Camping in the U.P

We were camping in the U.P. this weekend for Jeremiah's family reunion. It was fun seeing everybody again. We hadn't been to a reunion since Eiljah was a baby, it's just amazing how fast kids grow and change in four years!

Now that we have a tent big enough for our family, we hope to camp more often.

They had this great Mackinac bridge view at the park. Too bad Jonah was sleeping, or we could of had a great family picture.
 

We brought the boys to a little Zoo that was really quite impressive considering it is in the U.P. They got to feed some of the animals. Their favorite was the huge turtle. They could of looked at him all day long.



 

We finally got to meet Beth's adorable little miss Grace. She is just as sweet as she looks on Beth's blog. However, I could not get a good pic of these two together.
 

If You Like...

Jars of Clay, you need to check out their website. You can listen to all the tracks on their latest album Redemption Songs, and its great! They have lots of old hymms. I'm liking this trend of artists sharing their music on their websites.

Cars and Catwalks

Hurray for a good decision we made 3.5 years ago! When we were shopping for a van, the Dodge Caravan was by far the most affordable. Some mechanic friends tipped us off that it was notorious for blowing its transmission. A few seconds of online research confirmed this. So, we purchased the extended warranty. This week our transmission went. Its covered. So is our rental vehicle.

Looks like Bekah is going to be doing a Project Runway recap each week, so if you want to discuss, head over there!

Ride Like the Wind

All his hard work paid off. Isaac is now riding his two-wheeler like a pro. I am so proud of this kid. It's hard watching your child learn to ride a bike. There isn't much you can do except encourage. You have to watch, knowing they are going to fall. You can't tell them how to do it, or instruct them. They just have to "get it". Last night we went for a bike ride, just us. That was a moment i've been waiting for as a parent.

Elijah wanted his training wheels off too, and we watched in amazement as he immedietly rode halfway across the lawn. He has the balance down pretty good, he just has to work on starting and stopping.

Blueberries!

One of the things we look forward to the most during summer. Every year we vow to pick as many as we can, every year we wish we would of picked more. As the boys get older and easier to keep track of, and as they themselves pick more berries, we find our pails getting a little more full. This year we have a lot. Even though we gorged ourselves on the way home we still have some left for freezing and sharing with neighbors. If you have any blueberry recipes, please share!


Elijah was a busy little bee today. He worked constantly and filled his pail. Isaac likes to chat and Sammy likes to eat so their pails weren't quite as full.

Bullety Goodness

• The puppy formerly known as "Bobby" is now Mary Jane. Yes, I did consider Elizabeth, but of course the boys had their vote. As for the gender mix-up...a couple people have wondered how the heck we didn't notice. Well, apparently dog girl parts stick out quite a bit, enough to fool us. Also, I never knew my Grandma's cat Rosemary was a boy. LOL
• Isaac is really growing up this summer. He recently asked to have his training wheels removed. I was pleasantly surprised and took them off immedietly. He is trying really hard, and wants to ride his two wheeler so bad. He also started submerging his whole body under water at the beach, and holds his breath as long as he can. He is so proud of this.
• Thanks to Bekah, I now have a show I can't miss. Project Runway is awesome! I can't believe I have never watched it before. It makes me want to start designing clothes.
  
• I really have to update my blog list. Oh, and my poll too. Any poll suggestions?
• A member of one of my messageboards recently introduced me to isketch.net. SO FUN. You can go and set up your own room so you can play with people you know.
  
• Is anybody else with yahoo mail having trouble?
  

Tails From the Vet

Today we brought Bobby to the vet for his first round of shots. We explained to the boys that it was just like going to the doctor, only for dogs. Elijah asked, quite seriously, if a person was going to check the puppy or would it be a dog on two legs. I'm still laughing as I write this.

And if you think that's funny...

The examination was going just fine. The boys all got to listen to the heartbeat, everything was looking just dandy. Than she looked up and asked "How would you feel if...well...if this was a Bobby Sue?"

"He's a girl??" We asked.

"Yes" She answered, looking a little nervous as if we might reject him -errr- her because he turned out to be a she.

A bit of a mix up at the breeders house. We thought Sammy was carrying the male. Guess not.

Elijah would not be convinced though. "She has a dinger!" He argued.

Yeah, so now we are trying to decide if we are going to change his ---errr---her name. Jeremiah suggested we change it from Bobby to Bobbi, but I say change it so we can talk some girl names for once.

Just this morning I was wondering when he was going to start lifting his leg to pee!

Meme

I haven't done one of these in so long! Sandy started this awhile back and I have been meaning to do it. Anybody feel free to play along.

What is your favorite pen color? Black.
What time were you born? Sometime around 5:00 a.m.
Do you know how to change a flat tire? No.

Who taught you how to make meatloaf? I do not like meatloaf, and have no interest in making it. I do know how, just by watching my mom make it. Why did it seem like the days I came home from school absolutely starving were always the days she was making meatloaf?
How much was gas when you began driving? Actually, I don't remember. I rarely filled the tank.
What is the funniest thing a kid has ever said to you? Too hard to pick the funniest ever, but the most recent was Isaac drawing a moustache on his face and saying "look mommy, I have a smoosh-mash"

How many junk drawers are in your house? Two.
Do you know what Dippity-Do is? Yes, i'm pretty sure.
Would you ask a complete stranger if you had food in your teeth? Yes, if I needed to know.

Do you bite your nails/fingers/lips? Not really any, maybe my lips sometime.
How many jars of pickles in your fridge and/or pantry? One of each in the fridge.
Toy you'd like to have back from your childhood: My Little Ponies.

What's the last concert you went to? Lets see...way back when Isaac was just a baby I went to a 4Him concert.
Is your Christmas tree still up? No, thank goodness!
Have you ever eaten paste or glue? I'm pretty sure I tasted it in kindergarten.

How long since you went to the Dentist? 6 months.
Ever been on jury duty? Nope.
What is your favorite kind of hat? Anything that keeps sun off my face.

Are you a good speller? Not naturally, but dictionary.com is one of my most frequented sites.
What is the last thing you dressed up as for Halloween? Ummmm....a clown I think. Way back in high school.
Whose wedding did you go to last? I believe Beth's was the last wedding I went to. Wow, that was three years ago!


And finally... Last time the top of your refrigerator was cleaned off? You show me a mom with four young children who actually gets around to cleaning off the top of her fridge, and I will show you somebody who needs to get out more!

If You Guessed A New Addition...

Your right! Only, its probably not the kind you were thinking of. Meet Bobby Fitzwilliam Darcy, our new beagle. We have talked about a dog off and on for years, but lately it actually felt like a dog was missing from the picture. We knew we wanted something small, with minimal shedding, and of course had to be excellent with children. After some research on the American Kennel Association website we decided on a Beagle. Finding somebody near us who had beagles was a bit harder, but we did. So here he is, our newest family member! Yes, the boys are excited as can be. 

Stay Tuned...

For some exiting news!

Cherry Festival Diaper Derby & Tot Trot

Today we entered Jonah and Sam in the Diaper Derby and Tot Trot. Jonah won his heat, but didn't even leave the starting line in the semi-finals. Sam won his race, but they didn't do semi finals or finals in the tot trot. Here he is showing off his blue ribbon.
 

More Cherry Festival Fun

This morning I took Isaac to the Cherry Festival where they were having games and activities for children ages 5-12. It was nice to have some one on one time with him and he had a good time playing the games. He was quite bashful with the Cherry Festival Queen as you can see. 

Bowling

We took advantage of special Cherry Festival rates at the bowling alley this afternoon. It was the first time the boys have been bowling and it was a blast! Isaac impressed us with a spare and a strike.

The scoreboards would display the speed of each ball. Most adults were getting about 14 MPH. Sammy averaged about 1.3 MPH. He would be back at the table drinking pop before his ball hit the pins! Once, his ball even stopped and started rolling back to us before it came to a complete stop and an employee had to go retrieve it.

Pride and Prejudice

I recently finished reading Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. I really wanted to watch the movie, but not until I read the book. The last few weeks I had been looking for the A&E miniseries, which I have heard from reliable sources to be superior to the recent adaptation. I couldn't find it anywhere. Then on Friday, we recieved a Best Buy gift certificate in the mail from our realtor, and I remembered Best Buy has lots of movies! So we go there and I get the very last copy of A&E's Pride and Prejudice . What great timing. (The boy's got a new computer game based on the movie Cars. )

Yesterday was either raining or threatening rain so it was a perfect day to relax and watch my new movie. And I did. It took most of the day since it's a long movie, and there were many interruptions. I also spent an hour of it on the treadmill. It's a great movie, just like Emma. I used to watch that one all the time. At some point, I will probably rent the new Pride and Prejudice starring Kiera Knightly. However, it will be hard to see anybody but Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy. Even as I read the book thats who I saw in my head.

Thats how I spent my Saturday, much to the puzzlement of the menfolk.