I am not ashamed to admit

That we only spent $100.00 for each of the boys for Christmas. I am impressed at my thriftiness. They are still little, and if you spoil them now, they will always expect it. Which means when they are 9 or 10 and want all the expensive video games and ect, they will expect it to be there. Another reason is we are spending Christmas in Colorado and I will have to haul all the gifts out there for Christmas day. I also think of the trip as part of their presents-we are planning on skiing one day out there which will not be cheap. And don't forget Grandmas and Grandpas! The kids have 3 sets of grandparents and 2 sets of great-grandparents buying them gifts.

I did a lot of planning for their Christmas presents. The things they asked for changed on a daily basis, but Jake did ask for an Easy Bake oven quite a few times. This item is located down the GIRL aisle, but I had Nana get it for him anyway. I'm thinking he envisions it in his room and will be able to bake cookies after he goes to bed to eat at his leisure.

My one goal was to not buy a single present that required batteries. I dislike screwing little screws, making sure I have the correct size, ect. That is a hard task in this day and age!

I absolutly love the company eeboo. They have CUTE toys and games. I got quite a few eeboo items this year.

Here's what they got:
Jake

• Matchbox meg rig space rover- (part of a set he already has) 17.00
• eeboo United States map for his wall 20.00
• Saucer Scramble game-oops needs batteries 18.00
• Playmobil Ranger Post- it's a deer hunter guy-so cute! 30.00
• Leapster Batman game 10.00
• Leapter Tag Scooby Doo book 7.00

Total: $102.00

Tyler

• 5 Automoblox minis -a little pricey-worth it!! 35.00
• Rubber piggy bank- learn about saving 14.00
• eeboo lacing cards-for the car long car ride 14.00
• eeboo story cards-make up your own stories 10.00
• Lincoln logs 14.00
• Play doh burger builder 10.00
• Wee Sing finger plays CD 10.00

Total: 107.00

They each will get six gifts, I think Ty might have seven but oh well. I think I spent another 15.00 for stockings: matchbox monster trucks, a DVD, candy, dollar store stuff.

I will say although I feel bad doing it, I ordered a majority from Amazon.com. It was all free shipping and I did it after they went to bed so I didn't have to worry about someone watching them while I went shopping. I was hoping the Toy House had their 20.00 off 100.00 coupon, but they didn't do it this year! I got some things there, and some from Target and K-Mart.
Now I just have to wrap it all up!
If you have kids and don't mind sharing, I would love to know what you got them! I love toy shopping :)

Cheap and easy fun

Here's a quick and easy activity to do with the packaging from all your Christmas presents. My sister gave me this idea a few years ago and every now and then I get it back out.

What you need:

Plastic hammer

Golf tees

Styrofoam

Note: This can turn messy. My kids start out playing nicely with it, but give them time and I have little pieces of styrofoam all over, but it vacuums up nicely.

Directions: In case you can't figure it out:

Have the kids pound the tees into the styrofoam.

If Anybody Still Reads This

I am still here. I can't believe it's almost been a month! Talk about a stale blog. Yuck. And now I have to catch up on:

My 30th Birthday

Thanksgiving

Tyler's 3rd Birthday

My mom's visit here from Colorado

Christmas Shopping

And that's all I can remember because it's been too long!!

Anyway, I'm skipping all that old stuff for now, and moving onto my next project.

I'm trying to do a Christmas activity with the boys for the next 25 days. So, with it already being the 6th of December we have accomplished some. Here is the list. These ideas I got from other blogs, the web, or magazines. The numbers coordinate with the date.

1. Write letters to Santa. I got a cute kit from Target last year on clearance for .75 cents so I couldn't wait to use it. Jake had to write his, but Tyler just cut pictures and glued them on the paper. A cute book to go along with writing letters to Santa is: My Penguin Osbert by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel. I found this book on a blog I use a lot: No Time For Flashcards.2. Today was Tyler's Birthday so I didn't have time for an activity today. His Birthday was enough activity for me! The boys helped me make his cake so that counts for me!!

3. Make snow globes. I found this idea in a magazine, but when it came time to do the activity do you think I could find the magazine??? I got some snowmen and trees from Michael's, but next time I'm going to have to be more prepared for this activity. We glued the figurines tonight and that is all we did because I wanted them to be really dry. I used epoxy glue and that did not work so great.

4. Today was a special outing for Tylers Birthday. We went to Great Lakes Crossing, which has the Polar Express snow globes on display so that was the special Christmas activity today.

5. Today we finished the snow globes, but I am not posting pictures because they did not turn out! The glue did not stick and the trees made the water cloudy. The glitter I bought was to light and we really need to just re-do them. I am not sure where to find cute figurines that will stay glued down. I just need the magazine and more preparation!

6. Today we did a Christmas tree craft from No Time For Flashcards. I was ready for a simple craft, and David even helped cut shapes out- his is the giant star. It's a good way to teach shapes-the ornaments are circles, squares, and triangles.

7. Today there is a craft and cookies at the Summit branch library-love the library! Hopefully we will make it, but sometimes Tyler just likes to stay home and play! Oh, and mailing Santa letters at the mall.

8. Charlie Brown Christmas is on tonight. We are having popcorn and watching it snuggled up on the couch.

9. Make popcorn and cranberry garland for the birds. A book to go a long with it: Night Tree by Eve Bunting.

10. Make cookies. Not sure what kind yet.

11. Make cocoa, get in pjs, and drive around to look at Christmas lights. Any good spots? Or do Nite Lites at the fairgrounds. Not sure if I want to spend 10.00 or not.

12. Make felt ornaments. Trace tree cookie cutter onto green felt, then punch multiple holes. Then glue beads over the holes.

13. Visit Santa at the mall. I don't think Tyler will be participating in this activity!

14. Make a snowflake garland. Or paint pinecones.

15. Make snack for Jake's snack day which is the next day. I need to be finding ideas for this.

16. Make elves ornament. We did these last year and they turned out really cute. 17. I think Jake has a dentist appointment today, so it is a good day to visit the dollar store for the kitty's presents and one for daddy from the boys. We will also get a toy for Toys for Tots today.

18. Make gingerbread cookies and read the Gingerbread Boy book.

19. Watch a Christmas movie- not sure which one.

20. Today we are celebrating Christmas with my dad and my siblings. That is the activity!

21. Today we will be in the car driving to Colorado. I have Charlie and the Chocolate factory book on CD. We will be listening to that and my kids will not be asking "are we there yet?"

22. Hopefully we will be in Colorado today. This is were it will get a bit challenging because I'm sure my mom has some fun things planned for us. Hint hint, mom!

23. Make rice pudding. This is a tradition from my Grandma. You serve the rice pudding in bowls and put a nut in a random bowl. While you are eating the pudding, whoever finds the nut gets good luck the rest of the year!

24. Christmas Eve- not sure what to do for this special day. Any suggestions??

25. Merry Christmas!! Open presents and be thankful for all that we have.

If you have any special activites you like to do please let me know! I'm always looking for new ideas!

Want Free Kids Books??

I am a library dork. I love, love, love the library. My friends make fun of me, but I don't care. I have been known to go twice, maybe even three times a week. I for sure go once a week, and I vary my visits to different branches depending on errands. Anyway, back to the point- I learned about the Dolly Parton Imagination Library at my library. When you sign up, your child gets a free book in the mail once a month up to age five! Tyler has gotten some really cute books the last few months and he loves them and wants me to read them over and over. The bonus-he gets mail, and who doesn't like to go out to the mailbox and have a book waiting for them?



Here is the link-

We kissed and made up

The office manager for the cardiology dept. called me today on my way out the door to Jake's post-op appointment at U of M again. She apologized for yesterday and was very sorry for the long wait, ect. ect. I told her I was on my way back to U of M and this was the only day I was willing to come back to finish the appointment. Jake already missed 4 days of school last week and 2 days this week because of the appointments. I think he has made it to school 3 full weeks this year.

Dr. Armstrong was not in the clinic today, I know this because I had already tried to schedule these 2 appointments for the same day. The office manager told me to come in after the post-op visit and Dr. Armstrong would meet us there. I was pretty impressed. Not only did I not think they would call me, but I never would have thought they would go out of their way to re-schedule the appointment.

The post-op visit was a breeze. We were 5 min late for this appointment, and only waited 5 min in the waiting room, which had Max and Ruby on tv-bonus! When we were in the exam room, the nurse brought crayons and paper for the boys- another bonus! Not that we needed them today, I had the boys bring a backpack full of toys for the appointment. We waited another 5 min in the exam room, and the docotor saw us for another 5 min and we were outta there! The otolaryngology dept. has got it down! Plus they gave the boys a little treasure and Jake has not stopped playing with the sticky eyeball they gave him.

Down in the cardiology dungeon, the office manager was there and apologized again, and even offered the boys large gifts-one was a Matchbox race track! She felt really bad, or she really wants her Christmas bonus this year! I declined and told her it was fine-stuff happens. Dr. Armsrong meant with us and we were on our way! And we don't have to come back for three years! So, I have made up with the cardiology dept. I will not complain anymore about my crappy appointment. We can be friends again.

What a waste of a day

Today Jake had an appointment at U of M for his heart defect. He has one every year just to make sure everything is fine. His appointment was at 2:00pm. I picked him up from school at 12:00, when his lunch started. I'm always late for everything, so I was excited to not have to rush for once. We got to the parking garage at 1:30. I was so proud of myself! I had a whole 1/2 hour to get where we needed to be! I let Tyler sleep a bit longer and then went to the hospital and got a coffee. It was great to have extra time to do this.

We got to the 1st floor at 1:55. We were the only ones in the waiting room. After about 15 min, the called us to do weight and height, and then an ECHO. Then they sent us back to the waiting room. At 3:00 they finally called us back. For some reason, I decided to pack raisins and juice boxes-which I always forget to do- so thank goodness that kept the boys occupied in the waiting room, because there were no toys besides a kitchen with no accessories and a magnet toy, which didn't hold interest for very long.

When we got called back to the exam room, I was already tired of waiting. Tyler was on my last nerve. He had this constant dry cough the whole day. He was whiny and clingy. Being on the 1 st floor drives me crazy. It is like a basement. I'm not a claustrophobic person, but being there makes me feel confided and I don't like not having windows.

So anyway, the resident comes in at 3:20 and is done by 3:30. He says Dr. Armstrong will be in to see us in a few minutes. At 3:50- I've had it. I walk out on the appointment. I was so pissed at that point to have had to sit in a basement for 2 hours with whiny kids and nothing to do. So that was a waste of my day. Nothing accomplished at that appointment.

I decided since we were in Ann Arbor anyway, and the appointment was a bomb, why not go to Whole Foods? I've never been there and thought I would check it out. Another waste of time! It was an overpriced grocery store for hippies and granola moms. Sorry for those of you who like it.

To top off my wonderful waste of a day- Jake has another appointment at U of M tomorrow for for a follow up on his tonsillectomy. Can't wait.

Halloween Revisited

Jake's first Halloween 2004-Duck Halloween 2005- Monkey

Halloween 2006 -Train Engineer

Halloween 2007- Farmer and Cow

Tyler

Jake

Jake pulling Tyler with his tractor. We brought the tractor and wagon with us and Jake pulled Tyler, plus a chicken (Claire) all over the neighborhood we went trick or treating in. This is my favorite Halloween costume so far.

Halloween 2008- Police man and convict

Like Roadtrips?

Then head to Gull Meadow Farms over in Richland. It is a lot of fun for kids- they have everything, minus the elephant. It disturbs me and I don't want them growing up thinking that an elephant is part of an apple orchard.

Jake has some of the goofiest faces I've ever seen! He had a great time, especially since last year he was sick when we went and couldn't enjoy himself as much. Tyler on the other hand, won't do any of the fun activities they offered. It drives me crazy!

Me: Tyler, would you like to ride on the train?

Tyler: No, I don't want to.

Me: It's really fun, Jake, Luke and Paul are all going to ride it.

Tyler: No, I don't want to.

Me: Tyler, Mommy spent $4.50 so you could ride the train.

Tyler: No, I don't want to.

At this point I pick him up and very gently put his little butt in the freakin train. He starts crying and everyone is staring. I have to walk next to the train and hold his hand. It was like this for all the activites. I made him go down the slide, I made him go on the bouncy thing, and made him go on the train. I don't know what else to do. He wouldn't have done anything and I know he would enjoy it if he would just try it!

Here's the train. What kid would not like to ride on that? By the way, it's $4.50 for all the activites, not just the train.

Here's the bouncy.
And a zip line. Luke, Paul and Jake loved the zip line.
And the slide.
They also have other fun little areas like an obstacle course, labyrinth, and last year they had a tractor tricycle course. They also have pumpkin scenes all over like this:
Then it's time for the tractor ride out to the field to get a pumpkin.

There is also an apple orchard which we did last year, but didn't have time this year. The boys love to pick apples, so we will have to do it next year for sure. My sister and I tried to get a picture of all four boys- her 2 and my 2, but that is a big joke. There is always someone who is not looking or smiling out of the four. If we have anymore kids, I'm not even going to try it.

Mommy School

Last weekend my sister and I went to the Hearts at Home Conference in Grand Rapids. I went 2 years ago and really enjoyed it. My mom treated us for our birthday, so even better! Friday night is "mom's night out." There were few speakers who were really funny and a group called The Go Fish Guys. They have great preschool/kids music. I normally don't care for kid CD's, but this one is catchy. My favorite is from the Party Like a Preschooler CD. The song is called It's Hard to Be Cool in a Minivan.
The next day is workshop day. There are 2 main sessions with more great speakers, and 4 workshops. There are 20 different workshops to choose from- some topics are finance, discipline, organizing, fashion, marriage, and motherhood. I picked 2 finance workshops: one about raising financially savvy kids and one about getting out of debt. I also went to Finding the Hero in your Husband and My Heart's at Home-because there was not really much to choose from during the 4th session. My sister went to a workshop called What Not to Wear and loved it. They even went through to figure out the best colors for you based on skin tone and hair color. Very informative sessions and you leave feeling inspired, re-charged, and encouraged.

On top of all this '"mommy school" stuff, David and I are taking a parenting class through our church called the Nurtured Heart Approach. If you want more info visit the link. I would say it's geared for intense or ADHD labeled children, but the techniques they use for those types of children could be used for any type of child. The first session, there are 4, was all about ADHD and I was wondering what the heck I had signed up for. I don't think my kids are ADHD, I just want some parenting techniques. The second class got more into the "meat" of the techniques and it was a lot better class. We have to go to class number 3 on Thursday. As a reader, you get some of the goodies they shared with us.

1. Kids hear a lot of negativity during through out the day. Most of the time, when we do give them attention, it is mostly negative. i.e., " Tyler stop hitting your brother" you get the idea. Our homework for the first session was to give the kids 30 validations every day. i.e., "Tyler, I see that you are playing nicely with Jake. Thank-you."

2. Studies have shown that protein is an important part in a "concentration diet." Most kids get most of their protein at night, after school is over and they don't need to concentrate as much. They suggest giving your child more protein at breakfast and lunch, to help stay focused at school.

3. Spend 15 minutes a day with your child doing what they want. There should be no direction from you during this 15 minutes. Just straight play doing whatever your child desires. Ideally, it should be at the same time everyday and it will be something your child truly looks forward to. You are your child's favorite toy.

Our last class that we are taking is at the Jackson School for the Arts. I never knew this even existed, I found it through another blog. I signed Tyler up for My First Art. I love to do art projects, but I am never prepared to do them and if I do, the kids are interested for maybe 5-10 minutes and then I spend another 20 min cleaning up the project. This class is great beacuse the teacher plans each project and they bring the materials and do the clean up. It also gets Tyler around other kids his age. I really enjoy going and Ty does too. Jackson does have some cool things to do with kids!

I love going to all these classes. I really miss college. One of the things I noticed most when I started staying at home was that I wasn't learning anything. I missed information! You don't get much information from doing laundry or emptying the dishwasher! I also like having a set date night with David. We know that you should have date nights but we don't ever plan them. Having to attend classes makes us get Grandma over and we spend time together. And the best part is it's not our usual dinner and a movie. We get good information and something we can really use from our "date nights." Another example was our Marriage Matters classes we took last spring. Those had a lot of good information too and it made us get out and spend time together. So, go sign up for some classes!

Not What I Expected

Last weekend, Jake had his first soccer game of the fall season. He did pretty good. Considering there is third graders on his team, I didn't expect much. He will be lucky if he touches the ball all season. Apparently there are not enough players to fill the teams at Concord, and this is the best solution.

After the game, David was asked to drive the Carr Bros. truck in the Parma Days parade. Tyler was able to ride with him and throw out candy and baseball hats. He was so excited. I decided to ride along too.

I was impressed at all the fun things Parma Days had for the kids after the parade: pony rides, bouncy house, tractor pull, balloon animals- all for free. It was fun.

That night, David was at a bachelor party, and I gave the kids a bath before our movie night- which was Milo and Otis with puppy chow snack. Jake was complaining his head hurt, but I figured it was a headache and he would feel better once he went to bed.

The next day, he couldn't move his neck. He moved like there was a brace around it. Turning his whole body instead of his neck. Again, I figured he slept on it wrong, but when it didn't stop all day, then I knew something was up. Plus, he took a nap both Saturday and Sunday which he never does. That evening we went to the Hillsdale fair. Even though Jake was sick, he still wanted to go. We felt bad because we promised the kids and they were looking forward to it. We wanted to see the combine derby- can you believe there is such a thing? Talk about hillbilly- but we decided just to walk around a bit and come home.

I made a doctor appointment first thing Monday morning. He was sleeping a lot, and still couldn't move his neck. It was swollen now. I figured we would get some antibiotics and be on our merry way. He had a cough for the last 10 days and I figured it was swollen lymph nodes. Dr. Mian took one look at him and told me to get him to the hospital immediately. This is the not what I expected part. I have a hard time understanding Dr. Mian. He is foreign and talks like he arrived in the U.S. yesterday. So, I didn't know exactly what was wrong, I just took Jake to the hospital like I was told. I called David and tried to not be hysterical. I didn't want to scare Jake so I calmly told him to get his a** to the hospital asap! He was of course about an hour and half away.

When they admitted Jake he looked so sick. He was sleepy and you could see it in his eyes. They ran x-rays and couldn't see anything. So then they did an MRI. His IV was the wrong size to inject the dye, so they pushed dye in through a bottle. This made it hard to see exactly what was wrong. I still had Tyler with me, so my brother came and picked him up. At 5:30, when I had to leave to go get Tyler because there was no one else to watch him- we still hadn't seen an actual doctor -he was admitted at 11:00am. At 7:00pm an ear, nose, and throat specialist came in, and told David that Jake had an abscess on the back of his tonsils along with a bad infection. They were going to take him to U of M for surgery to remove the abscess. I was at home getting Tyler ready for bed and David calls to drop this news on me. I have no one to watch Tyler-I called my sister in tears and she drove over from Kalamazoo to spend the night with Ty. Thank goodness for her!!

I had to drive to U of M by myself in the dark and rain, while David and Jake went by ambulance. I was so scared. I keep thinking of my poor friend Sara, who last year took her son to Uof M to be told he had 1 year to live. I had been to Motts before because Jake has yearly appointments for his heart murmur. I hadn't been at night, or in the rain, or when I was was an emotional wreak. I got so freakin' lost. Not only trying to get to the hospital, but in the hospital as well. It is the MOST CONFUSING hospital I have ever been to. By now, it is close to 11:30pm. We are in a room with three other people. There is a small couch for David and I to sleep on. It's too late for a real doctor, so we got a resident. He looked at the MIR from Alliegence, which was poorly done. He said surgery was not needed and Jake just needed to say on IV antibiotics for a few days.

At 3:30 am, David went home. It was to loud and he couldn't sleep on the tiny couch. I was curled up on the end of Jake's bed. The next morning, a real doctor came in, and they scheduled the surgery for later that morning. This was after the resident told me it wasn't needed. Talk about being confused. They did the surgery and took his tonsils out. It went very well. I'm so proud of the way Jake handled everything. There is nothing worse than to see your child suffer to be in pain. I felt so bad for those parents and kids who have to spend weeks and months there. It felt like a prison.

That night, I asked Jake who he wanted to stay with him in the hospital, and he said Daddy. It broke my heart, but at the same time, I'm happy that David and Jake have such a tight bond. I hope it is always that way. He was released the next day, but not until 6:00pm. He wasn't eating or drinking. At that point they realized he hadn't been given any pain medication. They had asked him earlier and he said no, he didn't want any. Hello- why would you ask a five year old if he wanted medicine? What do you think the answer will be? Once he got the medicine we were outta there.

He is doing a lot better now. We are going to half day of school tomorrow and go from there. This whole experience has taught me how fast life can change. We got lucky and and had a problem that doctors were able to fix. I think about the kids who are still there and maybe don't have an easy sickness to fix. My life was turned up side down for three days and now it's back to normal. Some parents will never again have a normal. We are so thankful.

Every little boys dream

Although I am grateful David has a job in this economy, his job for lack of a better word, sucks. He works looong hours all summer, including Saturdays. This of course is when all the fun happens, in the summer. Then in the winter he gets laid off and is home with me. After awhile I get tired of him being home. And unemployment doesn't pay much. On top of all this, we pay a lot for insurance and let's just say his paycheck doesn't go far with a family of 4. All this being said, the boys think that daddy has the coolest job in the world, next to Uncle Sam who is a train engineer. Jake is now old enough to get to ride with Daddy if he is in our area. They get some good boy bonding time in.

Tyler gets to play in the truck, but he isn't big enough to go for a ride yet.

I think he has just as much fun pretending. He gets his truck as soon as they leave and gets to work.

When he is pretending, he tells me exactly what to say. Kids have amazing imaginations. He really gets into his pretend world.

First day of school

We survived the first 3 days of school so far, and it has thankfully been a pretty easy transition. Besides David not setting the alarm the first day, we've been getting out the door without any problems. I'm not on time for anything, it's been a bit challenging for me. For working moms who have been doing this everyday, I can now sympathize with you. It's a lot of work and planning!

Preschool 4 years 2008

Kindergarten 5 years 2009

I spent the last few weeks of summer preparing myself, I mean Jake, for kindergarten. We got books from the library- (I'm sure you saw that one coming!) And I took him up to the school to play on the playground a few times.

I put a organizer in his closet, and every Sunday we go through and pick out the outfits for the week and put them in the cubby according to the day. That way there is no wasted time in the morning trying to find an outfit, and he can get dressed by himself and not have some weird outfit on.

I also wrote out a schedule to follow in the morning on the chalk board in his room. This gives him the responsibility of getting ready, which gives me more time to drink my coffee.

Here it is up close

I was planning on using the same backpack from last year, I thought it was so cute and you can't get away with cute backpacks past kindergarten, unless you want your kid to be made fun of. So I found a matching lunchbox and I thought we were all set.

Until we went to orientation, and kindergartners are now carrying binders back and forth everyday for "open lines of communication" between parents and teachers. A binder won't fit in Mr. Dinosaur, so we were scrambling around to find a backpack 4 days before school. I took Jake shopping and it was all I could do to let him pick out his back pack. I was praying the plastic Diego backpack wasn't coming home with us. For you mothers that allow your kids character clothes and accessories, God bless you. I wish they never made them. I made Jake check Target, Kohl's, Gymboree and Gap before he made a decision. He choose a red Gap space ship backpack. Thank goodness!! And kudos to Gap, who make junior backpacks for small kids. Most of the backpacks we looked at could fit a small child in them. The junior backpack is just his size.

Tyler is getting into the whole backpack idea too. He wears it a lot, and brings it with us to drop Jake off at school.

Finally, I saw this idea in Family Fun, and decided to do a countdown to Kindergarten. Each tube was a small supply for back to school. I did an eraser, pencils, ruler, and a coupon on the last day to Sattlers for a slush. I ran out of time though, and didn't fill the other 3 tubes. It's hard to find seven small school supply items to fit in tiny tubes.
Maybe next year.



I think all this preparation paid off. When we took Jake his first day, he went right into his class, no problem. I didn't cry either. It was a half day, so it didn't seem so bad. The next day, which was a full day, I cried at lunch when I got two plates out and realized he wasn't here for lunch. And then again when he got off the bus. I also cried a week before he even went to school, because I was thinking about it and maybe some pms had something to do with it.

I take him to school in the morning because the bus comes at 6:58, but in the afternoon, he is one of the first kids off, so we let him ride. I'm usually napping in the afternoon, I mean Tyler, so this way I don't have to wake him up to get Jake from school. He really likes riding anyway.

Tyler is enjoying playing with Jake's toys, and not having to share. I'm going to work with him a lot more, being the second kid has made him a tad on the slow side. We are going to work on counting and colors and montessori type activites. Today we did some water and baster play and we also pounded golf tees into styrofoam. It is so much easier to give him attention and see his personality shine through when he is alone. Yesterday, we played with mud in the garden, and he said "for shizzle my nizzle" I was laughing so hard. I don't know where he learned it. I don't listen to Snoop dogg with the kids around.

Jake seems to like school a lot. He was ready to go. I found him a few times summer just kinda laying around not really sure what to do. Kinda like same 'ol same 'ol. I think he was ready for something new and exciting.

Much Needed

We are back from our weekend getway, and it was much needed. The week before we left, David put in 74 hours at work, which means I put in 74 hours of single parenting. We needed a break and it was perfect timing, although not perfect weather.

Thursday night we left the boys at Davids mom and dads, picked up Corey and Keri and hit the road at 8:00pm. On Friday, after sleeping in until 9:30, we headed to Hilltop for the best omlets ever and then went shoe shopping and food shopping in Gaylord. It was time for tennis when we got back. We had great weather and had a great time playing tennis and horse at the basketball court. Then it was rest time, so the guys fished off the dock and Keri did her homework while I slept in a lounge chair after reading my juicy People magazine. Keri and I decided to highlight my hair, so we played hairstylist before dinner. Next time we are going to leave it on longer, it didn't "highlight" much.

We did burgers on the grill and then set off to do some off-roading in the mini-van, with the side doors open, (you get better views). Then it was time for games- Corey and Keri beat us 2 times at Sequence, and it was their first time playing. I blame it on all the plowing I did with the Boones Farm.

We started the day off Saturday with rain. After sleeping in again, we skipped breakfast and went to Gaylord for more shopping and then headed to Boyne City to a fun bar we like a lot. Keri and I got martinis and they were yummy! After brunch, I wanted to scope out Boyne Mountain, because I've been thinking it would be fun to rent a condo with friends this winter, for another getaway. We got keys to 3 different condos, and we had a lot of fun checking them out. The one we really liked sleeps 12, has a indoor/outdoor fireplace and of course, a outdoor hot tub. I'm hoping to get some people around to rent it out this winter. Between 5 couples, it shouldn't be too expensive. We headed back to the cabin, and it was still raining. We ate a late dinner of taco salad, and watched Stepbrothers. We also did a lot of eating. It was gross how much junk I ate. I kept telling myself, I'm on vacation, as I stuffed the Twinkie, Double-Stuff Oreo, Cheez-It Party Mix, Schulers bar cheese, or [insert junk food here] into my mouth.

Notice the junk food in the background. We spent 98.00 dollars on junk and beer at WalMart.Again, more sleeping in on Sunday. Nice sunny day, but cold. We picked up the cabin, the guys played some tennis, and we closed the cabin for the winter. We left by three, and picked the boys up at 7:00pm.

The boys had a great time at grandma's and grandpa's. They went camping at Swains lake and made a trip to the Toy House. I didn't worry about them at all, which was nice. To be honest, I missed them- but it was nice to miss them. We all needed a break. David and I worried they would be bored, so the weekend before we left, David made a tire swing for the boys at grandma's and grandpa's. I didn't know it would end up being a $75.00 dollar tire swing after all the parts were purchased, but it was worth it. The boys love it, and played on it all weekend. It gets some good air, I even had fun on it-David too.

It's been a long time since I haven't had to worry about breakfast, snack, potty breaks, lunch, naps, dinner, bedtimes, ect. It was so freeing to do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted to. If I felt like taking a nap, I did. If I felt like going shopping in town, I did it. On Saturday, we ate lunch at 2:00 and dinner at 8:00, and that to me, was so freeing. I also enjoyed my dinner. I didn't worry about how many bites Tyler took, or if Jake ate his meat. I also didn't get interrupted during dinner to wipe faces, or get more milk. You take these simple things for granted when you don't have kids.

It's back to mommy mode now. I'm waaaay behing on this blogging business. I'm going to try and catch-up, but everything seems so old now, I'm not sure if it is worth it, but I will try. We are playing "Let's Try and Get Out of the Door by 7:45" this week. It should be fun. I'm gearing up for Jake to start school, and I will try to have a back to school post later this week. We are going to practice this week, getting up and around, just like a school day. I haven't had to be out the door at any certain time as a stay at home mom in the last 5 years. Besides spending time with your kids, this is the only benefit of being a stay at home mom. It should be interesting.

I knew it wouldn't be long...

before this would happen.

My poor little guy fell off his bike. He must of hit his mouth on the handle bar. I heard him crying outside and thought oh, this isn't going to be good. When David brought him in he was covered with blood. I fear those first few moments of "check over" when you have to see if he still has teeth or is in need of stitches.

Tyler is sucky-free now and it wasn't bad at all. I was dreading it, but now I wished I'd done it sooner! But, he hasn't had a nap since the sucky, which sucks. I can't believe he is done with naps, but for the most part he isn't cranky in the afternoon and he falls asleep faster at night. When he was napping he would still be up at 10:00pm. Maybe he will go back to napping when Jake starts school. Let's hope.

We had a lot of fun spending time with my mom and Bob this summer, but after 3 months of being up north in the cold and rain they were ready to head back to Colorado. We spent the day at Lake Michigan before they left last week. My sister and her kids joined us.

It was fun, but it makes me frustrated because Jake doesn't go near the water. He is so scared of it and I don't know why. I tried the swimming lessons, and I feel like it is going to cost me hundreds of dollars before I will get him in the water and comfortable with it. Tyler is following by example so there is another set of swimming lessons and fear to get passed. I tried to take Jake out in the water while we were there, and he was SCREAMING the whole time. I'm sure everyone was watching/staring. I know that most kids have things they are fearful of, but come on, he is 5 years old. Time to suck it up and get over it.

I've been trying to get to garage sales here and there to find furniture to paint and have had no luck. I went to Jonesville, Quincy, Allen, and Coldwater last weekend because they have a annual garage sale on US-12 that was in noted Midwest Living magazine. I didn't find or buy a single thing. I dragged the kids along and we were gone for 5 hours. Talk about disappointed! I did finally paint a piece that I found in some more of my dad's junk. I think it is the cutest little dresser.

We've got some fun things left to look foward to as summer starts winding down. We took the kids to the fair today to ride rides and are going again on Thursday for the Kung Fu Diesel concert. We have to show our support for our soon-to-be brother in law, he is the lead singer. And then on Saturday, David is planning on taking the boys to see the monster trucks. That's 3 days of fair and Jacksons finest. I should be a Carnie. When we were there today, I couldn't help but think-some these people should not be allowed to have kids. They can barely take care of themselves, let alone a kid. It's just like going to Wal-Mart.

Good Stuff

Big milestones have been happening!

Jake learned how to ride a two wheel bike. He's got pure freedom now, even if he never gets a drivers license. Grandpa Bob rode his bike from Colorado to Michigan. He can go anywhere now.

Isn't this what being a dad is all about? I love this picture. David is such a good daddy.

Mr. Tyler gave up his sucky or a-gah as he called it. I dreaded this day. He is a sucky addict. I tried to limit it to naps but it never worked. David and I decided just to pull it and be done. We did the same thing for Jake when he was almost 2 1/2. Tyler is past 2 1/2. The secret weapon for both boys is a sticker chart for 5 days of no sucky and then a toy of choice. It worked great for both. Tyler cried a bit at bed time the first night and second night and has woke up in the middle of the night both nights, but calmed down after a few cuddles. No crying tonight at all! We are on day 3 tomorrow. The only catch- he hasn't been able to nap. He just plays in his room. Hopefully this will change and he won't give up naps 4 weeks before Jake starts school. I'm dreaming of my 2 hours of quiet while Jake is in school and Ty is napping.

50 Days of Summer Left

It's going by fast!!!

• We made it to the zoo, one of our field trips we take in the summer. We spent the day with Danielle and baby Brock-his first trip to the zoo. It wouldn't be complete without a flat tire on the way home. Thankfully we were almost home! No pictures, I've got enough from the other 3 times we've been before. I'm ready for a new zoo- I'd like to go to the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo next. Been there, done that for Binder, especially the $$$.


• We also did raspberry picking, another summer time favorite. The boys loved it. They kept saying "Mom, look how many I picked!" Every 2 minutes. Then I made Raspberry Oatmeal Breakfast Bars- YUMMY! The recipe is in Family Fun magazine.
• We celebrated our 4 year anniversary on Thursday. Here's a fun picture for you all to enjoy. It's me and Ned Flanders, I mean David. (1999)

(Forgive me, I am just learning how to scan pictures. That is why it is crooked and tiny, not that you would want to see it any bigger, anyway). WOW.
And our wedding, July 16, 2005.

• To celebrate, we hung out at home. We had a bonfire with the kids and they burned marshmallows and caught glow bugs. We exchanged very romantic gifts: David got me tires for the front of the mini van, and I got him tires for the back of the mini van. I think that they should change the traditional anniversary gifts to something like this:

1st anniversary: paper

2nd anniversary: cotton

3rd anniversary: leather

4th anniversary: tires

After the kids went to bed, I pulled out our old pictures which is when I found that nasty picture you see above. I also decided it would be fun to try on my wedding dress to see if it fit. Let's just say it didn't zip all the way, and I couldn't sit down with out blowing out some seams.

• We've started a new tradition in the Bradley household. Movie nights- once a month. Jake is now old enough to sit through a movie, Tyler-not so much, but he can dink around while we watch. This months feature film: Charlotte's Web. I even made a theme dinner to go with it- pigs in a blanket. It was nice to look forward to something special with the kids and cheap! We are also going to try game night once a month too. That's 2 Fridays of fun to look foward to.


• Tyler's had some great lines lately. "You got some good groceries, mom" Only Tyler would appreciate some good groceries. What exactly are "good groceries?" And, "I'm hungry, I want some broccoli." This was at 7:30am when he said this one, he truely loves broccoli, and we have some in the garden. What kid wants broccoli for breakfast? And here is my favorite: he just went #2 in his little baby bojorn potty, I was coming in to assist wiping and he said "it's a castle, a castle o' poop." Not to be sick, but it really did look like a sand castle you would see at the beach.


• We have an addition to our family: Lola. She is a sweetheart and reminds me of Fuzzy. Thanks to Nicole, who found her for me. I wasn't expecting to get a new cat this soon, but she looks so much like Fuzzy, I couldn't resist!