Painful

 Oh this kid....

What fun pictures he always takes, smiling like its painful.

At least he is not alone.

Comfort

When weekends have you running to volleyball clinics, soccer practices, soccer games, and family reunions, there is nothing like a homemade pizza night to bring everyone back together.

Another Turn

One kid in soccer, another starting volleyball.

Being Ready

My word for the year is 'Ready'.

The goal is to prepare myself to be ready for anything.  From freeing up my calendar of unimportant fillers in order to be more present and spontaneous to tackling the organizing of school papers and pictures so my future self won't be so stressed at graduation time!

Makeshift

So many boys.  So much laughter.  

Memories being made by the second playing Gaga Ball in the trampoline.

Change of plans

We were supposed to go to Cedar Point today as a reward to the children for working the county fairs with us. However, we are sooo clooose to having enough money saved in order to book Disney that the children made the decision to save the money, put it towards vacation, and do a bunch of free stuff instead.  

Here's how the day went:

First, we stopped at the Toledo Botanical Garden to visit the new Secret Forest playground.

While there we did a little Pokemon hunting.

 Since we were in the area, we made a lunch stop to Golden Corral.  I love the salad bar and chili, the kids love the chocolate fountain.  We can't lose there.

Then we made our way over to Nickelworld to finish spending the rolls and rolls of nickels we still had from two Christmases ago!!

Theennnnn.....  Even though it was incredibly hot....  Even though my anxiety was in full force....  Even though we forgot our helmets....  We stopped into the new bike park at Oak Openings.

We only had one minor accident - that I am happy to report I did not witness a he fell the two feet off the track.

Finally, we walked over to explore the new treehouses being built.  They do look pretty fabulous!

Renaissance

Bree, Holly, and Jim along with cousins and grandparents spent the day at the Michigan Renaissance Festival.

Turkey legs.  Archery.  Jousting.  Taverns.  A castle and more.

Night In

A night home alone with Jacob.

Detective Pikachu on loan from the Library.

Half the allotted weekly grocery budget spent on dinner.

Its going to be a great night.

Rag Time

 The fairs are over.  School is back in session.  

Pumpkins have been bought. 

It is time for the Halloween crafts to begin!

Pre-planning

I planted this Black Eyed Susan this year and was WOW-ed at how great it took off.

 My hostas, however, have been looking worse and worse each year.  I'm not sure if its a bug infestation or too much sun.  Either way, I'm pre-planning for next year and have 50 bulbs bought and ready for Fall planting!

Helping

"Let us do good to everyone"

Galations 6:10

Yesterday someone asked for a favor and I was able to help out.  It was a simple task to fill, but that small 'yes' for me was a huge weight lifted for someone else.  It was a great reminder that we are here to help each other, what it means to show up in person, and that Facebook 'Likes' are not near as rewarding as words of gratitude straight from the heart.

Complaint Department

Sometimes you open your mouth and your parents come out.

Case in point:  

I said to the kids "You're going to eat what I make and like it.  Its not easy cooking for you guys every day."

However, I was not prepared for the response of:

"Then let us cook dinner."

Excitement

I had the wonderful job of spending $1,000 of grant money on brand new books for the school library.  Box upon box has arrived and they smell wonderful.  Now its time to crack open their wonderfully tight spines and get them ready for the check-out.  Ooh, the excitement of new adventures waiting to be read.  I love this part of my job!

First Fall Festivities

Our day started off as most Saturdays and Sundays do these days..... SOCCER!!  The only difference today was Jacob getting a chance to play offense for a change.   

We had a good lead over the opposing team so the coach decided to switch up players positions.  Jacob, who is normally on defense, quickly learned he is not conditioned to play striker and having to run the entire game.  He enjoyed it though and discovered he has a lot of training to do if he wants to advance to a different position.

After a confidence-boosting win, I thought we need a surprise treat of donuts from the local fruit farm.  Plus, I was ready to taste the first gallon of apple cider for the year.

On the way, we passed a farm that had pumpkins for $2.  I wasn't expecting them to be anything big or worth buying more than one, but I was wrong!

Every pumpkin was inspected for size, shape, potential carving features, awesome stems, and who its eventual owner would be.  

Every.  Single.  Pumpkin.... was inspected.....

We eventually made it out of there with our festive loot and are officially ready for Autumn to start!

Overload

Just as stores are on holiday overload - Summer stuff being clearanced out, Fall/Halloween on full display, Thanksgiving and Christmas starting to be set up - so is my craft room.

Finishing up the last of the Easter decorations so I can start the new Halloween decorations all while listening to Christmas music.

Upgrade

For almost 2 years we have been assembling and selling Sauder's units.  During this time, we updated our 17 year old end tables and went a little more streamlined with our TV stand.  And finally, FINALLY, it was time to update my 35+ year old dresser!

My dresser served my parents well, made it through my siblings and I just fine, but it was showing its age in design and broken drawers.  

This upgrade was a long time coming and it feels good.