Peachy Day

Well, today was a great day for us. It was the actual first day since Truckie has been gone that I can actally say that. It started out VERY rough because of Neva's lack of sleep from the weekend but I think that she is caught up now. She was asking to take a nap everyday and was still ready for bed by 7:00. On Tuesday I had to wake her up from her 2 1/2 hour nap. I was a bit nervous how the night was going to go but it was fine. Thankfully.

Tuesday, Cade only participated in swim lessons as Neva had explosive diarrhea and I didn't think it was the greatest idea to put her in a swim suit in a public pool. She was fine w/ it. While I was at the Y I signed Cade up for Fall soccer league and volunteered to be the coach. Am I crazy? I figure I will be teaching the night before and I was hoping that if it is anything like t-ball was maybe, just maybe, I could actually teach the kids something. Cade said he was going to call me "Coach Mom." I told him that would be great.


I have been just trying to stay active as much as possible this week but there is always that lull after dinner when Truckie usually hangs out w/ the kids and I sit on the computer. Hasn't been happening this week. Hence, no time to blog as I have been doing things at night after they go to bed too. Love the Olympics and totally hooked.

Yesterday we went to Bounce Party as it was overcast and teasing us of rain. The kids had a riot and I met this woman Jocelyn from my new Mom's group who just moved here from the DC area. She seems to be a really great person and we get along great. In fact, I randomly ran into her at the YMCA this morning. She will be coming over tomorrow morning w/ her son and daughter along w/ another friend that has a little girl the same age as Neva. Should be fun to have some new fresh blood over. :) OK, I am getting a little crazy these days but at least I can admit it.

Today, I scored big time w/ clothes for Neva for the fall/winter on craigslist. This woman had a crazy amount of clothes and shoes. I bought maybe a 1/3 of her stuff. A lot of it was brand new stuff w/ tags (NWT in the craigslist world). Neva will be quite the styling little lady this year.

I have a couple really great quotes that I need to share that just crack me up. When they say these things that is what keeps me going some days.

Yesterday we were walking up the stairs to go to bed and Cade says "Mom, what does it feel like to be 34?" I laughed and told him it couldn't be better because of the great kids and husband I have. He said "oh." I wonder if 34 seems ancient to him. Probably, because I know as a 21 year old it seemed ancient to me.

Then today at dinner, the kids were bouncing off the walls and giggling and just being plain silly. It is funny to watch them like this until someone gets hurt or pees their pants in which case that was Neva that made the puddle. Anyhow, Cade was eating his dinner and said "Neves, this is better than EVER." "Neva, what does better than ever mean?" And she replied "Batters up!" Which is from this baby toy that we played w/ at Target one day. No idea where they get it but it is entertaining.

I should get running but wanted to get this down before Megan and Tamara come over for drinks tonight. I told them that they couldn't stay too late so hopefully that won't happen. :)

So happy that Truckie will be home tomorrow night. We all miss him so much and can't wait to have a family weekend together. Love and miss you so much BABE!!

Weekend at the Wigton's

We went to Matt, Stacey and Ashley's this weekend. The kids are pooped are so are we!! We got there on Saturday morn and headed straight for the boat. We swam and cruised around on the lake on their new pontoon boat. It was great. Then we headed back to the house before the storm rolled in. Perfect timing!! Cade couldn't wait to play the Wii bowling game. So, we headed to the newly finished remodeled man cave and hung out for the night. The kids ran around and played and the adults hung out. We ate a great bbq dinner w/ fresh corn and salad.

The kids headed for bed around 8:30 or so but didn't fall asleep till much later. The adult boys stayed up and played the golf video game and I watched the Olympics. Very relaxing.

Unfortunately the kids were up at 6 am and it made for a long day. We went out on the boat again for fishing this time around. The kids were catching fish left and right. The wind was howling and more storms were getting ready to roll in so we headed back to shore. Oh yeah, not to mention it was chilly!! We went back and hung out for lunch and then packed up to head back home.

Neva fell asleep within minutes of being on the road and Cade followed not long after. When we got home Neva gave us a taste of the old days and pretty much cried the whole time she was awake for about 2 hours we were home before we could get her to bed. It was pretty much a disaster and reaffirmed us that we are so done w/ kids. We can't even handle the ones we have sometimes. :)

Now I am getting caught up on pics because we have some busy stuff coming up and I want to be on top of my pics as it can sometimes overwhelm me if I fall behind. Weird I know but just one of my things.

Quotes of the weekend.....

Matt's was saying that the kids were going to catch a hog fish. So, the adults were all saying as the kids would reel in their fish "its a hog." The kids got a kick out of that.

On Sunday morning Cade was getting dressed and came downstairs when I was eating breakfast w/ Stacey and asked "Mom, did you pack my lucky fishing shirt?" I told him no and he proceeds to turn around and say under his breath "AAAAhhh, but I catch so many fish in it." Stacey and I were laughing so hard. That kid just loves to fish. He makes his uncle Matt so happy. Matt just can't wait now till he can take him hunting. All in due time Matt, all in due time.

Truckie leaves for LA on Tuesday until Friday so I will be staying very busy and going to the gym for my sanity!! Keep your eyes peeled for more posts. Have a great night, going to bed!!

Truxton

Everyone needs to check out the pic at the bottom. This is a street in Grand Rapids. How crazy is that? I think Truckie was just meant to live in GR????

Today Cade has his school friend Kaeden over for a playdate. Neva is playing right along w/ them and they are getting along great. I have managed to do about 6 loads of laundry, vacuum, fold all the laundry and clean the bathrooms and not feel guilty. The kids are having the time of their life. It is so fun to listen to their imaginations and games they are playing all together.

Oh yeah, I am also getting things packed to go visit Stacey and Matt and Ashley. We are going out on their boat on Saturday and then on Sunday we are going to the farm where Stacey and Ashley have their horses. The kids already packed their little suitcases on Thursday. Cade woke up earlier than normal today and said "I just couldn't sleep, I am too excited to see my cousin Ashley." We are staying the night at their house too and the kids are having a slumber party together in Ashley's room and Truckie and I will get our own room. OMG, the kids are growing up!!!

Tonight will be the first night this week that Truckie and I will both be home. We will sit and watch our movie from Netflix and enjoy a cocktail or two. Busy, busy week but filled w/ good stuff.

The month of August and September is filling up again. Great stuff to come for adults only and family events.

This is the general breakdown of our stuff to look forward to over the next month....

2 family camping trips
Backpacking trip on North Manitou Island for Truckie and I
A visit from Holley and Chris

And I think that fills us up!! Fun, fun, fun!!!!

Wiped out Wednesday

Wow, what a day!! We met Jodi, Solomon, Stacy, Greta and Emmett at the city pool. Unfortunately it didn't open until noon so we played on the playground outside the pool and had a picnic lunch before we went in. This pool was so much fun. They had a huge waterslide, a shallow pool w/ a few fountains and then the large main pool. The kids had the time of their life. Solomon and Cade wanted to go on the waterslide and since Jo Jo is pregnant and Stacy had Emmett in the Bjorn sleeping I was the designated rider w/ them. I felt like a little kid again. It was great!! The boys and I laughed the whole time coming down the slide. Oh yeah, Stacy's stepson Sachel works at the pool as a life guard and he was at the bottom of the slide catching the boys as they came in the pool and then I would go in the pool by myself. It was great.

We stayed about 2 1/2 hours and that was more than enough time there. On the way home Neva said that she wanted a nap today. Then she proceeded to pass out about 5 minutes from home. I let her sleep for about 10 mins in the car and then the kids watched a video while I laid down for about 15 mins. I was exhausted and ready for bed at 4!! We won't go there for a while just because it is so much work and just wipes everyone out. It was a great to experience once and there is so many other things to do before school starts.

Quote of the day comes from Neva....

We were all sitting at the table eating breakfast and in her cutsie little voice she says "Mom, you have an eye in your armpit!" I lift my arm and look in my armpit to find a hole in my "pj" top (aka t-shirt). I started cracking up so then it turned into a game. The kids would say "Mom, you have an eye on your ear and it went on from there."

Manic Monday

Well, what I thought that was going to be a normal Monday turned into a bit more hectic. We woke up to rain and then a thunderstorm which means that Trapper is attached to my side panting heavily and shaking uncontrollably. Fine, I can handle that. Well, we were getting ready to leave out the door and the kids usually go get in the car and I change over a load of laundry. I try to maximize any down time and just be efficient. Well, the kids were in the garage telling me to unlock the doors. I tried. They weren't unlocking. Low and behold my battery was dead on my car. So now, I have 1/2 a wet load in the dryer, a dead battery and a scared dog in the car w/ the kids. Quite a site. :) I called Truckie to ask him how to hook up our portable battery charger (if you don't own one I highly recommend it) and get the car started. Ok, check the car is working. Now, the dog out of the car. Check. Next finish changing over the laundry and run out the door because my class starts in 10 mins. Whew!! We made it just a few minutes late but it all worked out in the end. Yikes, don't want to have another day like that and especially on a Monday!!

Fairly uneventful afternoon/evening but have some great quotes that I need to share.

I was buckling Neva as we were leaving the grocery store and I said "Great, I forgot to get the pitas." Neva started laughing and said "she said pee-ta." The three of us laughed the whole way home. You would think she watched the office and was picking up stuff from Michael Scott. It is still funny to everyone.

Then, just before dinner I told Neva she needed to wash her hands. Of course, she said "NO." So Cade told her "little Missy, you need to wash your hands for dinner." Little Missy!!! That is great.

Busy day tomorrow. Park, quiet time, swim lessons and girls night out to Meijer Gardens for their free concert series. Looking forward to a busy but fun packed day.

Great weekend

I will give a short recap to the weekend as it was a mellow one but a great one.

Friday was a long day w/ the kids and I could tell I hadn't had a couple days of excercise (mentally I could feel it too). So, I went on a bike ride Friday night by myself. It is a great loop w/ some challenging hills but also very refreshing. It is approx 9 miles or so. It gets your heart rate up and you can feel the pain in your butt a couple days later. :)

Saturday we woke up and headed to the Farmer's market as a family. I always wanted Truckie to get a taste of it and just check it out overall. It was complete chaos and very busy. Truckie was quite the man about town and knew a handful of people on our outing. He always teases me and says that whenever we go somewhere I always know someone. This time the tables were turned. It was great. During the day I went for my massage and facial. What a treat!! I came home and felt relaxed and refreshed. That evening my parents came and we all went to the car races that were close to our house. We all had so much fun. Neva pretty much ate the whole time we were there and laughed and waved her little checkered flag. A true redneck at heart. :) The kids were up past 10 pm and were great. They actually slept past 7 on Sunday morning and that was a treat.

Sunday we went for a family bike ride and just hung out around the house. Normal things, baseball w/ Cade and Neva jumping on her trampoline. The whole family got their haircut except for me. I need to train one of them to cut my hair. I once convinced Truckie to but he got too nervous and won't even attempt it anymore. I finished making a batch of taggies to take up to the consignment store because the kids are going to need some clothes for the fall and I have a great deal worked out w/ them. Let's hope they sell!!

Quote of the day comes from Cade....

We had stirfry for dinner and Truckie asked if I wanted sesame seeds on mine. Cade asked "Where do sesame seeds come from? Sesame street." I didn't even realize he knew what Sesame street was. It was just too cute.

Back to the weekly grind tomorrow w/ tumbling at the Y. Can't wait till my next paycheck comes in and I can find something that I may "want." :)

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.....