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!

Help Us Win!!!

Tyler is in a photography contest, and not doing great in the polls! Please take a second and vote for him in group 3. We really want to win!!!! THANK YOU!!!
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