"Wiff my fwend" . . .

Here's a series of Liv all ready for a self-requested picture next to the bridge over Fannie Hoe Creek.

(Here's a link to a bit about the location, just a different bridge)

 Me: "Um, Liv, what are you doing?"

Liv: "I'm wif my fwend."

 "See?"

"Hmph, grown-ups!"

Out of chronology now, 

William started a cucumber plant by seed at a friend's house in the spring.

This beauty is what we came home to after our U.P. trip!

(-;

(-:

This is another favorite stop on our 10.5 hour trek up north.

We eat our pasties here, no matter what time we pull through.

Usually our first merry-go-round stop in the Yoop too.

Any Guesses???

What great luck to have gotten all five at the best fountain ever!

Well, I hooked myself up to the big photo library tonight . . . (1st Day of School) . . .

And now I have no idea what to post!

I have a zillion pictures I came upon in my library of over 17,000 photos (hmm?) and they're all from just the last two weeks!  

None of them are even from The Grand Adventure that I'm supposed to be wrapping up by now.

Oh, brother.

So...what to post, what to post?

I should put up a pic of the kid's first day of school, but it's not nearly as entertaining as some others I found.  Well, let me just quick pull that in here.  

It was a rainy day this past Monday when they started so this is at the tip of the garage just inside of getting wet, at 7:45a.m.  We have a major goal this year of leaving at 7:45a.m. instead of 8:00a.m. considering school starts at 8:15a.m.  Ben is a major force behind insisting on 7:45a.m., he likes to be on time and not be rushed (Yeah!!). In this standing order we have an 8th grader, 1st grader, 6th grader and a 4th grader. Wow!

And so the first day of "all day school" on Tuesday I spent the better part of the morning in a tutu and a too small pink tie-dyed shirt dancing ballet with a two year old who lost all her playmates.
It really is a lovely time with her, but I can still say how grateful I am for nap time, right?

Well, since I decided to go the school route here I'll pull in the other "1st Day" pics for some continuity...I'm sure you all appreciate that, ha...

For all the past 1st Days of School we've made it a tradition to go to the local Big Boy after the half day of school (here's one I just found from 2008!).  Many years pics have been taken with the big, Big Boy statue.  Here's what we came up with this year (considering some kids are waaaaaayyyyyy beyond wanting to have their picture taken with a Big Boy statue and some kids just really want to pick Big Boy's big nose, hahahaha):

 This is the closest I got to getting the "Big Three."

Here's one trying to sneak out of the frame now.

Always be sure to check that little guy in the orange.

He's cracking himself up under that giant nose.

 Need a tissue friend?

 And here is this year's "formal" (haha) Big Boy Statue Picture.

Still got his finger up his nose, the two year old is doing her sassy "stick my tongue out" pose that the big kids taught her, and the thirteen year old was game enough to hang out in the shot, whoo-hoo!

Remember, for now (and oh please, hopefully not for much longer), all these pics are taken with my iPhone since I can't find my camera.  Boy I hope that didn't get dropped somewhere.

So, I guess that'll be that for tonight.  Swam this morning so sleeping in (till 7...school day after all) tomorrow.  I only have two outdoor swim days left in the season, Friday and Monday.  I'm fifty/fifty on  how I feel about that.  Part of me is elated not to have to stress out about getting up at 5:30a.m. anymore, but part of me is disappointed to miss out on the great workouts in the 50 meter pool (most indoor pools are 25 yards) that really get ya going for the day.  Ah well...as we know...next summer will be here in a blink of an eye (which follows to next fall when, HUGE GASP, my oldest starts high school!!!!).

I'm not sure where to go with this title . . .

Should it be;

"One Last Hurrah"

"The Sunsets are Unbeatable"

"Five Kids, A Mom and a Minivan With No Working Car Battery Since They Had the Air Conditioning Cranked and All Their Nintendos and Ipods Plugged in While Mom Was in the Grocery Store"

Hmmmm...

Should it be;

"School Starts Tomorrow!!!!!"

Well, yes my friends, school does start tomorrow for us and yes, the kids and I did have one last "Hurrah" last week. (SP had almost 4 weeks of vacation before this last hurrah so he sat this one out and stayed back for work and painting the living room).  We headed to the M. Family cottage on the shores of Lake Superior and had an absolutely glorious time together (well, minus the coming out of the grocery store to a dead battery time...oy vey!!!).

 I absolutely LOVE the composition of this picture.

My only regret is that we're missing one of the five.

This is at Brunette Park on the eastern side of the Keewenaw, a must-do stop for us every year.

Once again we made sure to catch as many merry go rounds as possible.

They've been outlawed or some crazy nonsense in southeastern lower peninsula!

Anyone guess where this one is?

 Love, love, love the ever changing shoreline on our side of the Keewenaw.

Just can't get over it.

We had the best time snorkeling for rocks when the waves finally let up near the end of the week. Of course the kids did love the waves too, but for the first time, my over-forty year old self did not feel like getting beat up by waves with all those rocks around...but, just for the record, I did still jump off the 10 meter diving platform at Mi Tech during our rainy day "open swim" time. (I didn't say it was fun...I just said I did it! Hahaha).

 Ah...the sunsets...

Please, try to beat the beauty of that, I challenge you.

Absolutely gorgeous those Lake Superior sunsets.

And, one night, we watched a storm roll in.

Awesome!

It was all fun and games with the rumbling thunder off in he distance and giant flashes of lightening miles out on the lake.  Lots of rock skipping and shenanigans. Until...

Things started picking up in pace a bit.

Yeah boys, I mean you too...off the beach now!

 And after clicking about 427 pictures on my newfangled iPhone (yep, came my way at the end of no-tech month of all times)...iPhone only for pics this trip since I, gasping in horror, can NOT find my camera again!!!...anyway, after about 427 attempts I finally got that lightening picture.  Lightening is not something that is easily captured, let me tell you...especially with five kids hovering around, some of which are terrified by the oncoming storm...I got my pic...

And this my friends leads us into...

School Starts Tomorrow!

Why this pic?  Because for the next ten months there will be seven less hours each day that I can happen upon scenes like this anywhere in my house. I mean COME ON!

(-:

It's Gonna Take Far Longer Than 18 Days . . .

For me to get that Grand Adventure posted I guess!

See, my night without kids starts between 9:30p.m.-10:00p.m.  Yep, that's ended up being our general summer bedtime for all the kids.  Yep...including the two year old!!!  So, then if it's a "swim night" (meaning I'm waking up waaaayyyy to early the next morning), I try to stay off the computer after checking emails (I'm loving my August break from Facebook), read and get to bed...generally by 11:00p.m....still far to late for a 5:30a.m. wake up call but that's how it's been going.  On non-swim nights, I've just not been getting hooked up to that darn external hard drive to compile pictures, bummer about that thing.

So, tonight we have some veggie/flower shots since they were on my desktop and it's a "swim night" again!

 Not a stellar shot, but I finally grew some yellow squash.

And, note to self, (and anyone else interested, haha), summer squash do not creep up bamboo in a vine.  They grow in a big clump.  (Check this link to be reminded of my early summer plans)

 This, my friends, is one of MANY tomatillo hanging out back.

Success!

 Still struck my the beauty of those morning glories.

I've not played with editing this at all.  They always look so glowing.

I've also finally learned to manage/wrangle them into growing where I want them to grow.

 Ahh, lookie here, those summer squash I was mentioning on a bed of my swiss chard.

Mmmmmm.....

This year we've been fond of ripping bits of chard into our scrambled eggs with some green onions that somehow manage to grow in my little containers all summer long.

A sweet pea in a bean teepee!

It worked, despite me having surrounded it with chicken wire and leaving for 18 days.

Pole beans will climb anywhere and everywhere including, through, over and beyond chicken wire...then they don't really like to be detangled from chicken wire.  Just sayin'.  That would have been some prime video, me trying to rescue bean teepee plants by cutting through chicken wire with wire cutters in 95 degree heat...let me tell you...the fact that there is a bean teepee in our yard this year is AMAZING.

(and yes...my bathrooms still haven't been cleaned!!!!!)

Oy!

Prairie Days . . .

Also known as, "Grand Adventure, Part III"

And

Also known as, "A Technological Miracle if it Posts"

And now, since I can't seem to enlarge my previous technological miracle, I'll upload this next slide show with the same pics, minus the fun layout and extremely witty comments that you probably can't see anyway.  Let's see if this is any better shall we...

Well, I think it's a draw really.  Some of the pictures are larger but it's really uneventful without being able to have some text on the slides I think (but then again, I crack my own self up, ya'll probably don't care, hahaha).  Well, bloodspot, keep plugging along with improvements, next step, larger slide shows!

What do you suppose . . .

They're all looking at?

Ah-ha!

 Last week we got wet!

This is by far one of the best, (and free) water park/play structure parks in the area.  And trust me, I'm fairly well schooled in all things parks for the summer (I think I probably blogged this one last year too).  This is one that is fun for all my age kids, bonus!  (Though I will say, the oldest is getting pretty close to aging out of these trips )-:)

 Upon first arrival though, some tried to not get wet by slipping through sideways.

 Stuffy nose?

This girl had an absolute blast, she was like the energizer bunny running through all the different sprays...except the big bucket!

Good ol' summer time fun.

And this is only a smidge of the play structure things.

Love the rocket theme.

I've been stumped on getting my next Grand Adventure post out due to needing to redo an entire slideshow in a different platform and not enough time to do it...someday soon I hope, it's a great one if I do say so myself!

Big Smiles . . .

From the birthday boy!

Look who's six!

(And who just a blink ago was two!)

Yes, it was a Happy Birthday day at the house today.

 Blowing out six candles on our attempt at soccer ball cupcakes.

I just realized in that link to his two yr. birthday that this is the first year I didn't make a Texas Sheet Cake for his birthday.  I really shouldn't mess around with that tradition.  Since it's summer, all five kids are home, we've been traveling and my attempts at his soccer ball cupcakes were no where near my best work. Haha!  At one point Lara came into the kitchen and with a horrified gasp said, "Oh no, can I finish those!"  Next year Texas Sheet Cake it is!

 And, next year...NO RED POP!

And, next year...double check the balloon packages!

Hehehe!

This year was kind of a wack-a-do birthday all around.  I sent out emails to four friends last Sunday (hey, six days before is pretty good compared to some birthdays I've done) and we only had one friend available for the party.  So, all week I checked with William about that.  "Do you want to wait until more friends are available or have the party on your birthday Saturday?"  And, all week he said, "I want to have the party this Saturday."  So, today rolls around and I mention again that we have Henry coming for his party and he looks shocked and amazed saying, "What??? I only have ONE friend coming to my party???"  Oy!

So, yes, one friend for the party...well, and one Grandpa too. (-: (three other grandparents were out of town today).  Well, William had been saying he wanted a soccer birthday party, including going to a soccer field to play a game of soccer...with his one friend.  I emphasized the situation of the two man soccer game for his birthday to his siblings and they all agreed to pitch in for a fun game today...but it RAINED!

So, yes, one friend and a soccer party with rain...at least I managed to buy "Happy Birthday" balloons...Oh yeah...So, yes, one friend, a rained out soccer game and "Happy Anniversary" balloons.

Wow!  

But, a trip to the Y with his buddy, brothers & Dad, bellies full of Lara's cream-filled cupcakes and Reese's ice cream, red pop and presents,  brought out that big birthday smile after all!

Tonight we have . . .

Fridge Magnets!

Haha!

Every now and again, If I look closely at my very full fridge, I find that someone's been rearranging the word magnets again.  Pretty Funny!

Was supposed to have an update of the grand adventure tonight, got a great slide show put together and everything but just can't get it to upload over here, ugh!

No Updates Tonight . . .

Two reasons:

1.  I'm not near that new box gadget I've mentioned in the past that I need to connect my laptop to in order to access my rather large iPhoto library.  I still do not like that system, but do like that it can hold more pics than my computer can.  What to do, what to do...

2.  I'm trying to wind down and gear up for tomorrow's 5:45a.m. swim in probably 55 degree air temp and rain, ugh!!!

Here's a pic though to keep us entertained then I'm outta here...

Oh my goodness would I pay for that app!!!

Grand Adventure, Part II . . .

 Still making our way through South Dakota I actually convinced two of my car mates to read the mini book of Sherlock Holmes mysteries that I had in drawer number three!

 My friends let me tell you, our expert travel planner (many, many "thanks" Poppie) had designed us a trip that when we wanted to take time to just stop and smell the roses (or photograph interesting puffy plants), we darn well did thank you very much! (-:

 Can you figure out what that is?

Sorry...it was in my files, couldn't resist.

 And finally...our first big western destination.

This one is going to need an entire post of it's own, but I wanted to give you something to come back for.

Oh, one more thing, I don't usually post more than the kids or random silliness that is our existence, but this one I couldn't resist, we'll title it, "For Sharyn."

Left to right

D, J, K, B, E, ME, SP, Livia

(pretty sure you'll get the names, Share)

The Grandest of Adventures So Far . . .

So, Grandma and Poppie P. celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this August and to celebrate they invited their three children and spouses and 11 grandchildren on a Grand Western Adventure.  Some of us, (our family and two nieces) drove with G-Ma and Poppie (two cars) to Yellowstone.  We met the other families there for five nights and then some of us (our family and one niece) drove to the Grand Tetons (where we met one of the other families) and then home...in 18 days!

Now that I have my iPhoto library partially cleaned up (it took three days "duplicate annihilating" 8,653 photos from my system) I hope to highlight some of the trip over a few posts...

 This is the very first photo of the trip.

Everyone set and ready to go!

The boys lasted 3/4ths of the first day in our car and travelled the remaining 17 & 1/4 days in G-ma and Poppie's car.  Our 18 and 13 year old nieces came to our car...(-:

"nuff said?

 My grandest traveling resource, a four drawer stacking unit!

Oh man, was I pumped about this thing.

Lap top on top for movies, top drawer for snacks, 2nd drawer to entertain Liv, 3rd drawer general car trip entertainment (paper, markers, mazes, games), bottom drawer full of 1st aid (which we used a LOT of).  Loved this idea!

 Somewhere in Illinois (maybe during our two hour plus traffic jam in Chicago?) someone thought it important to label the food.

Hmmm...

(-;

Our westward route took us through Wisconsin.

"nuff said again!

 And eventually we landed in South Dakota.

This is where the real fun begins folks.

Stay Tuned!