The Traditional Parade

For the last 30 some years Mickey has been in or attended a Memorial Day parade in Edwardsburg.  I have done the same for the last 20 years.  We shared this tradition with our kids as they came along.  Up until the last, I think, 3 years we rode in Mickey's grandpa's model T truck.  He no longer has it so we are now the people watching along the road waiting for someone to throw us candy.  Today we continued that tradition.  Luckily the rain held off long enough for the parade to finish.  The kids each walked away with a sack full of candy.  Here's the sugar happy children.  (Meg invited a friend along, Grace.)

It's the last day of May.  This year is going by so fast.  I'm sure it will slow down in some ways with the kids being home but then again school will be starting before we know it.  I would like to make the most of their time off.  Anyone have any suggestions as to what we could do together?  I'm planning to come up with a routine so we/they know what to expect every day but I'll need some fun activities to throw in too.

Not a Normal Sunday

As the title states today was not normal.  Mickey decided to take a "mental health day" from church.  He ended up really needing it because his bad allergies from yesterday turned out to be a cold.  My alarm went off and I felt terrible, achey with a runny nose.  I turned off the alarm and rolled over.  I had no responsibilities so I decided to take a day off too.  The kids didn't seem to be too concerned about it and watched a few movies while we lounged in bed.



This afternoon we had Mickey home.  What a treat.  (We were feeling better by this time.)  Speaking of treats I frosted two cakes for the cook out we were going to have for my mom's birthday.  I made carrot cake.  Oh, it was good.



We went over to my parents' house and I totally forgot the camera.  That worked out anyway.  My mom does not like to have to picture taken.



We brought home our nieces and nephew to play until their dad could come pick them up.  Their little sister is in the hospital fighting pneumonia.  We put on a movie for all the kids since they had been fed and it was getting late.  The big girls played a board game.  The littler people played with the pretend food and the trains.  I couldn't resist getting a picture of them playing with trains.  No one really plays with them anymore but you can tell from the picture they have been loved for years.

Busy Saturday

This is how we started out our day.

Our subdivision has a little Memorial Day parade.  The kids had a blast being in the parade.  It stopped at the pool where there were all kinds of activities to do.  They also had a Kona Ice truck there giving out FREE shaved ice.  Gotta love that.

Afterwards we went to two graduation parties.  For one we had to drive an hour there and back.  That made for a long day but I got out of cooking dinner.

Summer Reading

Today was the last day of school!  Yay!  I think I must be out of my mind for saying that but I'm looking forward to actually being home for long stretches of time.  The girls both had a good last day.  Both had pizza parties.  After picking up Meg I took them to the library, where else do I like to go, to sign them up for the summer reading program.  In years past you had to fill out a paper form, were given a folder with all kinds of flyers, and were allowed to pick out a prize just for signing up.  Now it's all done on the computer.  I'm glad they're saving trees doing it this way but why would I take my three kids to the library to use the computer when I could sign them up in the comfort of my own home when they're in bed?  I wouldn't.  So we picked out some books and movies.  Mattey's library trip was a little more special.  We filled out an on line form for her to get her own library card.  She was thrilled.

Her card is way cooler than my card.  I think I'll have to loose mine so I can get a new one.  It'll probably cost me a few dollars but it will be worth it.

After I'm done posting I will be signing myself and all the kids up for the program.  I would love to win one of the prizes.

Two days ago Mattey's new glasses came in.  I like them a lot better than the other pair she had.  She must have had a growth spurt because her Rx changed quite a bit in just 7 months.

"Buy Me Some Peanuts and Cracker Jacks"

Peanuts and Cracker Jacks are not sold at our little league ball park but they sell other yummy things.  That is if you like junky food.  Kade had a game tonight and we all had to grab something before we left.  Meg was already at her practice but she walked over afterward.  We told them they could get something at the concession stand later.  Meg got a slice of pizza.  Mat got two ring pops.  And Kade got what he likes to get after every game....a hot dog smothered in ketchup.

Notice his full left cheek.  He has a BIG bite in there.

End of School

This is what Kade took to his teachers this year.  One pot per teacher.  (My creativity and some of my brain are still packed in a box somewhere.)  The teachers seemed to like this simple gift.  What woman doesn't like getting flowers?  Especially from a cute little boy.  There was also a little thank you note tucked into every plant.  No more pre-school.  Man is that going to be weird.

Playing Dirty

Tonight Meg had a double header.  That means we don't get a good dinner.  We have to sit on hard bleachers for a few hours.  We have to find a way to keep the Reds happy.  And the later is not always easy to do.  We try to make them wait for the third inning before making a trip to the "confession" stand.  Sometimes Mattey really gets into the games and will ask what's going on and cheer for Meg's team.  Sometimes...not.  Kade usually wanders around or digs in someone's purse, usually it belongs to someone he knows.  Their most favorite activity while at the ball park is play in the dirt.  I've probably posted about this before but it was something that happened today and they played so well together I wanted to document it.

They like to use rocks and sticks to make rivers or streets.  Usually they have some kind of imaginative play thing going on with all the dirt.  They are really good at that.

Meg won both games.  (I didn't post about it on Friday but she's been out of the boot since then.  I need to go back and add a few things to that day.)  She got to play a few different positions, first base, center field, and short stop.  She also got a double.

When we got home Mickey wanted to try out the sprinkler system.  He came in soaked.  I think he had a little too much fun trying them out.

Growing Up

Megan, of all people, has been asking and asking me to shave her legs.  If you know her you're probably thinking "What?  Not Megan."  I couldn't believe she was asking to do it.  I kept telling her she could wait a while but she kept asking.  Today I surprised her when I handed her my electric shaver.  (I thought that would be easier to use than the other kind.  And she wouldn't waste 30 minutes of water.)  After a brief demonstration she got right to work.

I don't know how well she did but now she'll have to keep doing it.  The joys of being a girl.

Natural Beauty

Irises are one of my favorite flowers, purple especially.  I dug up some before we moved hoping to having a place to put them here.  They ended up sitting around in a grocery bag for over a month.  I don't think they're going to make it.  I put them in the ground just to make sure.  Last week when I looked in the flower garden in front of the porch I was trying to figure out what some of the flowers were.  There were these tall skinny rods with a tight bud on top.  I could tell they would probably be purple but the stem and leaves didn't look familiar.  To my surprise they bloomed and are purple irises, a mini variety.  There a lots of them which makes me happy.  I thought I'd share some with you.

Outdoor Space

The potd will give you another peek at our house.  From the previous peek  you could see we have a beautiful porch on the front.  We also have a great deck off the back.  I think we'll end up using it a lot.

We had family over for Mattey's birthday this afternoon.  I thought we'd hang out on the deck but I never made it out there until it was time to clean up.  It had cooled down by that time.  It was kind of muggy and warm today.  The kids enjoyed the yard and ate on the deck but the adults stayed in for the most part.  I think we need to get some comfy and inviting furniture.  If you see a good deal on a set of table and chairs let us know.  Maybe a swing or glider too.

Turning Nine

Nine years ago today our first red head was born.  NINE YEARS!  Wow.  Mattey celebrated all day.  She started with opening her presents from us since the rest of the day was going to be busy.  She was thrilled with one of her gifts.  Can you tell?

She took blueberry muffins to school for her birthday treat.  (They aren't allowed to bring in unhealthy foods anymore.  That's not any fun.)  After school Mat's friend came home with us.  After picking up Meg we went shopping for a fun craft.  We got flip flops from Old Navy and then got some trimmings to decorate them with.  They turned out so cute.  I might have to make myself a pair.  We had pizza and watched a movie.  Then we sang "Happy Birthday" to Mattey and had a cupcake.  I heard her say a few times today that this is her "best birthday ever".  I hope they don't go down hill from here.

Happy Birthday, Mat!  We love you.

The Fridge

(I can't believe this is the second post this week about the fridge.)



The refrigerator we "inherited" with the house is not my favorite.  It's a side by side.  (It's also cream while the other appliances are black.)  Which means there's not much room for frozen things because it dispenses ice and water.  (The kids love the crushed ice.)  The door is not built to hold gallons of milk so I can only have about 2 in the fridge at a time to leave space for other necessities.  Even though this is kind of a complaining post I will say one nice thing about our refrigerator.  It has a snack drawer.  Can you believe it?  A drawer just for snacks!  It's only about 4-5" tall.  At first I was putting the lunch meat and cheeses in there until I noticed that's what the bottom drawer is for.  Yes, I have to put my food where it's "supposed" to go.  After moving out the meat and cheese I thought about what I could put in there.  Then I had to do a little grocery shopping.  I ended up buying something that fit perfectly in the drawer.

One of my favorite snacks.  It's also one of Kade's.  He'd eat 3 a day if I let him.  Mattey will eat some if her favorite flavor is available, key lime pie.  Meg and Mickey won't eat it.  I've tried.  They'll have to get their calcium from another source I guess.

Graduation Day

This morning we went to Kade's Music and Munchies program.  Let me just say I haven't enjoyed one as much as this since the first one I saw.  There were LOTS of new songs.  I could only sing along with 3.  After the program the teacher handed out certificates/diplomas.  There were no hats with tassels or big to do but it was a big day for Kade.  He has graduated from pre-school.  He still has three fun filled days left but the work is over.  To commemorate this day he gets to be in the potd.  (Big surprise, right?)  He went to pose with his teacher, I actually had to make him do it, and his little friend tagged along.  That's a good representation of his school career.  These two are good friends and Noah puts up with all of Kade's bossiness.  (I wonder where he learned that?)  He will also follow Kade into getting in trouble or making a mess (not usually at school but at each other's houses).  Now there's a true friend.  It's probably a good thing they will be in different schools for kindergarten.

Musical Friends

Today and tomorrow are filled with musical events.  In the afternoon Meg had an orchestra concert.  It was held at the school for the students.  It was at a really bad time for us to attend so we missed out.  We'll have to have her give us our own little concert sometime.  Then tonight Mattey had a spring concert, singing.  It was a nice little program with some fun songs.  She decided not to participate in choir anymore but the 3rd & 4th graders sang too.  Here she is with her friend.

This friend is going to help Mat celebrate her birthday on Friday.

To continue on with the music topic, Kade has his Music and Munchies program tomorrow.  This is always a cute show.  I think he told me they were doing new songs this year.  That will be good since I've already seen the show a few times before.  I've charged the batteries for both cameras so we should be ready to go.  Last year I didn't think about it and got about half way through a song with video before it died.

We've Got Three Bars

Stools, that is.  I picked these up at WalMart for $15 a piece.  Not bad when the local "oak" store is charging $38 for one.  The $45 is totally worth it.  The kids love sitting at the island.  (Before today they had been either standing or sitting on stacked up boxes.)  Tonight Mickey and I enjoyed our dinner at the table, alone.  Maybe tomorrow I'll put out some candles for us and play some Yiruma in the background.

A Super Fridge

I guess Kade thought our refridgerator started with a single Spiderman magnet







Edited May, 17th.  (It's me, Kelly)  I just had to edit this post.  Poor Mickey had typed out three paragraphs yesterday, and on his phone too, only to have this first draft posted.



Some time yesterday I saw Spiderman had made his way to my refrigerator.  Later I noticed a lot of his friends had joined him.  I guess Kade decided to do a little decorating of his own.  I don't really think that's the look I was leaning towards for the kitchen but it will do for now until I know what I want to do.

The Perfect Tee Ball Player

Today was Kaden's first tee ball game. He had so much fun. In the second inning he played the pitching position (obviously with a tee, he wasn't really pitching) and he got almost every ball hit to him. Every time he would field them and then throw them to first, of which the first basemen caught zero. At one point he turned to us and said, "I am perfect at tee ball!"

On another note, we had an AWESOME moving crew this morning. They had a load from Kelly's brother's house, a load from my parent's house, and two loads from the storage unit all unloaded within three hours. It was amazing. Special thanks to all those who helped.

Taking After her Dad

As I mentioned yesterday I took Meg to the doctor's office this morning.  We were there a good hour and a half.  We saw the family doc.  He sent us down the long hall for x-rays.  We went back to see the doc.  He couldn't find anything wrong with her foot so he squeezed her in to see the podiatrist that works in the office.  Nice.  His nurse came to walk us over.  (Every where we went Meg hopped.  It was a little funny.  One nurse asked her if she wanted bunny ears.)  We waited a little while for the podiatrist to come in.  He checked out her foot and after a few minutes says she strained her plantar fascia, a ligament that runs along the bottom of the foot.  He tells us the treatment.  It's totally doable and she's able to WALK out of the doctor's office.  Now it wasn't a miracle cure...I'll let you see for yourself.

It's a walking boot.  Poor thing had to get a medium instead of a small because her feet are too big.  Now the leg part of the boot looks huge on her.  At least she can walk without pain.  She's also supposed to take Advil three times a day and ice it.  She goes back in next Friday for him to take a look.  She might not have to wear the boot longer than a week.  Like I said, totally doable.  The podiatrist did give us some great news.  He said her feet are almost done growing.  Yay!  Soon we won't have to buy her a new shoe size every six months.

In case you're wondering that is our new house in the background.  Here's a better look.

Mickey and Chris went over at 9:00 and the house was empty and clean.  They got the carpets cleaned and the locks changed.  We got a moving van in the afternoon and got a load from the storage unit after picking up my mother's day present.  A washer and dryer.  They're pretty high tech (what do you expect when my husband picks them out?) and of course energy and water efficient.  They'll do everything but fold the clothes.  Now that would be my idea of high tech.  We got the truck unloaded with the help of Mickey's parents and sister.  I have about half of the kitchen put away.  That makes me feel good.  At least one room I'll use a lot is not in chaos.  Tomorrow the rest will get moved in.  Mickey's lined up quite a few people to help.  It should go quickly.  Hopefully I'll remember to take some pictures of all the action.

Lil' Slugger

We signed Kade up for tee ball.  He has been looking forward to playing baseball for a few months, actually since signing up in January.  It wasn't fair that Meg started practicing over a month ago and Kade finally had his first practice last week and then has had two rained out.  He had another practice tonight and got his uniform.  Well, we bought the pants.



He was so thrilled I had to make it be the potd.

He has his first game on Saturday.  He's ready to play.

The little pink circles on him are stamps.  He won one at the fun fair last week and loves to put the stamps all over himself.  Cheap entertainment, I guess.  I told Mickey I've really mellowed out because it would have embarrassed me to take the girls out looking like this but now I just don't care.  That really makes life a little easier.  I personally love that he stamps his cheeks.  What goes through his five year old mind?

Mickey picked up the key to our new house this afternoon.  He and Chris will be going over tomorrow morning to clean the carpets.  I hope the lady doesn't mind being shoved out the door.

While they're having fun doing that I will be taking Meg to the doctor's office because she has injured herself again.  She's been hopping around most of the week.

Who's Putting Who to Bed

Mickey had been reading Kade a story, which he barely made it through the chapter, and then decided he had better catch a few winks before his pool game with Doc.  It looks like Kade is putting Mickey to sleep by rubbing his head.

Wanted: A Hybrid

I am in need of a hybrid car/SUV.  Today was the fourth time in less than 2-1/2 weeks I've had to fill up the van.  It's because I am always driving someone somewhere and it's no longer within 5-10 minutes.  It's now 10-15 minutes to get wherever we need to be.



The POTD is nothing fabulous but it's part of our life today.  And who documents getting gas?  Probably no one.  If you look through the window you can see where I got gas.  And you can also tell we had rain, lots of rain.

Making Friends

It seems that where ever we go the kids manage to make friends.  (They definitely get this from their dad.)  Today was the second time Mattey and Kade played with their new friend.  She lives two doors down from where we're staying.  Her name is (this is the way to pronounce it because I don't know how to spell it) Nee-mine.  She has the most striking light blue eyes that really pop out from her dark hair.  She's loves to play outside, especially with a frisbee.

The reds played outside for a LONG time this afternoon while I cleaned out Jan's pantry.  Meg was at a talent show practice at school.  I can't wait to send them out to our backyard.  Only a few more days left to wait.  I wonder what friends they'll make there.

It Kept Him Quiet

Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers (present & future) out there.  I hope you all got some nice appreciation from your kids/husbands.  I did not get the one thing I wanted.  To sleep until noon.  It was nice to have Mickey home for the morning since his meetings were cancelled so the men could be home to help out.  Other than him being home the day was going pretty much like normal; someone doesn't want to comb their hair, put on certain clothes, or just dawdles until it's time to go making me a little grouchy.



We had to get to church a little early because the woman's choir I'm in was performing today and we had to run through our song.  That went well.  At some point towards the end of Sacrament Meeting I look over and see Kade like this.

Thank goodness for Mickey's iPhone.  I know it's not the best picture but when would I ever catch him doing this again?  Probably never, since the compact is not mine.  Mattey and Kade were both digging in Nana's purse finding things to keep them quiet.  Maybe that's what I need to do, carry an extra purse full of all kinds of things for them to get in to.

What do your kids do to keep quiet during church?

Black Ball....in the Side Pocket

While we've been staying with Jan and Doc, Mickey and Doc have played a few games of pool.  I think they both enjoy it.  (They didn't play tonight but I was desperate for a picture and wanted to document this activity.)  Mickey and I played one night.  Let's just say I'm rather rusty.  He was beating me 2-0 but I did manage to win the last game, only because Mickey scratched, but I did play a lot better that game.

Early Mother's Day

It's not even Mother's Day yet and the kids have already given me their presents. Wednesday Kade gave me a nice card in which he said I was 14 years old, weighing 6 lbs., and that I liked to watch "bad guy shows" on TV.  Okay....There were a few other funny comments but I'm not going to track down the card right now.  He also painted a clay pot and planted a flower in it.  He was really excited about giving me that.  I'll try to keep it alive for a while.  (The girls also gave me painted pots.  I have the perfect spot to put them in the new house.)



This afternoon Mattey gave me her gift. She made me a beautiful card and told me how much she loves me and what a great mom I am.  I was also presented with a little gift bag full of candies.



Megan came out of school carrying a box.  Actually a lot of kids were exiting school with boxes or other gifts in hand.  Meg made me a cake!  Can you believe that?  Her teacher took them to the home ec. room and helped them bake 26 cakes.  They frosted them and topped the cakes with strawberries.  It was pretty good too.

The kids were so happy to give me gifts.  I turned to Mickey and asked what he got me, just so he felt included.  He said he hadn't "acquired it yet".  It will probably be a new washer and dryer.  Every mom's dream, right?  Seriously, we had discussed the fact that this year we wouldn't be buying each other gifts for any holiday/celebration since we were going to buy a house.  So since it's for the "house"....I guess a washer and dryer will be great.  I really don't want to wash clothes in the sink and hang them on a line to dry.  I have much better things to do with my time.

On a side note:  We closed on the new house today!  We will get possession next Friday.  We can't wait to get our things out of storage and move them in.

Humerus but Not so Funny

I forgot to take the camera with me twice today.  I'm a little tired and have had a headache most of the day.  I wanted to take a picture of Mat's field trip but when I was almost there I realized the camera was not with me.  We (Mattey, Kade, and I) went to a high school and watched part of their Spring musical, "Once Upon a Mattress".  The idea was cute but the performance...not really want I was expecting.  I've decided musicals aren't really my thing but Mattey and Kade enjoyed it.



This afternoon we finally took the kids through the new house for our final walk through.  They seemed to like it.  I'm sure they'll like it better with their own stuff in their rooms and without all the boxes everywhere.  This is the other place I wanted to take the camera.  Maybe next time.



So I'm making dinner with Mickey's help and Meg tells us there are goslings out in the yard.  She goes out with a camera to take a picture for today's post.  She comes back without one.  I grab a camera (yes, we have multiple cameras) and go outside.  The goose family starts to wander off keeping their distance.  I get a few shots from the dock but they don't turn out well because the good lens is packed somewhere.  Since they had moved to the water I thought I could get a little closer without them feeling threatened.  Let me just say that that daddy goose was really on guard.  He started hissing at me.  Not loud but enough to tell me to stay away.  He swam off to be closer to his family so then I inched a little closer to the shore.  While I'm taking pictures he starts swimming toward me, hissing.  He's not happy with me.  Of course he doesn't understand that I won't hurt them.  I just want a look.  I'm still taking pictures and I notice through the view finder that he's still coming towards me.  I'm thinking I still have time to take a few more.  He's not very fast swimming or walking.  Well, I forgot that he can fly.  I still have the camera to my eye and I hear the sound of wings flapping.  He took a flying leap at me.  He landed about 3 feet away but I didn't know that since I couldn't see him.  I let out a little scream and twisted my body around to start running.  When I started to move my feet got tangled up with each other and I fell hard on my...wait for it...humerus, that's the upper arm for anyone that doesn't know.  I got to my feet as fast as I could because I didn't want the goose to get me while I was down.  I took off right behind Meg who had watched the whole thing.  The goose only took a few more steps toward me since I was running away.  I ran up the stairs to the deck and right into the house.  I had grass stains on my arm and both knees.  Mickey asked what happened.  I told him and he's laughing and saying something about sorry he missed it.  The "it" was getting my goose attach on video.   What a nice husband he is.



Without further ado I present the picture I risked my life to get.  Notice the goose's open mouth, hissing.

I hope this won't give me nightmares tonight.

Field Trippin'

Today Megan and I went with her fifth grade class on a field trip to Chicago.  We got to ride in posh tour buses and were able to see many sites.  Our first stop was the house of President Obama.  We could only stand at the end of the street, outside the cement barricades, and were greeted rather quickly by a member of the secret service.  Next we drove past a few sites and then stopped at Willis Tower for some quick pictures.  Then we stopped at Navy Pier where we had lunch and walked around for a few hours.  The picture of the day was taken during our walk on the pier.  Our last stop was the Lincoln Park Zoo where we only had forty five minutes to see as much as we could.  A day spent with a bunch of fifth graders wasn't as bad as I thought it might be.  I actually enjoyed myself quite a bit.



Kade also had his first tee-ball practice today.  He was pretty excited about that.

Creepy Crawlies

Tonight at Activity Days the girls were having an ice cream social.  Actually the ice cream was a reward for memorizing the Articles of Faith.  I took Megan over for the last few minutes after her game, a 17 - 0 shellacking of the other team.  Oh wait, it's not about winning. :-)  Mattey ran up and told me she only got one scoop of ice cream because she only has the first four memorized.  She got a little happier when she found out that Megan only got whipped cream because she only has two memorized.  Kade stopped running around outside the church for a second while I snapped this picture of him with three caterpillars on his arm.

Enjoying Nature

This week we have three (one for each kid) field trips.  It must be May or something.  Today's field trip was for Kade's class to St. Patrick's Park.  We had lovely weather for it.  Kade was very excited because he got to ride in a school bus.  This is something the preschool does at the end of the year to let the kids experience it before going to kindergarten.  Kade loved it.  The only other time he's been on a bus was when he was one, so he doesn't remember, of course.



At the park we were put into groups and taken on a nature hike after getting a shape to look for in nature.  Let me just say, I really had to use my imagination, and I think I have a good one, on some of the things the guide pointed out.  Luckily Kade had a circle and we found a few things without the imagination stretching.



I took a few pictures that turned out the way I wanted but I really liked this one.  So it's the potd.

Crowd Pleaser

This afternoon we were invited to Chris and Amanda's house for a cookout.  They asked us to bring a side to share.  I do have a few dishes that go over really well at dinners so I had a hard time deciding what I was going to make.  I chose baked mac & cheese because it sounded good to me.  I don't make it for our little family because I'm the only one that will eat it.  And I don't need to eat the entire 9 X 13 pan myself.  I usually leave a dinner/pot-luck with an empty pan.  I had a little left over tonight.  Now I'll have something yummy to eat for lunch.

If you want the recipe let me know.  I don't feel like typing any more right now.

The First of Many

Meg had her first softball game this morning.  There will probably be a few dozen more.  Her team won, not that that's what softball is all about but it's nice.  Her second time up to bat she got a great hit.  This is her running to first.  She shouldn't really be looking at the ball but....she was.

I missed the next bit of action.  I believe she tried to steal and got tagged out.  Maybe next time.  I guess summer has officially begun?