Org Day

Organizational day is for all the employees of the Detroit Arsenal and their families.  The community center is rented out for most of the day and venders, food, live music, and games are all there.  The best part is that except for the food it is all free!  There were 7 different bounce house type things to go on, a petting zoo, a climbing wall, dunk tank, and this

Caroline saw this and immediately said "I want to do that big red thing"!  Will did too so I stood in line with them so we could do this.  Justin was in charge of pictures.  After getting our harnesses on and waiting in line for a while we got to climb up there and get strapped on.  

This is the second "challenge" the first one Will couldn't touch so he sat in his harness and I pushed him across.  The picture above is a ladder type thing to walk across.

Usually there were 3 "challenges" in each section that you could choose to do.  Will chose this one.  He was so scared he was physically shaking but since his sister had done it he went on through with lots of coaching.

Caroline did a rope swing type thing.  After figuring out that she could make the rope wiggle less so she could move her hand to the next rope she went right on through.

We had to do the same "challenge" on the way back and he was much more confident on the way back.

There was also tanks on display and the kids were able to climb in and explore 2 of them.

Will in his Yoda hat manning the gun!

Caroline sticking her head out the side "window".

What a great way to spend part of the day.  We really had a great time and were thankful that this year it wasn't raining like it was last year.

The count down is starting!

Right now I am going through iphone withdrawal!!  I cracked the glass screen on my phone yesterday.  We have insurance for both our iphones so I didn't have to worry about buying a new phone.  I do have to go through the hassle of taking it back to Best Buy and now waiting for them to get a phone in that matches the one I broke.  They only had 8 and 32GB phones and mine was a 16GB, of course.  They said I would have it early this week and gave me a loaner phone.  BUT, the loaner phone doesn't work!!  I charged it all night and it held its charge oh for about 2 hours.  I charged it again and when Justin tried to call me as a test I couldn't get the button to work to be able to answer his call!  Then it died again.  How frustrating!  So we tried to charge our old cell phones that we let the kids just use a play phones but they wouldn't charge.  So now back to Best Buy tomorrow to see about getting a phone that will work.  We do have a house phone but I can't call long distance with it and 99% of the numbers I call are long distance.  This will be my third iphone in 14 months!!  I thought I needed the insurance because I have two young kids but as it turned out I have done more to it than they have!

What I was really going to write about was how much I feel I need to get done before the new baby gets here.  If you have noticed the counter at the top of my blog it says that I have about 111 days or 16 weeks before Eric (no middle name yet) makes his big arrival.  My OB also told me he is already measuring big and he probably won't make it to my due date.  SO I have less time than that!!
Here is a list of some of the things that are going to happen before he shows up.
*Justin's promotion
*Vacation to the beach and trip to MD
*First day of school
*Will's birthday
*Justin's birthday
*Anna's wedding
*Caroline's birthday
I also want to make a bunch of meals to have in the freezer.  I need to clean out the office (4th bedroom) to make space for Eric. I am also almost finished catching up getting pictures printed out and put in albums for Caroline and Will to have for the future.  I have a little over a year's worth of pictures to go through on the computer and print then label and put in albums and I will be all caught up on that project.  I am also working on a project for my cousins for Christmas that I am partly through too.

It is a little overwhelming to think about all that needs to be done before the baby gets here and still get all the day-to-day stuff done.  But I know I can get it all done and still try to get my daily nap in!!

Just a random picture of the kids, Justin and Miles enjoying the deck.

Miles washing Will's hands after eating.  Will thinks that is a good solution to not having to go inside and wash his hands.

VBS week

It is 1023 on a Saturday night.  This week has been especially busy but lots of fun.  It was VBS week at our church.  We ended up having 21 kids, which is a huge amount for our church.  I was in charge of the bible story everyday and also just helping the other 2 volunteers do the crafts and science.  The theme was Galatic Blast.  Tomorrow all the kids will be singing some of the songs for the congregation.  But that was every morning.  In the afternoons we mostly took it easy besides the usual grocery shopping and dog walking.  I had a sub for my water fitness class so I didn't have to do that on top of the VBS.  But I of course double booked my self some of the days and my wonderful husband bailed me out!!  He came and picked Will up to take him to his final swim class Monday morning and then helped watch both kids while I scooped ice cream at Tacom for the Army Community Service's 45th birthday celebration.  Friday I drove Caroline to gymnastics and came back to teach my bible story and then went back to pick her up.  Today I cleaned and had the kids rearrange some furniture for me.  They thought it was great fun and I knew if I moved it by myself Justin would not be pleased.  He was enjoying a rare afternoon of golf with 2 of our neighbors.
I also made homemade bread, jello, and lemon pie to have with dinner tonight when our friends came over.  Vacuuming and laundry also got done and the basement cleaned and dress-ups sorted though to rid our house of some extra things.  Overall a wonderfully busy day and the best part was I got a great nap in too!!

Here are some pictures from VBS.

In this picture they are throwing "comets" that they made using a plastic golf ball, my old socks, a rubber band, and some ribbons for the tails.  The kids loved them!

The neighbor's pool

Almost every afternoon we have been going swimming across the street with the neighbor.  Mateo just turned 5 in June and the 3 kids have tons of fun together.  We ride bikes to the park and play at each others house.  He is the only kid in the neighborhood that is close to my kids age.  There are more kids but they are a little to a lot older.  It is a rare afternoon that Will, Mateo, and Caroline are paling around together.  His mom works full time so I get to hang out with Mateo's grandmother.  Shirley is a very nice lady and we enjoy talking and sharing information.

Here are some pictures of the kids playing in Mateo's pool.

The pool isn't huge but it is a perfect size for the kids to jump and splash about.

We are just glad that it is warm enough this summer to even go swimming because it wasn't at all last summer!

Hat fun

Sunday afternoon we headed out to Sears to get some more line for the weed eater and also stopped to see about some school uniform stuff from Land's End.  Of course we ended up getting more than we thought we would when we left the house but that happens!
We also stopped to try on silly hats.  I remember doing this with my grandmother when she would take us girls shopping.  Caroline and Will thought it was great.

And the picture you have all been waiting for!  My belly at 23 weeks and a great hat!

Restaurant review

So my restaurant review isn't like my uncle Paul's.  I wasn't even thinking blog post when we headed out for dinner last night and I didn't take any pictures.  We went to Maggiano's Little Italy.  And we took the kids with us.  We told them before we went in what we expected since it is a little fancier than any dining establishment we usually frequent.
As soon as we sat down our waiter (Peter) came and took some of the wine glasses and water cups off the table for us. Peter also convinced us to get the fried zucchini for an appetizer.  It was delicious and even the kids ate it.   Will asked the waiter where the kitchen was and he pointed to the door and then continued to tell Will all about what it looked like and what was done in the different parts of the kitchen.  He also told Will he will try and get the chef out to talk to us.  Well, not only did the chef come out to talk to us he brought the kids their food.  Will told him thanks for the fried zucchini and the chef was pleased that he liked it.  Our dinner was delicious and we had enough for another meal with the leftovers.
The kids meal included dessert and for once a restaurant had a non-dairy option for Will.  He was so excited.  Will had homemade lemon cookies with a light icing and Caroline got ice cream with fudge and chocolate pieces.  Her ice cream also came with homemade whipped cream.  Caroline isn't a big fan of whipped cream but I told the waiter to just put a little on hers and her dad would eat it and if she didn't eat the chocolate pieces that I would!  Well when her ice cream came there was another little bowl of just whipped cream and chocolate pieces!!!  I am not a big fan of whipped cream either but this was the best stuff EVER!  It tasted almost like ice cream, it was so thick and delicious.  When Peter came back to ask how dessert was Will asked for more cookies!  I told Peter, no, he was good.  But the next thing I know here he comes with a plate full of cookies!  Will originally got 3 cookies but on the second plate there were 6!  Will ate 4 more cookies (they were little crescent moon shaped)!  Then the chef came out AGAIN and the kids thanked him for a great dinner.  He was glad we enjoyed and of course told us to come back again.
What a wonderful dinner we had and one I hope not to forget for a while.  It's not like you have that kind of dining experience every time you go out.

A special visit!

Today was a milestone kind of day.  Caroline lost her very first tooth this morning!  This tooth has been loose since the beginning of May!  Yesterday she asked me to pull it out but once it started bleeding I stopped (not because it hurt her).  Justin also tried and it bled some more and then she tried herself later that night and it bled yet again!  This morning I was downstairs making breakfast and heard her tell Justin that it was just hanging there so she just pulled it out!  And boy was she one excited girl!!  She has been wanting a tooth to come out almost all school year.  She is the youngest in her class and I am pretty sure the only one not to have lost a tooth.  She will be very excited to show her friends when school starts again.  She might even have lost another one by then since she has 2 more loose.

So proud!

What she put her tooth in for the tooth fairy.

Checking out her tooth one last time before going to bed!

Busy Days

Our summer is flying by!  I can't believe that July is almost half over already.  We have been super busy and I am exhausted most nights and don't get around to doing much blogging.  A typical week looks something like this:
Monday - swim lessons
Tuesday - i teach water fitness
Wednesday - swim lessons
Thursday - more teaching water fitness
Friday - grocery store

On top of those extras I also have been making homemade bread, homemade jam, cooking dinners, cleaning the house, walking the dog, and battling the never ending pile of laundry.  Fridays are now going to add gymnastics to the list.  I have been trying to exercise too but usually just get to swim laps after I teach my class those 2 days.
I love having the kids home and they are loving playing together all day and hate it when I separate them for "rest" time.  I do miss the more fixed schedule of the school year though.  Will is now signed up for a 4 year preschool at a catholic church just down the road.  He will go 3 days a week for 3 hours each time.  He and I are both excited.  I plan on doing some preparation for the new baby and helping out in Caroline's class during that time.  School doesn't start until September 7 so we are going to enjoy a nice vacation in August but not really so the pace much!

Today after teaching my class and swimming a half mile we came home and had an early lunch and then just enjoyed a quiet afternoon of playing in the backyard and walking the dog.  Justin got home before 5 and we really enjoyed just hanging out as a family before getting the kids in bed before 8.  Below are some pictures from today.  Lots of fun!

My big girl cuddling with Miles.  She was sitting in the sun and Miles came over and laid down with her.

The water that comes out of the tap is freezing, even in the summer.  So I put about 10 pots of hot water in the pool and they stayed in for about 40 minutes just lounging and playing!

Still enjoying the warm pool water.  

First time bobbing for apples.  The apple tree in our back yard is busy making apples but they are still pretty small and green.  Very bitter too by the way.

Still trying to get the apple.  The kids ended up soaked of course but had lots of giggles trying to get their apples.  Miles also tried and was much better at bobbing for apples than the kids were!  The water was much deeper and colder since I had dumped the warm water and refilled the pool so it could warm up some by tomorrow afternoon.  More afternoon fun in store for tomorrow!

Typical Sundays

A typical Sunday is pretty low-key fun at our house.  Justin gets up with the kids and lets me sleep in.  He also makes a pancake breakfast.  Will loves to help in the kitchen.  He always wants to stir, pour, or watch you with anything you are doing.  He will drag his step stool all over the kitchen just to see what I am doing and to see if he can help.  He knows what boiling looks like and today correctly cracked eggs.
In the video he is explaining how he breaks eggs.  He had just explained it to me in the car and when we got home I asked him to tell me again for the camera but it didn't work as well.  I had to prompt a lot. But still cute.


So after breakfast we walked to church and then after church came home and got our swim suits and towels.  Then we drove to the pool and had lots of fun playing in the water.  Justin got the chance to swim a half mile (usually I do too but I have a slight cold and wasn't feeling up to it today). The kids practiced what they have learned in swim lessons and did very well.  Caroline is continuing to increase the amount of time she can tread water and also improving her freestyle with her head in the water.  Will is very good at floating on his back and for the first time today could swim a few yards unassisted!  It is easy to get them to do these things because they enjoy the water so much.  Now if I could just get Will to stop doing flips in the water during lessons that would help him improve!!
After swimming we came home had lunch and then all napped.  After naps we had snack and then the kids rode their bikes and we walked to the local elementary park to play for about an hour.  Surprisingly we were to only ones there.  It is nice to have the place to ourselves and let the dog run loose.  Then home for dinner, some chill time, bath, stories and bed.

Nothing to complain about here!!  Love great days like this.  Come join us!

Water park fun!

Yesterday we headed to a local water park.  And when I say local I mean it was seriously under 4 miles away!  This was the first time we visited the park.  Why might you ask?  It was too cold last summer to go to a water park!!  This summer that's not the problem.  Just like you guys in the south we are having temps in the upper 90's!!  We have had the AC on more this summer than all of last summer put together.  Yesterday was 97 but there was a nice breeze so it was actually not bad at all.  We don't have quite the humidity here either.

The splash park for the little kids.  We spent most of the day here.  There was also a wave pool, and a lazy river that we tried out.  

Caroline and Will's favorite feature.  Granddaddy, you would have loved to play with them stopping the water and then letting it flow again.  They would get so frustrated when other kids would come and "mess up" their flow!

Our kids were the only ones with sunglasses on and long sleeve sun shirts.  I will proudly say neither one got burned or pink after being outside for 4-5 hours!

Caroline was tall enough (by almost 2 inches) to ride the big water slides.  Will and I couldn't!  She loved it and would race Justin down.  She is such a thrill seeker sometimes.

Following each other on the splash park.

What a great day and again they were exhausted.  We had them bathed and in bed by 730!  And close to that tonight.  They have been going so hard lately and are having a great summer so far.

Happy Birthday America!

We celebrated early by going to the Greenfield Village at the Henry Ford Museum to listen to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra along with some other music.  The DSO's last song (before fireworks) was the 1812 overture and at the end of the song they fired historic cannons, which were only about 30 yards away!!

We were joined by a few other people!  We sat on this hill and the fireworks went off right behind me.

Walking along the train tracks before the concert really started.  We stopped at Panera to pick up dinner on our way and enjoyed a nice picnic dinner.

Some of the old-timey bikes that would ride by.

Enjoying a cuddle while listening to music.  If you ask Will what kind of music we listened to he will tell you if was bed time music!  The kids listen to classical music every night to fall asleep so it was relaxing for them.  Justin and I got them up around 645 that morning and then I kept them awake until 230 for naps since we would be up late.  It worked so well!!  The kids (and me) slept until 445!!  It doesn't get dark until 10p so the fireworks started then and the kids LOVED them!

We were so close to the fireworks that I had pieces in my hair!!  I have NEVER been that close and when I was a kid I had to sit so far away that you could hardly hear the booms.  I've come a long way!!  My kids don't have that fear as they were laughing and telling me every time there was a green colored firework, "mommy, your favorite!"

We plan on going back again next year if we are still in the area.  You are welcome to join us or stay home and babysit the little one!!