All in a days time.....

Kirk went to watch the end of Spring Arbor basketball camp. Unfortunately, the pictures didn't turn out very good in that gym for some reason. He at least got a picture of Kraig and his bud Corey. What do you think they are plotting now?! I wish there was a way to get those boys together more. They sure have a lot of fun together. Hopefully, we can have Corey over now that baseball season is coming to a close. (at least for Kraig)

We have always tried to get good pictures of the Elk on Concord Rd. They never seem to be in the front when we are driving by. Yesterday Kirk and Kraig were able to get great pictures of them on the way home from camp. Can you believe the size of those antlers?! WOW!!

Kraig pitched in another baseball game last night. You would never guess that this team's record is 7-5 because the games are usually so painful to watch. He had a hard time last night....could have been the 6 hours of b-ball camp???

We are off to pick up the boys from Albion camp today. We haven't heard anything from Kirk which I guess is a good thing. Tonight we have a game in Homer at 5:30 and a game in Camden at 6:00. Hmmmm....tomorrow morning looks the same. Game in Jonesville at 10 and one in HHS at 10. They really should come up with a way to clone parents. It would make our job a lot easier.

A pieceful ending....

Just another beautiful sunset captured by my talented husband. He really has the patience for waiting for the best moment to shoot the picture. I would miss picture opportunities like this because I would get distracted by something else (a bird flying by, a person, or whatever else came into my view). Saugatuck sunsets are nice but I still think we prefer Ludington. I would really like to take the boys to the "Lake" this summer. I don't know if there will be anytime left between baseball ending and football beginning. I guess we will have to wait and see. I haven't even been to the cottage this summer (except for raking and father's day). Hopefully next week will slow down a bit....a LOL as I type that because I know it won't really be slowing down, but one can only hope!

Quiet Time!

Well, we did have a good time last Thursday...and it is always nice when you can focus on just you (instead of all the other life issues). That was probably the last lazy day we will have for awhile now. Kraig finishes his basketball camp at Spring Arbor tomorrow afternoon. He has had a great time. I dropped K3 and 2 of his buddies off at Albion College for a 3 day (boarding) basketball camp. He was very EXCITED!! There were 3 boys that were chosen to go with the JV to camp. Pretty special honor. Konnor has hung out with Drew today....hunting and four wheeling....a few of the only things that keep him happy. Kirk and I worked around the house doing odd and end projects. I finally tackled the closet in the downstairs bathroom (all of the backpack and stuff brought home on the last day of school). I can't believe this is our 4th week of vacation. WOW....time flies when you're working your butt off and running boys to camps. This is camp #3 for both. 4 more baseball games yet this week. Yippeee!!!!

Sugar and spice and everything nice.....

"Sugar and spice and everything nice...that is what little girls are made of". I can't begin to tell you how special it was to scrap these lovely girls. What started out as a progressive page swap, turned into a very enjoyable activity. Jill and Beth were so sweet to share some of their girly pictures with me so I could experience the pink papers, prima flowers, and fancy ribbons. I had such a wonderful time creating these pages for my friends. The girls are beautiful...and so sweet! I can't thank you guys enough for letting me experience the joys of "girl" motherhood.

ON THE HOMEFRONT.....Like every other week we have had this summer, this week is jam packed with activity. Konnor and I had baseball practice last night, K3 had practice until the monsoon started, K2 had a football coaches meeting, and Kraig tried to recover from his first day at Spring Arbor Basketball camp. Kraig is at S.A. Monday-Thursday from 9-3. K3 leaves Wednesday morning for Albion Basketball (spending the night for the first time at a camp, Yikes!) And Konnor is fishing, swimming, and playing with friends. We have a baseball game in Camden tonight, FOD on Thursday, Homer on Friday, FOD on Saturday. WOW....and to think we are on vacation?!

Too busy to post!

I can't even remember the last time I had a chance to blog. Last week was a whirlwind of activity around here. We had baseball Monday-Saturday. Yes, that would be six days of games. Thursday Kirk and I went to Saugatuck and South Haven for a quick Anniversary celebration. 16 years and counting....although we don't get credit for the 6 additional years that we went together and were engaged. We had a great time....lots of relaxation and beautiful sunsets. I will continue to update you on the rest of the weekend. I got to spend the weekend with Beth and Jill at the camper scrappin'! We had a blast.

Unconditional Love

Isn't it amazing that animals can make you feel so loved? They are never judgemental....always looking for affection...and always willing to give. Some of my happiest days were spent in the barn with my horses. I am glad that my kids can experience some of that feeling, even if they are "borrowed" animals. Konnor truly loves Princess. She is so loving and is not intimidating at all.

Hope everyone had a great Father's Day. We went to the cottage to celebrate with my mom and dad, Kevin and Shirley, Grandma Abbie, and Uncle Jim. We had a good time despite dodging the rain drops. The boys even got to jet ski for awhile before the rain set in. It was nice to get together as a family without a whole lot of distractions ie: baseball games.

New NEIGHbor

Another exciting morning around the neighborhood. Ebay had a little boy on Saturday morning. It was her first and she did it all by herself in the field. Pretty amazing that they know what to do. He is definitely one of the tiniest little boys we've seen. Val is supposed to give birth anyday now too. Can't wait to see what color baby comes of of her.

Konnor also got in with last month's baby (Princess). He was really funny with this baby because she was eating up all of the attention he was giving her. Konnor loves going down to the barn. Hmmmm....wonder which parent he got that trait from?!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to all those deserving Dads we know!!

Not much to say....

Another beautiful day in Hillsdale town. The pool has warmed up to a whomping 84 degrees (even though it felt much warmer in the sun). Konnor and Kayla rode 4 wheelers most of the day and the rest of us putzed around the house. We did take the boys to the Field of Dreams for batting and pitching practice in the afternoon. The session ended with Kraig pitching a ball...K3 missing it...and it was stopped by K2 shin bone. He had an immediate monkey bump on the front of his leg from a vein popping. Ouch!! Luckily with ice and compression the swelling went down and now it is a nasty shade of purple/green/brown.

Kraig's game was MUCH better last night. He pitched well...and his team won in extra innings. He was able to strike out their 3 players in that inning. I'm sure it was as much of a relief for them as it was for the spectators watching.

Well, I'm off to put away more laundry and take a shower. I think I might run away and go shopping today for Father's Day presents and scrapping supplies at Michael's. I still need to use up gift certs. from Christmas.

My only saving Grace!

Konnor is happiest when....he either has a gun or fishing pole in his hands. Thankfully, his friend Drew is as much of a "hunter" has Konnor. Except for the few hours that they slept, Konnor and Drew have been hunting with their BB guns. The stories they have when they get back from the great adventures are hilarious. They had more luck catching bull frogs yesterday than fish. This particular one peed on Drew, which of course, Konnor thought was funny!

Morning Nature Walks

The real reason for the walks is not to view nature but to get in that morning walk (exercise) before the kids get up. Kirk has been doing it regularly for months now and I have started going with him lately. It really is cool to see all the things that are out and about before the people start moving around. He was carrying his camera this morning to get a shot of the deer drinking in the stream....but of course, there weren't any there this morning. We did, however, see a beautiful sunrise, a couple of deer, and turkeys. The spider was actually from last night. If you look closely you will see her back is covered in babies. They actually climbed off and back on, so we know that they aren't just spots.

Where to START?!

I guess I will start by saying "Time flies when your basement is flooded!" Yes, you read right, a river running through the basement from the washer. I guess that if you don't have the knob in the "click" position, it doesn't know to stop and just continues to flow until someone turns it off. Thank God Kirk 2 went downstairs before K3 game on Friday night. He still doesn't remember why he went down there, but he did. The entire end of the basement had rushing water....yes, the carpet in the "new" room was soaked about 1 foot into the room. Not good...we ended up spending 2 1/2 hours sucking up water, ripping apart the basement, and moving all the TV careo cabinet components in the other room. The good news....we figured out the washer problem on our own and saved $100 because we didn't have to have Sears out and the basement is now clean as a whistle.

Believe it or not, we were able to rush through the drive through of Wendy's and make it to K3 game and only missed about 10 minutes of play. Not bad considering all of his games are two 5 inning games. He had a good game. The hole in his mit was fixed and his batting was ok. He had some great hits...but they had some great catches too. Oh, well!

Does anyone know of a boot camp for 8 year olds? Maybe just a 3 month long summer camp? Konnor is out of control. He has to be "doing" something all the time. I tried telling him to sit down, Beth, but it didn't work. He also went to dinner with friends on Thursday and got some milk in his food (chicken fingers are a no-no). So not only is he spazy, he is also in a rotten mood. And I use the word "rotten" loosely. I am hoping to have his buddy over today because quite frankly I need a break!

Thank God for Mercy Rules

Konnor and his buds Bryan and Grant watching there big brothers struggle through a mercied game.

Last night was probably the saddest baseball game I've ever sat through. We played Homer and boy are they talented. In case you don't follow HS baseball they have been in the state finals the last two years. WOW....talk about a feeder program. Kraig struggled at the mound for the first inning (that lasted about 30 minutes and I'm not exaggerating). Tuesday night he was on fire....tonight he didn't even spark! Tonight we travel to Reading to watch K3 play. Hopefully it will look a lot better. At least K3 doesn't pitch! 1st and 3rd is all he plays.

3 Man Team

Sorry about the old picture....I keep forgetting to pack the camera.

Kraig is on a 3 Man baseball team this year...and I'm not just saying that because he is one of the 3 men. Seriously there were only 3 players on that field last night that were actually making plays. It was like watching a re-run of the Bad News Bears. Luckily, Blake and Kraig were pitching. It was the only saving grace...strike them out before they hit the ball otherwise it was a guareented run. They only had 8 boys show up which meant that each time our 9th player should have been up we got an automatic out. I volunteered to play, but they said I wasn't on the roster. Some innings we started with one out and hadn't even started batting. That was rough!Fortunately, they came from behind and won 7-5. It didn't look good there for awhile though. Tonight Kirk has a game in Jonesville, tomorrow Kraig is in Homer, and Friday Kirk is in Reading. Oh, the joys of summer. Konnor's appointment went well. July 13th at 8:30...means we are at the hospital in Lansing at 6:30. He said he would have to make a bigger incision this time, but he thought he could get it all. Konnor will be able to start 2nd grade with no mole. Yeah!! This time will be a lot easier because we don't have the pathology report looming over our heads. Well, I'm off to put away laundry...probably should do another exercise tape...and I'm guessing with the rain I'll be working inside today. BUMMER!!

Ahhhh....the second day of summer vacation!

Yesterday had to be one of the most beautiful weather days we have had in a long time....or maybe it just seemed that way because I wasn't at WORK! Yeah, I think that was it. My brother called last night and said, "guess what I did today?" I'm thinking he won the lottery or got a new job....something worth calling your sister, right?! No, he called to tell me he went to work. What a hoot that little brother of mine is?! The boys survived the first day of basketball camp....Konnor got to go play with his friend Drew (Thank you Darin)...and Kirk and I worked on getting the pool in tip top swimming form. Oh, yeah, than I layed in the sun and played lifeguard all afternoon to different groups of boys. Wow, what a rough life?!

Oh, and then there was the brief trip to the vet to have Chloe's heartworm check. Did I mention that she is not a good girl at the vet? Last time she bolted out of the car and took off running down the road...couldn't possibly happen again you say...well, this time I left the leash on so that wouldn't happen again and guess what? She took off running around the Vet office. How embarassing?! I had just thrown shorts and a tshirt on over the wet bathing suit. Not something I want to run around the Vet building in that's for sure. She never did calm down...and next time I am going to tie her into the truck.

Today I am taking Konnor to the surgeon for his consultation on the final surgery (July 13th). Konnor is not really excited about the whole idea of doing this all over again, but he is definitely looking forward to the "ginormous" popcicle he gets after surgery.

Ahhhhh....the first day of summer vacation!

So many things to do....what to choose first?! I got up at 6:45 make sure K3 was up and ready for basketball camp at 7:30. K2 had already gone on his walk and is now manning the weightroom at the high school until 10...and the younger two are still zonked! (Thank God!!) K3 and Kraig have Hornet Basketball camp this week and together they have 4 baseball games. I am sure they will keep themselves occupied, but it is Konnor that I worry about. He isn't a independent player and I know the minute he wakes up he will be relentless with "what can I do...", "can I have a friend....", "why do the boys always get to...." statements. We went to HHS graduation yesterday and then had 5 open houses to attend. It was a gorgeous day. The boys were a little restless, but why wouldn't they be?! Well, I think I am heading downstairs to do a workout video before everyone else wakes up.

What did you do on your way to work/school today?

Konnor and I had to scope out this really big snapper that Kirk saw on the way to work. It was amazing. He didn't even mind that we were there....just kept his head carefully tucked away. Of course mom let him touch it because she didn't realize they could bend their heads clear over their backs. Ooops! Dad said, "you let him TOUCH IT?!" Well, yeah....didn't know it wasn't such a good idea when he was doing it.

3rd Grade Track and Fun went very smoothly and I am looking at the end of the tunnel. I was able to rotate 160 students through 11 stations without any snafoos (at least none that I know of until tomorrow) 3 more classes and I will be "pool girl" for the summer. Can't wait to sit back and just enjoy life for awhile.

I think I can...I think I can....I think I can....I think I can

Riddle of the day: What does the "little engine that could" and Kristin have in common? Give up....the feeling that they are climbing up a very steep hill and there isn't a lot of steam left in the old engine. Seriously, I have about given it my all this year. I have 3rd Grade Track and Fun this afternoon....and then I am packing up my sneakers for the summer. I think I will even wear sandals to work in the morning. I can honestly say, with a lot of confidence, that my students have had an action packed physical education experience this year. Now who knows where I will be next year....but this year was good. Hence the picture above...I will be a happy camper when I see this sight again tonight. It will mean only 3 classes left......