First Day of School

Last weekend was our last official weekend of the summer. We spent it well! We drove to Michigan and spent the weekend at my parents house. The kids got to play, shop and go to the splash zone at Partridge Creek. Kris and I got to go downtown and see what we now claim as the best concert we've ever seen! We saw Kid Rock in Detroit. There is no place better to see him than in Detroit. We are sure it is a different concert than anywhere else you could see him at. His love of the city of Detroit shines thru and the crowd loves him for it. It's not like other concerts where the artist talks up the city saying something he did while there - he knows the town and it is really loved by everyone there! The concert was stopped during Sammy Hagar due to the thunderstorm, but I have not doubt that Kid Rock could have gone on and no one would have left! We rain delayed for an hour and a half, but really enjoyed the show. Afterwards, we met up with Shannon McCarthy, Heidi Stoor and Tracey Siebesma for girls night with Kris! We went home with them and woke Joe up. He was getting up early to attend the funeral of a fellow TX, classmate and friend of ours the following day (we would have gone if we didn't have to drag our three so far out of our way).

Ok back to the first day of school. We spent Monday and Tuesday, cleaning up from the weekend and enjoying our last day at the pool. Plus going to Meet The Teacher Night. We got to meet Ryan's new teacher, Mrs. Booth and see his previous teachers. We made sure that Ryan could find his room and spoke with Mrs. Booth and Mrs. Z (his other teacher) about the year.

Wednesday, came and Ryan was up early. Kris waited to go to work to see him off. Ryan was quite nervous and giddy. But he made it to the bus and off he went! I sent him with a note that I would pick him up, but he forgot and the teachers didn't get it, so he got on the bus. I looked great running down the hallways and outside trying to catch the bus. Thankfully, I was successful at catching him and off we went to our OT appointment. Later, I got a rundown of what happened including a movie on how to behave on the bus and in the hallways, library time, lunch and his favorite recess.

Thursday, he was excited once more and regaled me with his tale of school last night. My favorite part what when he told me that his friend Griffin gave him his milk and it was brown. I asked if it was chocolate and he said 'Yes, and it was awesome!!' He also enjoyed the fire drill they had.

Today, I must say, I think it sunk in that this is the new way of life. Ryan was up early trying to watch tv and didn't want to get dressed. I did convince him that he could watch half a show during breakfast if we had enough time and that seemed to make it better. He asked me I would NOT walk him to the corner today. So I watched from the porch and he safely got on the bus (thank goodness for our neighbors boys) . He just walked in the door, so I'm going to find out how things were!

Shade Gap Picnic

After a week of vacation, Kris returned to work for 4 days and then had another 4 day weekend, so we could attend his annual Shade Gap Picnic. We always have a great time relaxing with his family. Plus we get to ride some rides, eat homemade ice cream, listen to music and play games. This year unfortunately, we were plagued with rain. Luckily, it wasn't continuous. But Emma didn't even get a ride wristband until 10pm because of it! But she did make good use of it in an hour!

We were able to enjoy a wonderful lunch. Our pulled pork sandwiches went over really well and there wasn't a shred to bring back home. Usually, my kids (and me) are all over all the desserts, but this year it didn't seem like such a big deal. Ryan and Emma loved playing in Grandpa's trailer and were excited to introduce their cousins to our new game Ruckus that we picked up on vacation.

We also all were able to watch the interesting (to say the least) demolition derby. Nick wasn't fond of it, but Ryan thought it was pretty cool. We attempted at a nap for Nick. For a while, he played peek a boo out with the camper curtains, but then rested for about an hour. Not sure if he ever slept, but he was back up playing again soon. He was probably the hardest to deal with at the picnic because he wanted to walk around, but couldn't due to the rain. When he finally got out, he spun around in circles, so excited for some freedom.

We ended the evening running from ride to ride and convincing the older kids (Allison, Amber, Jordan and Corey) to take the little kids on the big rides since none of the adults had wrist bands. Then we hunkered down for the extremely loud fireworks. Nick was out of his seat and on my lap by the second one. Emma made it about half way before crawling onto Kris's lap. The fireworks would have been better if there hadn't been so much fog. But it did make interesting fireworks because instead of seeing the fireworks, the whole sky lit up that color. Emma promptly fell asleep after the last one flew and I had to carry her back to the car. Nick fell asleep in the stroller on the walk back. Ryan was still going, but fell asleep on the ride home and they all slept in!!

We finished the weekend with church and a family lunch at the Pizza Star. Unfortunately, we found out when we returned to the farm that Kris's Aunt Lucy wasn't doing well and needed to be rushed to the hospital. They determined that she had a stroke and has steadily been doing better over the last two weeks. She returned home yesterday, but we are still praying for a full recovery.

Monday, we met Kris's mom for McDonalds breakfast before heading out. Once home, we dropped Kris at work; he had to leave to visit a supplier early the next morning. Then we headed directly to Sam's 3rd birthday party. The kids were all happy to get out of the car and into the pool. Even Nick - who all he wanted to do was jump in, go underwater, and start all over again. Happily for me, they all fell asleep on the way home and I was able to get everyone to bed reading only one book to Ryan who woke up when we got home.

Grand Haven, MI

After a great weekend camping and tubing with my ASA friends and Robin, I headed to Grand Haven, MI to meet up with my parents and Kris and the kids. We rented a cottage near downtown and spent the week exploring the town.

We spent 3 days at the beach. My parents only made it to one due to sunburn the first day. The kids loved the waves and being able to use floats and arm floaties (a first for both Ryan and Emma). They dug in the sand and buried each other. Even Nick was liking the water. The third day, my parents kept Nick and we spent the afternoon and evening watching the sun go down and watching Ryan and Emma entertain themselves so wonderfully.

Kris and I went paddle-boarding one morning. We had an awesome time with some quiet exercise. While there isn't a lot that I'm better at Kris doing, paddle-boarding and swimming are two things I'm way better at. I had a harder time starting out, but once I got used to it I was great. And then I would look back and Kris would fall off! I even won the race to the bouy - although it did cause my only fall of the day! When we returned to shore, we found that our bag with my dad's car keys was gone. After talking with other people on the beach, we figured out it was a family with 7 kids that took the bag and probably didn't realize it. Luckily, after Kris ran the two miles back to the cottage, we found my dad was a very smart man and brought his extra set of keys with him. So we were able to leave. Happily, after taking the kids to the same beach later that day, we stopped at the entrance gate and someone had returned our bag to them, keys and all. A happy ending to a great day!

We spent a few of the days wandering around town, enjoying some wonderful food and seeing the boats in the marina. They had fish/whale statues everywhere and Ryan and Emma were mesmerized by them. My parents went out to the closest casino one afternoon and we all napped. Afterward we found a wonderful little brewery that let outside food in. We picked up some burritos and quesidillas and headed there. They also had a ton of games to play, so we played a little Sorry, dominoes, and Yahtzee. We also watched the Musical Fountain, which while nice, wasn't anything compared to the fountains we've seen at the Auto Show or even the Detroit Airport.

We headed home on Saturday and got to enjoy a full day of recovery before Kris headed back to work and I started packing for the next trip. I apologize for the lack of pictures, but my camera died during the second day and I haven't recovered the pictures yet. I also forgot to send myself a copy of some of my parents pictures. A few of the pictures are blurry because they are from Ryan's camera. While good pictures, he can't help but touch the lens every so often.

Happy Birthday to Ryan!

It's been a while since I updated, so expect several postings over the next few days.

Ryan celebrated his 6th birthday last month. Emma, Nick and I sang Happy Birthday to him the day before and ate cupcakes that we each frosted with our own colored frosting. Kris was out of town and made it 3 for 3 on missing each child's birthday this year! On Ryan's actual birthday, him and I traveled up to my parents house to begin our vacation/camping/Ryan time weekend.

We also celebrated again with my parents while on vacation with mini cupcakes and gifts.

To celebrate his birthday with his friends, we went to Snappy for pizza and cake and followed it up with bowling. It was BOGO night, so we each got two games, which made for a really long bowling experience! They all had a great time, but by the end were bored with bowling and preferred pretending to play the video games. Ryan really enjoyed all the celebrations and was so happy with all the wonderful presents he received. So far, his favorite is the digital camera that Grammie got him (plus the case and card he needed to use it from Nana and Buppa). But the trampoline that we got him hasn't gotten out of the box yet, so we'll have to see!

A Few Good Days

But no men around for it. Kris and I have been passing in the night. Literally! We have been home for an entire 20 hours together in the last 9 days (but will be 12 when we're through) - and all those hours were sleeping. So I am looking forward to our vacation coming this week. I'm getting ready to leave now, just waiting for the babysitter. Then, packing Ryan up and heading out to my parents. I'm leaving Ryan there for a night and I'll meet them at our rental cottage in Grand Haven on Sunday (they are meeting Kris, Emma and Nick on Saturday).

At home, we have basically been doing laundry, packing, going to the gym, school shopping, therapy, workbooks and playing. Ok, that doesn't sound all that different than any other week. But we just smooshed it all into a 3 day week and even threw in a trip to P&G and the museum.

Ryan and Emma were happy to do a little shaving cream play last week and figured out it was a great place to write. They loved it. We also got to have the pool(s) out and Emma got to try on her newest bathing suit. She sure is a bathing beauty!

Fourth of July in PA

Our family had a wonderful time in Pennsylvania for the 4th of July. We traveled out there on Friday, hoping for an early departure, which ended up being 8am, which is still earlier than our normal 10. It was a great drive and we were able to spend the evening with Kris's mom. We made it back to the farm in time to get the kids in their pj's and wait for my parents to get there (and rile Ryan up!)

Saturday, we had a wonderful Hardependence Party (Kevin's name for it, not mine). There was great food and wonderful family. The kids enjoyed their Four-wa-wheewer wides (Ryan's pronunciation) and getting to play with all the other kids. We all started to realize how little they need us to keep themselves busy there and it will only get worse as the years go by. The fireworks were amazing and I was really glad my parents were able to come out and enjoy this day with us!

The kids also got to help Uncle Harold, Doug and Daddy unload some hay bales. Even Nick wanted to help, but he wasn't allowed to climb in the barn! The kids were fabulously dirty most of the week and had a great time of it. I realized why the kids in old pictures always were dirty and in cheap clothes - there is no point in nice clothes at a farm! They really enjoyed feeding the two mama pigs and their 24 piglets!

On Monday, we spent some time at the Three Springs Pool, enjoying the nice weather. Kelli and Rick accompanied us and gave the kids more people to throw water at.

On Tuesday, we visited Lincoln Caverns with Doug. We thought it was pretty cool - literally, it was 50 degrees in the caves. Ryan and Emma had a hard time with the 'No touching' policy, but eventually made it through. They were both happy to get to use their glow sticks another time. We also got to feel like smart parents, when we watched another couple try to carry their 6 month old through the caves (complaining most of the time), while we had our wrap for Nick.

On Wednesday, Kris's mom joined us for a truly beautiful day at Cowan's Gap. We came here two years ago with just Ryan and Emma, where I took one of my favorite (and most beautiful pictures). We took another great rounds of them. We had a picnic lunch first, then warmed ourselves up with a hike around the lake. Ryan and Emma preferred throwing rocks into the water, so what would probably have been a 20 minute hike took 1 1/2 hours. But Nick took a nap, so we were happy anyway. After that, we swam at the lake, enjoying the weather. Even Nick broke down and dug in the sand. He swam for a while, had a snack and then played a rousing game of 'Pour out the Cheez-Its in a bowl, pour it out, and back again'. Later, Kris sped us home in time for Ryan and I to make it to the fire company Bingo. We didn't win at Bingo, but won the door prize of a free round of Bingo!

Thursday, Kris and his mom took Ryan and Emma to see Cars 2, then picked Nick and I up for dinner. We headed home on Friday and have been hearing 'ka-chow' ever since. It was a wonderful trip followed by a great weekend at home.