Camping and More

Happy Birthday Linds!! This blog update is for you :) I wish you could have tried this cake! It was so yummy. My friend Marianne made it for our "Bloom" group. Tim made breakfast AND a homemade blueberry pie, and we had a cook out in Wrightstown that night. Lots of delicious food! Unto some photos of the last couple of months...first on the list...camping!

All packed up and smelling good; ready to start our first family camping adventure!

This is one of my favorite pictures of Sam...pondering the meaning of life...or wondering why the neighbor dog still barks at us even after 2 years of being neighbors.

Here are a few pics from Peninsula State Park in Door County. We tented it for 5 days. I was ready to go home on the first day. None of us wanted to leave by the last.

While we were setting up camp we figured Sy would stay out of trouble (but not dirt) in his travel high chair (don't look too closely at his fingernails :)

Chicken stir fry...mmmm! We cooked most of our meals over Tim's hiking stove.

Here we are eating that meal. We didn't let the rain stop us from having a good time! Tim backed the van to our tent so we had a covering and dry chairs.

Sy's wardrobe for most of the trip...a fleece snow suit! He seemed to like it.

The vigorous climb up the Eagle Bluff Tower proved to be worth the amazing view.


Working on some bird houses for the Grandpas.

Snuggle time with Sy. Two happy campers :)

Next subject: our garden. This is our 3rd year with a garden. We planted on memorial day (did I say "we"? I meant Tim and Grandpa...the rest of us supervised & played cribbage:)

Here are the fabulous results after about seven weeks. Mmmmm!

Here is a Hydrangea Bush we planted. Last year it had one lonely blue blossom for the longest time. This year is quite a different story.

Speaking of landscaping, this is what we came home to last week after a delicious and comical dinner celebrating Uncle Phil's Birthday...I unfortunately don't have pictures of the dinner at Angelina's, but mannaged to pull out the camera for this.

Lots of rain + already wet ground + little time + leaky windows= wet basement. With the help of many fans, an industrial size wet/dry vac, & 2 dehumidifiers, the basement was dry in a few days. No complaints here. On the inspection of our neighbors basement, they were greeted by a floating freezer. Yikes.

Here is Silas at 7 months. Little did I know at the time that I used the same onesie for his 6 month picture. Not the only thing I have forgotten lately :)

Gretta's first dentist appointment! She did awesome! At one point, the dentist was showing her this sprayer-thing, and meant to put it on low, but got her full force on the bib. The hygenist and I both jumped, but Gret's was a trooper and acted like it didn't even faze her!

Gretta picked a purple ring and pink bubble gum (trident:) from the treasure box for a job well done. She told almost everyone we saw that week about her appointment and the treasures she chose! She also got a princess tooth brush and couldn't wait to throw her old one away.

Cousins Luke and Sam...playing football at the cottage on Bear Lake over the Fourth of July. They hit it off so well! We try to get a pic of them together everytime we see them because they are so close in age. Does anyone smell mischief? :)

Relaxing on the swing with Gampy.

The night we got home from camping we took Sammy's nuks away, cold turkey. Gretta went to Build-A-Bear and stuffed hers in the bear. Sammy got to pick out a mit and a ball. Here he is playing ball at the cottage. He loves it! Next step: getting rid of diapers.

Playing chase with cousin Noah on the other side of the family. The pjs are from Grandma Lo. They would wear them every night (and day) if they could.

Lots of running = good sleep tonight.

Great Grandpa received a turkey decoy for Father's Day. Don't tell him I posted this picture!! j/k

Here is Gretta dreaming about training camp. Go number twelve!

Sammy shows this face a lot lately. One would think he is extremely upset until...

the grin breaks through...

The icecream? It's called "Super Man". The kiddie cone was more like a two scooper & Sammy finished every last bite. Gretta asked for vanilla. :)

Is this a messy kid photo contest? Avocado in a dish & self-feeding; the only way he likes it!

Me with all three at once...how rare these photos opps are!!! Now we have to figure out how to photoshop Daddy in (and maybe Diggs).

Last but not least...bikers riding in style. Bound and determined...

Sammy insists on wearing his helmet everytime he rides his hot wheels big wheel (good boy).

"Could you point me to the gas station? This thing isn't moving..." -Silas

That's what a big brother and big sister are for!

Mostly Silas and Sam

Sammy turned 2 on March 30th! We had his party the weekend before. He wanted a garbage truck cake. His train idea was a close second, so we went with that instead. I think he enjoyed it!
Since the cake below would feed maybe 5 (hungry) people, the one on top was a backup to make sure we had enough!


Sam has been such a joy! He is a very passionate and excitable kid...when we pick him up from his time in Sunday school, he seems to explode like he hasn't seen us in months! You will rarely see him without a ball in hand ready to "dunk" it somewhere. If he misses the basket, he says "missed it" with the same excitement as if he made the shot. If he sees a baby anywhere, he absolutely cannot pass him or her up without an affectionate nuzzle and a few kisses. He makes me smile a lot :)


Digging in!

Below, Sam is opening his gift from Uncle Phil.... and it's ....


the latest Cozy Coupe model, face included! All the kids love this one! Thanks Uncle Phil!


"Cheeeeeeese!"

Ohhhhhh! A track and cars! This will be fun!


The car set and "BATHketball" set are from Uncle Bri and Amber. They always seem to know exactly what the kids will be interested in! We had fun having Sammy repeat "Bathketball". Just try and say it. You might even laugh out loud.


Bri and Amber are getting married in August. We better start practicing walking down an isle with Sammy. He will be a ring bearer and needs strict instructions on not dunking the rings!


Here's Gretta checking out the sand/water box from GG and Gampy. So fun!


That's where Gretta must have been when the picture below was taken with GG and Gampy :)


And finally, a Hot Wheels bike from Grandma Lo and Grandpa Jer. Now we can go for bike rides without fighting over Gretta's Dora bike. :)


Thanks Grandpa and Grandma!


Great Grandma and Great Grandpa enjoying some Sam-time.



Gretta got Sam a flashlight. Perfect for camping this summer!



The birthday boy ready to go on an adventure...


Silas, Sam and Gretta...a common scene in our home. Whenever Silas is anywhere near reaching distance, the older two are as close to him as can be.


They love their little brother. I think it's mutual!


Here's Sy at four months old. Poor guy had a double ear infection towards the end of a week long cold. He's still in smiles though. What a trooper! Praise God for all of our little blessings!

This & That

Silas has the best forehead. I found that out when I put this almost-too-small-hat on him before a walk. Just look at those scrunchy wrinkles :)

One night away from kids (besides Silas) + 4 girlfriends + lots of chocolate = 1 sweet time :) Thanks mom and dad for letting us stay at the cabin. We had a blast!



While Sam learned how to swim in the pool below, Gretta practiced her balance beam skills in the balcony above. The both slept like logs that night. Woo hoo :)

Got our pizza ready for the oven...

Set the timer for 30 minutes...

Ate the rest of the cheese &....


Ta Da! Happy Valentine's Day!

Here we are at Jody's house. Sammy & Gretta are having a blast with Anna!


Silas is having a good time too, kicking those monkey feet around :)


Si's last bath in the little tub...sniff sniff! He just seemed to be too big & kicked out most of the water anyway...Grets and Sam love having him in the big tub. Sam's first welcome to Si was a cup of water over his head...let the fun times begin!!

Ninja Sam attempting the splits in jeans...



And Gretta in her home-made princess (80's?!) outfit. She asked me, "mommy, does daddy have a tool to keep my headband on my head?"


Some of Gretta's latest art...wow, it is so cool to see her draw people, letters and shapes!!


GG taught her how to draw kites, so we see them on almost all of her pictures lately...



And finally...a gummy grin from Si, with love.

Three reasons why I need to stick to blogging when the kids are sleeping:

4:10 Sammy comes in the living room with a mouth full of I wasn't sure what. I asked him to open his mouth, and sure enough, he got the banana from the trash that I threw out around lunch time because it was very brown on the inside but the peel was yellow. Gross.

4:14 Gretta yells from Silas' room after #1 above happened, "mommy, come and see what sammy is doing with markers!!" My stomach sunk. Sammy colored with black marker on the hard wood. Yes I took pictures. Maybe I will post them next time.

4:21 Gretta yells from the kitchen minutes after #2 above happened, "mommy, come and see what sammy is opening in the kitchen!!" Of course he found those, the presents I just finished wrapping for their cousins. I shouldn't have been surprised!