Random Vacation Silliness

Today I don't feel like writing out stories or explaining things to well.  I just feel like posting random vacation silliness pictures.

Enjoy

Why eat ice cream when you can wear it?

Hi.

Pajama Party...

While waiting for the storm to pass in the boat house, we kept the kids busy making funny faces so the thunder wouldn't scare them.  Hannah wasn't to into it...

We asked the girls to go get ready for their naps...and very obediently they said "Yes sir".  A few minutes later, this is what we found.  Silly girls!

I know he loves my kisses!

This story deserves a post of itself...it will come.  Maybe tomorrow.

And, this story goes along with it.  Let's just say, Nicole had fun at the water park.  Hannah did not.

Remember when Hannah's smile looked like severe pain?  Now it's covering up her face that she likes to do for the camera.  She asked me to take a picture, and this is what she did.

Having fun on lake superior. 

LOTS more of these pictures to come!

Nathan having fun at Lake Superior...me...not having so much fun.  This kid is obsessed with hair, mine particularly!

Lake of the Woods

Lake of the Woods is the name of the large lake we stayed on...it's massively huge and known around the world for great fishing.  Unfortunately, we didn't get a taste of that great fishing.  We *thought* all week that we would be able to go on a fishing excursion, but it never happened, so the last day of our trip, Jeremy took Nicole out for a couple of hours and they caught a fish.  But, they had some nice quality daughter/daddy time.

Anyway, one day...I don't know which, they all blur together, we found a small playground on the bank of the lake down the road a bit.  After playing on the playground a little bit, Jeremy decided he needed to teach his girls how to skip rocks.

  One thing

led to 

another 

and.....

Yep....we got in the lake, fully clothed.  Ok, not we...but the girls did at least.

This poor little girl was having NO fun at all...

can't you tell?

Where is Hannah you ask?  Well, after a little sisterly love and tackle mishap she pretty much cried the rest of the time.  You'll have to watch the video to see what I'm talking about.

So, after that...Hannah hung out on the bank most of the time.

Hmmm....what in the world is she doing here?

Yep...going pee in the lake.  She insisted on taking her pants off, but we talked her into keeping her undies on.  It was actually quite funny, she kept squatting down and standing up.  We heard her say, "(giggle) I keep going pee!"  She didn't know it was just the water dripping off her legs, hahaha.  This probably would have been a moment forgotten if Nicole had not brought it up at dinner that night to Phil and Nancy, the people we were borrowing the house from (they live in a house on an island about 2 minutes boat ride away).  As we are eating dinner and Nicole is telling them about her day,  she says, "and I went pee in the lake!" as she's laughing.  Nancy looks at us and says, "There's an outhouse"  Ooopps....didn't see that one! haha.  It was embarrassing to Jeremy and I, but certainly not to Nicole.  I'm pretty sure she thought it was cool.

And, just to prove we brought him along, a photo of Nathan with his daddy-o.

Nate cut a tooth while in Canada by the way.  The bottom right one next to his front tooth (what number is that Valerie?)

Traveling with three

Traveling with three very little people is not the most fun thing I've ever done...but I guess it's not the worse either.  90% of the time, it was great.  Amazingly we didn't have an absurd amount of potty breaks (except on the airplane.  They were both terrified and amazed at the airplane potty....and I would be lying if I said I liked taking them in that nasty, stinky little box of a bathroom), there was a lot of movie watching (a HUGE treat here...our rental van had a video system.  I'm so glad we packed a few movies), and some snacking (did you know that both Nicole and Hannah can chuck a box of raisins to the front seat.  Quite amazing actually....one of them even hit me in the face with the box.  As two ballplayers, Jeremy and I were both happy to see some progress in their throwing ability).

What on earth am I talking about?  That was a long and confusing sentence! ha!!!

OK, so, what is so fun about traveling with three children you may ask?  Well, there is three of everything.

Three car seats
Three carry on bags
Three checked bags
Two extra sets of shoes to take off and put on in security
One stroller to fold up and put through the x-ray machine
And lots of extra food and drinks.

I so wish I had a picture of us traipsing through the Minneapolis airport, although I'm sure if someone tried to take a picture I would have kicked them in the shins.  But we were a sight.  Close your eyes and imagine (OK, don't...then you can't read).  Nathan hanging out in the stroller, being pushed by Nicole.  Hannah dragging a backpack on wheels, stopping to look at every particle on the floor or shiny thing she sees.  Jeremy carrying two large, bulky car seats and a heavy backpack on his back, and me...wheeling three interlocked suitcases with a booster seat on top through millions (ok, not really) of people  in the biggest airport I've ever walked.  I think the Minneapolis airport is not laid out for families of 5 who need to rent a car.  We walked from one end of the airport to other, up and down floors and used the little subway too.  I really don't think I'm exagerating when I say it took us nearly 30 minutes to get to the car rental place from the baggage claim area.  It would have been better if my sweet, curious little two year old didn't feel the need to look at every single thing on the floor.  Anyway, by the time we got to the car rental place, I was ready to have a little pitty party and cry...or scream...or something (Dr. Pepper and chocolate anyone???).  Our bags were heavy, our children were slow and we had to walk so far!!!! 

OK, enough whining.  THAT was the worse part of the trip...and if that was the worse part...then, that means we had a pretty good trip.  We did not make the 6 hour drive to Canada like we hoped because were exhausted, hungry and tired.  I did eat Chipotle for the first time in my life....pretty good.

Oh, the airplane.  It was fun... for about 15 minutes.  Then, the novelty wore off but the girls did pretty well. They had books, crayons a video game system (I scored at Goodwill for $3...a leapster 2 for my mommy friends out there), and of course our iphones with games.

Nate however, changed into crazy baby.  He does not like to fly.  He wasn't screaming his head off the whole time, but it was a tremendous amount of work to keep him from doing that.  But, as soon as the plane landed, he was my sweet little laid back boy again.  Weird, huh?

So, our first day of vacation was NOT relaxing, but we didn't think it would be.  No false hopes there.  It was a bit more stressful than I anticipated (mostly because of that walk, rolling and carrying heavy things and little Ms. Pokey Little Puppy)  We only made it to Orr, Minnesota, about an hour form the boarder.  By the way, Orr is a very cute little town, we stopped on our way back (to get some free fudge) and it's just adorable.  I would have liked to have spent another hour or so there.  And, they have a cool hotel with a waterslide.  It seems that Minnesotaians like water slides, we saw them a lot.

The view from our hotel in Orr, Minnesota.  We ate breakfast outside.  We were weird, everyone else was inside because it was....

COLD....like, I think in the 50s.  But we soaked it in.  Every ounce of coldness we could get we did, because we knew what was waiting when we got home.  

Friday morning, we woke up and made our way to Nestor Falls, Ontario, Canada where we would spend the next 6 days in an insanely HUGE home on a beautiful lake.  More to come on that though later.

Back to the Grindstone

Well, Tuesday is here.  We are back to "life - normal" for us.  But, I am ready.  It's always nice to take some time "off" (although, who am I kidding...there really is no "off" time when children are around, right?).  But, it's time to get back to our normal schedule.  And, I am ready.  I'm ready to get back into my routine and schedule with the children.  I am ready to start actively teaching Hannah each week.  I am ready to be in a real routine with Nicole's pre-school curriculum.  I am ready to get back to our Bible Time in the morning, especially using their new Bible study tools that our church suggested.  I am ready to get into my cleaning routine.  I am ready to head to the library.  I am not ready to go grocery shopping, but I'll go anyway ; )  I am ready to eat healthy again...oh so ready for that!  I am ready to start exercising more regularly.  I am ready to play with my children.  I am not ready for Jeremy to go back to work, but work he must.  I am ready to plan our garden this year.  I am ready to start making Halloween costumes.  I am ready to finish a few sewing projects.  I am ready for MOPS and the opportunity to serve and encourage other young moms.  I am ready...ready...ready...ready. 

Vacation was oh so nice...and I believe it did just what it was suppose to.  It got me re-energized...re-charged....ready for the next year.

Canada, Oh Canada

Yes, we have been away on a much needed vacation, but we are now back!

We had the opportunity to stay in a very large and very beautiful home in Ontario Canada this year.  Jeremy has a customer who just built a house on his own island in a lake, so their "land" house is not used and they invited us to stay there.  We had a gorgeous view of the lake, listened to airplanes land and take off daily on the water, watched bald eagles soar through the air, use a telescope at night to see the moon, went for rides on the boat and waverunner and spend lost of time relaxing.  We were in Canada for just under a week and had a very nice time.  I have a lot of pictures and stories to share, so it will take a few days and a few posts....but we'll get through it.

I'm not feeling ultra creative at this moment, so I will just share some beautiful views and will post later with stories.

The View from Here

Occasionally there are moments I capture on camera and want to post without much description or words.  I would like to start a little series on my blog called "The View from Here" where I can feature events from my point of view (mostly).  Sometimes the moment may be mundane, or dramatic, or once in a lifetime.  But, I thought it would be a fun way to share some photos I may not normally share. 

So, my first "The View from Here" photo....

Fun

Watch until the end...

Nicole's Drawing

Yesterday I was working on the children's clothes when Nicole asked me to look at her drawing. 

She said, "Look, it's raining while Jesus is dying on the cross"

Hannah also wanted to show off her rain drops  too

And, I can't leave this cutie out of the post.  What a smile!

First Day of School

This past week, Nicole had her first day of school.  It was an exciting experience for both of us. 

This year, Nicole and her friend Hannah Mae will be having school time together once a week for a couple of hours.  The young man here is John Robert, Hannah Mae's older brother.  Although this time is review for him, he is helping us teach the girls and model school-like behavior.  He is actually a pretty great 7 year old.  Nicole really likes him.  I think he will be a  great example for the girls to follow.

At the beginning of our time, we stand and say the Pledge of Allegiance, pray and start off with a little devotional book. 

This week was sort of an introduction week.  We learned about the 7 days of Creation. Nicole made a timeline and a book.

Hannah Mae is a little older than Nicole so I think she will push Nicole in some ways.  One area is coloring.  She uses coordinating colors and stays in the line.  Nicole still picks up the crayons and scribbles away.  So, I'm hoping that as she sees someone else color more carefully, she will also want to.

The curriculum we will be using is called "My Father's World."  Each week has a different theme and provides science, language arts, math, social studies, art and reading opportunities. 

My aim is to provide Nicole with 2-3 hours a week with my complete attention.  Hannah and Nathan will be hanging out with my mom or Grammy during this time each week.  So, already this has been a neat time for Nicole and I to be together. 

This is also a great opportunity for Nicole to develop friendship skills.  Our hope is that Nicole and Hannah Mae will begin a sweet friendship that will last for many years.  Already, they seem to love to each other. 

I also have the chance to learn from a very talented teacher.  My friend Jennifer was a 1st grade teacher before having children and being a stay at home mom.  In just our first two meetings, I have learned a lot about topics like handwriting, grammar, and expectations.  Quite honestly...I'm sort of clueless as to what Nicole should be able to do and when...and then how to teach her those things. So, I have a really great chance to watch and learn too. 

Nicole has been very excited about school.  She has her own backpack and we are working on getting her supplies in order.  I love the accountability this will provide for me, because once our year really gets going, our 2 hour segment will really be a "jumping off" point for the rest of the week.  I am sure we'll have "homework" and activities to do the rest of the week. 

We are very excited and thankful for this opportunity for the girls to learn together, develop a friendship and better their skills in preparation for Kindergarten.

Our New Toys

A few weeks ago, Jeremy and I had a little date night.  I say little because it was shared with a softball game.  So, we had about an hour before the game to hang out together.  Jeremy decided to borrow his parents bicycles in hopes we could ride around somewhere fun.  Unfortunately, it was raining everywhere.  So, we grabbed a bite to eat at Moe's, then went home.  At home, it had cleared up, so we decided to ride the bikes to the softball fields, about 2 miles away.

I so much enjoyed riding a bike (I think it's been since high school for me) that I started obsessively looking on Craigslist for a bicycle.  I spent time trying to figure out how I could get my whole family to go on bike rides with me.  But, I realized that we did not want to spend a few hundred dollars on bicycles, bike seats and trailers for the children.  I pretty knew it wouldn't work out.

Until......I went to Target and happened to find their bike trailers marked down 50%.  I bought the bike trailer (which seats two children), even though I didn't have a bike.  My Craigslist obessesion started again as I checked every 5 minutes for bikes to be listed.  I decided I didn't want to pay for than $30.  I garage saled that week and came up empty.

After our Sunday afternoon nap, I checked again and found 2 bikes for sale, each $30.  They were in Ft. Myers, about 30 minutes away.  After we spoke with the owner and checked the bikes out on line, we decided to get them. 

We have had a lot of fun the past week going on bike rides.
In the morning, I ride my bike with Nathan and Hannah pulled behind me in the trailer, and Nicole rides her little bike.  We just go around the neighborhood.  I even go to take just Nathan one morning because the girls were with Grammy.

Saturday, we decided to take a family adventure trip.  We rode around the neighborhood looking for garage sales, then road up to a Farmer's Market.  I would say it is 2-3 miles away.  We didn't think Nicole could ride her own bike that far. so I found a child's seat at Goodwill for $5 earlier that week.  Jeremy rode his bike with either Nicole or Hannah in the child seat, and Nate and one of his sisters rode together in the trailer I pulled.  It was a fun family time, a great workout...and something I hope to do a lot more. 

I am so thankful that I found all of these things at such a discounted price!
We paid $115 for 2 bikes, 1 trailer, and 1 child seat.  That is less than the price of one bicycle, or just a few dollars more than the regular price of my trailer.  We've already had a lot of fun, and see lots of potential for many more hours of fun...especially when it cools off.