A Week at the Lake

As I sit here, I cannot believe the one week that I have been waiting for a long time is already over. I won't bore you with all the details so I will just a quick rundown of the week at the lake:

1. As mentioned in last post, both children broke out in Rosiola (still don't know how to spell it). This made for a miserable couple of days for them in which I felt like crying with them (I hate when they don't feel good). They spots are almost gone now and I feel that it is all over with. I even brought the kids home one night since they weren't sleeping good and Hayden and I slept for 12 hours and Colt slept for 14 hours:) Needless to say, the next day was very much enjoyable!

 Her poor little face got it bad:(

You can kind of see the spots on Colt's back

2. We had lots of visitors up that included Tara and Steve, Taryn and Reagan, Grandma, some of Kristen's friends and lots of Sarah's friends.

This pic makes me smile because Colt was totally Rex's buddy

3. It was gorgeous every single day except today, when it decided to be poopy...but we DID get in a lot of tubing this morning.

4. Lots and lots of tubing, wave runners, and laying out on the rafts...the first 2 resulted in complete soreness that I haven't experienced in a LONG time which confirmed that I really am getting older. But it was too much fun to stop! (Pictures will be added soon...they are on Sarah's camera!)

5. Campfires...well...little smoke pile:) It was great for s'more making though!

6. Lots of games of Skip-Bo...SOOO much fun! (except when I am losing terribly)

 Allison didn't feel like smiling:)

7. Movies almost every night with the family.

8. Lots of food and laughter.

9. Evening ride on the pontoon...the neighbors were even nice enough to shoot off fireworks for us!

Hayden doesn't do well with flashes:)

10. Lots of time just playing around the yard and in the water!

 Believe it or not, Hayden was NOT mad in this pic...this is how she says "cheese":) Oh, and she absolutely adores her auntie Tissy

 Hayden wanted to wear mommy's suit

 It was so neat to see my two babies interact this week...SOO sweet!

11. Nic had his first full week at his "new"job and absolutely loves it. It makes me smile listening him talk about it:) Also, his new office is HUGE! I am trying to talk him into letting me decorate it!

THANKS MOM AND DAD FOR MAKING THIS A MEMORABLE WEEK (even though ALL the memories weren't too good:))

It's late, I can't sleep, So this is what you get!

Rundown of the week...

1. Lots of playing outside thanks to the cooler weather. Played with chalk, played down by the creek, played on the slip n' slide, played in the toy cars, played with rocks, played with water, and even tried playing with play-doh with 7 children outside. Probably not the best idea that I ever had.

2. Built a "pillow floor" in which we gathered EVERY pillow in the house and put them on the floor, covered them with blankets, and then jumped from the couch onto the pillows...fun? OF COURSE! Bad habit forming? MAYBE! Oh well, it was worth it to see Hayden teach Colt how to jump. Well, he got the whole standing thing down and the whole falling thing down, just not the jumping part:) Needless to say, we have to watch him every.single.time he is on the couch...or he just belly flops to the floor...oops.

3. Watched Nic play softball with Jas as Whit and I ate ice cream with the kids. And then of course got a stuck in a downpour in which Whit was with 2-2 year olds who weren't so happy about it. I found that it is not easy and quick to pack 2 kids, a diaper bag, balls, a double stroller, and other items into the car without getting soaked. It makes me laugh to look back on it...ha. 

4. Hayden learned the song, "Clean up, Clean up"...you know, the one from Barney. The best part is, she actually CLEANS up when she is singing it! She cleaned up ever block, lego, stuffed animal, and dinosaur all by her lonesome while she sang the song today. It was a beautiful sight:)

5. Colton has learned how to say "cheese" while smiling into a camera. It sounds more like "eese" but still cut none the less. BUT you have to have a phone or a camera while asking him to say "cheese" or he knows it isn't real:)

6. I decided since I couldn't take 4 kids to the Salon to get our hair done and mani's and pedi's, that I would bring it to our house...complete with hair brushes, all sorts of clips, hair bands, nail polish, hand messages with lotion, a bowl of warm water (because that is what they have at the real places, although I am not sure why), nail clippers (although for some reason none of the girls liked that part), the thingy that cleans under nails (also not a big fan pleaser). The girls loved it, I loved it, my scalp didn't. The best part of this was when I got all done with Reagan's nails and did the whole sha-bang, I asked her why she was just staring at her nails. She then goes on to tell me, "Well, I don't like nail polish." Me-"why did you have me paint your nails then and not tell me to?" R (with a weird look on her face)-"I was bored". Awesome. 

7. Nic started Insanity this week. I must admit...I am extremely proud of him. He is doing a great job. The only problem with this is, he does it when Colt and Hayden are around so they end up hanging all over him which results in tripping and colliding...yikes.

8. Hayden has finally learned how to peddle her bike. She loves it!

9. I realized that some days I feel like I should be wearing a black and white shirt with a whistle around my neck. 

10. Spent time at the good ol' parents' house.

11. Learned that my daughter can tell us how to get home from my parent's house...she knew where to tell us to turn. Weird. She even told me how to get home from McDonald's after we treated ourselves to ice cream thanks to Reagan's birthday. She was upset because I went right instead of left. I hate turning left out of places so I turned right and went the back roads. She didn't like that at ALL.

12. Hayden is having a hard time sleeping in her room due to "the sounds" in the corner of her room. Creepy? Totally. So we are trying to figure out what is going on there. She told my parents that she "cies (cries) at night and mommy has to come get me. I wash (watch) Mickey Mouse so I don't hear the sounds." Not cool one bit.

13. Nic worked tonight so I watched a movie with Tara and Steve. I am pretty sure Steve wanted to punch us girls in the face for talking so much:) hehe.

14. Tried a new kind of wine this week which was SUPER amazing, because, well I only like one kind of wine...but I forget what it is called. 

15. I haven't been able to fall asleep at night. Like at all. Thus I turn to my friend....the good ole' blog. It seems that after I spill my guts to my faithful blog, I am tired enough to close my eyes. 

16. Remember back when there were good shows on? Wholesome, funny, appropriate shows where parents loved their children and even their spouses? You know, Full House, Family Matters? Well, Sarah found Boy Meets World and got 5 seasons of the show. She has let me borrow some so when I need some sound on in the background or can't sleep, like right now, I just turn it on. I love that show:)

17. Nic and I took the 4 kids to Ox Bow Park for the first time this summer. We packed a lunch and ate it by a playground. The kids loved running around and going down the big slides. We then walked over to the "canoe launch" where we allowed the children to splash around for a bit...even though the sign said 'NO SWIMMING'. But technically, they weren't swimming, they were just splashing around. Hayden learned how to go to the bathroom in the woods. I am pretty sure we should have been kicked out of the park...we are such rebels. The only problem with teaching her this is- later that evening while we were outside in the back yard she told us that she had to go potty. We told her to go inside and go. Instead, she promptly started taking off her shorts and squatting...she just assumed she should go outside again. Again...bad habit? By the way, this should be like number 11, but I don't feel like changing all the numbers. I'm lazy. 

Lovin' the Summer

This past weekend is a weekend that I was greatly thankful for. Sometimes through hard times you wonder what God's plan really is. But God has blessed me with my friends and my family to get through those times.
Friday night started the weekend with lots of laughter and of course, great company. Tara, Steve, and Hannah came our way for a cookout. We also had Kammy, Rory, their daughters Jayda and Brynlee over as well. It was a great night of food, slip n' slide, campfire, and just some good laughs. All the kids played AWESOME together and Hayden has a new little friend that she didn't even fight with once:) I call that a success!

Saturday started off a rocky morning but turned into a relaxing, healing day. Nic was playing in a softball tourney all day while I headed off to the lake with the babies. My parents and sister were up there and we spent the afternoon soaking in the rays and just having some good heart to heart conversations. After the lake we went to my parents' house where we met up with Kim and Randy Clem and their sweet granddaughter Ryleigh, who I have had the chance to babysit a couple of times earlier in the week. We went to Uptown Kitchen for some dinner and then Urban Swirl (my new favorite ice cream place), where we let the kids run around. Hayden and Ry were played wonderfully together and laughed a lot (at what, we have no idea).

Sunday was just plain hot. So...us ladies (mom, sisters, and me) decided to use floats in the hot tub (which was of course turned down to feel like a pool) where we stayed for a good 2 hours while the kids napped. But like I said before, it was one stinkin HOT day, so we didn't last over those 2 hours. After Nic got off work, we headed to his dad's house for a cookout with his Uncle John, Aunt Jennifer, and cousins Josh and Cammy who JUST came into town from Texas. They also came to Nic's softball games later that evening. It was great talking with them and just being with them. After all, we don't get to see them all that much at all. Hayden followed Cammy wherever she went and Colt just stared at Josh. I am not sure what that was all about. Josh is a young teen so I don't know since he hasn't been around younger guys at all if it was new for him? hehe! He is surrounded by girls all the time:)

OHHH....AND Colton was walking almost the WHOLE time at the ball park. I think he is finally becoming an actual walker! I know, I know, it only took him 15 months! I think Hannah has been an inspiration to him:)

Today was a a special day. It was the first time I went blueberry picking. I have been hearing about how lots of different people have gone and how good the blueberries are so I decided I wanted to take the kids. I had absolutely NO idea what I was doing, but I didn't care! Sarah had spent the night last night after our weekly show, The Bachelorette, and Nic had SWAT training. So...that meant Sarah and I got to take the kids. Ryleigh got to come with us which was a lot of fun for Hayden. I knew that it was going to be scorching hot and miserable, so we went right away in the morning. Let me tell ya...it was scorching hot even that early. I was so impressed with how all three kids did considering each of us were dripping with sweat and you could barely breathe with the heavy air. BUT we still had a great time and I can't wait to do it again! Ry spent her time picking and eating, Hayden spent her time by picking all the green ones (the ones you aren't supposed to pick), Sarah and I spent our time picking and placing in the bucket (and sorting out all the green ones from Hayden), and Colt spent his time taking them from the bucket and throwing them. Somehow, we still ended up with A LOT! Oh the memories:) (the pics below are weird because my camera kept fogging up)