Happy Memorial Day!

Hi All,
Happy Memorial Day to one and all! And to all the men and women who have served our country, to ensure the safety and freedom of all of us - we thank you!
We celebrated on the lake. It was hot and beautiful. We had a mid-day grill, and everyone brought something to add to the spread. As usual, the fishermen were in full swing. And the pontoon and canoe rides added to the fun. My nephew Cooper turned eleven recently, so we celebrated that, too. All in all, it was a great end to  beautiful holiday weekend!

Happy 11 Cooper!

Cooper and family

Drew is ready for a boat ride already

Bree is directing Papa to their next destination

The Fergusons enjoy some beach fishing

"Grab a paddle and we're outta here!"

My mom trying to talk the canoers into a picture

Best attempt at a family pic

Joe and Joyce, heading out for a paddle

Two worn out kids!

Here Fishie, Fishie

Hi All,
Memorial Day weekend is here! We are out enjoying a beautiful start to the long weekend.

First, we got a lovely group of swans on the lake. There were eight in total. The picture I took of all eight was blurry. Not sure this one even does it justice. We are used to seeing only two or three together at a time.

Then, Bree and Drew got kayak rides this morning. They've now officially been kayaking more than me this year.

Bree at the ready

Drew showing his stuff

And last, Drew and Bree caught their first fish! And when I say caught, they truly reeled them in (see video below). I was very excited for them.

Drew's catch

Bree's catch

Even more fun than the pictures is the video of all the fishing and kayak action above - here you go....

It's shaping up to be a fun summer!

Bottoms Up

Hi All,
The kids sometimes find their way out of their bedroom for naps these days. Bree crashed on the floor today. I just love the "bottom's in the air" look. Sure wish I could nap that well!

School Day

Hi All,
Drew and Bree were off to school today. Not really, but we did go and visit the school where my mom works. The twins were actually shy and a bit scared of all the people - unfamiliar territory for them. But they were fans of the playground.

GraGra's school and playground

Tether ball - one of my all time favorites!

And, we were in for a treat when a duckling walked up between Papa's feet while they were swinging. Drew and Bree named him Quack Quack.

Quack Quack stayed with my parents for a few days, until my dad was able to find someone with other ducks to raise him. Cute little guy!

Wake Up Call

Hi All,
This video is really nothing to look at. Unfortunately, we try to keep the door shut when the kids are sleeping.  So, you could say it's more of an "audio". I caught Bree in her crib this morning trying to wake Drew up, which is very common when she wakes up first.

"Wake up, brother." Repeat, repeat, repeat. How would you like that for an alarm clock?!?

Boating Season

Hi All,
We got the boat delivered and dropped in the water. (Incidentally, it went much smoother than last year.) Of course, we did an inaugural ride for the year. It was still pretty nippy,even though we are two weeks later than last year. So it was a quick ride, but I think it's going to be even more fun for the kids this year.

Drew wasted no time making his way to the captain's chair

As you can see, it was a "hair blowing in the breeze" kind of ride

Day with the Grandparents

Hi All,
Jim and I took a quick trip to Chicago to join our good friends at the Cubs game. Drew and Bree hung at home with Papa and GraGra. It appears they enjoyed their usual antics....

Strolls around the neighborhood

A little hugging (or is that wrestling???)

Smiling pretty

For Jim and I, it was a bone chilling day at the ballpark. (The temperature dropped twenty or so degrees by the time we arrived there, and we were woefully unprepared.) But, we persevered until the seventh inning stretch before leaving to find dinner. On a good note, it was a win for the Cubs!

I Miss That Boy

Hi All,
It's been over five weeks now that our cat Sampson went missing. I have pretty much lost all hope of him returning to us. Still, I have been reading craigslist for local lost and found pets and watching the petfinder website for any signs that he may have shown up in a shelter nearby. (I sent an email to someone who posted they found a siamese that was sort of close to us. Their pictures of the found cat did not look like Sampson to me, but I thought it couldn't hurt to inquire a bit more. But, unfortunately, I did not get a response back.)
I also wouldn't feel right if we did not make a trip to the local animal shelter to investigate, just in case. So I packed up the kids today, and we did just that. The kids enjoyed looking at the cats being held there. I explained to them that we were looking for Sampson. We looked at all the cats being held, reviewed the log of strays found since his missing date, and filed a lost cat report. After taking one last look at the kitties, I told the kids, "C'mon, Sampson is not here. We will have to keep looking. " Bree replied, "Yeah, I miss that boy." I said, "Me too, Bree!"

Tub Art

Hi All,
The kids went crazy with the tub crayon today. Drew was done by the time I got the camera, but I captured Bree in action.

Hard at work

Sophisticated tub art requires some standing

Proud artist posing with her masterpiece

Kicked Out

Hi All -
We had our first really hot night last night, following a big thunderstorm. Not sure if it was the heat the woke the kids or just Drew's usual wake up call. But they both ended up in our bed sometime between 2 and 3 am. All the body heat was too much for me, and I bolted to the couch! Not sure how long Jim toughed it out with the extra bedtime companions, or even how he managed to find a spot among these two!

Swingers

Hi All,
I've mentioned before how much the kids love their swings. But I don't think I've posted video of it. (This one is from a few weeks back.) While the swinging sillies are quite humorous, Riley wins the humor award for relieving herself in the background while taping....

Happy Mother's Day!

Hi All,
Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful mothers out there! Hope you enjoyed your day. We enjoyed ours. We started out at my parents' house for visiting and lunch. Then, we moved on to visit Jim's parents. It was a beautiful day, and we enjoyed all the time we got to spend outside. I couldn't ask for a better way to spend the day, than with all these very special people!
The pictures I got for the day are compliments of my mom...

Drew and Bree got to help Papa plant some flowers in honor of the special day

Love the blossoms on this tree!

Another pretty shot of the tree in bloom - oh, and my mom and her kids!

Me and my pumpkins

And a happy grandma

Darren, Melissa, and her parents - visiting all the way from Panama

Mustang Man

Hi All,
I let Drew check out Jim's Mustang today. He was a little kid in a candy shop.

Can you see the excitement here?!?

Figuring out all the controls - no problem!

Seriously, he could not stop smiling.

Amazingly, he even let me snap him in the seat belt - but not for long!

I can already starting to imagine this boy at sixteen and behind the wheel. Wonder if his daddy's Mustang will still be around???

Play Date

Hi All,
We had fun this morning playing with our new pals, Reese and Rae. I know their mom through our local mothers of multiples group. The kiddos are about the same age and got along very well. Oh, and they are fellow Spartan fans - gotta love that!
We had a perfect day to hang out at one of our favorite parks. We rode the swings, hit all the slides, and fed the ducks. Oh, and the highlight of our morning - we found a little frog (technically, I think it was a toad)! He was great fun to watch, until he jumped towards Bree and sent her into a crying fit. All in all, we enjoyed our morning in the park!

Feeding some very lucky ducks

Drew and Bree - now experts on this slide

 Sharing some snacks

Drew petting our new friend "frog"

The whole gang coming in for a closer look

Smileworthy

Hi All,
These images gave me a smile today - thought they might do the same for you....

Bree feeding the babies

Fresh picked dandelions, compliments of Drew and Bree

Happy Anniversary To Me

Hi All,
What a way to spend my wedding anniversary! Jim is out of town for business; we'll celebrate another day. AND, Drew decided to inflict bodily harm on Bree this evening - ugh!
We are still working on the transitioning of Drew to his toddler bed. Well, this evening when the kids went to bed, Drew wanted to be in sissy's bed and Bree was agreeable to go into Drew's bed. Since it really makes no difference to me where they sleep, as long as they sleep, I complied. Unfortunately, they did not have sleep in mind when I put them to bed. Just a few minutes later, Bree let out a not-so-normal cry, and I ran in to see what was going on. I found her standing and crying in front of her crib (which Drew was standing up in) with a blood all around her mouth. I don't do well with blood (or any bodily injuries for that matter), so of course I freaked out. Thankfully, Bree actually did not cry long after I picked her up and consoled her. Jim couldn't be reached, but I called my parents who were able to calm me down and give me some assurance it wasn't too serious, given the details. She didn't like me messing with her mouth, but I was able to determine there was a small cut on her chin and it also seemed her gum line was bleeding. Bree let me clean her up and seemed to get comfort from sucking on an ice cube wrapped in a washcloth.
Chalk up another mishap for Bree - poor kid! From the evidence I found, I am led to believe that Drew threw his Thomas flashlight in Bree's face with a good deal of force. He has a strong arm, and the flashlight does not have sharp edges per se, but it is heavy enough with hard edges.
At any rate, the bedroom has been cleared of threatening objects with high throw potential, and everyone was placed back in their own bed for the evening. Hope we can remain accident free now at least till Jim gets home.

Bubble Guppies

Hi All,
The kids and I have this thing we like to do while they are in the tub. They often like to lay on their tummies and kick around which I like to call "bubble guppies". (Yes, this is in honor of the new cartoon with the same name.) So now, when I say "do the bubble guppies", they start it up. I'll then sing the theme song for them - "Bubble, bubble, bubble, guppy, guppy, guppies, *clap, clap*, BUBBLE GUPPIES!" Silly I know, but we all thoroughly enjoy it. And, it's a lot more fun that washing their hair (which they happen to hate)! :)

Bree doing the "bubble guppy"

And double bubble guppies!