Big Trucks!

For the past couple of years, our local library has brought in big trucks from throughout the community for kids to come look at and sit in. We went last year (see the post here) and decided to go back again this year. Even thought it was pushing 100 degrees while we waited in line to test out some of the heavy machinery, Cameron had a good time (Hannah stayed in the stroller) and I got some priceless pictures.

Hanging out in a tent before we saw the trucks.

Waiting for the safety video to start.

Making silly faces.

Still making silly faces..

Sitting in the first truck! I don't remember what this one was..

Pure Michigan

Sitting in the 2nd truck. A snow plow. (It was starting 

to get pretty hot at this point!)

In the backseat of a fire truck!

He impressed one of the firefighters by sitting down

and buckling his seat belt. 

Now riding shotgun in the firetruck.

Hanging out with a fireman!

Hanging out with Nick on a fire truck.

Cameron loved it. He is already talking about going back next year. It's the little things in life. :)

Hannah's Second Birthday!

Yesterday, Hannah turned 2. To celebrate our sweet girl, we had 2 parties. One on Saturday and one on Sunday. I didn't get any pictures from the Saturday party, but Josh's aunt posted one on Facebook for me. When did this child turn 7?

She got a pretty new dress and some bags and became a teenager in front of my eyes. This girl will have a shopping addiction just like her mama one day.

I brought my camera (out of the closet for the first time in MONTHS) and got some shots at her party yesterday. We went swimming at nana and papa's house.

Aubrey and Nick came!

(these boys swam for HOURS!)

(love this shot of this boy and his eyes)

little miss attitude

cupcakes!

Everybody had a great time celebrating our little girl. She (along with her parents) was exhausted and slept almost 13 hours afterwards. Her next well child visit is next Monday, so we will be able to see how she has grown in the past few months then. :)

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•       Week 1(7/9): Americana

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•       Week 4 (7/30): Sports & Activities

•       Week 5 (8/6): Parties & Celebrations

Ah, dreams.

Most days, while I watch my kids play, I wonder why certain things haven't been invented before. Such as..

A personal bubble, just for moms. You know, being a jungle gym is great for a 2 year old, but not so great for a mom. The random jabs to the ribs/nose/face/anywhere are not fun. Or how about the child that hangs off your legs while you're making lunch, leaving you unable to move? Yeah. I think I would love a bubble. 

A toy-picking-up robot like a roomba. This I would buy. And I would likely spend HUNDREDS on it. The first couple of times a day that I have to pick up toys is okay, but after the child tornado has gone through 5 times? No. I'm done. It would be fantastic to have a little helper (ahem, robot) to follow these kids around and pick up everything they throw on the floor. This would not only work for toys, but for fruit snacks/sippy cups/whatever else they decide to throw all over the living room. It would also clean up any spills left behind from said sippy cups. 

Built in earplugs. Another item I would buy in a heart beat. With my kids, the noise NEVER stops. Whether it's Cameron talking nonstop about something he saw on Yo Gabba Gabba or Hannah screaming because Cameron won't stop touching her. It gets old. Fast. How many times a day can one person say "oh, that's great!" or "stop touching your sister!" or "keep your hands to yourself" or "how about you help mommy clean up your toys?" without losing their mind? Not many, my friends. Not many. 

And the thing I want the most. Some sort of Jetson's style tube that will take me to my own personal island when I'm ready to wave the white flag. When I have a day that sends me inches from the loony bin. When the screaming/talking/crying/whatever turns into a migraine from hell. I want to get into that tube and magically appear on an island (somewhere in Hawaii would be nice..) with a nice, cold drink in my hand. And maybe someone with a fan keeping me comfortable, because let's face it. This girl does not do the beach (normally). 

Anything you want to add? Something you think every mom should have?

It has been nice dreaming of things that will never come true, but for now, it's back to crazy town I go. There is a tired little girl that needs a diaper change being tormented by her brother that is probably naked from the waist down (gotta love potty training). Until next time.

So, it's Monday again.

That was a fast weekend.. Anyway, let's start with a couple pictures. :)

Cameron has become quite the colorer these days.

He was so proud of his Captain America picture.

A tiny bit of cuddling while they watched Yo Gabba Gabba

Hannah's birthday is a little less than a week away (cry!), and it hit me pretty hard on Saturday that my last baby is growing up so fast. I was a little sad. Then Saturday night hit. Hannah has been sleeping (quite successfully, I might add) in her crib with the side taken off (tada! instant 'toddler bed') for a couple of months now. She has only fallen out a handful of times. Saturday night? Twice. I updated my facebook status at 3:40 in the morning. It said:

Let's talk about the last time I was wide awake at 3:40 in the morning. Um, can't remember. Probably when I was 19 and carefree. But 3:40 in the morning after you've listened to kids scream/fight/cry for more than 12 hours? And cleaned the house? And went out and about in the outrageous heat? I wanted to cry. Nothing we did calmed this girl down. She watched TV on the couch with daddy, she cuddled in bed with me and never showed the slightest sign that she was tired. Eventually, she got back into her own bed (around 4:30) and finally fell asleep. Thank god. 

But in other news, we are just about all set for a low-key birthday celebration for Hannah at her grandparents' house this weekend. Pizza and pool. Perfect for this little girl!

It's hot.

It's summertime! And you know what that means, warm temperatures. Here in Southwest Michigan, we are used to temps in the 80s and sometimes 90s. What we're not used to is the heat wave that has rolled through in the past week and sent our air conditioners into panic mode. We set a record in Kalamazoo yesterday. 103 degrees. Hasn't been that hot since 1988. Did Mother Nature forget that this is Michigan? Not Arizona? Here's what we're dealing with today..

Wow. Just, wow. Feels like 113 degrees? Tell that to the 3 year old that has been begging me to go to Target to buy fruit snacks all morning. I'm pretty sure peoples' skin starts melting on impact when they step out into that heat. There is no reason a person should sweat profusely just walking into their garage (which, by the way, is probably 20 degrees hotter than it is outside). And getting 2 kids in their carseats? Ha. Better be ready for a shower when you get done. 

Is it Sunday yet? I have a feeling we will be freezing cold around here when that day comes. And our air conditioner can FINALLY breathe a sigh of relief. Thanks for working so hard for us, old buddy. We sure do appreciate you. :)

Happy 4th of July!

We hope you and your families enjoyed the holiday! 

Happy Birthday, America!

Our weekend in review.

I'm back, trying to revive this blog!

It has been HOT here for the past week, as it has been all across the country. We have been trying to stay around home and out of the heat. This girl does not like to sweat, and the idea of sweating just sitting outside doing nothing? GROSS.

Friday night was spent at home. We ordered a pizza with this sweet deal, and all piled into Josh's car to go pick it up. But wait. The car won't start. He has been having problems with the hunka junk for a few weeks now. Awesome. So we switch cars and get into mine and go. We hung out and did next to nothing until bath and bedtime and called it a night.

Saturday morning was filled with poptarts and oatmeal and early morning cartoons. Josh got a much needed haircut and I took my wedding rings to the jewelry store to be inspected. For the next few days, I am a floozy (Josh's words), because a diamond fell out and needed to be replaced. Thank god for the lifetime protection plan! We had lunch and took off to Target and Toys R Us so we could find something for Hannah for her birthday. We came up empty handed. There is nothing out there that this sweet girl needs! We even thought about being impractical but still couldn't come up with anything. Add that to the guilt I feel about not throwing her a party, and this mama feels terrible. :(

Saturday night was date night! Josh and I had dinner together at Bdubs (um, yum) and set off for a double movie date with friends. The boys saw the Avengers and us girls saw Magic Mike. I am NOT a fan of Channing Tatum in everyday life. Dude is not cute, at all, and his acting makes me laugh. But in this movie, I was slightly swayed. Not enough to change my opinion though. :)

Sunday morning, we got to sleep in. Kids were with their grandparents for the night on Saturday. I woke up briefly around 7 and was sure I was up for the day. Nope. When I finally came around, it was 10. I don't remember the last time I slept that long. It was nice. We had lunch and headed over to pick up the kids. They are becoming water babies. Swam for awhile with the inlaws on Saturday night and were back in the pool Sunday morning. How cute is this little thing?

Someone was getting a little too adventurous and had to have floaties put on her arms. Time for a second puddle jumper!

It was a fantastic weekend. We are looking forward to a short work week and the 4th of July on Wednesday. It is easily one of my top 3 favorite holidays. Ready to bust out the red, white and blue outfits, because that's how this family rolls.