seriously...

just a quick thought...WHY oh WHYYYYYY are back-to-school commercials on already?! i am still trying to get a tan, for pete's sakes - where are you, sun?! it is mid-july...good governor. don't get me wrong...I LOVE FALL and I LOVE SCHOOL. but i am not even close to ready to send my guys off yet... and i've only been to the beach a couple times!

so yes, today i saw a wal-mart back-to-school ad on t.v. and I CRIED. dang. i better start praying right now that i wont have to be admitted anywhere come september :(

silver

we recently went to silver lake - as a family...i think its a first for "just" us. it was sooooo much FuN!! some friends of ours have a cabin up there, along with a trailer...so we packed up for a wed-sun weekend...there was just a ton of stuff to do - and the boys (big one included) had a riot!



no camping trip is complete without a few glitches...literally, as we were stepping out the door to go, dawson says he feels "sick". he promptly went to the couch & passed out. we still left shortly afterwards, when we arrived, he spiked a nice little temp of 102. he felt yucky the first day or so, but thanks to the ol' motrin...nothin' was gonna stop him ;)

a wet sleeping bag 2 nights in a row, forced me to a laundry mat (of course NONE in town), but no biggie...i just brought a book, and the boys enjoyed some "guy time" fishing. on a side-note, i managed to back over a very nice lawn chair & mangle it beyond repair...dont worry, my ghetto cruiser mini-van wasn't harmed in the process.

but as you may or may not know...the whole reason to go to silver lake is to GO IN THE DUNES. it is fun to see all the monster trucks, dirt bikes and dune buggies goin' crazy up the hills. as doug is a little out of the monster truck stage in life...we took ol' blue, as we affectionately call her. yes, i mean the '91 chevy complete with grandpa capper. (i say this with a lot of love, doug, she's been good to us...i know)

here the guys are...happy as ever. we took her up test hill (thats the BiG one y'all) and up lots more hills, and she did us right proud.



doug & dawson horsing around



priceless...i NevER get dawson to look at the camera!

oh, to be a boy, and roll around in all that glorious sand!!

dodge in the biggest sand box he ever saw ;)

me & the kiddos. notice it is mid-july and we are dressed like its september...CRazY!!

that is test hill behind us...on day 2 of runnin' the dunes, the boys begged doug to go up test hill one more time...this is when we realized she turned 200,000 miles just then...HA!

so, doug said, "no, she's been good to us...we better not." as we start to exit, do you think he could resist one little hill? of course not! we attempt it twice & then see smoke & tranny fluid - wonderful.

which brings me to this...yes, the ol' girl poops out at 200,012 miles. and we get towed out.

fishing was awesome...so are those little nets from the dollar store! the boys had fun catching anything they could...here is dawson & some minnows he bagged.

they caught lots of bass and some pike that were over 2 footers...we got some great footage on video

climbing the dunes at sunset...i wanted dawson to take a pic of us, but thought twice with all that sand + a kid i couldn't get to sit still, so i did the self-portrait...

craigs cruisers where the fun NEVER ends...i was almost embarrassed how much we were here. multiple times a day - especially after the truck puked - we kept this place in business. doug was worse than the kids, i had to cut him off...really, he would literally TAKE OUT other cars when he was racing cuz "they" didn't know how to drive!! he spun out 2 cars in ONE race...the guy goes nutso if racing is involved...like i've said before....if i come into a landslide of money i'm putting doug in a race of some sort so he can go crazy.

here's the hurse hauling ol' blue out to pasture. kidding. doug's parents brought a trailer up to bring it home, and as i write this, doug & our gear-head neighbor finished taking out the transmission so we can get it fixed by a buddy of doug's.

in spite of a few snags, it was so fun to be together...always learning a lesson or two. the first night, when dawson was sick - he was crying...more upset that he didn't feel good on vacation...i told him i am the same way...i get a plan in my head, and when it doesn't work out like i think it should, i get upset. i told him we need to try to find the blessings IN SPITE OF the bumps in the road...to be thankful he is just "sick" and not in the hospital needing surgery...that we're all together...you get the picture. so every time a "bump" occurred...i had to give myself the same talk i gave dawson...the more you get in that frame of mind, the more positive your outlook is, and it actually gets easier/a little more natural way of reacting to stuff....

there. you didn't think you were gonna get philosophy 101, did ya?

brand name snob...that i am.

this post was started by shelly...at first, i didn't think i cared too much about brand names - but i've had a week to think about it, and yup - i care.

1. bread: MUST be "aunt millies 100% whole wheat" it is on sale most of the time. but, as was
the case this week - i paid full price for it. we have a saying at our house, "the whiter the
bread, the quicker you're dead"
2. salsa: garden fresh-wild for mild...if you don't wanna spend a week making your own, this is
the next best thing!
3. hot dogs: koegel's skinless frankfurters, to be exact. the only hot dog that doesn't give me
the creeps when i eat it.
4. creamer: coffeemate's sweet italian creme...oh, the sugar rush ;)
5. english muffins: thomas' whole wheat-lite
6. hairspray: bedhead masterpiece
7. tampons: tampax pearl
8. jeans: big stars
9. lotion: for everyday, olay quench...smells good to boot.
10. butter: yes, real is BEST...but pricey for how we go through it. gotta be "i cant believe its not butter - light.

ode to daddy...

i realize father's day was a week ago...but i had to post a few thoughts on doug.

here's my boys...dodge looks guilty - which is actually completely normal.

if you don't know doug...HE DOES NOT LIKE CHANGE. even when we dated, i remember him getting all frustrated when they quit making "his" deoderant...or they don't sell a certain brand jean at meijer anymore...the trauma this poor guy has gone through!!

yes, these are his favorite tennis shoes...we don't know how old they are, one can only guess. probably late '80's - early 90's? i've often thought about sending a story to Nike to try and get a new pair...maybe they would get the old mold out and send us a "special" pair! and doug wonders why he has a bad back...he has gotten a new pair of black tennies...after much begging on my part, but if he has a choice, he goes right to these babies!

a napkin holder. did you know this has been a source of tension in our marriage? that might be a little dramatic - but not much! for YEARS doug has wanted one...i hate anything that sits "out". stuff on table/counter = clutter. i finally broke down this past christmas & bought him this wood bowl to hold napkins. so, now i have something to move every time i set the table for supper. who am i kidding? official suppers don't happen a ton around here. and we eat on the deck all summer long...so, happy husband & happy wife.

doug loves honey. really loves it. he is always looking for ways to do something bigger & better. remember "tim the tool man"...cant remember the name of the show, but he always reminded me of doug. he will go through this big honey in a month - easy.




doug is a scavenger. it must be the dutch in him...the things he has come home with after dumpster-diving at work is funny...rollerblades, benches, baskets...perfectly good stuff. (see, theres that word again, i dont like stuff....especially other peoples stuff!) well, he has been wanting a malt maker forever...we've always made them in the food processor, i tried to tell him it takes more time, cuz now you have to do them ONE at a time. well, he picked this contraption up at LOVE inc. (2nd hand store) and we used it once...

well there you have it, some things that make doug who he is...but here are some other reasons we love him:

1. he's funny - his humor has a way of cutting through the worst of moods.

2. he loves to play with the kids...he is my biggest obstacle when i try to stick to a "bed time" he

just wants to keep playing - dirtbiking, basketball, board games, wrestling...

3. thursday nights...the boys look forward to their thursday nights with daddy (this should have

its own post...) watching "michigan out of doors" & "red green" are a HUGE tradition around

here, along with chips & cheese and malts!

4. he flies by the seat of his pants...complete opposite of mom - a good thing. he is a busy body,

always wanting to do something...life would be quite boring & predictible without him ;)

5. he always includes the kids...teaching them about shooting a b-b gun, fishing, snowmobiling...

if he cant see a way of including the kids in the long term...he probably wont get into it.

and doug, if i ever fall into a landslide of money...the first thing i'm gonna do is buy you a race sled & send you to the soo I-500. thats one of the things i love about ya...you ride a purple 2-up sled in circles in the field, cuz it makes the kids happy - which makes you happy.

i got myself a good one! happy father's day doug!




here i am with my dad on father's day...i love this man!

mother's day

digging through old pics, still playing catch up, ya know.... i HAD to say something about my mother's day!! they brought me breakfast in bed!! it was all dawson's idea...the night before he was all stressed out about me waking up too early...well, i did get up & have a cup of coffee. i was instructed to go to bed by the boys, though.

doug, i love ya....but i'm so glad i have the boys to do this "mushy-sensitive" stuff once in awhile!

beach day!!!

***WARNING: procceed at your own risk...way too many details in this post, most likely will be hard to maintain concentration. get a snack or a cup of coffee.

so, the mercury is supposed to hit 90 today....wow, we've been waiting for summer & it came with a BANG this week!! one thing i've always loved to do is go to the beach, but with little ones - it was quite a chore! now that the boys are older, i want to try to get out there more.

when i mentioned "beach" this morning, the kids were so excited!! let me tell ya, it was easier to pack for 5 & 7 year olds...so, we packed a cooler & a few other things, and we were off!

we arrive at 11:00...this is a little late for the family-beach bums...cuz you want a spot RIGHT on the water, so as to have easy access for the kiddos to play on the beach/water...easy for the mommas to keep an eye on them!

so, i park my sled (more on that later) in a nice 12x12 area. on one side,2 mommas who never ever quit talking, one of whom "freaked" out when dodge accidentally splashed her - i apologized, and i think she realized she was being a little silly - she was sitting 4 feet from lake michigan ;) and on my other side one momma with four kids - betweeen ages 1 and 6 - she looked all of 20. but i'm sure she was a little older. i dont know how she did it, but she stayed out half the day & she was pretty entertaining. on a side note, she forgot sunblock for her baby & she didn't have an umbrella...so i lent her mine.

if the above episode would have happened a few years ago, i probably would have been very envious of that "mom with 4 kids"....but happily, after watching her, i realized (again) that i rather like this stage - thank you very much!

so, the boys happily spend most of the day digging a hole...after awhile, dodge gets antsy and wants to walk the pier. so, we go. i have a funny feeling about leaving our "campsite" especially now that my mom friend of 4 is gone. so....we walk, my boys see more skin today than they have their whole lives. i realize that the world is made up of all shapes & sizes. we watch a bunch of crazy high schoolers jump of the pier. we come back to our "site". of course you know what happens....3 adults & 4 kids are camped out between my blanket and the lake. yes, i had 6 feet between my blanket and the lake...most of which was the previously mentioned hole.

ok, i had to take a pic (sorry if this is your family or friends) that guy & kids are sitting in the hole. thats our yellow shovel. i thought my boys were gonna bawl. that other guy is sitting in my chair....ok, kidding.


dodge...yes, we're digging another hole.


teamwork...my boys did not fight or argue all day....it was beautiful.

we went to the general store to look around...they have every kind of candy under the sun...and the very best ice cream - yum!

you always pick up on some good ideas going to the beach, here are some things i've learned. let me know if you have any to add!

must haves for the beach:

1. mode of transportation for all the STUFF. some of you beach mommas have those big wheeled carts - they rock. but they're also a little pricey! today i used a sled...ya know, the cheap plastic-type that you pull the kids around in winter. it goes pretty good on the sand. it doubles as a kiddie pool if you have little ones.

2. baby powder. you'll need this for going home - it removes all sand. awesome.

3. umbrella. shade for your cooler, little ones or your neighbors baby. also comes in handy when there are like 5,ooo people around you...you go to the bathroom, and you will be able to find your spot back!

4. rubber mallot. to pound your umbrella in - genius.

5. a plastic bag for your garbage. there are NO garbage cans at the beach, to keep those annoying seagulls at bay.

6. a sheet. sand doesn't stick to it.

i also observed a few things at the beach:

1. you must roll down your window 1-2 miles before you hit the beach. even if it is an oppressive 90 degrees, nothing smells as good as the beach ;)

2. be prepared to SHARE your stuff. the beach is full of moms that forget sunblock, kids that lose shovels, and yuppy families that want your hole. which brings me to my next point...

3. if you go to the beach to avoid your neighbors, you will surely pick up new neighbors.

4. to all the 18-22 year-old girls wearing bikinis & lookin' HOT. enjoy that bod while you got it, girl. pregnancy, c-sections, varicose veins, wrinkles, cellulite, and gravity WILL EVENTUALLY HAPPEN!!!!!

5. watching teenagers flirting with each other, barely dressed mind you, makes me queezy thinking that my boys will some day be that age.

6. a spur of the moment trip to the beach, eating ice cream for supper, forgetting about all the things "to-do" at home is sooooo much fun!

dirtbike mania

i might have mentioned earlier, that dodge can now ride the honda 50 all by himself now. it is so cute to watch...if you know him, he always wants to be "big" like everyone else...and if he "can't" do something, he takes it real personal...so, it is pretty cool.

we then realized, we need to keep our eye open for something a little bigger for dawson. we've always told the boys that they need to save their money for their first car, or maybe a "big" dirtbike...one night we sat and counted all of dawsons money - whether he came by it honest, or not ;) (you see, doug's coin jar mysteriously keeps getting emptier, instead of filling up ;))

anyway, doug came home with this honda 80 one night, dawson was so excited...for days after, he kept asking me how much daddy spent, so he could pay him back....he has such a good heart!

love at first sight

the boys all geared up!

dawson caught on real fast to using a clutch...this is where we practice - between blendon cemetary and the fire barn...

he looks so big on that bike!

doug teaching dawson the ropes...you are such a good dad, doug!! when i see moments like this, my heart melts!

one thing i have to mention, too. we have been so blessed with all the dirtbike gear. the clothes, helmets, boots and protective stuff is NOT cheap!! we've come across some real generous people that have either given us a really good deal on it, or just plain GIVEN it to us! i am very grateful for that!!