Happy Birthday, Dazie!

Eric had to work today for their annual cleaning day. One Saturday a year and unfortunately, it meant missing the birthday party for my niece, Dazie. So, the boys & I headed north, with a stop at mom's so she, Mimi, Kayla & Memphis could ride with us.

An hour and fifteen minutes later, and I was finally satisfied with the installs on the carseats for the three boys and had them in positions that allowed seating for the grownups, too. Though, any future carseat purchases may look at one of the narrower options on the market. Getting three of the widest ones in there, with room to spare, was no easy chore!

Everyone had a good time at the party and hanging out. The kids played great together and had a fun time. And we got to say goodbye to Uncle Bo, who leaves in a week for training in the Army before finding out where he'll be stationed-- though Georgia is the likely option.

After getting everyone back to their homes, we finally got home a bit after nine. Both boys fell asleep in the car. I managed to get Andrew out of his jeans and into his pajama bottoms, but when I asked if he wanted to sleep in his shirt or put on his jammies, he replied, "I just want to sleep."

Safe to say, we were all worn out from the fun.

Happy Birthday, Memphis!

Memphis turned 2 today so we spent the afternoon at their house, helping celebrate. Nothing big-- just family-- but it was a great time. Memphis gets crazy excited when he sees Buzz Lightyear, so Toy Story was the theme. Popular with all the boys!!! We watched Toy Story 3 after he opened it as one of his presents, and had a good time visiting while the boys ran around and played together. The magnetic fishing puzzle we gave him was also quite the hit-- evidenced by all 3 of them crowded around as he opened it, anxiously awaiting playing with it.

I have many fond memories of spending time with my cousins as a child, so I love that my boys are developing such a close relationship with their cousin. It's so much fun to watch them together and I hope they will always be close.

Happy Birthday, Memphis!!

The Polar Express

Christmas may be over, but The Polar Express is still a favorite movie to watch. Just the sight of the opening credits brings squeals and clapping from Noah. I wasn't quite fast enough with he camera to catch him clapping, but trust that he was.

We spent many an evening in December, cuddled up in bed after dinner, watching this or that Christmas special or movie (thank you ABCFamily and their 25 Days of Christmas). We all enjoyed it... Andrew got to where he would ask at dinner what show was on that night.... and the boys were usually asleep long before the movie would end.

Now, Andrew still sometimes requests movie time after dinner. Some nights we play Wii. Some nights we get on jammies and crawl in bed for a movie. Some nights we play and then have bedtime. Whatever our after dinner time brings, the four of us enjoy it together...... and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Laundry

Today was cleaning day. The boys' room was long overdue, and I was happy to finally have a free day to get in there. I pulled a couple of laundry baskets, filled with clothes that needed folded and sorted into the living room. Both boys have had recent growth spurts, so drawers and closets were gone through and things that needed packed away were added to the baskets.

I returned to their room to keep working, while Eric worked in the kitchen. When I returned a short time later, this picture is what I found. It seems Noah wanted to sit in a laundry basket and felt it would be best emptied out on top of his brother. Crazy boy!!

Wii Time

After dinner tends to be Wii time these days. Andrew asks about it the minute Eric walks in the door (if he hasn't already been pestering me about it during the day). And it is a fun way to spend time together as a family.

Noah enjoys it, too. He squeals when he sees the Toy Story logo on the screen and shouts "Buh!" (Buzz) he also thinks it's quite fun to "play," using an extra remote, minus the batteries. It really is an activity the whole family enjoys!

Chef Andrew

We were at church this morning, as usual, then home for lunch. The boys played for a bit (Andrew still isn't eating well after being sick last Thursday), then we headed to mom's for the Colts game and family dinner. Dave, Kayla and Memphis were there too and the boys always have a good time playing together.

Andrew was excited to help Mamaw in the kitchen and even more excited he got to wear a special "chef's" apron to do so!

And, while my new year's goal is a photo a day (Project 365 for those wanting to search it online-- I've just modified my version to make it work for me), I just couldn't resist including this one as well, of Noah sitting on Mimi's lap while the two of them colored together. I think she was tracing his hands to make handprints.

Rub-a-dub-dub!

2 boys in a tub. We enjoyed a quiet day at home. The big problem with staying up to ring-in the new year is that Noah went to bed as usual... And, therefore, had his usual 5:30 waking to nurse and doze and nurse and doze until 8. Which means Mommy didn't get much sleep after 5:30 and is very sleepy!

The Christmas tree came down today. Between it, the new trampoline and the various new toys, I wanted the living room back! So things are back in the attic for another year. The nativity is still out, since Andrew asked if we could keep something, and it generally stays through Epiphany anyhow.

After things were put away, I colored my hair (cut it yesterday), put Noah down for a nap, then enjoyed playing the Wii with Andrew and Eric. Andrew has fallen in love with golf and had been asking all morning to play some. He understands the basic concept of hitting the ball and getting it in the hole-- but beyond that his skills are lacking. He really enjoys playing though, and we keep encouraging his efforts and offering tips to improve his technique. He birdied one hole today-- mostly luck-- but when he puts in the effort he's not bad!

Dinner, baths and off to bed. A very great way to spend new year's day!

Dolphin

Yes, I realize I am pathetically behind on the blog. If anyone wants to come entertain the boys for a day, run my errands, and shuttle Andrew to multiple therapies... maybe then I could get caught up. :)

So... we'll go from here forward, and hope that, in time, I can get to the back stuff.

We visited the zoo today for their annual ZooBoo event. Andrew was VERY excited to get to wear his costume and go trick-or-treating at the zoo! And Noah, as is typical, figured if Andrew thought it was cool, than it really must be. Although, since we were up early for church this morning, Noah fell asleep on the way to the zoo and continued sleeping in the Ergo for the first 30 minutes or so that we were there.

The entire afternoon was quite fun for all of us, though I think the highlight for everyone came when we were in the underwater viewing dome, checking out the dolphins. I was watching Noah laugh at a dolphin, then turned to see this:

Eric had the camera in his pocket, and I didn't want to spook the dolphin by running up to grab it, so I pulled out my phone and snapped pictures with it. Not the best pictures, since it is a little dark in the dome, but I'm not sure the regular camera would have done any better since the flash would have been off.

The dolphin stayed around for several minutes, nodding, turning & twisting, and basically putting on it's own little show. When it took off, a second dolphin came over and continued the show with more of the same antics. Absolutely amazing to see!! And makes you realize how fun the zoo can be when it is less crowded. It was near closing time when we were in the dome, and there was only one other family in there with us (that would be who the little fairy in the photos belonged to) ... so it was a much quieter place than it is on a Saturday afternoon!

The boys in their costumes, Curious George and the Man in the Yellow Hat:

And a trip to the zoo wouldn't be complete without a ride on the carousel!

Vacation, Day 16

16 days, 1748 miles, 760+ pictures and we are finally back home!!!

Last night was LONG.  Went to bed late after being at Mel's, getting boys to bed, then finishing getting our bed & stuff set.  Noah was up just over an hour after I'd gone to sleep.  Even in bed with us, he tossed and turned and was very restless. 

The wind picked up early this morning and we could hear distant storms, which kept us up, wondering if they'd come our way?  would we get much rain? would they be severe and require us to wake the boys and seek shelter? would we have to pack up wet?

An hour or so after that, we heard a raccoon getting into our neighbor's stuff.  Or at least, attempting to.  He got shoo'd off and spent the next 10 minutes in a tree just outside our tent, very loudly voicing his displeasure and not getting the treat he was hoping for.

Another hour ro so and the rain started.  Some thunder rumblings, but not many and nothing that sounded severe or made us feel we weren't safe where we were.  I finally got into a good sleep around 7:30 our time, after the rain started.  I woke around 9 since Noah was stirring and was surprised to find both boys still sleeping and unfortunately, to find the rain was still falling.

Needless to say.... after such a rough night, packing up a wet tent, knowing it would be followed by several hours in the car, was not pleasant.  The rain had stopped by the time we were packing, but the tent & ground were soaked.

The rain meant no trail hiking or playground time this morning, so we headed to get breakfast at McD's as soon as we were packed.  Noah ate an entire order of hotcakes (3), the rest of us enjoyed our meals and then we hit the road.  Noah slept for much of the trip.  Andrew talked, sang, and did everything he could to keep from sleeping.

Construction traffic in southern Wisconsin.  Normal traffic backups in Chicago.  Noah decided to wake and start screaming that he wanted out of his carseat, while we were on the skyway with no good place to stop.  As soon as we got to Merrillville, we were all ready for a break.  It was late and we had dinner plans, so we got a light lunch then were back on our way.

We got to see the giant wind farm by daylight.  On the way up, it was still very dark and all you could see were these bright, red lights flashing in the sky, which was a very eerie sight.  All the behemoth windmills by daylight were a bit eerie looking, too, but it was still really neat to see.  There are tons of windmills on both sides of the highway and we clocked that it stretches for about 10 miles.  When you're driving through them, it just seems like they're never going to end!

We finally made it to town around 6:45.  Mom had invited us to their place for dinner so we wouldn't have to go to the store and cook after 7+ hours in the car.  A VERY welcomed invitation and it was nice to be able to relax after the long trip.

Finally got to our house around 9:30PM.  We unloaded a few neccesities and decided to leave the rest for morning.  Put the boys in theri jammies.  Andrew asked to snuggle in our bed for a while, so we let him and he fell asleep there.  He did so great going to sleep on his own in Copper Harbor, but insisted on us being right there with him tonight.  It didn't take either of the boys long to fall asleep and they're both snoozing away in their own beds now.  I know I'm looking forward to a peaceful night in my own bed and I think we're all happy to be home!

Wind farm.

In the car.  Andrew was being silly about having his picture taken.

Back asleep in their own beds.  The way things started 16 days ago.

Vacation, Day 15

Up early and had breakfast at Grandma's.  The boys stayed to play while Eric & I packed.  It took a while to get it all done and loaded, but we managed, then we all went to shower-- Andrew with Eric and Noah with me.  We were in the van and leaving the campground just after 11AM.

The Copperman Triathalon was going on, so instead of the lake drive we usually take out, they were sending all the cars up Brockway Mountain so they would avoid the cyclists on the road.  An unexpected delay, but it was nice to see it one last time (though Eric says the cyclists should be sent up the mountain on their ride out, then the lake drive on the way back, so they're only taking up one side of the road instead of both).  There was a big boat out on the lake, so Eric got Andrew out and took him to look at it.  We made it down the other side of the mountain, stopped at the Jampot for cookies for the road, then we were really on our way.

Noah fell asleep on the down side of Brockway.  Andrew was asleep a little before Calumet.  Both of them slep until the "dead road" just before Crystal Falls and the only reason Andrew woke up is because Noah was screaming so loudly.  We were all ready for a stretch and lunch, and had planned to stop sooner, but since the boys were sleeping we kept driving.  Once the woke, there was no good place to stop.  We made a potty stop for Andrew, but didn't get lunch until the McD's in Iron Mountain.  There were much happier moods for all after full bellies and a good stretch.

We stopped in Lena for a potty break and to buy some cheese to take home.  We almost made it to Sheboygan, but a few miles out had to stop on the side of the road for Andrew.  Not as easy to do on the interstate as it was on the 2 lane roads in the U.P.

We're staying at Kohler-Andrae State Park in Wisconsin tonight.  With kids, the trip home is better if we do it in 2 days, rather than one long one.  I have a friend I met online a few years ago who lives just a few minutes from here, so we aranged to spend the night here and meet up with her & her family.  They met us at our campsite and let the kids play while we put up the tent.  I think it was the fastest we've ever set the thing up.  Then we went to dinner with Mel & her family.

We had dinner at a restaurant on the boardwalk.  After we ate, we went for a walk on it for a bit, but it was getting dark so we went back to Mel's to visit.  We've been in an online group together for a couple of years, have bought/sold/traded diapers back & forth between our kids and it was so great to finally meet in person!  Her oldest, Miles, is just 2 months older than Andrew so they instantly hit it off and had a great time playing.

We got back to camp a little after 10pm local (11 home).  Noah was exhausted and screaming like mad so I quickly got him changed and nursed him to sleep.  Andrew was asleep about 30 seconds after hitting the pillow, so once both boys were down, Eric & I finished getting our bed made and getting ready for bed.  The campground is huge, so we're hoping to check it out in the morning and spend some time playing before we have to put the boys back in the car for the drive home.

Andrew often insisted that Eric wear the "Captain's hat" while driving.

On the side of I-43... just north of Sheboygan.

My view of Noah.

On the boardwalk.  Unfortunately, after taking this first picture of it, the batteries in the camera died and the replacements were packed somewhere in the van, so I didn't get any others.

Vacation, Day 14

Our last day in Copper Harbor. Since we'll be in the car so much the next 2 days, we agreed it would be best to not make the boys be in the car today for anything more than a drive to town.

We walked through the fort to the playground, figuring the boys could play for a while. There were a lot of older kids being crazy there though, so we didn't stay long. We stopped at the Ft store on our way back to camp and picked out a patch for Andrew's jacket. Going back through the fort, Andrew asked to go in several of the buildins to look around, so we spent time doing that.

We had lunch then went to town. Got patches for both boys and a lollipop for Andrew. Stopeed to say bye to Leslie. Andrew picked out a small mug and tiny bowl. He says they're for hot chocolate and the ketchup for his chicken nuggets, respectively. He was thrilled to get them and upset he couldn't use them at dinner tonight.

I was talking to Leslie about different pieces we have from Dennis, how the different glazes hold up to various foods, etc. Learned that one glaze we have doesn't take well to lemon juice-- it takes the sheen off. I mentioned I had one mug that popped when I poured some hot water in it. She knew immediately what color it was and said they'd had a bad batch of glaze in that color a few years ago and to pick out a new mug to replace it. I guess others had the same problem with the stuff popping (cracking), too, and they were happy to replace any items if you told them about it. And I was happy to have a new mug.

We said goodbye and headed back to camp to start packing things up. I got clothes all packed while Noah napped. Then we packed up the kitchen stuff and took down the dining fly.

Our last night for ice cream, so we got some of the dairy-free sorbet for Noah to try. His first ice cream cone and he pushed it away and refused to try it. This from the boy who'll eat most anything! We offered him some on a spoon and it was still no. but, when he got to hold the spoon, he finally, willingly took a bite. He didn't like the cold and made a face about it. Only tried 1-2 more bites, but had fun playing with the spoon and cone.

Took a walk when we got back. The boys rode their bikes. Andrew was upset it was too dark to do a second lap. Then we sat around the campfire to wait for the stars, figuring if Andrew was up late tonight, hopefully he'll sleep in the car tomorrow. We didn't make it to full darkness. Noah fell asleep on my lap and Andrew was aking to go to bed because he was so tired, so we took a walk to the bathrooms, then put him to bed.

Last breakfast at our site.  We'll be eating at Grandma's tomorrow.

Andrew, 2007

Andrew, 2010.  He's screaming because he didn't want to stand by the big canon... still scared of them from Battery D.  We explained these aren't the same canons and don't work, but that didn't matter to him.

Noah, 2010.

We managed a little playground fun before the big kids got too crazy and scared us off.

Walking the "balance beams."

Some of the role players at the Fort.

Working in the bakery.

A final stop to play the drums.

More role players.

Andrew in jail.

Noah quickly learned that food was kept in the back of the van.  Anytime we'd walk near it, he'd run to the back signing cracker and wait for us to get him a snack.

Chocolate pudding.  He insisted on eating it with his shirt off, since that's how he eats it at therapy, even though it was a chilly day.

On the big chair.

Nothing beats a lollipop while riding on Daddy's shoulders!

Last dinner by the campfire.

Playing checkers with Uncle Jared at the ice cream store.

Of course, Noah wanted to play too.

Noah's first ice cream cone.  Every other night when we've gotten ice cream, he's gotten one of his Mum-mums as a special treat.  I think he was against the ice cream at first because he wanted his usual snack.