A Morning at the Park

Owen is over today while his mom is taking a class so I decided it was the perfect day to take a break from all the packing and moving and just spend some time playing and having fun. Mid-morning we headed off to a nearby park that is never very busy to let the boys run off some energy. They had a blast running around, climbing, sliding, spinning on the merry go round and swinging! Now that they are a bit older they can actually play together which is so cute! They did a great job taking turns - which is always hard for Joshua (At one point I heard Joshua say, "good job sharing Owen")! It was a fun morning full of lots of smiles and giggling! The boys chowed lunch and were off to dreamland easily this afternoon thanks to our morning!

Take note of the John Deere tractor shirts the boys are sporting - a find yesterday that I just couldn't pass up for $6 a shirt knowing two boys who love tractors!

Hanging out in the "spaceship" or as Owen called it, the "basemish"

Ready, set, GO!

Wheeee!

Swinging cousins!

3 Year Pictures

Before all the craziness of packing and moving began we were able to have the annual pictures of Joshua taken. Again, it wasn't right around the time he turned 3, but we like the oudoor setting so it's nicer to wait until the summer weather arrives here in Michigan and as Joshua ages he doesn't change quite as much as he used to. So, we headed out to Kirk Park in the early evening so we could catch the sunset, but unfortunately after 15 minutes of being there we saw a thunderstorm roll in. Being the short shoot that it was limited the photos we got, but we ended up with a few cute ones as well as a pretty good family picture.

Stress has officially gotten to me!

Last night Cory brought home a sprinter van from work so we could take the living room furniture over to the rental house. I had spent the afternoon on packing up all the junk housed in the china cabinet, end table and curio cabinet so that could be loaded up to. So he and I somehow move both the love seat and the couch into the van without breaking/dropping it or yelling at each other (too much). Next is the china cabinet. Now, keep in mind this is something from my parent's living room from about 20 years ago if not more. We pick the thing up to carry it down the stairs and "bang, bang, bang" the three glass shelves fall against the back of the cabinet. Amazingly there is only one small sliver of glass from this dumb move. We finagle the china cabinet in the van only to find out it is too tall to stand, so we lay it down glass face up and thankfully Cory covers it with a carpet pad. We continue to load boxes and a couple other small pieces of furniture. As the van is filling up I told Joshua to get out of the van and play in the yard. Of course, in what is typical Joshua style lately, he doesn't listen and continues playing in the van. I go inside to grab a box while Cory is outside. Next thing I hear is the sounds of something breaking and Joshua crying. I run outside and Cory is carrying him into the house holding foot. Apparently the little monkey climbed over the couches and onto the glass china cabinet doors (that we stupidly put face up). Once I knew Joshua was fine and didn't even have a cut on him (thanks to the carpet pad covering it) a ton of expletives followed on my part, and some door slamming as well, while my husband calmly stood there and said nothing. To say the least, I was mad. Definitely not one of my prouder moments. I can't believe I actually blew a gasket over an old, ugly china cabinet that really needs to be replaced. Can you tell the stress is getting to me??? Only one week to go and I'm praying that by the grace of God we will make it through all this stress, oh yeah, only to do it all over again in 6 months when we move to our new house!

Little Ray of Light

You know you may have done at least one thing right as a parent when you hear your son singing his own made up song of "Jesus loves me everyday!" over and over again. Love this little ray of light in an otherwise defiant and tantrum-filled stage of life with a 3 year old.

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!

Walking in the parade!

In order to let more people know about our MOPS group at church the new co-coordinators decided to walk in the Caledonia parade, throw out candy and hand out info about our group. And yes, you did read that right, I have stepped down from my position as MOPS coordinator for our church after 2 years of volunteering. With the prospect of selling our house, building a new house and Joshua beginning preschool in the fall I needed to let someone else take over coordinating our MOPS group. Oh, and I'm not a big fan of church politics, but that's a whole other story.
So, this morning a few of us moms and our kids walked in the parade. We chose a spot near the front of the line so we could jump back into the crowd after we were done walking to let our kids enjoy the rest of the parade. It worked out well. What we did find out is that it is hard to pull wagons, push strollers and throw candy and hand out info all while walking down the road. We had a lot of fun and the kids enjoyed both being in the parade and watching it and catching all kinds of treats!

On a Mission. . .

So last week I mentioned to my brother Phil that we were looking for a Wii ever since we played at my Uncle and Aunt's cottage. Unfortunately, we weren't finding one. As sweet as he was, he called around town to see when shipments were coming in. He found that a couple of stores around town were getting shipments this weekend. Since we were out of town he said he would check around for us. Saturday he was going out to Lowell to look at a car so he called the Meijer's there and they actually had one. When Phil got there the person he talked with told him he sold it right after speaking with him, but the worker had found two more hiding somewhere. So, thanks to my brother Phil we are now the proud owners of a Wii! We are loving it and even Joshua is getting in on the action trying out a little bowling! Thanks Phil!

11 Years and Counting!

Has it really been 11 years since Cory and I got married?!?! I have no idea where the time has gone. Our anniversary was Friday, but with a meeting with our builder, packing for camping for the weekend, getting our house ready for an open house and then setting up camp all in one day we didn't have time to celebrate. Good thing we aren't a couple who makes a huge deal about our anniversary or we would have been sadly disappointed! Perhaps a date night will come in the next few weeks to make up for our lack of celebrating on the day of. Just so glad I'm married to my best friend and together we can enjoy this journey we are on!

Camping in Pentwater

Friday we packed up and headed out to Pentwater to camp for the weekend with Shawn, Erin, Owen and Erin's mom Marcia. Erin and Marcia were selling their jewelry at the arts/crafts show in Pentwater on Saturday and Sunday while the rest of us relaxed and played. The weather was actually quite nice in the mid 70's with a couple short showers, except for Sunday morning when there was a thunderstorm (nice timing for when we started to pack up). The campground we stayed at, Hill and Hollow, was very nice in that it had clean, well-maintained bathrooms (which is what I like) , a heated pool and it had an AJ's Fun Center at the entrance! We went swimming Friday night, but unfortunately I didn't take my camera. We also had to visit AJ's so the boys could try out a little mini golfing (they were free so we just let them play and followed along - talk about Dutch). Joshua and Owen both loved golfing, although Joshua looks more like he is playing hockey than golfing! The big boys were dying to drive the go-karts of course. Unfortunately, there was a brief shower right before we went over to AJ's Saturday night so the track was wet and they wouldn't let anyone race until it was dry. Fifteen minutes later the racing began! The big boys took the little boys for the first go around and Cory ended up hitting Shawn. While Shawn was not thrilled by this (can you say sibling rivalry?!?!) Joshua and Owen talked about it with excitement the rest of the weekend ! There was a rematch late at night under the lights when just Cory and Shawn raced. Sunday morning around 10 am there was a thunderstorm that rolled through just in time to delay packing up to go home. While Shawn and Cory ran around between raindrops packing what they could, Owen and Joshua curled up with a blanket and watched a movie. The sun came out just in time for lunch and for us to pull out and drive home. The only down-side to this weekend was a tired Joshua who skipped two naps - doesn't make for a happy camper, literally!

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Father's Day

The day started with Joshua giving daddy his gift - a photo frame with a recorder on which we had recorded Joshua saying, "I love you daddy". Now anytime Cory misses Joshua when he is at work he just has to press a button to hear Joshua's sweet little voice.
Then it was out to cottage. Unfortunately, it wasn't the best day for the cottage with looming clouds overhead and the threat of thunderstorms. We played a bit of Wii tennis and bowling with my cousins(which by the way is a blast and has made me start a search for a Wii of our own)! We enjoyed a delicious meal together and before it started to rain Uncle Steve offered to take Joshua on a boat ride. I think as soon as Joshua heard he could ride on the boat he practically at my uncle's heels all the way out to the boat he was so excited! There were a few drops as we rode around, but those dark clouds didn't turn into a whole lot. Since the temps weren't too warm and the winds were pretty swift we opted not to swim this time. Before we left we gave my dad his gifts. We'll definitely have to head back the cottage on a really good weather day so we can enjoy everything!
It was a delight to spend the day honoring the dads in our lives. I'm so thankful for my own dad who has been an amazing example in my life! I'm also very thankful for my husband who loves me through the thick and thin of this journey we call life and who loves his son more than words can say!

"I love you daddy"

Joshua tries some Wii bowling!

Playing football with Matt.

Two happy guys who got to go for a boat ride!

Papa and Joshua on the boat.

Take me out to the ball game!

Thursday night we had the privilege of taking Joshua to a Whitecaps game, thanks to a client of the company Cory works for. This client has a box at the stadium, so we got prime seats (they have now added outdoor seating to the boxes which is fabulous) and some sweet treats for the game! Joshua has been to games before, but this is really the first time he really enjoyed the whole experience. He especially loved when Crash, the Whitecaps mascot, came up and visited us in the box! He took off with arms wide open and ran to give Crash a huge hug! Joshua was so fast, I didn't have time to get my camera out, but did manage to snap a few as Crash was visiting the people in the box next to the one we were in. He couldn't however get Crash's name right and kept calling him "Smash, Crash" thanks to a book we had gotten out of the library and read many times. Joshua also thoroughly enjoyed his dinner and some Dippin' Dots ice cream all while watching the game!

Yum, Dippin' Dots!

"Hi Crash!"

Celebrating and Exploring!

Today was Erin's last day of school so we decided to celebrate by taking the boys out to lunch. Afterwards we headed over to Shawn and Erin's new house that is under construction. Unfortunately, nothing was happening with the construction today so there were no big machines to watch. However, we walked down to the creek and let the boys have some fun playing in the water and exploring the creek. We saw some dragonflies, water striders and at least four frogs, but were unsuccessful at catching any of them - they were fast little buggers! Next time we will be bringing our nets for sure! The boys had a great time tossing stones and splashing around. Erin and I even got in and cooled our feet, which was very refreshing. We had some wet and dirty little boys by the end so next time we will dress more appropriately. Many years of fun will be had in this little creek for sure!

Stepping into the creek.

Picking out some stones.

Down to just their shirts, underwear and diaper.

Boy Oh Boy!

After getting himself undressed tonight before bedtime, Joshua ran around the house naked declaring, "I like my penis, A LOT!" What a typical boy. Neither Cory nor I could contain our laughter!

Joshua's Bedtime Prayer Tonight

"Dear Jesus,
Thank you for daddy and mommy and Joshua. Thank you I got to eat a pretzel (an Auntie Anne's at the mall). Thank you I do a good day. Thank you I see a Jeep and a Hummie and a Mini Cooper. Thank you I do a great day. Thank you for daddy and mommy and Joshua. Thank you I do a great day. Amen!"

I think he was finally glad to have earned his three smiley face stickers on his listening chart today! I also just love how he only thinks about the things that happened in hour or two before bedtime!

FINALLY!

It's warm enough to get the pool out! Joshua was one happy camper soaking up the sun and playing in the water. Praying for more days like this to come soon!

Frog

This is our little frog friend who we found hanging out on a door at a Parade house Saturday night. Isn't he just the cutest little thing?!?! He really is a beautiful little creature! I've never seen anything quite like him so I carried him to the car and we transported him home in an empty Wendy's cup. He has been residing in Joshua's little bug house, that is until tonight when we let him go. Joshua really wanted to keep the little guy (and so did I), but to keep this frog alive and well we would need an aquarium, a $50 light set up and we would need to feed him live bugs daily. Uh, not going to happen! I talked to Joshua and told him the frog needs to live outside in God's creation and protect our house by eating all the bugs and he has happily agreed (I know Cory's will be happy about this too). I'm not sure if Joshua understands that the frog will hop away never to be seen again, but I guess only time will tell. We've had fun with this little hopper for a couple days letting him jump around and climb in our bathtub. He really is an amazing little creature who's climbing abilities are unbelievable! It's amazing to me that God put so much thought and detail into such a small creature! WOW!