Weekend at the Cabin

I know I'm slacking a little bit here in my goal of writing 3 times a week. I guess not much to write about until right now. We were at the cabin with mom and dad this weekend. We had a great time of fishing, four-wheeling, berry picking, campfire sitting, and relaxing. We got there Friday night for supper and spent a good share of Friday getting set up so we could enjoy the rest of the weekend with minimal work. Saturday was a beautiful day. In the afternoon while the kids were sleeping dad and I went for a bike ride. It was a nice ride but pretty hilly. We went 11 miles and surprisingly enough my legs didn't even feel bad. I thought for sure I wouldn't be able to walk the next day! Sunday was a nice day too....not quite as humid. It rained just a little but not enough to put a damper on our weekend. Ryan and Dad went fishing in the morning and caught about 12 fish. We planned to have them for supper but by the time supper rolled around we decided we didn't feel like cooking. We went to Pizza Hut instead. While Ryan took naps with the kids mom and I hiked out to the power line and picked a bunch of black raspberries. It was quite a hike but fun to see all the berries. Then Monday rolled around...so sad it had to come so soon...but it was time to pack, clean and head back home. We had the cabin cleaned by about noon and then waited for Chelsea to wake up from a nap. We left shortly after 1 and stopped at McDonalds on the way home because Casey thought that he had to get a new Ice Age toy. We made it home around 3 from our wonderful weekend. Now today it's laundry, grocery shopping, and getting everything back in order. Ugh!

Birthday, Birthday, Birthday

Audrey's birthday seems to go on and on but I think it is officially over now. We had Ryan's family and a couple friends (that Audrey requested, T and Ruth) over last night for cake and ice cream. Prior to the party Audrey refused to take a nap but at 6:00 she was really struggling. I laid her in bed and she took about an hour nap and we woke her up at 7:00 when the guests began arriving. It took her awhile to wake up but she did eventually and proceeded to eat her supper and then had a good time with her presents and her cake. She played very nicely until 10 when I decided tired or not it was time for her to go to bed. She was up until close to 11 but then did settle down and is still sleeping this morning. Today is Braidon's birthday so there will be more celebration tonight. At least I don't have the craziness at my house though! Looks like a rainy day today...oh what to do???? Probably should do some cleaning but I really don't enjoy that. I'd rather dream up projects for the kids to do!

Things we are Learning

Chelsea - 1. How to spin all the toilet paper off the roll. 2. Some food tastes good while others may taste something close to dirt. 3. If I scream real loud someone will pick me up. 4. My 1st tooth feels really strange. (It just popped through today!) 5. My dad is not so bad after all.

Audrey - 1. I can kind of whistle. 2. Parties are more fun with "just girls". 3. Sometimes I fight with my brother but I really don't know what I'd do without him.

Casey - 1. Sometimes I just need to take a nap so I don't turn into a "wild man". 2. To recognize and write my letters. I can almost write my name!

Mom - God is teaching mom oh so many things. 1. Take every day a minute at a time. Any more and you will feel overwhelmed. 2. Sometimes your kids are going to tug at your heartstrings and you have to be tough. (Little story here: Casey was very tired last night and was being a little defiant at our Life Group meeting. He threw a stuffed animal at my head that almost knocked a coffee cup over. Then he walked to the door and threw Audrey's shoes in the opposite direction of her as we were leaving. He was reprimanded for the second time in less than 10 minutes. As he got in the van I could just see that the wind had been knocked out of his sails. He felt so bad that he had been disobedient. Then Ryan said something else to him about his behavior. And then the tears began. I wanted to cry with him. I just knew he felt so bad. He had to learn a lesson the hard way. He went to bed feeling so sad and I almost thought I should stand beside his bed until he fell asleep so I could reassure him that I still loved him. But mom has to learn to let go sometimes too. Wow is it hard though. Don't know what I'm going to do when he goes to school and some little boy does something mean him!) 3. Windows are for fingerprints, not Windex.

Happy Birthday Audrey!

I can't believe today Audrey is three years old. She has grown up so fast! Although some days she thinks she is the queen she is still my little princess! For her birthday she has been asking to go to Boettler Park with just the girls. So today Audrey, Taelor, Ava and I had a park playdate. It was nice but pretty hot. After playing for maybe 40 minutes the girls decided they were ready to eat. We headed off to McDonalds and they chose to eat in the van so they could watch a movie. They were perfect little angels the whole time. Now we are home again and it's time for the birthday nap! Now if only Chelsea would cooperate and go to sleep!

Our Weekend

On Saturday we got up and went to the pancake breakfast/car wash at our church. Our vehicles were very much in need of a wash. They look nice for now but they will probably be as dirty as ever in a couple weeks. Then after the breakfast we came home and worked around the house a little and decided it was a nice day to drive down to the lakehouse with Steve and Holly. It did turn out to be beautiful. The kids played in the sand and stuck their toes in the water and at least it was somewhere different for them to play. We had burgers on the grill and then a pontoon boat ride. It had just started to sprinkle a little as we left and we saw a very pretty rainbow on the way home. Casey was so tired on the way home he fell asleep and Ryan transferred him right to his bed. About 45 minutes after he was in bed, with his clothes and jacket still on, he woke up a little disoriented and asked if he could spit his gum out. I'm just glad he didn't choke on it while he was sleeping! Sunday was a pretty relaxing day as well. We went to church then came home and had blue gills that were caught at the cabin for lunch. They were delicious. The evening was so beautiful we decided to head to Quail Hollow. The girls played on the swings while Ryan and Casey did some fishing. No fish but some good bonding time. Ryan is fishing at Portage Lakes this morning dreaming of catching 100's of blue gills. I'd love the fish but I'd hate to have to help clean them all!

Caught in the Rain

Last night we went to the Greekfest down in Canton by Malone University. The sky looked a little less than promising but at the time didn't appear to be raining too hard. So we set off for some rides and a little fresh air with Gary and Charla. While we were there, the first 1 hour or so was relatively dry with a few stray sprinkles here and there. The kids rode about 5 rides a piece with Casey finishing on the dragon rollercoaster. Audrey wanted to ride all the rides but when it came to actually getting on them she started to cry. Once they started moving she was o.k. though. As Casey was riding the dragon, the raindrops began to fall faster and faster. Chelsea was not a fan of being caught in the rain. When he was finished with the ride we made a mad dash for the van but we were all pretty wet and cold by the time we got there! Oh well, at least the kids had fun and got their rides in!

What a Week!

I know I'm slacking here a little in my attempt to blog three times a week. I have a good excuse though since we have had a lot of company in the last week. We had a great time! Nate and Jen just left yesterday. It was so good to see them after not seeing them for almost a year. We had some very nice days and were able to go to the park, and play outside. Logan was content to just sit on our lawnmower or ride our VERY slow electric four-wheeler. Pretty much from the time he got up until he went to bed, that is what he was thinking about. Emma is a little cutie who wants to walk so badly. One of these days she'll get it and she'll be running! Poor thing just wants to keep up with everyone else but can't. She is so funny when she eats, especially spaghetti. She eats with her hands and pulls all rubber bands out of her hair, so needless to say she is a mess! On Tuesday we went to Metzger park and the kids had so much fun playing and riding around the bike path. I think I will have to take the kids there more to ride. Casey rode his scooter around and Audrey tried to ride a training wheel bike but it was a little tippy for her and she didn't make it the whole way. So once I find her something to ride it would be a great place for me to push Chelsea in the stroller and let the others burn off some energy. Then we had a little picnic there and played some more. After that it was naptime for everyone (well, kids). Jen and I went and did a little shopping while Nate manned the house. Wednesday we made green pancakes and then headed to the Hartville park. The goal was to wear out Logan so he would take a good nap on their trip to PA. I haven't talked to them yet to know if the attempt worked. Casey and Audrey were both sad to see them leave. I think they would enjoy having cousins live a little closer.

Beautiful Day

It was a beautiful day for working outside. I got the rest of my garden planted. That is after spending well over an hour painstakingly pulling the hundreds of weeds out! Now is the hard part....waiting to see what all the hard work will produce. If all our veggies grow we should be able to provide the entire neighborhood with tomatoes! I was thinking I should go for a walk because it is so nice out but I think all that work in the garden really wore me out. I think I'm more up for just sitting on the porch watching the sun go down. Besides I need to save up some energy because tomorrow is going to be another day of hard work. We are planning to mulch and I need to get some things cleaned before Nate and Jen come on Sunday.

Busy Days

We have had a couple of very busy days playing with friends and cousins. On Tuesday, our friends Luke and Ava came to play while their mom and dad went car shopping. It was like having two sets of twins because Casey and Luke are just a couple months apart and Audrey and Ava are just a couple months apart. They really played very nice. No one wanted to sleep so it was a no nap day but that's usually o.k. with me because then it means early bedtimes. They played outside, had a coloring party, and Chelsea got lots of attention.

Then on Tuesday night my mom and dad and Steph and the boys arrived for a short visit. It was too bad that Wednesday was such a rainy day but we did manage some time for playing outside. Casey and Audrey were thrilled that everyone came and we had a little early birthday party for Audrey. She was most excited with her Barbie cake that Grandma and Nicole made and loved all her girly presents. Now we will look forward to a visit from Nate and Jen. They are stopping here on their way to Lancaster. It looks like the weather should be a little nicer so maybe we can plan some outside activities.

Rainy Day

From the looks of the weather outside we need to find some rainy day projects for today. Too bad we went the the library yesterday. Seems a little soon to go there again but on the other hand, the kids would probably be thrilled to go back. Sometimes when given the choice they even pick the library over the park! We made cards for Caleb and Kadin to send back with mom and dad yesterday. Maybe we'll have to make some cards for someone else. Birthdays anyone? I guess I should also finish the laundry that I started yesterday. Ugh! The blankets that I left out in the thunderstorm last night are anything but dry and are now hanging on the ground so probably need to be rewashed as well. Why do I make extra work for myself? Mom and dad will be coming later on tonight so at least we do have something to look forward to on this dreary day. I'm hoping for a little nicer weather tomorrow when they are here but it's not looking too promising!

Get up Early Morning?

I think that June 1st must be designated as a "get up early" morning. Chelsea is awake and I'm trying to see if she'll go back to sleep on her own but she appears to be pretty happy just playing around in her crib. She should be very tired because she didn't sleep well last night. Up at 1....only 4.5 hours after going to sleep. No way to get her back to sleep except nursing so I finally gave in. I'm such a pushover! But I was a tired one at that point! Casey is also awake and trying to go back to sleep. He popped over into my room shortly after 6:30 but I told him he had to go back to bed too. I don't know if he'll be able to sleep either. He is such a tender heart I almost felt bad to make him go back to bed. He was on the verge of tears as I told him. I think he was disappointed that it wasn't time for his good morning hugs from mom. Then I felt bad so I tried to explain to him that I'm not upset with him but just that his body needs a little more sleep. We'll see what happens. Audrey must not have gotten the memo about waking up early because she happens to still be sleeping.