265/365

Tiny hunters

Packed up and headed off to the youth hunt for the weekend! 

It is hard to believe there are only one hundred more days left in 2012.

264/365

Brewing

There is just something about those clouds coming in over the lake that makes me reach for my camera.  Breathtaking.

199/365

Tan line

My sunglass mark from the beach today.  It has been record high temperatures and beating sun for so long around here.  I don't think we have seen any rain since we left Florida.   That just seems wrong to say. 

195/365

Paneling

When I spotted this "hunting/woodsy/outdoorsy" paneling at the lumber store near the cabin, I knew just the boy to show it to.  He thought it was awesome.

161/365

Date night

Spencer is at a friend's sleepover party and Hailey had a last minute invitation to spend the night at Grama's house.   Trent didn't feel like going to a movie, so that gave me an excuse to take out my favorite eight year old boy for a night at the cinema.  We saw Madagascar 3, he liked it - I am still partial to the first one - but the movie really didn't matter to me as much as who was sitting next to me.

156/365

I'm goin' to DisneyWorld!!!

Look what came in the mail today!  Nine more days!

107/365

Cat scratch fever

I tell her all the time if she gets right in Dickens' face and bothers him, he will let her know it bothers him.  Of course it happens on the day of soccer pictures.

106/365

You might be a redneck if...

You throw your son's bike and your son in the back of your truck and drive home. 

105/365

Number eight is super great!

That is the cheer that I used to try to get Hailey fired up for soccer. She ran around the field, but she isn't very motivated to get to the ball. This may be her last soccer season. She has fun out there with her friends, but if she is not that into it should we continue to pursue it? I don't know - she is only five, she could grow more into it. It just seems these days that you have to get your kids into their sports so early or they don't stand a chance later on. Something just seems wrong with that.

104/365

Cuppa Joe

I started drinking coffee in the morning. I thought maybe the caffeine in the coffee would help me cut out my pop habit. So far it hasn't .

100/365

Tin Grin

Spencer had his braces put on this morning. He was actually more excited about it than anything else. He looks so cute and old!

99/365

Happy Easter!

We had a good Easter morning hunting for eggs and baskets. It didn't take the kids very long to find their stuff. I think the bunny has to try a lot harder next year.

98/365

Two dozen

We colored two dozen hard boiled eggs today. It took the kids about five minutes to finish their creations. I am looking forward to egg salad sandwiches next week.

97/365

Return trip

We went back to Hoffmaster today to try to finish up the three stage geocache from the other day. The second stage of it was a puzzle that we tried to figure out for about a half hour and couldn't crack. Today we must have had our thinking caps on because we made it work.

96/365

Butterflies

We took the kids to the Meijer Gardens today to see the butterflies and play outside. Gardens during Spring Break? Big mistake. We didn't stay very long. I am glad we bought the season pass last summer so we didn't feel like we had to fight the crowds today to get our money's worth.

95/365

Beat

An example of what a whole day of playing outside can do to you. Don't miss Hailey sound asleep on the couch.

94/365

Flower

So far the deer don't seem to be bothering my gardens this year. Maybe it is the gallon or so of deer away nasty stuff that I sprayed all over the flowers. Whatever it is, they better leave my pretties alone!

93/365

Last look

Spencer is getting his spacers put in his teeth today. I don't know if they will show or not, but I made him show me his bare teeth for the last time for two years anyway.

92/365

Biker babe

Two of Hailey's latest loves. Riding her bike around the top of our cul-de-sac and Baby Lila.

91/365

Hike

We all indulged Daddy today with a geocaching hike through Hoffmaster. The kids indulged me with a few photo opportunities.

90/365

Yarn baskets

A rainy first day of Spring Break. The perfect time for crafts!

89/365

4.2

When Evan brought home his report card with his DIBELS scores today I almost teared up. He is doing so amazing in second grade. His reading level is equivalent of a fourth grader in their second month of school. I just remember two years ago at this time when we struggled so much with how to place him for the next year. Should we keep him back or let him move on? He struggled so hard with reading and writing - was moving on the right thing to do? I am so grateful that we let him. A struggling start has obviously not hurt him in the least. I am so proud of you Evan Daniel!

88/365

Student

She loves to do the optional homework pages that her teacher sends home every month. I can't believe how fast she is growing up.

87/365

These three

I could not love anything on this Earth more than them.

86/365

Potty Problems

When I went to pick up Hailey from school today, I was met by her teacher in the hallway who told me that Hailey was down the hall in the bathroom and that she was "having a hard time". I rushed down the hall and found Hailey in the bathroom with one of the preschool secretaries crying her eyes out. After trying to get information out of her, I determined that she wasn't sick or didn't have diarrhea, she said she was trying to get her poop out, but she couldn't. Oh constipation - our old friend - we haven't seen you in a while. We determined that she could make it home and continue to try there. Thank goodness because I was totally grossed out sitting on the school bathroom floor trying to coax a poop out of her. Two hours later - not even exaggerating - after books and juice and pleading and begging and threatening to call the doctor she finally let that sucker go. I am giving her lots of water and apple juice every day because that is not something I care to do again anytime EVER!

85/365

The hills are alive...

With The Sound of Music for only one more day at our house! The show was amazing as usual, but we are so glad to have our Daddy back!

84/365

An ability to create

Spencer is extremely creative when he wants to be. Sometimes we don't understand the use for some of his "creations". Today was one of those days.

82/365

And the summer continues

It is still March. Hailey is wading in Lake Michigan. She is super into her baby dolls lately. She decided on the way to the beach that Baby Lila needed to put her toes in the lake for the first time. Baby Lila has never been undressed. Hailey thought her diaper was about the best thing she had ever seen.

81/365

Spacers and metal and monthly payments...

Oh my! I can't believe that I have a child old enough to wear braces.

79/365

Crazy on so many levels

It is March. My kids are walking in Muskegon Lake. This early summer is pretty awesome!

77/365

In a fast car

The boys were disappointed that their cars didn't go fast enough to win a trophy and secure a spot in the district finals. I was sad that they were sad, but a little happy that we didn't have to give up yet another weekend for a Scout event.

76/365

Fort

Everyone loves a good fort. I especially love them when my kids can play together in one. Playing NICELY together in one is an additional plus. On this particular day, Evan was reading to Hailey in their fort. Can it get any better?

75/365

Like pulling teeth

Trips to the dentist are never fun, but taking Hailey to the dentist is a whole different kind of H E double hockey sticks on Earth. Not that you could tell that at all from this photo. She looks all sweet and innocent doesn't she?

74/365

Finally

It was windy, but warm. We didn't care at all. We have waited a long time to get here and do this.

73/365

A day at the salon

What could be better than the promise of a new hairdo, some super fancy hot chocolate and playing with tiny little houses? Not much I don't think. (My kids love these miniature Polly Pocket houses at the salon - they look for them every time we are there.)

72/365

Do the bunny hop. Hop Hop Hop!

Spencer had a DI party after school since it was an early release day. Since Hailey was home and Evan got home early we decided to get out the Easter decorations. Evan was so excited that he was able to help us. It is such a chore sometimes, but I forget how excited I used to be to get out the seasonal decorations. I am so glad they will remember this someday too.

71/365

3-D

I really don't get the fascination with putting every movie in 3-D. Or remaking it is 3-D. 3-D kind of makes me sick feeling. Anyway, today I took the kids to see The Lorax in 3-D for an outing with a lot of the kids from Spencer's class. It was Hailey's first 3-D movie experience and sitting next to her was pretty cute. She commented to me the whole time about thinking she could touch the things on screen or that they almost hit her.

70/365

Am I a man or a muppet?

Spencer with his alter ego at the DI tournament. They came in third place and get to do to the state competition!

69/365

Weekend couch crasher

For some reason my kids think that sleeping downstairs on the floor or the couch is the greatest thing ever. We only let them do it on Friday or Saturday so I guess it is kind of a treat. It seems like they do it so much it would lose it's luster, but what do I know? So here is Evan all tucked into the couch with two of his dogs - Oreo and WaWa.

68/365

I wonder if she does windows?

Hailey was all about walking around the house today "dusting" with the feather duster. She thought it was pretty funny when I was calling her Cinderella. I didn't think it was funny at all when she started calling me mean stepmother.

66/365

Puzzled the Snowman

Whiskers the snowman (the name Hailey gave the snowman she built with Daddy) lasted about two days before our warm temperatures caused his early demise. Spencer got some use out of his belongings after he had melted into the ground.

64/365

What is this white stuff?

We have had an almost snow free winter so it was a surprise this morning to see it covering the ground. It wasn't long before the sun came out and made the perfect kind of packing snow for snowmen. Daddy and Hailey wasted no time.

62/365

Breakfast of champions

During breakfast this morning Evan wondered if I could take a picture of the pancake dog that he made before Haily ate it. Then he asked me if I would use the picture for my daily photo. Who could say no to that?

61/365

Through the window

Playing around with Instagram on my phone. I thought this one of Evan at karate was sort of interesting.

60/365

Leap Day

Today is Leap Day so I figured what would be a better picture for today than one of my kids leaping? Spencer was at a friend's house so I made the other two do it. They were grumpy about it at first, but then had a good time laughing at all the picture outtakes. I also realized today that my title numbering should be day whatever of 366 not 365 -but that is not the name of my blog so I am keeping it my way.

57/365

Tauntaun and T-rex

Evan and Hailey have been playing nicely together all day today. Who are you and what have you done to my kids??

56/365

Blue and Gold banquet

Evan received his wolf badge and Spencer earned his Webelo 1 badge. I am so proud of my little men in uniform.

55/365

Rub a dub dub

Miss Wee in the tub. I swear she would stay in the bath forever if I let her.

54/365

Hi-Ya!

"I am the man who will fight for your honor. I'll be the hero that you're dreaming of..." I realized today that I don't think I had any photos of Evan in his karate duds. I made him pose before I took him to class tonight. I think he may have wanted to karate chop me!

52/365

And Chet Morton slumped to the floor!

Evan got a set of six Hardy Boys books for Christmas. I have been reading a couple of chapters out loud to the kids at bedtime for a while now. They seem to love the mysteries in these books. I worried at first that they would be too outdated for them. Some of the language is a bit nineteen fifties sounding - like calling your friends your "chums" - but they are catching right on.