of relaxation and I am guessing snacks, it was time for a scavenger hunt.  I guess A and A had done one in the past and wanted to do one with our M and T!  The kids got clues that lead them all over the yard with a little surprise at the end!  It was fun to see them work together to find and read the clues!

M:  I loved reading the clues!

T: I love my stuff!!  

M: Whoa guys, there is candy in here! 

T: We got some pretty cool 4th of July headbands! Aunt Mel is so much fun!

After several hours at Tom and Judy's it was time to go to Uncle Curt's farm for all of our MANY 4th of July weekend traditions!  M was thrilled to get to go with T and T a bit early.  His carseat forced the brothers to get pretty cozy in the back seat!

M: I admit it, I was wishing I could live with them. 

Once most of us got to the farm the activities started. Yes, the girls did switch back into their princess dresses! I was not there for some of it because I decided to take a walk.  Last year over 4th of July Weekend I gained seven pounds... more than Thanksgiving.  It did eventually come off, but this year I was focused on getting my walks in and managed to not gain any weight!  Yay!  Because we have MANY traditions, the photos may or may not be in the correct order, but I am going to pretend this is the order!

T: This thing was amazing!

Next up were water rockets and air rockets.  OK, I am not sure what the second kind of rockets were called, but you launch them by stomping on a cushion filled with air.  It was hard for the kids to launch them, but the girls loved gathering them so it was a great exercise for them!

M: We were not sure if it would work!

M: It worked... and it was awesome!!!

Next it was time to check out the cows!

T: The cows were pretty far away!

T: I don't know why, but this was our favorite pose of the day!

By far the best photo of the 4 of them!

M: We were quiet and the cows actually came closer. 

After cow gazing came eating... I think!  Every year we roast hotdogs.  Every year I have hotdog drama with my roasting sticks.  This year I lost three hotdogs before using an actual roasting stick.  M was obsessed with the fire.  We were fine with him poking at it, but he was testing every limit because, "Mom, fire is my life."  Hmmm.

M: The fire is behind the dry wood.  I had a so much fun burning things.  

When M was done eating and fire playing it was time to become obsessed with little firework poppers.  There were plenty and M sure enjoyed them.

M: At first I was confused, but then... it was amazing!

While the kids were waiting for the parade to happen they were given some fun crafting gifts from one of Brandon's aunts.  M was interested in the poppers, but the others couldn't wait to get crafting.

T: I am glad my cousins like projects!

They were quite a sight to see. 

The girls loved adding even more accessories for the parade!

T: We tried to wear as much as possible!

It always take a while to for the parade riders to assemble!

All the sisters rode on THE float this year!

All siblings accounted for as Judy's brother was the driver. 

If you haven't read about our 4th of July traditions before, you might think they were off to be a part of a parade.  Nope!  They were the parade.  They drive through the property several times while the non-riders wave and cheer.  A unique family tradition!!!

M and T: Give us a ride dad, the parade wasn't long enough!

M and T:  We sure love Lily!

T: She is like a pillow dog!

M: I told Valerie I would only take a picture with her if we sat here! 

Next up was ROCKETS!!!  Our kids built there's earlier in the summer.  I blogged about that a while ago!  They were so excited to shoot them off for the first time.

M: I was excited for the rocket show to begin!

Apparently a salute needed to happen. 

T: Is it time Daddy?!?

M: Go for it T!!

M: Oh no, it is heading towards a tree!

M: Mine went to the perfect place!

M: And I retrieved it on my own!  It is ready for another round next year!

T's rocket did end up getting stuck in a tree.  At first a small attempt was made to get it down by throwing balls etc up into the tree.  This proved unsuccessful and then a large gathering of men and young men started coming up with ideas to get it down and soon it became so much bigger than the rocket!  Lives were risked, tree limbs broken, memories made... and a rocket saved.  It was hard to get great photos or remember the exact order, but here you go!

First they tried to throw balls at it!

Then Brandon climbed the tree and tried to shake the large limb.

Then it was time for a rope and a folding chair!

Standing on a folding chair with a pitch fork.

Safety First!

Standing on a folding chair top while holding a pitchfork with a rope and a  four wheeler mixed in. 

Finally standing on the 4 wheeler and then putting it in reverse so that the rocket could be reached for the win!!!!

One last ride!

As the evening went on the kids got light up balloons in preparation for the fireworks.

T: Blow this up... Please!!!

A LOT of fireworks were purchased.  Wow!  I think it took close to two hours to set them all off.  We didn't get back to Tom and Judy's until after 11:00.  What a FULL day!!!!

Day Three Sunday, July 2nd:

The day started later than usual!  Thank goodness the kids slept a bit later than their usual 6:00am vacation wake up time!  Actually, they slept in quite a bit.  We were planning to go to both Grandpa Tom's churches, but we ended up making an appearance for the last song at one church and then attending the second church.  It was still nice to see the people in church number one, so not a waste at all.  It is so special to see Tom in the pastoral role and to meet the people at the churches. 

After church and lunch it was time to pack up and head for the lake!  We had a GREAT day at the lake.  Big T and T were with us which was super helpful for regulation.  Things started a little rough when the kids were getting very scared on the tubes very quickly... this is a the annual pattern... big talk and then fear sets in.  Amazingly something clicked and the boys fell in love with it and then the girls and then the boys again.  After tubing success the kids ALL tried the ski trainer and all loved it!  Lots of proud parents and grandparents!  Such special memories.

T: It was so fun to be with T and T!

T: A and I were ready for action!

The boys ready to go!

That smile!

T: Look, no hands!

The girls were out there a long time!

M: I am ready for round two!

M: I love this!!!

T: I was just resting my eyes!

The Big T2 fan club was swooning a bit!

Time for a swimming cool off break!

Future skier number one!

Future skier number two!

We couldn't leave without the kids getting a chance to drive the boat!

T: I LOVED to turn!

M: I was a little more cautious!

T: I wish we could do this every day!!!

We were gone a long time.  We came home so tired!  Luckily the packed days were behind us and it was time to relax a bit!

Day 4 Monday July 3rd:

Brandon brought his bike and was able to enjoy a few morning rides with nice views!

Grandpa Tom is an expert at pancake art!  The kids just love pancakes so it is a good combination! We had a low-key start to the day.

A princess... I think. 

A dog, right? 

After pancake people the kids played piano and danced and sang.  

M: I love Grandma Judy's keyboard!

A and A wake up a bit later than our crew so they had time to do some clay dough projects too!

T: The clay was super soft and Grandma Judy as lots of fun supplies!

M stayed in his PJ's for most of the day. 

M: I love to cuddle with Grandpa Tom!

Brandon's aunts came over to play and then many people went to a pizza place for lunch.

M: I love a good game of Yahtzee!

Finally the cousins came and more adventures began.  While the kids were playing Tom and Brandon did a dental exam and I walked.  I then had my exam and Brandon went to eat pizza.  Judy was alone with many children for a while, but they did did quite well!

T: A is great at sharing toys!

M: I got a little warm!

T: A and I can play for hours and hours!

The afternoon included a very fancy fashion show!  Grandma Judy's scarves and hats and jewelry were quite a hit!

T: Don't we look fancy? 

Strike a pose!

Work it, T!

Fashionistas!

The boys wanted in as well!

One more... because, that smile!!

I managed to get a lot of laundry done which was super helpful and made re-entry at home much easier! It was a good and fun day, but quite relaxing!

Day 5 Tuesday July 4th: 

We actually came home from the 4th of July weekend fun on the 4th.  M had summer school on the 5th and we were ready to get back to routine!  The day started with more pancake creations!

T: Thanks Grandpa Tom!

M: Tasty!

The car ride home was pretty uneventful.  We were a bit nervous about some dark clouds to the west so we stopped for gas and some convenience store hotdogs (a new treat for the kids) but then the storm ended up not being that big of a deal after all.  We never really had too much traffic which was a nice surprise!

T: This is one thick hot dog!

We got home and unpacked and headed for bed.  T woke up to hear the local fireworks and I ended up holding her up to a window so she could watch the show.  It has been fun to relive this weekend through the pictures.  We are a very blessed family!