What's a child to do?

The packing is going full force ahead.
My once office looks like this currently.....

And my kitchen cupboards are 2/3 of the way to being totally cleaned out. I do have to leave the food, dishes, silverware and a few pots/pans so we can eat the next couple of weeks because their is just so much fast food I'm willing to consume.

So, what's a child to do when they have lost their parents every waking moment to the mound of boxes piling up around them? Find some pleasure in the simplest of activities such as creating with some left over packing peanuts. Just dab the peanut on wet cloth and start sticking for hours of fun while mom and dad keep packing up the house.

Second Round of Camping at Cran Hill Ranch

Last Thursday we headed out to Cran Hill Ranch with our trailer in tow. We spent a long weekend relaxing, playing, eating, socializing and just generally having a good time. We spent the weekend with Cory's parents, brother and family and sister and family along with some extended family members totalling 28 people (or there abouts). Supposedly they were celebrating Christmas in July while we there so Grandma made sure the kids got some special little treats. Thanks to the awesome activity package we purchased ($15 for a pony ride, 2 ice cream cones, a tie dye t-shirt, boat rentals and recreational item rentals) there was non-stop entertainment for the kids as well as the adults, not that the kids needed it with 13 of them there! Friday night the kids were able to tie dye their own Cran Hill t-shirts. Saturday the kids went on pony rides and yes, we let Joshua go this time due to the fact that the kids never touch the horses because the saddles are so big - we figured he was pretty safe even if he did have an allergy. He didn't have any issues, so we're thinking he may not be allergic (an allergy test may be in his future just to rule horses and other allergies out). The rest of Saturday was spent playing in the water, using the row boats and canoes at the beach and going on a hay ride. The kids also got to pick up their t-shirts and were tickled with the results! The shirts were all different and unique! Sunday we packed up and drove back to the reality of a house and garage that need to be packed up and moved. Getting away was fun while it lasted! The video below shows some of the weekend's highlights.

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Transitions Begin

We have a lot of transitions coming and soon. So, my thoughts have turned to how I can ease those transitions for Joshua. We knew that some day Joshua would be in a full bed (we had a new one in our guest bedroom), but we didn't want to go from the crib to the full bed so last fall we took the front of the crib off and turned it into a day bed. Well the growing little man is definitely getting to big for that tiny bed. Saturday we took down the day bed and put the full size mattress in his bedroom. The front and back of his crib actually turn into the headboard and foot board for a full bed, but unfortunately the bed frame we have doesn't fit them. For now his bed is minus the headboard and foot board until we can find the correct frame, but regardless Joshua is loving his new BIG, cozy bed (as he calls it). We've yet to hear the clunk of him falling out of bed so we're hoping he's mastered staying in the middle of the big bed (shouldn't be too hard - he's tiny compared to the bed). Excuse the mismatched decor of his new bed with his old nursery decor, but it's only that way for the next few weeks until we move. And the transitions begin!

Why?!?!

Is it the unspoken rule that when you sell your house something has to go wrong with your house? We got the offer for our house on Friday and Saturday afternoon we found a huge puddle in the middle of our kitchen floor when we came home from running errands. Thankfully it wasn't the refrigerator, but the dishwasher. Just great. Nice timing. Of course as Cory said, it's better to have it happen now rather than when the new owner moves in and calls us complaining. Off we ran to Lowes tonight to pick up the cheapest (and I mean bottom of the line, lowest quality, and cheapest in price) dishwasher we could find. Only problem now is we have to install it. Thankfully Cory's pretty handy, we just need to buy one small part before installation will be complete. Until then it's dishwashing hands for me and I'm not a fan. Give me the luxury of a dishwasher anyday!

A Case of Mixed Emotions

So, we had a showing of our house Wednesday night that went very well. Last night we had an offer. This morning we counter-offered. It looks like we will like go with the buyer's first offer with a few tweaks. It's not exactly what we were hoping for (they want us to leave our washer and dryer). However, we have someone interested in buying and we want OUT! So, if all goes well we will be out of our house in 5 weeks. It's good, but yet it's sad. This was our first house and it has been good to us and we really have enjoyed living here. Besides all this we are now left with the question of where the heck do we move until construction of our new house (which hasn't even started because we were waiting to sell) is done? We need to scramble to find some place to rent for 4/5 months. Any suggestions out there? Oh the fun of selling and moving, building and moving again! Can you say STRESS?!?!?!

Hanging out at the Gardens

This morning we met Erin and Owen at Frederik Meijer Gardens so the boys could enjoy the outdoors and play together. We spent all our our time with them in the children's garden playing in the sand, the treehouse and the Michigan lakes. The boys had a great time together. Unfortunately, Owen needed to head home for lunch and a nap so after they left Joshua and I walked back to the Michigan Farm area and then walked the boardwalk back. All along the boardwalk Joshua was trying to "spy" animals. Luckily for him the boardwalk runs along a swamp area and we were able to "spy" frogs, turtles, ducks, geese, bees and dragonflies. It was so fun to take the time to slowly meander with him and take in all the beauty that God has created!

Holiday Weekend Camping at Cran Hill Ranch

After the traditional 4th of July parade we packed up the remainder of our stuff in our trailer and headed up north to Cran Hill Ranch, a Christian camp near Big Rapids. Cory's parents as well as his sister and her family were already camping there so we joined them as did Shawn, Erin and Owen. A little family fun weekend of sorts. We had some great shady, quiet lots, but one lot was separating 3 families from 1 family of our gang. Thankfully those people were very sweet (and oddly enough one of the people staying on that lot was an orchestra teacher who taught part time at the school I taught at). Amazingly the cousins got along smashingly throughout the entire weekend - being older and able to play with one another certainly helps! Nicolas, Joshua and Owen seemed to form a real bond and loved each others company - they made a pretend "boy's fire" one night and another night they had a meeting on the playground planning what they were going to buy for their treat at the camp store (sour Skittles). Besides swimming in the lake and playing on the playgrounds another highlight of the weekend was the little petting zoo. They had calves, a llama, a goat, a donkey, sheep, horses and bunnies. I banned Joshua from touching the horses in the case that I have passed on my extreme allergy to them. The bunnies were definitely the big hit with the kids (okay, and me too)! We were also able to hike some trails to a fresh spring and taste some deliciously refreshing water! The weekend was a success and we returned home rested, relaxed and full of way too much junk food! Oh, and I of course took WAY TOO MANY pictures (like 300 in 3 days - darn digital camera makes it too easy) so enjoy the lengthy video below to see the highlights of our trip.

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Fourth of July Parade

We met up with my dad, Shawn, Erin, Owen and Erin's mom and step dad Friday for our annual 4th of July parade going. The boys of course loved all the cars and trucks that rode by. Joshua requested that the Mustangs and the Corvettes that drove by rev their engines which much to his delight they did! The boys quickly got into the hang of grabbing the candy that was thrown to them too! I don't think it hurt that the boys were dressed in matching shirts so they looked extra cute and got lots of candy tossed their way! It was a great parade and everyone had fun. We look forward to this tradition every year!

Childhood Memory Revisited

Okay, so I haven't been able to get to the grocery store yet this week so we are running low on fresh fruit. I pulled out the canned pear halves for lunch the other day so Joshua could get his fruit. However, Joshua isn't a huge fan of pears for some reason, so I knew I'd have to be creative. I suddenly remembered the pear mice my mom used to make me and my brothers once in a while. I could remember what they looked like, but couldn't recall what foods she made all the details with, so I rummaged around the cupboard and found a few not so nutritious things to dress the pear halves up with. What kid wouldn't like a Laffy Taffy tale, a candy nose and marshmallow ears?!?! Of course Joshua loved the little guys until I told him he had to eat the pear parts too, which he did ever so slowly. At least it was fun for a few minutes!

Belated Birthday Surprise

Sheryl, Hannah and Ava came over the other night to give Joshua a belated birthday present. Both of our families have been so busy we haven't been able to find a good time to connect, until the other night. Joshua was very excited to get a surprise! He loved the sticker book and the bubble gun that they so graciously gave him. Joshua has been matching the stickers throughout his sticker book for the past couple days now and just can't seem to get enough of it! It was fun to be able to catch up with one another and let the kids play together!

Ava tries out the race car!

Sheryl and Hannah show Joshua all the truck stickers in his new book!

Apparently he IS listening!

Last night while Joshua and I were in the car a fire truck came up to an intersection with just it's lights on. Before the truck turned it blared it's horn to warn traffic since it didn't have the green light to go. Apparently Joshua didn't think blaring the horn was a necessity because from the back of the car I heard him pipe up and say, "Fire truck, that was not appopriate [appropriate]!" I guess the child really is listening to what we say- he usually hears, "that is not appropriate behavior". Too funny!