Friday, August 1, 2008

Celebrating 34 years!!

Yikes, how did that happen so quickly? It seems like I was just learning to ride Matt's 2 wheeled bike. What a great day I had w/ my family. I woke up to breakfast being delivered in bed and the birthday kisses from the kids. Very sweet. I was so proud of Truckie and his creativity for the "extras" birthday gifts. He printed out some pics of the kids w/ a frame around them. Thanks Babe, I love them!! I just didn't have much energy to pack up the kids again w/ lunches and go somewhere. I think the kids were fine w/ sticking around the house too. We just played together in the morning. I think that we all needed that!!
Neva and I both took a nap and of course Mr. Energy did not which was fine. In the afternoon we went to Target to see if their pools are on clearance yet to replace ours w/ a hole. Unfortunately there was not but I found some smokin' great deals for kids toys. I loaded up for nieces and nephews birthdays and Christmas gifts. It was great.
Then Truckie took us all out to dinner for a fabulous meal. They even brought me a piece of delicious chocolate cake w/ a candle. Neva really enjoyed that and of course Cade wanted nothing to do w/ it because it was sweet.
We came home and played w/ the kids some more and then they were off to bed and we enjoyed a quiet evening. What a great birthday!! Truckie, you better watch out for next year because you set the bar pretty high this year. Thank you for a great day!!

Ok, here it goes for the quote of the day....
When we were at the restaurant in the bathroom there was music playing. Neva said "ooooohhh, I really like this music and began to dance, dance, dance." She even danced when we left the bathroom all the way back to the table. That girl loves music.

Cade said that I could work in his pit crew for his race car when he grows up. He also said that Dad would be a good in the pit crew too because he knows he would be so fast. He told Neva that she could be the flag person. She asked him if she could drive a pink sparkly race car when she grows up. The conversations these 2 have are just awesome to listen to. Their imaginations are soaring and they just sound so grown up!! I try to cherish each and every moment (at least the good ones). :)

Today, Friday, is going to be fairly uneventful and just doing a few things around the house. We will hit the pool in the back this afternoon and that just may be the highlight of the day. Right now the kids are coloring in a magazine that came in the mail. I am not exactly sure but they are giggling really hard about something.

Have a great weekend all and until next time.....

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Terrific Tuesday and Wonderful Wednesday

Tuesday morning we did our typical visit to the Y for me to go to my powerflex class and the kids played in the daycare. They take them on walks and the kids always pick dandelions for me. How do you tell a 2 and 4 year old thanks but no thanks without their feelings getting hurt? The answer....you don't. :) Neva has been getting up early and has been a complete mess. It has been very trying again and we are doing everything we can some days just to make it to bedtime. Well, again another trying morning. She even asked for a nap today. I put her down but the problem is that she fell asleep at 12:45 ish and I had to wake her up at 1:15 so we could get ready for swim lessons at 2:00. She was NOT happy. Cade, the sweet big brother he is, snapped her out of it and made her happy. He was so proud. Gosh, he is such a good kid.

Swim lessons went great for Cade. He really enjoyed them. Neva was not happy about it and sat on the side almost the whole time. The swim instructor asked that I sit in the viewing room next time. I told Neva that and she seems fine w/ it. We shall see..... The instructor was really great and I think that Cade had fun.


On Wednesday we spent majority of the day in the sun and the pool. We went to Jo Jo's parents condo where they have a pool. The kids and I had so much fun. It really made me want a pool but not the maintenance that goes along w/ it. Truckie said we could move into a condo complex and that didn't sound all that bad. :) No lawn to mow and pool that is maintenance free, hmmmm. Cade had his life jacket on and swam around that pool pretty much the whole time. He was having a blast!! Jo Jo's Mom played w/ the kids in the pool too. Neva was very timid at first but then did warm up and let me carry her around the pool. She did eventually like to kick her feet and "scoop" her hands. We got home mid afternoon and I passed out for a short nap while the kids watched a short video. I just don't know how they don't need a nap because I DO!!

This is the saying of the day. When we were at Jo Jo's Mom pool her Mom Joan swam with us. Cade was calling her "The Grandma" at first so she said that he could call her Grandma Joan. Well, her name turned in Grandma Jones from Cade. It was very cute. He adored her and I think that they bonded pretty good. A great time by all!!!

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

A great visit

We just had Nana and Papa come visit for a long weekend and we all had so much fun!! The kids enjoyed playing w/ them and Cade really enjoyed beating Papa in countless games of Pigs. :) We did lots of great things each day and showing them around the area.

On Friday we took them to one of our favorite places, Meijer Gardens. We showed them the children's gardens where the kids can play in the fort, sand box or the mulitple fountains. The highlight of the visit was either Cade spraying Papa from one of the fountains or Neva practicing her ballet moves in front of the mirror. The flowers were all in full bloom and we all enjoyed the beautiful scenery.

On Saturday we packed up lunch, fishing gear and beach gear and headed to Wabasis Lake. There were no fish to be caught. I still think it may be the Papa curse but hopefully he can one day prove me wrong. :) We played in the water and built sand castles and enjoyed the sunny windy day.

Sunday we ventured a bit further out to Saugatuck on Lake Michigan. It is this quaint artsy town about 45 minutes from the house. We walked down along the water and through town and had lunch at this restaurant on the water. Then we went for a drive to try to check out the beach but didn't want to pay the parking fee so we just went for a short drive. Papa had lost a game of pigs and therefore owed the family some icecream. Fair and square!! The kids absolutely loved it and are still talking about it. That was only the kids 2nd time out for an icecream cone even though you would have never guessed it from the way they devoured it!!

Monday morning Doug and Linda headed out before me and the kids were awake. Cade told me his favorite part about their visit was playing pigs w/ Nana and Papa and Neva's favorite was going to Saugatuck. I think that Doug really brought out the competetive side in Cade. It was a good time. We all really had a great time and did some fun things. It was great to have them out in the summer to see this part in a different way than it is in the fall and winter. Thanks for coming!!

OK, quote of the weekend comes from Cade.

When we were eating our icecream Cade was eating blue moon flavored. We asked him what it tasted like and he said "the moon." Too cute.

Great memories and great pics to come out soon!!

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Fun couple days

Well, let's see here. Already 2 days have gone by and I have barely time to sit and write it feels like. So here goes the shortened version of the past 2 days.

On Monday, tumbling went great. I have mostly boys in the class which is different than the norm. Neva jumped right back in and was loving it. She was so proud to put on that leotard and tutu again. Such a girl.
Cade has still been practicing riding his 2 wheeled bike and is getting better on it everyday. Same w/ Neve's, she is gaining more confidence on her training wheeled bike and is just so proud. Very cute those 2 kids are. ;)

In the afternoon we had some pool time again in the back. The humidity was still fairly brutal and it was a hot day. Great day for a soak.

Tuesday was somewhat a let down in the afternoon. We started the day by going to the Y for my class. When I came back to pick the kids up from the child watch they had gone on a walk and picked me a "bouquet" of dandelions. Very sweet. They were so happy to give them to me.

Then we had a brief visit from Grandpa w/ some rock souvenirs that he had got for the kids. They loved it. Just the other day Cade told me that he was going to have a rock collection and I couldn't stop him. Too funny.

We were supposed to have swim lessons at 3:00 but it was not communicated to the instructor so she was not able to give them. What a let down but the kids handled it well. They were in their suits at the pool just waiting so patiently. So, we will hopefully be able to squeeze in 2 lessons next week. Neva told Truckie that they didn't have lessons because their was a problem w/ the scheduling. I just try to be honest and straight forward w/ the kids and they handle it so much better. She sounded like such an adult telling Truckie.

We ended the day with yup you guessed it.....baseball. Man, that kid loves to play. Hopefully he'll make us some money someday. ;) He doesn't want to be a baseball player though, he is still stuck on being a racecar driver. He even asked me tonight if I would come watch him race his #48 sparkly green car, sparkly green helmet w/ a microphone to talk to the pit crew to make sure the car was operating properly. What 4 year old says that!!

Ok, these quotes of the day have been from the past couple days but just too good not to share.

Last night Neva and I were telling Cade to come into the bathroom to get dressed for the night. He wasn't answering us and Neva yells "Cade, don't even give me attitude." Yikes, do I say that?

We have been really into nutrition and trying to educate the kids on what we eat and why we eat it and clearly they are getting it. Cade will ask me about most of the stuff he eats if it has protein and if it has a lot of sugar. We will go through foods that have a lot of protein and why that is good. We got into a discussion about blueberries and he told me that have a lot of protein. I told them that they didn't. He said "Mom, you told me it was one of the best things for you." "Yes Cade it is but because it has antioxidants." "Oh yeah, that's right Mom."

Truckie is at the Batman movie so I am going to fold some laundry and have some quiet time.

Good night.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Growing up

Good day had by all. Got some chores and errands done this morning and then it was time for play this afternoon. Cade was convinced again he could ride a 2 wheeled bike and he was right. Now he just needs some more practice and confidence. We took him on the pavement this time and he took right off. He had his infectious giggle in effect and just took off. It was so great.

We brought Neva's bike w/ training wheels today for her to get some practice. In no time at all she was a pro. She had been somewhat afraid to ride it in the beginning of the summer but she has put her fears behind her. Now for her a little more practice and we will be going on walks without both kids on bikes. It will be more of a run than walks so maybe it will just become a family bike ride. Fun. I look forward to that!!

Tomorrow I start teaching my tumbling classes again after having a 5 week session off. The break was well taken and now I am ready to get back in the swing of things and start getting my own paycheck to save up for something fun. Probably shoes. :)

Let's see the quote of the day....

Cade is big into showing off his muscles. He always says "look at my stomach muscles" and I told him that they are called his abs. So, today he said "Mom, feel my scab muscles." Very cute.

Neva is big into dancing and swinging her hips. That girl is starting to get some moves. Not necessarily good but not bad either. What a character!!

They both definitely seem to always put a smile on our face or give us a good laugh at least 1 time a day. Amazing how silly or witty they can be and where do they get it???

Oh yeah, a couple more things...

We have been talking about what we want to be when we grow up. The kids have decided that I am going to be a princess and wear my wedding dress. Neva is going to be a ballerina or princess or both. Cade is going to be a race car driver. He gets very detailed. He is going to be 18 years old, the car is going to be red w/ blue, his helmet is going to have black and red and his number is going to be 80. Everyday the details change or get more elaborate. I truly hope that he doesn't grow up to be a race car driver. I would prefer something a little more safe but cheers to him for dreaming!!

Have a great night and I will be back soon.

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Long overdue

Wow, where do I start. A lot has happend since I have been able to sit down and share my day.

Here is a short recap of what we have been up to since the beginning of July.

4th of July and that weekend:
We went down to the local Cascade parade as tradition has been since we moved here. Both kids rode their bikes this year and then we sat afterwards to watch the "official" parade. They had so much fun and were absolutely amazed by the all the floats and firetrucks and oh yeah the candy. I kept telling them "you have no friends in a parade when their is being candy thrown." I am showing them the ropes early. :) Cade would say "stop saying that already Mom." I had fun w/ it.
After the parade we packed up and headed north to the cottage for our long planned canoe trip w/ Michelle, Jeremy and Max in town visiting. The weather was beautiful and it was a great time had by all. The river is just so tranquil and beautiful and just makes us so happy that we live in Michigan. I think that the others felt the same way. Not really many words to descibe how relaxing and peaceful and rejuvenating it is.
The week after Truckie travelled for 3 days out to Seattle for work. The kids and I missed him terribly but we survived and stayed busy w/ Bridget and Demba now in town and then Michelle, Jeremy and Max down to visit too. It was so great to have all the kids just hang out and get to know each other. Max is a fantastic little guy who just can't stop smiling. He reminded me of Cade as a baby.
My parents took the kids for the weekend and Truckie and I started our weekend of fun. Friday night all the girls and hubbies went out to San Chez for a fantastic dinner as always. It is somewhat tradition to go out to dinner here whenever everyone is in town. We drink Sangria, eat Tapas and laugh. It is great.
Then on Saturday night we headed out to Saugatuck for Steve and Katie's wedding. When we woke up that morning it was pouring rain but by the time we got out there it was drying up and turning into a gorgeous afternoon. Bridget and Demba met up w/ us after lunch. We walked around the town for a bit and then sat on a deck and had some cocktails before heading to our hotel. We got ready and then the Trolley picked us up for the wedding. It was an amazing spot w/ eclectic food and some dancing. We had a great time and the sunset was unbelievable. It was good to see some old friends and still hard to believe that our friend Steve had gotten married. Never would of thought it but then again the saying goes never say never. Ain't that the truth. I always said I would never wear elastic waste pants or drive a minivan and I am proud to say that I have/do both. Oh yeah, we also met a Nives which is Latin for snow. I would say that she is in her 50-60's. Very interesting.
This past week we have just been trying to enjoy a quieter week but that really didn't happen. We went to the beach 2 times this week along w/ a trip to the YMCA and honestly I can't remember what else filled in the gaps. I guess that is the way it goes.
Well, now that I am somewhat back up to speed again I would like to continue w/ my quotes of the day. I don't have 16 quotes for the missed days but I do have a few that I would love to share. Enjoy a good laugh.

Neva was being a pistol one day and Cade said to me "We should just send her back in your belly." I told him that I was done having any babies in my belly and that maybe Dad's belly was a better option. He liked that idea. I did too at the moment.

Cade has been on the kick where he will ask me at least 30 times a day how I slept the night before. It drives me bonkers. I have tried every creative way to get him to stop w/out coming out and saying so. I told him that I don't sleep anymore-he wasn't buying it. Finally he said to me yesterday "Do I annoy you when I ask you how you slept?" How do you respond to that? I just told him he doesn't need to ask me 30 times and he then proceeded to ask if he could ask me 90 times!! That kid, such a card.

OK, the final quote of the day. Today Truckie and I were doing random projects upstairs and the kids were playing on our bed, jumping, pretend to be sleeping and who knows what other games. Anyhow, Truckie and I were in the other room and could hear them talking. Cade said to Neva "We are having so much fun!! Mom and Dad are not!!" Too funny. Truckie and I were cracking up. How true was that???

OK, so I am will try to stay on top of my blog again now that travel and plans will slow down for a bit. Promise. Keep enjoying as much as me!!

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Yoga time

I am sitting down for what feels like the first time today. Truckie is at work late tonight and I am waiting for Jodi to come over and we are going to do our weekly yoga session and then a manicure afterwards. We always try to add a little something extra fun to do afterward. Next week is pedicures.

We had a fantastic weekend upnorth w/ Holley. The weather didn't cooperate as much as we would like but that's ok. It was great to see Holley and the kids fell in love w/ her all over again. So cute. Cade wanted to know if she was coming up north w/ us this weekend too.

Getting ready for another busy run of fun events. The local parade, Michelle's and family's arrival, canoing the Pine and so much more!! It is going to be a fun time by all.

Ok, I need to shut my brain off before yoga so here is the quote of the day. Till next time...


Cade had a scratch on his chest about 2 inches below his neck. I asked him what happend and he was trying to look down at it and said "I wish my head was longer so I could see it." Cute.