weekend update

Wow you can tell Christmas is coming! This weekend was full! Saturday we went and saw the Princess and the Frog. Cute. I'm sure we will be bombarded with Princess and the Frog while at Disney in January. Oh did I forget to tell you we are going to Disney. Yeah I'm a little excited to say the least. Honestly think I am more excited for Disney than Christmas this year! We also had the annual Church Christmas program. Yes we came away from the event with no funniest home video material. Thank you Jesus! Then it was a two hour play time outside in the snow with Daddy while mommy frantically cleaned. Then the big man himself paid a visit. I mean Santa of course. It was awesome. We invited our friends Kyle, Lisa and their two girls over to have dinner and incredibly Santa came to visit. The wonder on the kids face was amazing. I almost cried. I said almost! Zach was just adorable. As soon as he realized it was Santa he was right up there talking to him and showing him where to sit and was the first on his lap, but when the big moment came and he was asked what he wanted for Christmas you could hear the birds chirping. (that is if we were not in Michigan and it was cold outside and the all the birds have flown south for the winter) Zach was starstruck and could not answer. Needless to say that is what moms are for with a little reminder Zach asked for Buzz and Woody! Mission accomplished. Emily on the other hand was not as fond of Santa. She refused to sit on his lap and would only approach the man in the red suit with mom by her side. she would not answer Santa's questions so I had to fill in the what do you want for Christmas statement with a Princess radio. I must admit. This is a highlight of the holiday season for me. As a child Santa visited my house every year and we held court with the man in the red suit each year for 20 mins. It is honestly the one memory in my head when I think of the holidays. I only hope my kids cherish it as much as I do! Happy Holidays and let the countdown begin!

Snow , Snow and COLD

Ok we knew it was coming, the calendar said winter should be here, they have been forecasting it for a week but somewhere deep down I thought oh maybe we might avoid snow this year. Yeah right! We live in Michigan! As I was cooking dinner the other night complaining about the snow, the cold and the idiots who can not drive. ( Me not being one of course) Dave reminded me that we live in Michigan. My response was not by my choice! YOU brought me here. He then reminded me I could have ran 12 years ago. Oh well I must really love him. Along with the snow came the kids first snow day from school. It is tough to explain to an almost 4 year old why they dont have school when it snows. All day Zach or Emily was asking why dont we have school today. This was after the night before the threat of if you dont go to sleep you cant go to school. HMM there is a tough one for a parent to explain. There goes that threat out the window. So we baked cookies and played inside. I am hoping for a little warmer than 15 degrees one of these days so the kids can go outside and play in the snow for real! Until then make a cup of cocoa and enjoy the cold days and nights! January 20 can't come soon enough watch out Mickey here we come!

weekend update

Well Christmas time is upon us. That means lots of things going on. Lucky for us I really mean me I have finished the shopping, and decking the halls. Now it is just the wrapping ( which I hate to do) I just received an email today about a group that will wrap you gifts for a donation to the women's shelter I may become desperate! We will see. I'm almost done with cards so that will be another item off the list! We finally did get pictures taken see previous post. It was still a chore but done! We went with someone local and I will be doing that again. When we have the ones we like I will let you know. Lets see what else. The kids attended their first classmate birthday party. It was the little boy who we carpool with and it was at McDonald's. Just 5 kids so perfectly manageable. Of course I am now prepared for colds since they played on the germ invested playland. We went to another Christmas Parade over the weekend. It was different since the town celebrates with a Victorian Christmas. All the floats are pulled by horses and the highlight is the HUGE I mean HUGE at least three story Christmas Tree that is pulled by a team of horses and then lit at the end of the parade. Unique and very cool. They also had warm apple cider and roasted chestnuts. It helped that it was about 26 degrees and lightly snowing ahh just what you need to get in the spirit of things.
They are participating in the Church program this Sunday at church. OH boy I am praying for no funniest home videos starring my two kids. I think we are going to go see the Princess and the Frog with some friends this weekend and Santa may make an appearance at our house. Check back next week for pics. I mentioned that I called Santa to see if he could stop by. Emily said that was not necessary. She is kind of afraid of Santa this year. We will see how things go. Enjoy the Holidays!

Pictures.... I don't think so

Ok so last night we head to the big city to have the kids 4 year pictures taken. They did have school pictures done this year but I like to have a picture of them together around their birthday for the stairway to the upstairs. Well Obviously the picture studio where we went had other idea. I made the appointment thinking Monday night around dinner who would have their pics taken then. Well was I wrong. We were stuck waiting for 35 mins. Yes luckily I had snacks and coloring books. ( Pat myself on the back for the think ahead mom I am Ha- Ha this is a joke) ! So we waited and waited. Finally we were called back. The kids were uncooperative from the get go! Did not listen extremely whiney .... So the last straw was when the obviously inexperienced photographer tried to position the kids hands and heads realized that she did not have room on her digital camera card and left for what seemed like 5 mins. when she came back it was game over! I finally said forget it and stormed out. I honestly now looking back don't know if I was made at the kids (Yes) or the studio for making us wait so long (Yes) or the photographer for being so unhelpful (Yes) Needless to say I came to work today googled local photographers and have and appt with a local photographer on December 5th. Sometimes the extra money ways out the hassle and high blood pressure!

Time

Where has it gone? I ask my self that everyday. I realized today with the dawn of the holidays that time is marching on well not marching more like sprinting. I look at blogs almost everyday but have some how missed updating my own so here it goes. I have jumped feet first into facebook it has been great to catch up with some people from past. The kids have both been sick. I am not sure if it was the dreaded H1N1 or just a cold. They have both recovered and I am awaiting the next round of illness. I am sure it is coming. Zach has taken to making up words that he then calls you in a way that you think is derogatory. Kind of disturbing to be called a Kooki butt by an almost four year old. Emily is preparing for her first debut as a ballerina. Granted it is just a studio show but she is excited! To Emily all the world is a stage. Dave survived the season. We are into the quiet time. I can hear the crickets. Oh wait it is only 50 degrees no crickets here. Otherwise we are busy busy busy. Christmas shopping, Birthday shopping, school, dance, meetings, church, the list is neverending. I hope that over the holiday I will have the chance to stop and feel as though time is standing still for just a few minutes and enjoy the time spent with family.
Oh and a few pics to see Emily and Zach since I know you all love to check them out! :)

Time? Where has it gone?

Well I guess we have been busy! By looking at the dates I am way behind on updating. So what have the Crazy Life bunch been up to the last few weeks. Let's see the kids have both been sick, we saw a movie ( I took both kiddos by myself WHOO!) , visited the pumpkin patch, dog sat, ballet, school, swim class, taught Sunday school, shopped. Weee that is alot! The kids have both been fighting colds and that just makes everyone cranky! After this last round of sickness I think I am sold on the flu vaccines. I dont want to really have to deal with anything more than a cold or sore throat this year. We are hoping to get out and enjoy the fall colors this weekend and then it is on to sewing the costume to get it done before Halloween! I tell you the stress of being a mom! Take time to enjoy the beautiful fall weather that is forcasted this weekend!

What will they think of next?

Emily, Zach and I were shopping the other day at the dreaded Wal-Mart. When Emily decided that she needed a Dora DVD. Well that was not going to happen so guess what a lovely 3 1/2 year old fit ensued. Oh well is my philosophy. I kept telling her no mommy was not going to buy this for her in a very calm and patient voice. When suddenly she looked down at her shirt. There was a sticker on her shirt that came from her lunch at one of the fast food places. She removed the sticker proceeded to place it on my lips and informed me that " No more mommy voice".

I looked at her and started to laugh. Really does she think a little sticker will stop me. obviously she does not know me well enough. I checked out, packed the car and drove home. WITHOUT A DORA DVD. Score one for Mommy. :)

Welcome Fall

It was a beautiful weekend here. You could not have asked for better weather! My parents and I took the kiddos up to one of the state parks we live close to and we took a hike. Now remember they are 3 1/2 and I was a little nervous about the whole lets walk and then they get tired and want carried. Amazingly we were able to hike over a mile and not til the very end did they get tired but they did it and walked the whole way by themselves. Now remember that we did bribe them with ice cream promises at the end but it worked. Not to mention they sleep on the ride home. we are planning another outing in October when the leaves change. I must admit one of the highlights of living where we do is the wonderful natural resources not to mention the fact we live within 1 hour of about 6 state parks. Welcome Fall!

Preschool Helper

It was the day I had waited for I was the preschool parent helper today. Em and Zach attend a private co-op preschool meaning parents are expected to help and play a key role in how the preschool works. I guess in the age of stay at home moms this worked out well but now a days with more moms working it is tough. But I knew it is important so I took the morning off to help. I was excited and the kids were excited. Yesterday when I asked what they thought I would do they both told me be the computer lady. Guess what they were right! It was so fun to see how they interact with the classmates and who they gravitate towards when they play. I can already see friendships starting to bud. We also get to bring snack on the day you are the helper so with the help of Em and Zach we got to put the napkins out, pour the juice and hand out snack. Wow they thought they were big stuff. The funniest moment was when I had gone to the restroom and shut off the light. Zach was next in line and he informed me that "Mom at school we leave the light on" Opps Mom messed up . I guess we all can learn something in Preschool.

Festival+Weather=Sucess

Wow! We had fabulous weather here this past weekend. But along with the great weather we had the sixth Annual Apple and BBQ Festival. This entails an apple pie contest which I am in charge of, a car show which Dave put on this year along with craft show, BBQ cook off, music it is a fun time. Well the weather cooperated this year and we were packed with over 12,000 people attending. That is amazing considering the size of Silver Lake. Dave had a record 115 cars show up and I did alright with 20 pies entered in contest.
The kids meanwhile started swim lessons on Saturday so needless to say it was BUSY! We were all exhausted last night., but did squeeze in a quick trip to Lake MI. Will post pics later.
Oh and by the way 1st week of school already have a sick kiddos with colds. Don't you love school starting.

You never know what they will say!

Just a few quotes from the kiddos the last few days:

Emily to my dad: Poppo you made these toy boxes when we were just chubby little babies.
(Me thinking... Chubby little babies? where did she come up with that one)

Zach today at Preschool suddenly screaming hysterically mom mom mom I cant find my name!
( Names are written on a little laminated board that they sit in back of during the AM circle time... Me thinking you lost your name???)

Zach to Emily: Dont worry Emily I will be there with you at Preschool
( me thinking yeah buddy you are the one I am worried about who will be there for you)

Those are just a few of the statements out of their mouths recently. I just keep thinking to myself who taught these kids to talk. Then I realize it was Dave and I !

Summer is gone

Summer is officially over in my book. The kids started preschool today. There was no crying Yeah! Emily did ask on the drive to school if I could stay. I replied no I had to go to work and this was her job now. I told her Zach would be there with her and he replied" Emily I will be there with you don't be scared" to cute. They walked into the class sat down and did not turn back. They are big kids! We enjoyed probably the last swim of the year on Monday. And I got the kids entire play wardrobe at the consignment shop this weekend for fall and did not have to spend a dime. I had enough credit on my account from my items of consignment to outfit two kids in about 6 outfits plus shoes, fall coats and some other items that were just to cute to pass up. I love walking out of a store with two huge bags and not spent a dime of my money! :) Oh and the kids moved up to booster seats. They love the fact that they can strap themselves in and get out by themselves. I love it to. BIG time saver! HUGE! My mom and I walked in the 2nd Annual Hart Bridge walk on Monday. This is done at the same time as the Big Bridge Walk in Mackinaw. Not quiet the same but good exercise nonetheless. Dave and I celebrated the end of Dune season. Of course there will still be people around but not like the summer. As we like to say around here Glad to see them come in the spring.. Glad to see them go in the fall! Oh one more big weekend this weekend. The Applefest! Should be a good time if the weather holds. out. If you are around bake a pie and enter it into the apple pie contest. ( I am in charge want more info email me) :) Enjoy Fall!

Week of Firsts!

Wee this has been a week of firsts! And next week includes some more! This week Emily got her glasses. She looks so cute! Zach also go his eyes checked. He does not need glasses. I did the happy dance for this. The kids went to the dentist for the second time. I know this is supposed to be about firsts. We also had the kiddos ears checked for hearing. A Preschool requirement. Thank goodness they can hear. At least now I know they are just choosing to ignore me when I ask them something :) Emily starts Ballet class today. I am so excited oh she is too! Dave and I started our 5 week golf league. Dave has never played on a golf league before and he totally enjoyed it last night. We start preschool next week and the list just keeps going! Oh and we booked our Disney Vacation! Watch out Mickey here we come. (not til January so put away any of the items you dont want the kiddos to get into)

Where have I been??

Ok I know it has been forever since I posted. Since we have returned from Ohio it has been a whirlwind two weeks. We had a great time in Ohio. The kids loved the the little kidde amusement park we went to . Camping was a total hit! We are considering buying a camper. And the kids were decent at the wedding! Yeah a success! Work has been crazy and now we are trying to fit in ever dr appt imaginable. Dentist, Eye checks, blood draws , ear checks . I tell you I hat drs offices! Oh well at least they will all be done! The biggest news on the home front is Emily has to get glasses. I had a feeling and that is why I took her in. When the picture popped up and she reported she could not see it my thoughts were confirmed. So we picked out the cutest little purple glasses with flowers! I hope it goes well. She gets them next week and I will post some pics. oh and we scheduled our Disney trip I am so excited. Jan20-29 2010. Watch out Mickey here we come! Ok enough updates have to get to work!

Weekend Update

Weekend Update. Ahh Saturday NIght Live. I don't think I have watched that since about 2005. Hmm coincides with the birth of the two kiddos.Funny how life changes. Oh well. I enjoy Scooby Doo and Dora so much now adult humor does not have a place in my life right now. Ok now my weekend update.

Friday Hubby had a "boy date" He went and saw the new GI Joe movie with some guy friends. The kids and I spent the evening with my parents heading to Muskegon to purchase some material for their new sandbox. Pictures coming as soon as we decide to fill it with sand. Let's just say a HUGE improvement over Franklin the Plastic turtle sandbox. We also found a few other things I "needed". Nice evening the kids were good and we had a nice time. Saturday we went to Pentwater to pick up a few birthday gifts. I tell you all of my friends must have a birthday in August! Sunday it was hot! We headed to my parents pool and spent most of the afternoon in it. The kids swam and played I tried to get a little sun. Throw in some ice cream and Papa Johns pizza it was a perfect day. Hubby came by later in the day after he went and played war. Next up is Golf on Tuesday, and packing for our trip to Ohio which includes our first family camping trip. Thank you Bill and Alicia for letting us use their camper. I am sure stories and photos will be abundant next week!

Sand and Surf

The last two nights have been perfect to visit the beach. We live just 5-10 mins from the a couple of great beaches on Lake MI. While Hubby is exercising I pack the kiddos up and have taken to the beach by myself. They love it. I dont enjoy the sand everywhere but I feel that we live so close I should let the kids expereince the fun of the beach. So the lst two evenings have been perfect. The middle of the week so that means I can find a parking place, not a crazy busy, no breeze ( very important) and the temp is warm enough to play in the water. So the kiddos and I have enjoyed the beach the last two days. The first I made the mistake of not dressing them in swim suits... The result very wet and sandy clothes and kids riding home in just underwear. The second night I got smart and put swimsuits on them. They had a ball! We played in the channel which is about 10 degrees warmer than the lake then moved to the "big lake" where Zach got bowled over by waves and Em was screeching literally screeching with excitment! We had a ball. The kids loved it. We played for about an hour and half then back to the car so that we can take a bath. How do kids get sand every where? I mean everywhere! Oh well here are some pics from our first evening.

Different Philosphies

I understand that all people have different philosophies when it comes to parenting. I guess I just assumed we were pretty middle of the road and I guess normal. This weekend I became acutely aware that my kids eating hot dogs twice a week is not normal in some households. We had a cook out with some of Daves family. His cousins came from Detroit and Colorado. The one family has a little boy who is two perfect age for Em and Zach to play with. I am proud to report that we had no meltdown over sharing. I think we are making progress. But what i was just amazed with is the little boy and his mom eat a totally whole food diet. All I could think of is oh my that must take up a lot of time to plan, and remember to pack what ever you are going to eat. That is a lot of work. I give people credit who can do this. I know it does not fit into my lifestyle or my kids lifestyle. I guess the idea is what you dont know you dont miss. The crack up of the night was when Emily saw a cookie he was eating she tried one and just about gagged. Guess Emily is not a candidate for the whole food diet. The kids had a great time playing and the adults had a nice time visiting and catching up! The weekends of the summer are quickly flying by. Only a few more weekends then it is time for School. Hard to believe!

Where has the week/month gone?

Wow! This week officially flew by. I honestly don't know where the days went. last time I checked it was Monday. Oh well . Here is a quick update on our lives or as they say on tv - "And these are the days of our lives" I loved that show in college :) OK
Monday- I caught up from the weekend not to exciting I think we actually spent the evening playing outside.

Tuesday- Golf and Zach's hair cut. I am pleased to announce that this hair cut was 100% better than the last. I did not have to physically restrain him. That always makes for a good afternoon. He also was sweet enough to pick Emily a sucker out of the bin and save it for her when we got home. What a sweet brother! Golf well lets say we played and I managed to find about three trees. Not a good night.

Wednesday - I was up early and to Big Rapids for a meeting. but home early. When I arrived it was eerily quiet no one was home. I took advantage and quick started dinner before the kiddos arrived home with the sitter. I honestly did not know what to do without kids screaming at me as I cut up chicken. Emily, my mom and myself made a quick trip to Muskegon to pick up some supplies so that I can make record place mats yes place mats. They are for a ladies golf outing on Tuesday. I only have to cut out about 65 records. Oh and I got some great deals at Penney's for the kids and myself. I love end of summer sales. Who can say no to a skirt for 7.00 or a shirt for the kiddos for 2.50.

Thursday- I cut records, I cut records, I cut records. The neighborhood kids came by to play for awhile. Entertainment for the kids.

Friday- I have no idea what tonight will bring. Possibly the county fair or a return trip to Muskegon to return something or swimming if the weather holds out. We will wait and see.

Weekend. we are hosting a cook out on Sunday at our house with Hubby's family. My parents are also invited. I hope it is nice to get some sun. Otherwise have a great weekend.

And to my friend at A Happy Little Family - Happy Birthday!

Golf, 5K and and other Weekend highlights

Whewe it is only Saturday evening and I am already tired out from the weekend. Friday night lent itself to a great evening of golf with Hubby, the kiddos and my parents. The kids did a great job at tending to the pin and enjoyed running around and cheering us on. They may finally be learning to stay out of the way when we go to swing a club! Today I ran a 5K. I did not train for this I was actually trying to decide to register for the walk or run when I walked up to the table today but I thought oh what the heck lets go for it. Luckily it was a fairly flat course and it was cooler. Humid but no sun. I made lets leave it at that. I ran it in less time than my ages which is not something I am proud of. I think I might actually try to run a few nights a week and run another in September. This one includes some beach running so that might be interesting. The kids got pulled by my parents who walked in the 5K. Needless to say they brought up the rear but my dad got the only trophy for the group. 5K overall male winner. Did I mention he was the only male in the walk. Oh well we topped off the morning with donuts. I wonder what Sunday will hold?

Toddlers and Tiaras

Ok, I was up the other night after the kiddos went to bed watching a little tv which did not include a cartoon and on TLC there was a show Toddlers and Tiaras. I thought ok lets check this out. What a train wreck! It was like oh my goodness I should not be watching this. These mothers are how can I put this nicely? Absolutely NUTS! It was so bad I got sucked in and watched until 11:00 PM which is past my bedtime. After watching a 4 four old get false eyelashes and go to a pageant coach. OK do people really make money doing this. I thought about my 3 1/2 year old daughter and if I would ever do anything like this. I can not justify what they were doing. I was awful. I k now I am passing judgement on other moms who think this is perfectly fine but in my world to play dress up and have a tea party is one thing but to parade around on stage in a authentic showgirl outfit at 4 is another. Sorry to any moms who's daughters participate in pageants but its not for us. If you want to know you are certifiably nuts watch Toddlers and Tiaras on Wed night on TLC at 10:00 PM You will be disappointed in parenting in America !

A Weekend Trip to Remember!

Wow! We had fun this weekend! Lets see where to begin. Thursday Nana( my mom) came to collect the kids. They were going to have a fun filled four days with the grandparents while Hubby and I headed to Philly for a college friends wedding. First though we had to fight our way through Chicago-land traffic. No easy task for people used to dodging deer. We finally made it to our hotel. negotiated getting to the train stop, made it onto the train and into downtown Chicago for an evening out and dinner. We ate at a great Italian restaurant. We visited the American Girl Store. Oh my friends a few years and it will be scary when Em and I make the trek to the American Girl Store! I can not wait! The next morning we were up and off to the airport to head to Philly! Once in Philly the fun began! We had so much fun! When you put together five girls with no kids and the mentality of a 21 year old you are treading on dangerous territory! Friday was rehearsal even though I was not in the wedding we were still invited to spend the evening with our good friends. Saturday it was a perfect sunny, breezy, no humidity day in Philly. The perfect day for a wedding. The church was beautiful not to mention the bride. Afterwards is was to the pub and then the bus which took us to the reception. Which was all down hill. Needless to say we had a great time. It was nice to have a refreshing weekend away and see friends.

PreSchool Here we come!

Well it is official. We are going to school in the fall. Zach insists he is not going to school. He informed me he would like to go to playland. Fine if he calls it playland and I call it preschool and he goes that is fine with me! We went last night sat around a very short table at least we had big people chairs and met the other 10 parents who 's children Em and Zach will begin their school careers with. They told us what they will be doing at school, the curriculum, how much it costs- let the fun of double the fun double the payments begin! And the fundraisers oh the fundraisers If anyone want to by a raffle ticket they are $5.00 and we need to sell alot so that we dont have to sell pizzas later in the year. Email me if inters ted 1st prize is $500.00. They also discussed first day of school expectations for parents. They stressed if you are going to cry leave immediately. I thought to my self am I going to one of those. You know the parent who sits in the car and cries because her baby is going to school? I hope not but lets not make promises we might not keep. I hope that Em and Zach learn to love school and enjoy the social and educational value of school and we make a smooth transition. Oh please let me make a smooth transition!

New Gal at Work

Someone new started today in my office. She is not going to be working in our office rather she is covering two other counties doing the same job I have. I guess in this economy in Michigan she should be happy she found a job at all. She is a nice girl. Never worked in non profit so she has a lot to learn. It will be fun teaching her the ropes. Tomorrow is a very long day. We have hubby's dads by pass surgery, I have meetings galore, Emily get her hair cut, I have to golf and we have our first meeting with other parents for the preschool class. I tell you I am nervous for this pre school meeting. I guess this is where the parents size each other up and decide who their 3 year old can play with. Man this school stuff is tough! I will let you all know how it goes. Wish us luck! I told Hubby he needed to shave for this event!

Whoa its Friday!?!

Wow were has my week gone. I cant believe it is Friday already. This week has been pretty ho hum. Not a lot of excitement. I guess that is good. Anytime there is no excitement with two 3 1/2 year olds, and hubby that is a good week. Needless to say my blog has been suffering. I am excited about one thing I just made an appt for a pedicure. I have not had one all season so I saw a flyer for a girl in the town just to the north. Someone new. I always enjoying trying out new places so why not while I'm having my feet done up. So look for a post of that next week. Other than that I have very little plans this weekend. I hope it is sunny! Last weekend before our big trip to Philly for my friends wedding. Oh that will be another fun blog topic. See I guess it just one of those weeks. Next week is jammed packed! Have a great weekend!

We survived July 4

Well the big weekend has come and gone. With Hubby owning a business in a tourist destination it leaves the kids and I to single parent on these wonderful Summer holiday weekends. Honestly Memorial Day, July 4 and Labor Day are not a lot of fun in my book. Oh Well! So this weekend the kids and I did the following. We helped clean the pool at Nana and Poppos house. I figure we use it we should clean it! We went to two fireworks displays. Hubby did attend these with us. The kids were not that into it except the finale. I must say Silver Lake did a bang up job this year! We went to the Ludington Parade. Oh this was a doozy! They gave out free pints of ice cream from the local Ice Cream factory! Now that was a good parade. The kids also got so many frozen Popsicles they could not eat them so I brought them home and refroze them.. Who says I am not thrifty! Also at the end of the parade is the Scottville Clown band. This is a group of men who enjoy playing Brass instruments very well and dress up in crazy costumes. Not the pictures most of them are in drag...HMMM? We also had a chance to swim in the pool it finally warmed up enough on Sunday to take a dip. Oh we were also in the nursery on Sunday at church. The kids decided to stay with me in the " baby room" They entertained the one baby. We had fun. So needless to say the holiday weekend was packed full of fun. Oh did I mention I managed to get sunburned too. Oh well we have a wedding coming up and I need some color any color will do. Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

Miracle

Last year in case you did not know was my first year playing golf. Something I thought I would not enjoy but actually it has become one of my favorite things to do when we have a babysitter. So I played on a league last year with my neighbor also owner of the golf course. Pretty convenient. So she gave me pointers. I struggled was awful had fun though. Guess What!

We just finished our first half of the league for this summer. We WON! Yes I actually contributed to our team effort and we won the first half. This is a miracle. So who ever wins the second half will play us in the last week. Do you understand that we could win the league! That is just crazy!!!

Where do they come up with these things!

Emily our three year old daughter is in love with anything Dora. Swim Dora Doll, Dora Sheets, Dora Backpack you name it I think we have it . Well the other day we were shopping and last year she had PJ's with Dora on them. Background- This summer she saw the old Dora PJ's that are a tad to small considering she has grown 6 inches. So needless to say they did not fit. I promised her if we saw new Dora PJ's I would buy them. Well guess what my own baby elephant did not forget and the other day in Meijers guess what Dora PJ's. Except this was not pants/ shorts it was a nightgown. She has never had a nightgown. She is our freezing cold child. So nightgowns are not a good option. Oh no she saw it she had to have it! So I purchased it for an outrageous amount of $ for 3 year old PJ's. took them home washed them and we were happy as little clams. Fast forward a few days later Zach my other three year old, Emily and I are reading stories before bed. Zach asks Emily " WHERE ARE YOUR PANTS EMILY?" I about lost it half way through Green Eggs and Ham when Emily responded in her three year old know it all voice.... "Zach this is gown. YOU DONT WEAR PANTS". End of conversation. Hubby laying on the floor of the room just about peed his pants. AHH from the mouths of babes.

Bedtime Bribes

We have two children who just hate to go to bed. Once they are in bed they are down for the count but convincing them to stay in bed is another story. With summer time here the whole it is getting dark out theory is out the window. Last night a prime example. After Zach finally decided swimming in the pool is fun when I told him time to hit the bathtub and then PJ time at 8:20 Pm he turned around looked at the sun still shining and stated but mom it is still daytime we dont go to be during the day and proceeded to jump into the pool.( Life jacket on!) Ok so we have been working on getting them to go to bed and stay in bed. I have finally found a bride that works! YEAH! we have created a sticker chart. Each night they go to bed reasonably well ( for us that means only getting out of bed 4 or 5 times to ask for something) they get a sticker. The other night. Zach was on his last time out of bed. Hubby eloquently stood by his bed and told him that his sister has gone to bed and is getting a sticker. If he does not stay in bed no sticker for him and she will have more stickers than him. Let me tell this did the trick. Peer pressure worked perfectly! He went to bed and Hubby was all smiles as he told me what he said. I only hope that our little plan that we have hatched continues to work. If all else fails we will swim till 9:00 Pm until they are so exhausted they will fall into bed. When winter comes that will be another story!

Summer has arrived

Well we are hoping summer has arrived. We have endured a long cool spring but the weather has finally turned for the warmer and the kids, Hubby and I headed to my parents pool. If you are not familiar with my life. My parents relocated to Michigan from Ohio last fall. They found a cute little house just 5 mins from us with a bonus an in ground pool. This has been a treat since my parents never thought they would own a house with a pool. The kids are super excited. So yesterday while hubby was watching the kids they had an outing and purchased life jackets. Emily's is princess and Zach is spider man. Oh boy were they excited when I got home. Emily practically ate dinner in hers. So when I mentioned going to swim they were practically tripping over each other to get up the stairs to get their suits. The water was chilly but that did not stop the Emily. She was right in there and swam all around. Zach was a little more timid but enjoyed going down the slide and jumping off the diving board. We had a good time. I will post pics here later. We are hoping for some nice hot weather to warm things up to being the enjoyment of the pool. Any local friends just let us know when you want to swim!

Weekend Trip

If you were wondering where we have been the last few days it has been a whirlwind of excitement in our house. Last Friday the 12th I packed the kiddos up and with my mom we headed to Ohio for my cousins bridal shower. Yes Zach was invited mind you the only boy there. I dont think he minded much. We also had the chance to visit the outlet mall close by and ride the train. Fun times. We also visited with my friend forever Michele and her family. The kids thought is was fun to enjoy someone else's toys. We were fortunate enough to stay with close family friends who had a dog. Which Zach and Emily feel in love with. Zach even told hubby when we got home that he would like a "Molly dog like in Ohio" We will be working on this over the next few months. The kids cracked me up over the weekend. Where we were in Ohio is very rural and what I call cow country. It was warm so the windows were down and the farmers were spreading manure. Well the kids did not enjoy the smell. We dont have that smell here in MI. So when asked what that smell was I responded the fresh country air. Well Emily took this to heart. When Zach commented later in the weekend. "It is stinky here" Emily in her know it all fashion responded. "Zachary it is the fresh countryside". Who says they dont listen! All in all we had a great time. The kids rode great in the car( What did we do before DVD players? I feel for my parents) we enjoyed visiting with some people we had not seen for awhile and Hubby enjoyed a few days of solitude!

Do they love each other?

Today as I was getting ready to head out the door for work this is what I overheard the kids saying to one another:

Zach was curled up in a ball on the be and Emily was stepping on him saying "Zach you are just like a like a lump of dirt. " I

I responded no he is not he is your only brother and you had better love him. She just looked at me like I was nuts. I told Zach to remember this when she is in High School and want him to defend her for something. Tell her no way this lump of dirt will help you. I keep telling myself someday they will love each other! Aww sibling love at its finest!

Another first

Sunday was a rainy drizzly day so I suggested that we take the kids to a movie. The kids have never sat in a movie theater and I thought now was a great time to try. So Hubby agreed and I found the movie UP playing at the local theater. Local as in twenty minutes away. Dont you love country living. Little did I know that at 4:00 PM the sun would break out and the evening would turn out nice. Oh well the kids had it in their heads we were going to the movies where they could eat popcorn til it ran out of thier noses. So we bought the tickets, took a potty break and I smuggled in sippy cups with apple juice. Sorry theater my kids dont do pop and I dont do bottles of water for 2.50 a crack. Popcorn I will pay out the nose for at a theater but not water! So we settled into our seats and for the next 102 minutes my children were amazed. It brought tears to my eyes to see them actually understand and ask me questions. They are such smart little boogers. When it was overed I praised both of them and Zach said he liked it and Emily said it was to scary! Overall for the first outing I was pretty proud not to mention when it was over the elderly couple in front of turned around and said they were so good for being so young. Made up for my Saturday night apology.

Dance, Outdoor bathroom habits and the weather

We had a busy weekend. I guess I could say this every weekend during the summer months... I think it is summer here in Michigan I am still waiting for warm weather! Today just stepped out of my car at 2:40 PM it is a whopping 62 degrees with a stiff wind and drizzle. Ok enough about the crummy weather. I am writing about the weekend. Emily and I had the opportunity to attend a local dance recital on Saturday night. Emily has recently been talking how she wants to be a ballerina and this mommy is very happy about this. I have been biding my time until she is old enough for dance class and it is almost here. I only can hope she enjoys it as much as I did/do. Our goal was to make it intermission. This was a lot since it was an hour and half first act. She did well until about four dances left then she got antsy. We did manage to tick the people off in front of us so before we left I had to do the I'm sorry for my child's behavior, she's three and has never been to anything like this before. So humbling! She talked about the little girls dressed in pink and when asked if she would like to dance on stage next year she replied "oh yes mommy" ahh pure bliss now I only hope she is excited come fall. While Em and I were doing girl things Zach and Daddy were having fun boys night bonding. They were riding go carts. Hubby was so proud when he talked about how Zach was egging him on to go faster. He was all smiles. Then he informed me that I missed a milestone in my sons life. I looked at him and he announced that Zach peed standing up outside. You thought the smile was big about the go carts! Hubby went into detail about how the arc was and the distance. Is there a contest somewhere I should be enrolling Zach in I was wondering as he was telling this story! Zach even asked Hubby when I was going to be home so he could tell me the news unfortunately I did not make it home before he fell asleep so the next morning he was all stories as I heard it blow by blow from a three year old how he peed outside. So our Saturday was deemed a sucess. It was different having just one child to deal with Hubby and I agreed and we decided we need to do this more often. HMM do you think he is ready for Emily peeing outside??

Dog Sitting

Well work is slow and my life is in cruise control right now. Nothing very exciting happening. I guess we should count ourselves lucky. We are going to dog sit starting tonight til Sunday for my parents. The kids love it when Smudge the dog comes to visit. It also reminds me why we have a cat. Dogs are a lot more work granted they are loyal, etc... I like my cat that I feed water and take care of the litter box and if she wants attention so be it. The kids have asked for a dog before but Hubby and I are in agreement it would be nice, we have enough land but man dogs are a lot of work. So for the mean time the kids can enjoy Nana and Popo's dog and we will remain dog less. But a cute little dog that fits in my purse would be fun!

Blanket Crisis!

If you dont have young children you will not understand this but if you have small children you will totally sympathize with me, nod and shake your head and smile. Sunday my mom and I took the kiddos shopping for a bridal shower gift for my cousin. We have decided to make a road trip to Ohio for the shower next weekend and with my crazy schedule this was good time to go. So of course Zach and Emily had to take their special items, a somewhat dirty pink bear at least I think it is pink for Emily and a small blue blanket for Zach. I allowed them to take there because I was hoping they would fall asleep in the car and it is much better when they have theses items. Well like a mother in a moment of weakness I allowed them to take them into the store. You have to understand the plan worked they fell asleep and I had to wake them up to go into the store. This equates to not happy children so in a moment of weakness I allowed the blanket and bear to shop with us. That was the mistake! Needless to say the blanket was nowhere to be found when we arrived home. Luckily we only went to three stores, but in my parental attitude it told Zach sorry about your luck you chose to take the blankey you are responsible for it sorry I am not going to try to find it. Then I pack their bags and send them to Grammy's house. Sorry Grammy for having to put Zach to bed with no blankey. Anywhere fast forward to Monday. The mommy guilt is starting eat away at me and I decide I should at least call the three stores to see if they have it. Low and behold the first place I call. The woman says does it say wish upon a star? Oh my goodness there is a God I replied. So guess what I got the pleasure of driving back to the store to pick up the blanket oh did I mention the store is about 35-40 mins away not a run around the block. But I have saved the blanket and the crisis was averted. Isn't being a mom great!

Gardener's Folly

I am officially done planting things for this year! I do not have the greenest thumb so me planting anything is feat itself but since purchasing our own home and now since we have added on we need to take pride in home ownership somehow in my mind this translates into landscaping. Now please take note neither Hubby or my families are that gardening oriented so when I mentioned last year lets landscape in front of the new front door the look I received was not the best but we muddled through the experience and this year the perennials that I planted actually returned bigger and better. I was impressed. Every morning I look out my bedroom window and marvel that something I planted actually did what it was supposed to . So with a little experience I decided to plant another bed along the deck this year and it does look nice so I added just one more by the steps as you come up to the front door. There are many more possibilities down the road but for now I will continue to water and take pride that maybe I will be the one in the family who will turn a new leaf over and become a novice gardener. Hmmm dont hold your breath!

My newest hobby

Well as the kids have got a little older I have found that I can sneak a few hobbies back into my life. Definitely not as many as BC ( before children) but enough to make me realize I do have a life other than whinny, temper tantrums and all things that go along with this. So last summer after much coaxing from my neighbor Alicia I joined a golf league with her. Oh did I mention she and her husband OWN the golf course we play on. Needless to say she is an excellent golfer (and friend) but I on the other hand not so much a golfer I enjoyed the time by myself but golfer I was not. So I went out and got all things golf and struggled through my first year on league. I had a lot of fun I did improve, but was still awful. So this year came around. I was going to play again. Hubby even bought me new clubs for mothers day. Guess what! I am not the worst golfer on the league anymore! I must say I am proud of myself. I can now win points and have a better handicap than others. I must say when they tell you have to pay your dues as the newbie it is true. But in about 10 years I will be right up there. Never mid alot of the older better golfers will not be playing and I will be the older golfer. Hmm how does that happen.
I just want to encourage all of you ladies if you ever get a chance to play golf try it you may like it I never took myself as a golfer Who knew!

Memorial Weekend

Zach was sOOOOOO excited about what we are still wondering!

Did I mention we had chocolate cake to eat on Memorial Day?

Poppo (my dad) and Emily She does not look happy

Zach and Daddy All Smiles on Memorial Day

Well it has come and gone the offical start of summer in our neck of the woods. Hubby had a great weekend considering Michigans crappy economy. The kids and I survived the weekend alone and we are again relaxing in the peacefullness of West Michigan. We enjoyed the offical Memorial Day with a small town parade, a hot dog lunch with my parents and a fun afternoon trying to get thier pool. If you did not know my parents recently transplanted to MI from Ohio. They bought an adorable little house in our town and have been working over the past months to get it up to thier liking. Well the bonus of it all it came with a pretty decent sized in ground pool. The bad side is the house was a foreclosure so no one has taken care of the pool in quiet some time. SOOO we have been helping. We are to the point of filling it with water. I hope it is ready to go in a week and we get some warm weather. The kids were having a great time helping clean the pool this weekend. I think they will enjoy it when they can actually SWIM in in. Hubby had fun he has a collection of army trucks. Yes they are full sized Army trucks that he enjoys showing off in the local parades. They have become a hit in the parade for Memorial Day since the old veterns enjoy the ride. I often wonder if they followed with the ambulance before our trucks. Those old guys should not be walking that far. So needless to say he enjoys taking the trucks the kids rode this year and Zach loved it. He is such a ham. Emily not so much. There are a few pics below. Enjoy and Back to work tommorrow for me.

Memorial Day Weekend

Well it has arrived... The official opening weekend of tourist season here. I joked with the kids this morning that open season on tourists has arrived. Now granted we make our livelihood off of these people but it is amazing when you go to the bakery, grocery store or any where else in town between May and September and there are people who are just taking their own sweet time why??? they are on VACATION! Me on the other hand have just worked, need to get home to make dinner to two impatient three year olds and a husband, give baths, pick up toys and read bedtime stories so I can wake up and do it all over again. this is not my vacation spot, this is my home so if you see me in line at the grocery store rolling my eyes at the lady who says oh Johnnie run back and get another bag of chips for around the campfire you will know why! Ah yes Nicole don't forget they pay the bills! :)
On another note-
Happy Memorial Day. Thank you all who have served or are currently serving our great country!

Busy busy busy! ( with an exclamation point)

Wow this week is jam packed with work work and more work! Last evening I did not arrive home until 8:15 PM. The kids did not even say hello they were much to busy complaining how hungry they were. So after a snack I was able to move on and get hugs and kisses. Tonight will be another later night probably around 6:30. And my mother and father in law arrive from Florida. Tomorrow it will be a nice relaxing evening then off to Lansing for rally at the capitol for Early Childhood Education. I get the opportunity to speak with our legislature's on this one. Should be interesting never done anything like this before. Friday I have a vacation day and it is our last regular MOPS meeting. Wheww that is a whirlwind week. I hope I get to see the kids for at least a few moments. But I guess that is all in a working mom's normal day. Oh did I mention that this weekend is Hubby's busiest weekend of the year! Yippee bring on summer!

A dream of mine fulfilled

ME getting my book signed! :)



mom meeting Kate


Last evening while Dave was home with the kiddos. I had a rare night out with girl friends. No toys to pick up, no bedtime stories actual adult conversation. My friends Lisa, Mary and my mom attended the speaking engagement of Kate Gosselin from the Jon and Kate Plus 8 fame. I am a HUGE fan of the show. If you watch the show you may have noticed the name of my blog is taken from their show. So when Dave told me she was coming to Muskegon I had to go! I had said about a hundred times if she is ever in the area I would love to see her. So I had to go.


If you have looked at any gossip mag recently you have seen her or her husband on the cover claiming someone is having an affair. Well needless to say we bought these tickets way before any of these claims surfaced so these past few weeks leading up to last night made the evening more interesting.

I give her credit she addressed all the rumors. Something you could tell she was not comfortable doing. She handled it with grace and sincerity. After she addressed the rumors it was on to her story of getting pregnant, handling her pregnancy and then the immediate onslaught of handling 6 babies and 2 3 year olds. Honestly I dont know how they did it. Twins is crazy enough.

She spoke about how you must give it all to the hands of God and trust in the Lord that he will deliver. I know as a mom that is the most difficult thing to do. I see alot of myself in Kate so I am sure it is a struggle each day. I admit she has inspired me to do better and remember what ever you have is due to the grace of God.

So you may have been wondering what we have been up to this spring. Emily has just finished her gymnastics class. She loved it. She has informed that in the fall she would like to take Ballet. Needless to say this makes her mommy very happy! While Emily has been at gymnastics Zach has perfected his driving skills. Trust me the kids is better than many of the drivers I encounter on the highway! He has also mastered the I am so cool lean. He is such a boy. I am just starting golf and Dave is starting to pick up with the business. Spring has sprung!