Celebrated.

Photo Captions: I'm loving how cute Tyler looks in his goggles and wish the wind hadn't blown out the candles as I am sure he would have kept blowing forever and it was so cute. I love seeing the other kids in action...you can see those puckered up lips of those who so dearly want to blow out that candle. I am commiting Tyler's smiley face to my photographic memory after he thinks he is successful at blowing out the candle and claps so proudly at this great accomplishment.

So we had to back track a little. On the day of the scheduled party severe weather threatened and we decided to postpone the party for a day. We had to make quite a few phone calls and regretfully ended up missing some of the players b/c they had previously made other plans. (Thanks for help making calls Ellen.)

Sunday was a hot, humid, sunny day and as we pulled up to the park we knew we were in big trouble as the pavilion was already staked out by another family. We considered a few other options and decided to just set up under the trees and to make due. (I didn't really want to make due, but I wiped away my teary eyes and surrendered to the "it is what it is" mentality.)

I am so relieved that the party turned out nice. The food and games were good and the company was perfect. We handed out swim goggles, sailboats, squirtguns, and waterballoons and they sure were a hit. Tyler really liked the fishing game that we played out of water cooler. It was really handy for filling squirt guns too. Some of the kids went swimming too and I found a surprise in Tyler's diaper. Yuck!

At the end of the day everyone was damp and disheveled. I dove into the lake too. It took a while to pack up the mess, to unpack the mess, and to put everything away. But it turned out to be an enjoyable day. Tyler went to bed for the night early 'cuz he didn't get a nap. (Jim remembered that on Ryan's 2nd birthday, there was no nap..and he fell asleep in Uncle Len's arms just before the ball fell:)

Can't believe my little guy is "2". Two is one of the few words that Ty is speaking and he spits it out so confident. I love to see him try to hold up two fingers on one hand. He gets frustrated and holds up the pointer finger on each hand. Cute.

Looking forward to meeting up with cousins that couldn't make the party, they were surely missed. For now, we're looking forward to the not-so-terrible-two's and hoping the upcoming year is two-riffic!

Turning Two

What a sweet little dirty camper face. I'm eating my pre-parent words that I would never let my kids run around dirty faced. Here's my reality check: 2 kids later=2 kids that run around with dirty faces:)

Going to do some running around tonight in preparation for the big birthday #2. Tyler has been practicing holding up his fingers and blowing out birthday candles. The boys have been singing to me every night when we have a piece of leftover bday cake that my mom made for me. Jim and I cracked up watching Tyler huff and puff for nearly 3 minutes last night. His faces are hilarious. We can't wait to see how he performs at his bday party.

Tyler got his first haircut with Ms. Kelly for the special occasion. I forewarned her that Tyler is not very patient and very well may hollar. He was a perfect angel. He didn't make a peep. When he started squirming I gave him sweetarts. What a sweetheart!

A Good Camper Always....

Laughs at all of Papa's camp stories.

Lends a hand.


Takes time to play.

Begs for more marshmallows.

Seeks shelter when tired.

Ryan, Tyler, Jim, and I had our first camping endeavor together this weekend. We set up camp in Papa Ralph's back yard and it was a fun adventure. The Homer Hogstravaganza was filled with fun things to do and the boys enjoyed horse back riding, dunk tank throwing (Ryan made the stranger splash with all 3 throws), catching candy at the parade, watching the fireman water contest, getting tattoo'ed, and eating a yummy brunch and yummy farmer's market blueberries. You should've seen Tyler tear into those blueberries. He ate nearly a whole pint himself.

The fun continued back at the campsite where Ryan hammered in all of the stakes and everyone lent a hand setting up the tent. When the work was done, we played golf, baseball, bean "bang" toss, and Yahtzee. We had to threaten the rain away a couple of times and after our walk to the lake and feeding the geese, we headed for one of the best firework shows ever. Boy were they loud. My ears are still recovering. Tyler buried his head in my chest the entire time but never complained. Ryan loved the works and all of 6 us snuggled on a blanket and enjoyed the front row view. Papa T. enjoyed the view on his scooter with his helmet on and his hearing aid off. We actually had to lay down to see the show they were so close. At one point, we even got some debris coming our way. After the show the four of us crawled into our home and zipped up the door while the grands slept inside. I think Mom and Dad actually fell asleep while the kids giggled and played pop goes the weasel. I don't know exactly when the playing stop and snoring started:) Of course, the whole town had the same idea and several party goers made quite a bit of noise all night. Poor Jim hardly slept a wink.

We had an awesome camp breakfast of pancakes, sausage, bacon, blueberrries, and pure maple syrup. The family sang Happy Birthday to me while we sat around eating. It was a horrible rendition. (Joke:) We made our rounds to the Homer parks and ate BBQ chicken before we had to run home for naps, chores, and relaxation. It was a really good time and I'm sure a lasting memory.

35 Things I'm going to do while I am 35

1. Go camping.
2. Digital Scrapbook.
3. Go to Disney.
4. Get fit.
5. Lose 15 lbs.
6. Send more letters/cards.
7. Nurture relationships.
8. Be more appreciative.
9. Be more kind.
10. Be more patient.
11. Get a manicure.
12. Get a pedicure.
13. Go to Ikea.
14. Ride a train.
15. Visit Chicago.
16. Get wireless internet.
17. Get a new computer.
18. Get new sexy specs.
19. Go to a concert or play or both.
20. Spend time with girlfriends.
21. Read the Sooky Stackhouse series.
22. Create a playlist of my favorite songs.
23. Write a grant.
24. Bicycle more.
25. Run a 5K race.
26. Bowl when my family goes bowling.
27. Praise God more.
28. Be nicer to my mom.
29. Tailgate for a U of M game.
30. Do better at connecting with Jim daily.
31. Do something creative on a weekly basis.
32. Take a class.
33. Prepare a meal that I've never made before.
34. Go to an amusement park with my peeps.
35. Go to the movies.

It's do-able. It's realistic. It really has been a good run so far. I'm looking forward to the memories. I still have a few more days to be a slacker:)

Fireworks from the boat and randomness

It was a cooly, windy night, but we enjoyed the 3rd of July fireworks on our boat. It's a neat display in the background while dozens of boats gather in the center of our lake. You can barely hear the crackle of the rockets over the laughter and distant storytelling from each boat. Ryan exhibits such passion for each display that it is hard for me to watch the sky as I love to watch his expression filled face. Tyler enjoyed the time snuggling too. I liked hearing his quick little claps whenever the sky filled with twinkles. We're really looking forward to the next 2 weekends where we will enjoy fireworks in Homer (...I keep telling Ryan they are setting them off for my birthday!) and then again in Addison on Tyler's birthday.

We spent the evening celebrating Riley Kate last night. We played some backyard wiffle ball, ate hamburgs, dogs, butterfly cupcakes, and ice cream and finished it up by opening gifts and competing at Wii. Fun times.

A trio of sisters visited at church yesterday and sang for the congregation. It was really moving and inspiring and made me feel a little teary eyed in thankfulness from their noteworthy message. Inspiration soon crept away when Ryan starting chatterboxing during the sermon and would not heed my looks of warning and stern finger to the mouth shhhh-ing.

The day turned into a real downer as Ryan challenged our every move. Long day, long story long, we sent Ryan to bed last night with no snacks and no company. We packed up the Wii and other video games and told him we will not tolerate his misbehavior. Rough night. I'm really hoping today will be better.

Perfect Scores

We are sooo tired and sooo glad that our 3 day weekend is nearly here. I've been wanting to upload pictures to keep you up on our adventures, Jim's 300, Ryan's 300, and so much more but this week has been long.

My mom was scheduled for an angioplasty but the angiogram showed it wasn't necessary. However, somehow, her body was knicked during the procedure causing a bit of internal bleeding. After some morphine, a painful pressure attachment and a night at the hospital, mom was sent home. Needless to say, I had quite a bit of running to do between job #1, job #2, hospital, kids, etc. I'm so thankful that my sister-in-law was so gracious with her time and compassion. Mom was in good hands.

The boys were in good hands too. They had fun playing with daddy on the wii, watching baseball, and playing with our new "Bing Bang" toss. I'll try to post some pictures soon.

Bowling Champion

There wasn't much time for Wii bowling this weekend but the champs have shown real improvement. Ryan and Jim are both vying for perfection. (Well, Jim got it on several occasions.) Ryan has had some near perfect games. No surprise since he is constantly bowling in one form or another...wii, at the alley, skittle bowling game, setting up toy pins in the basement, and setting up mini pins that he got on his 2nd birthday cake. There's alot of bowling going on around here. Jim and Ryan actually watched a tourny on tv and when we took Ryan to the alley over vacation...Ryan kept falling to floor in celebration just like the pros in the tourney! Congrats buddy!

Stay posted...I'm hoping to tell you about our picnic & family filled weekend.