It's the first day of school!

Mary started kindergarten today and Elijah started second grade. Everyone had a great day, but they are tired out tonight! It's awesome that I have another few days off. I love being able to ease back into our schedule. I actually got to take the kids to their first day of school, which has never happened before. They happened to have the same lunch period and they actually sat together which I thought was so sweet! One thing I hadn't thought of was that Emily would have a hard time with this transition. She said this morning, "I don't want Mary to go to kindergarten." I guess last year they were at the sitter together and of course this summer they spent a lot of time together. She got to spend the day with me at school today and had a great time.

More kid pics

Hilarious!! Emily got hold of the camera the other night and was doing an awesome job!

Gardening

I started cleaning out the garden today. I know that I always am bad about letting it go once school has started again, so I started pulling things that I'm done with. Like the pumpkin plants that flowered, but never turned into pumpkins. And the green beans that are becoming prolific, but are gross, in my opinion. They are not the same deliciously sleek beans that I planted last year. I did can some of them, but they aren't worth my time any more. So, they are gone. Now I can get to some other things that were getting overrun. The cayenne peppers are turning red and we've started drying them to make crushed red pepper. I did can some tomatoes and dry some of the cherry tomatoes and make tomato sauce. Actually the sauce was for a zucchini-eggplant lasagna that was REALLY good. There were no pasta noodles in it. The eggplant and zucchini get sliced lengthwise and act as the noodles layered with a tomato sauce and then ricotta cheese mixture. It was fun to make something that was almost totally from the garden (tomatoes, onions, garlic, zucchini) and eggplant (from a couple of friends' gardens).

As soon as it cools off a little bit I'd like to get some lettuce and spinach going in the blank spaces. They are pretty maintenance free.

We've been making the transition back to work, and it does seem to be going a bit smoother this year than in year's past. I think it's because I have an extra week off. Brian and the kids start on Tuesday, so we're starting the final descent. School supplies are purchased, clothes are ready and we've started stocking up lunch box food and teaching the kids their new household jobs for when school starts. We're trying to give them with some more responsibilities around the house so that we can try to stay a little more sane this year. : )

I'm off to make some more zucchini bread!

Uploaded from Mary's camera

She is quite the budding photographer. These were some of the highlights of the 200+ shots that were on her camera. Light fixture in our computer room.
Spider plant on the porch
Mixed veggies

And the ever photogenic Mr. Potato Head

Another list

I can thank my dad for the "list-making" gene. I get so much satisfaction from crossing things off when I'm done. I think lists are also helpful in condensing jumbled thoughts into a concise thought process.

Reasons I love to run

1. It is all for me. I don't talk to anyone (I've tried and almost killed myself falling off the treadmill (LAAAA)) or think about anything.

2. I feel healthier when I'm done.

3. I set small goals for myself like "I'm just going to make it to the end of this song" or "start up again at this certain lyric in a song" and feel great when I've completed them.

4. Since I started at the beginning of the summer I can tell that my endurance has increased. I've never really been a runner before and I'm able to go lots further (farther?) than I ever expected.

5. I can eat two pieces of peach pie and hope it will be offset by my daily run.

Winding down

Summer is, that is. We've certainly had a whirlwind of activity this summer. This past week I was on tour with Brian's band, the SmallTown Heroes. We traveled to Bloomington, IN and then on to Tennessee and North Carolina. It was a lot of travel time and we learned lots about how to do this the next time, as the learning curve was kind of big. But, it was lots of fun to see them play and visit some friends and meet some people and see some new places--like Asheville, NC--a very cool town I'd love to go back to and explore some more!

I've been in a flurry trying to deal with my garden that has been sorely unattended for 2 weeks + at a very pivotal time for harvesting. I feel like between trips I've been picking lots of overgrown things and trying to figure out what to do with them (make zucchini bread and freeze shredded zucchini, lots of refrigerator pickles) and the canning has begun!! So far this year I've done salsa, green beans, banana peppers, and...drumroll, please....peaches! I picked 3/4 bushel today at Annie's Orchard out near Ross Camp. So today has been all about peaches. I made a pie first thing, then set to canning and freezing some. Tomorrow I'll do some more peach jam. Tomatoes are going to be ready soon too. Although of the 16 plants, it turns out that about 12 of them are cherry tomatoes. I am trying to figure out what to do with them. Can them? Juice them? I just don't know yet.

We're starting to prepare to go back to work/school. We haven't actually done anything yet. It's more of a mental preparation. ; ) The kids are excited--especially Mary, since she is starting kindergarten, we are not. I could use another month, but I'll be fine.

back from vacation picture overload

Bob and Susan watching the sunset on the beach
Aunt Nancy and Susan at the lighthouse
Emily sports her new SmallTown Heroes t-shirt and the cutest Keen sandals ever
Aunt Meg and Jonathan at the lighthouse
Late night fun on the dock
"CHEEEEEESE" on the lighthouse
My mom and me

My kids with cousin Sam at the top of a sand dune on the dune ride in Saugatuck
Catching fish in Lake Macatawa
Emily and Jonathan played trains out on the porch most days.

We had a fabulous time at Lake Michigan, as always. The weather was just right--upper 70's, low 80's during the day and 60's by night with the great lake breeze blowing most days. We had a little snag at the beginning of our trip. We were supposed to leave last Friday morning, but Mary woke up vomiting and had a fever. She had gone to the doctor on Wednesday for her 6 year check up and got vaccinations, so I thought her fever was from that. I took her back to the doctor first thing on Friday and found out she had strep throat! Brian graciously offered to stay with her for a day at home while I took the other kids and headed up to the vacation house.
He and Mary came up Saturday afternoon and she was back to her old self within a few days. The first few days she would get exhausted pretty easily and sleep for hours at a time, but I don't think she minded. We had lots of people in and out of the house this year, but in general we had around 15 people staying there. Some of our favorite things from this year's trip were:

THE BEACH!! Right outside our doorstep, walks to the lighthouse and the big sand dune, Lake Michigan beach. Lots of big waves this year for body surfing.

The Farmer's Market in Holland. Always fun for produce nerds like me. I got my 15 lbs. of blueberries in the freezer when I got home and made peach jam already too!

The Dune Ride. Brian and I have been three times now this summer and it is fun every time. We were talking about how fun it would be next summer to rent a cottage for the summer and he could drive the dune rides

Free Coffee Drinks in Holland. We were at the shoe store, talking about how we needed a coffee pick-me-up and some lady told us that the barista school down the block was giving away free drinks (not just brewed coffee--any coffee drink you wanted) for FREE. They made the most delicious coffee smoothies with coffee and ice cream.

The week wouldn't have been complete without a major storm over Lake Michigan and we got ours on the last night. My dad found out there were 100 mph winds. The thunder and lightning were right on top of us and the rain was pelting in sideways. I think the power went out around midnight and came back in the early morning hours. It's scary when you are right on the water with nothing to block the storm.

Hanging out with our family for a week. Man, it was so fun!! Nobody has a family like we do.

because I am thinking in bullet points right now

• Went bathing suit shopping today. Ugh. But it had to be done. The one I ordered from Land's End, well...how about if I let Elijah sum it up: "Mom, I think it looked better on the person on the computer." O-kayyyy, that one is going back. The one I actually tried on at Target was better. And cheaper.

• As I washed and pressed the kitchen curtains this week I decided that I am ready to paint again. I think I've finally had enough red kitchen.

• Eating green beans, cukes, zucchini, banana peppers, and cherry tomatoes from the garden right now (well, not RIGHT now, but you get the idea)

• Unhappy with the sleeping situation at my house right now. The problem: nobody is sleeping, but everyone is tired. Bedtime was 2.5 hours ago and no one is asleep yet. Trying to remain calm.

• Excited about making more jam soon --peach and blueberry fo' shizzle and maybe raspberry

• Hung curtains in the girls' room today; glad I saved them from when Elijah was little because they match that room nicely. Glad to have window treatments again. We'll see how long they last. Can't have nothin' nice with no kids around.

• Been trying to get some balance back in my life by exercising daily again and I am sort of becoming one of those weird people that loves to run. But only on the treadmill and only with the iPod in my ears very LOUDLY. I already did it once today, but am contemplating doing it again tonight. Plus it's a good excuse to listen to the Avett Brothers. LOUDLY.
  

New pictures, as promised

*These pictures all happened prior to Emily and I getting sea sick and throwing up all over my parents' boat. Sorry, mom and dad. Hope you had a fun 4th of July anyway!!

More photos from our visit to the country

I think my kids joined a Warren County gang while we were there.
Elijah did drive the 4 wheeler. Despite the devilish look in his eye, he was very responsible. I'll admit, it took a little deep breathing on my part.
Emily, on the other hand, was not a good driver. She wrapped that Power Wheels around the first tree she came to. I guess we know which one will not be getting their drivers' license any time soon!
Her scalp was looking red, so I covered her up with our family's summer crest. Come back tomorrow for pictures of the same bandana looking a bit less hippie chic and a little more pirate-y.

Do you know where your dinner came from?

We do!! On our mini-vacation to our friends' house we caught catfish from their pond and the guys filleted it and we ate it blackened and fried. Mary caught the first fish--a small bluegill that had to be thrown back. She was awfully proud to get the first catch. She was using what became affectionately named "the fish slayer". It caught a good portion of the 7 catfish that we ended up with and it was a $10 Toy Story pole that we picked up at Target so she wouldn't be left out of the fun. Everyone caught something to contribute to the meal. That's the beauty of a stocked pond.


As this was happening Emily was very alarmed. I was explaining to her that we would cut the fish and cook it and she kept saying, "It's not for eating." Although, when it was on her plate she didn't seem to have any trouble. Hypocrite. ; )

birthday fun

Buccaneer Bay was totally fun! The water slides all ended in shallow water so even our littlest ones could ride them.

Mary's cake this year was a last minute decision, but I think it was just perfect for her. She has been a shoe girl since she was about 2 years old. The flip flops were made from a 13x9 pan, cut out to look like shoes. Frosted, added candies for decoration, cut pieces of fruit roll up for the thong part, and cut sunflowers from our yard for the finishing touch.
It has been shearing season at our house this week. Both Elijah and Mary got major hair cuts. I took her yesterday and she got about 3 inches off.
And just because there are never any pictures of the mother. Here I am. Pool hair and all.

lunch on the porch

Today is party prep day. We are celebrating Mary's birthday a couple weeks early due to the experation date on some pool passes that we already purchased! More photos on that to come. In the mean time here are some cuties having lunch on a hot summer day.

I'm sure, just sure, that I am jinxing myself by writing this. But I am forging ahead anyway. Things here are going so well right now. We stayed at Fiddlers' last night until the last band. The kids were happy, playing nicely, listening to the music. It was so fun! It does help that the adult to child ratio is 3:1. We got home around midnight and everyone went straight to sleep and slept until 8:30 this morning. Breakfast was pancakes and sausage at Megan and Everette's house. We just got home and everyone is laying down for naps. I'm sure that tonight will not be as smooth. Brian will not be there for one thing. The STH are playing at a wedding reception, so he's out of commission for most of today. Secondly there is no way that we can have this much fun two days in a row. So, I'm just planning now that it will be an earlier night. Plus, I do want to make it to church on Sunday.

The other thing that is going unbelievably smooth is toilet training Emily. It is such a different experience that Mary. She took like two years to train. Emily is just doing it of her own accord. I kind of expected it to take a bit of time and energy this summer, but so far so good. She still wears a diaper at bedtime, but if she's wearing underwear she will just use the bathroom. I rarely even ask her unless we're out in public and I think she might have forgotten about it.

I'm off for my nap.

A day in our life

The past 24 hours have been just what I like...productive and fun! Brian finished the second set of steps off the back porch. The plan is to fence the back yard for the kids and dog, but we didn't want the existing steps to be fenced in, so the obvious solution is...make another set of stairs.

As I mentioned above we are fencing the yard. Well, that would be easy. Get a fence. Put it up. Nope, not around here. Brian took an old door that we weren't using and is somehow creating that to be a door entrance to the back yard. I am not a visual-spacial person, so I'll have to see it before I catch the vision. He wanted it to be red. So that's one of today's tasks.
Today we also prepared a meal for the Habitat for Humanity volunteers. This is a very large bowl of what became dirt pudding. Brian and the kids also put together Hawaiian bread sandwiches, salad, and fruit salad. Lunch for 30 people.

Oh, and I can't forget about this. Because the berries sat out on the kitchen counter all day there were definitely not enough to make a pie. So after dinner we decided to grab some Frozen Custard and I whipped up a little sauce--sugar, brandy, a splash of orange juice and the smashed berry pulp cooked for just a couple minutes.