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!!!
http://nbarczakphotography.blogspot.com/

Update Time

I'm seeing a trend here for the summer- a lot going on, and not enough time to blog about it. There have been so many things to post, and I'm starting to feel a bit overwhelmed trying to stay on top of them and post them!

Over the 4th, the kids and I left for up north to visit my mom and her hubby who is staying at her cabin for the summer. We go every year over the 4th and few other times over the summer. We left on Monday, and it was COLD and rainy the whole week. We left David at home, because he has to fund my vacations. I kept myself occupied with the Legos the first day. Here's my masterpiece.

On Tuesday, we decided to go into Gaylord to see the movie Up. I was excited to see it, and I thought the kids would enjoy going to the theater because we don't go often. Apparently everyone else had the same idea, and the first show was sold out. We hung out in town for another 2 hours for the next show. Jake was freaked out the whole movie. I don't know what it is, but the kid is afraid of movies, even Toy Story freaks him out. Tyler hung in there, but really wanted to play the arcade games in the lobby. So I finally gave in when Jake was in tears and left. I missed the last 20 minutes of the show, which is the best part. We waited in the lobby for my mom and Bob to finish the show- someone had to tell me how it ended!

Wednesday my sister and her husband and kids came up, and we went to Boyne City to meet family we hardly get to see. We had a nice dinner at a restaurant outside, all 18 of us. Jake was excited to have his cousins to play with now. David called Wednesday night to let me know my Fuzzy had been hit by a car (we think) and had passed away. I absolutely adored that cat. He was had the sweetest personality.

Thursday was fishing day, and the kids spent all day fishing in the cold. They had to wear jeans and sweatshirts. I packed about 6 pairs of shorts each for the boys, and they wore shorts one day the whole time we were there. They had a great time though, and Jake caught some huge fish on his tiny Lightening McQueen fishing pole. I don't have the fish pictures, my mom has them on her camera.

David and my brother came late on Thursday night and they brought a surprise with them- my brother bought a fishing boat and hauled it up north.

The guys were anxious to launch the boat on Friday, so they left for Otsego lake. The lake that my mom's cabin is on doesn't permit speed boats or jet skis. We were going to meet them with the kids, but they came back and said it was to cold. My mom, sister and I headed to town for shopping instead. We managed to go for a ride later in the day, but only for short runs because of the cold. My sister has those pictures on her camera. I was wrapped up in a blanket.

Finally on Saturday (the 4th) we had nice weather. We all went to Harbor Springs for the day. We watched the parade, well the kids and I did- there was not a single parking spot to be found so David dropped us off and went to Petosky for lunch at McDonalds. I was starting to get sick, so I didn't feel so great, now that we had a nice weather.
This cracks me up. I tell my mom she has this to look forward to. The "bikinis" are t-shirts, it's a group of old ladies wearing them in the parade.

Later on, we all had dinner with my grandpa. We have been coming to Harbor Springs for the 4th ever since I can remember and we are thankful that my grandpa was apart of it this year since he had a stroke last year and was in a nursing home at the time.

We stayed for the fireworks which the boys loved. They laid on a grassy hill, side by side. During moments like that, I'm glad I have two boys who will grow up together being "boys" -getting into trouble together!

Everyone left on Sunday, except me, mom and Bob. I meant with a lady who owns one of my favorite stores, and let me be her "intern" for a few hours. She gave me some information on painting furniture and owning a store. That was a lot of fun for me.

I stayed for a few more days hoping for some good weather, which didn't happen until the day we left. My mom and I took the boys for walks, kayak rides, out for ice cream and elk viewing. I got my recipes organized, and hung out with my friend Sus, who's parents also have a cabin a few down from ours. We've been friends forever, and I spent a lot of summers with her at the cabin. I hadn't seen her since my wedding, so we got caught up.

On our last day, the boys got to swim. Usually, during our cabin vacations, I plop in a chair by the water and spend the day watching the boys frolic in the water and read magazines. I didn't do that at all this time. It felt like fall time. We played a lot of games especially Scattergories and Sequence, which was fun. It just wasn't our typical vacation up there-maybe it was the crappy weather, me getting sick, and my cat dying that changed it.
Anyway, it will be a vaction to remember. We are going back up soon, so maybe that time will be a little better.

24 Hours Without the Kids!

We had a 30th Birthday party to go to on Friday night, so we asked David's mom to watch the kids. She offered to keep them for most of the day on Saturday as well. We had a great time at the party- most of David's friends don't have kids, and quite a few aren't even married yet! So, needless to say, they are still crazy party animals. I did quite well at not being too intoxicated. I get nasty hangovers that last the whole next day, so I kept myself fairly under control.

Normally when we have free time, we spend the day working on the never-ending to do list that comes with being home-owners. Not this time! At the party, we made plans to meet up the next day (Saturday) and spend the day at Farwell lake. First, we slept in- until about 8:30, yes, that's right for those of you without children, sleeping in means 8:30. Then we went out for breakfast, stopped at some garage sales and went home to change.

We got to the lake at 11:30 and spent 5 wonderful hours in the sun. I haven't spent 5 consecutive hours in the sun since I've had kids, and why I thought I wouldn't burn is beyond me. I hurt bad. I didn't put a lick of sunscreen on.

There is a sandbar at the lake that people anchor the boats on, and spend the day swimming, drinking, and well, partying. I felt like I was back at college. We played frisbee, read People magazines, swam, ate munchies, and RELAXED!!!

This is what people do who don't have kids yet! They still party like they are 21 year olds!

It was fun to be a little wild and crazy. A break from the same old routine. It was nice to miss the kids and have a taste of freedom, lol.