Tuesday, August 31, 2010

So Long Summer.....

We will
miss you

dearly!

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Home.

So good to be home.

Just in time for my little O to get sick....really sick.

Not ideal, but it's always better to recoup in your own bed with your own pillow and on your own couch with your own comforts around you.

Ahhh...so good to be home.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

School and Jack....and Owen.

Today.......

Me: Jack, do you know you start school real soon?
Jack: *silence*
Me: Are you so excited to start school?
Jack: *silence*
Me: Jack, can you believe you are going to start preschool, isn't that going to be so fun?
(gosh, what an annoying momma)
Jack: Mommy.....can Owen please come with me to school?


Gosh darn it, if that does not warm my heart beyond belief!!

Me: No Bubs he can't, but I know he would just love to be with you.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Oh the days.....

Oh the days.....
when a simple tire swing ride could bring such happiness on a hot summer day.
Innocent, carefree and pure.


Those "days" are upon us again as we watch and relive them through our boys.

Can I please press pause on these moments so he/we can savior them just a little longer?
Please......

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

No camera battery = Flashback

This is the second trip I have taken this summer that I completely forgot to pack my camera battery charger. Ugh! This brings two dilemmas to my life. One...my camera is just sitting there with a deadsville battery, but loaded with a bunch of pics I still need to download to my computer and Two...I haven't been able to take any pictures for the past three days, I think my hands are shaking! 

I need to figure this out asap! In the meantime, I bring you a flashback and stories!


September 2009

This was our first visit to the pumpkin patch last fall. It was super hot that afternoon, but we were practically the only ones there as it was the first day open for the season. Jack was still was not too sure about Owen, even though it had been about nine months. Owen with his short, blond hair was still being held in the carrier and not consistently sleeping well at night. Jack was in the midst of "the two's"...need I say more!

Flash forward ten months....

 July 2010

Here we are at Sleeping Bear Dunes and oh how things have changed! Jack now absolutely loves Owen and Owen now absolutely loves Jack. Owen thinks Jack is the greatest thing besides "Chee"(cheese) and he calls him, "Gaa", which Jack now responds to...very cute! Jack is making his way out  of "the threes" and I see a four-year old emerging more everyday.  (Don't get me wrong....the terrible, whiny, horrible threes come in waves, but much less often these days!) 

Jackers is becoming a better listener (I am constantly saying, "turn your listening ears up please"), he is kind, he is polite, he is helpful, he is 110% full of energy, he is a bookworm, and he is downright funny! 

This morning:
Me: Jack only 10 more minutes of Dragon Tails.
Jack: No mommy, 5 more minutes...please!
Me: Jack, 10 minutes is actually longer than 5 minutes. So, I think 1o minutes.
Jack: No Mommy..I said 5 minutes...I want 5 minutes.
Owen: Twuuuuuuu! (he only knows the number 2)



Owen is now a fabulous sleeper (knock!), he rarely wants to be held as he needs to be doing whatever Jack is doing, and his short, blond hair is now super curly, blond hair. He loves to sing as he is always asking, in his babble-talk, for his songs in the car. He loves to dance, he breaks out into a boogie when he hears any song. He's not too much into t.v., but loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse ("Mkee"). And he is constantly asking for "Chee" (cheese) and "Jui" (something to drink, stems from juice, but it can be anything). He's a pretty mellow little boy, but is just at that age where he is an "accident waiting to happen". When Owen has a fall or a bump on the head and after the tears have gone away, he likes to act out what just happened to him (just to make sure we know!).

The other day...
Me: Jack, do you like being a big brother?
Jack: Yes.
Me: Why? Why do you like being a big brother?
Jack: Because I love Owen and I love playing outside with him.
Me: Ahh...that's so nice to hear Bubs! 
Jack: I love you too Mommy...as much as all the birds in all the trees on earth!

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Just cuz....

August is flying by right before my eyes. It's busy, actually too busy for my liking. We are doing some fun stuff like weddings, reunions and trips, but this all involves a lot (a lot!) of traveling, driving and not sleeping in my own bed. I knew it was going to happen...I was prepared for it....but the reality of it is exhausting and is making me a little blue.  

When it is all over, September will be here and summer will officially be over. What?!? There are so many things left on my "Summer To-Do" list  and in just a few short weeks Jackers starts preschool. What?!?

The boys and I are spending these last few weeks with GiGi. We will try to make the most of  being away from our "own home" and inevitably we will pack our schedule even more plum full with all of our favorite WI/MN activities. And before I know it, September 1st will be here and another summer will have come and gone.  Note to self: next summer keep every other weekend booked for family/stay at home time only.

Anyway, not sure if that made any sense, but it felt good to purge. Now onto some cuteness because I sure need to get to bed.

A few recent pics of the boys that make my heart melt to pieces.



Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Wordless Wednesday

At the Beach with Cousins!



















Monday, August 2, 2010

Ten on Tuesday

1. I started this ToT last Monday night. I was about half finished and my computer froze up on me. No big deal, right? Blogger continually saves as you type, right? Well, not this time folks! Talk about frustrating and annoying...ugh! 

2. It was Pat's birthday this past Saturday and he turned 34 years old! I cannot believe it! We met each other when I was 19 and he was 22...just crazy that we he is tipping into his mid-30's! We celebrated with a great dinner and strawberry supreme pie for dessert (at Pat's request). This pie goes back to our "newly married, no kiddos" days when we lived in Pennsylvania. If you have a Bob Evans Restaurant (random, I know) by you, this dessert is a must-try as it is just delish!



3. Here is another great thing about living in this part of Michigan......

Blueberries, Blueberries, Blueberries

They are for sale right now

 in 10 lb. boxes for like $20!
 Yummy!

4. My kiddos sure do love veggies and dip, specifically, homemade dill dip. 


My mother-in-law always makes it and I always can not get enough of it. Now I always make it, and my boys and Pat cannot get enough of it.

Homemade Dill Dip
-Equal parts sour cream and mayo
-Dill Weed to your liking (and I like a lot, so I add a lot)
-Garlic Salt to your liking

**Super easy and seriously good**

4. Another food related tidbit....
Pat and I eat this salad with our dinner almost every.single.night! It's yummy, refreshing and light....and a little bit of both sweet and salty (that's per Patrick).

Here's what it is....
-Romaine Lettuce
-Fruits that we have on hand (blueberries, strawberries, grapes, blackberries, raspberries, etc.)
-Feta Cheese
-Almonds
-Croutons

5. O-bubs had his 18 month-old well-check last week! He did so great and even danced a little jig for the M.D.

Owen-18 months old
Weight-28 lbs.
Height -36 inches
**Our pediatrician told us a good way to determine about how tall your kiddo will be is this:
(Mom's height + 5 inches) + Dad's height/2 =Child's adult height (roughly, of course)

Looks like we are going to have 2 tall boys!

6. We took a little family vacation this past weekend to Traverse City, Michigan. Hence the new family photos in my blog header! It.was.awesome. It.was.beautiful. It.was.amazing.

Side note: Moving to 4 different states in 5 years is hard, I hate it and I wish I didn't have to, but when I get to visit these absolutely breathtakingly beautiful places that I didn't even know existed...I see the positive to moving. Because honestly, I would have never gone to visit Northern Michigan, let alone traveled with my two kiddos (one of those kiddos known now as "The World's Worst Traveler) to do so if I wasn't living here. Must remind myself of this more often!

Anyway, Pat's parents joined us (which was a great surprise for the boys!) and we just spent time swimming, being outside, and discovering this great area of Michigan. However, Saturday was rainy in the morning and pretty gloom the rest of the day, so I don't have a ton of pics! Although beautiful, it's not very inspiring taking pictures when the sky is gray.

 Choo...Chooo!!!

 We were walking into the downtown area and they were checking out boats and ducks in..


this great little canal that lined the downtown.

We basically let the boys be on a sugar high, the entire weekend. 
Oh Jack, you would like an ice cream cone, well, how about a cone dipped in chocolate and sprinkles and would like a piece of fudge or a caramel apple as well?
Whatever...it's vacation!

Grandma MiMi is always so great about letting the boys pick out a souvenir.
She and I were thinking more a long the lines of maybe a cute Traverse City sweatshirt.
I guess Jack was not!

Do you see what I see here? 
Weird, right?
Well, they are Father-Son!

Peek!



MiMi and Cheddar Bunnies....O's in heaven!

And The Dunes...I will have to save this for a separate post!

7. This is a.d.o.r.o.a.b.l.e. That little bambino is going to have a great picture book of her first year of life...such exciting adventures!

Side note: I cannot even tell you how many pictures I have yet to actually print out and put into picture books. O does not have one picture book...not one! Isn't that terrible?

8. Do you have something that you have asked your husband to do One Thousand Times, maybe more, and he still has not done it? Christmas lights. I don't even know how many times I have asked Pat to take down those darn lights from above our garage. Seriously, Christmas lights still up...kinda embarrassing.

I have thought about doing it myself and have decided to boycott that mission out of annoyance of having to ask those one thousand times. So here we are in August and we are both those idiots who still have up their Christmas lights! Well, it is only about 4 months away.

9. We are working on a little project called 'Laundry Room Makeover'!

And I am super excited about it!

10. My beautiful and ever-so-sweet cousin Jenny is getting married in a few days and I am so lucky to be a part of it! I can't wait!