Thanks, Mom

Raina in the toy bin

Barrett in his favorite t.v. watching spot

Lauren

Barrett saying "cheese"


Just a quick post, because it makes me smile! Barrett has been working (slowly, but surely) on using the potty. Every time he uses it I give him big praises and high fives, hugs, and kisses. His response is all boy...he just smiles and says "Thanks, Mom" and wonders off. He's too cute!

Here are some pics from today. Barrett has been walking around in his underwear (first day at attempting potty-training...many accidents so far...easier if he's just in undies) and his spartan hat...funny stuff. ;)

Father's Day

Barrett and Louie found the hose

He's gonna get me!!!

Playing with the hose and some water guns

Raina and Lauren LOVED the water!

This past week was so nice to say the least. Of course, I didn't take a single picture while away (Jocelyn posted some pictures on her blog...click here...) and decided that Sunday, Father's Day, I should finally pull the camera out and take some pictures. To start it all off, I headed up to my cabin on Tuesday with the kids. I was looking for a week of hanging out at the beach, soaking up the rays, and swimming in the lake. I did get that a few days, but most of the time was spent indoors, reading or doing puzzles. I must say, although my routine was the same, it just felt nice to be at the cabin and look out on the lake. There's just something about being at the cabin. Anyway, my dad arrived Wednesday afternoon and then most of the family came up late, late Thursday night or Friday night. It was so nice to spend some extended time at the cabin and it make it extra special that I had this time with my family. We headed home Sunday morning to meet up with Ben's family for Father's Day. We spent a gorgeous afternoon watching the kids play in the water and chase each other with water guns. Last night when we got home we all crashed. What a great week it was for all of us! :)

weekend @ lake

My beach baby Lauren

Barrett, of course, playing in the sand
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My other beach baby Raina

Raina trying on Great Uncle Bob's hat

It was a nice weekend spent up at Ben's grandma's house. We got up there Friday night and jsut had a casual evening reading, watching movies, and fishing. We even got to enjoy an after dinner pontoon ride. Then Saturday we woke up to some sprinkles, but around noon they all dissipated and we had sunny weather the rest of the day. Jenny, Dewey, and Katie joined up Saturday morning as well. We played horseshoes, laid out, and played some Trivial Pursuit. My kind of day. Then Sunday we we outside the entire day since it was probably one of the best days of summer we have had so far. The kids played and played. We were all exhausted by the end, but it was definitely worth it.

My Funny Lauren

Putting on her "hat" (the hood of one of her sweatshirts)

Doing her "catwalk" (love the shoelace "necklace")

She had a busy, glamorous day and she fell asleep during dinner! :)

Let Summer Begin!

Some good friends from high school and kids!

Some of my fellow co-workers on the last day of school!

Friday was my last day of school for the summer! It hasn't fully sunk in yet, but I am still very excited about the thought that I don't have to go back for a few months! Yippe! It definitely pays to be a teacher this time of year. Anyway, after school on Friday a few of us teacher got together and played games. Bean bag toss, crochet, and some Euchre were some of the games. It was a beautiful afternoon and so much fun hanging out with friends.

Then Saturday, Ben and I had company over. Janiczek's were back from Germany, so all the guys wanted to play golf. The ladies (Andrea, Tressa, Kristen, and I) went for a walk on the river trail while the boys golfed. Then we went back to our house and hung out. Andrea had other plans, but then Renee and Kyle and his girlfriend stopped out. There were lots of kiddos, but it was again a lot of fun.


***Click on the picture below for more fun pictures from the last few days***

June 2009

Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day Weekend 09

**Click on the above picture to see more from the trip.**

This past weekend we headed north to spend some time with family on the lake. It was our first major travel with our new minivan and we did manage to fill it to the max! It was a nice way to travel though, especially with the DVD player on the way up. As you can tell from the picture we didn't need it on the way home, though. What a fun, yet exhausting weekend! :)

We left Friday morning, but after having to stop for lunch we didn't arrive at the cabin until about 2:30 pm. When we arrived we had to go next door to get the key and low and behold some of the Williams crew were already there and sunbathing! :) So needless to say we stayed a bit and chatted. I too had to go grab my suit, because the weather was just too good to pass up the chance of getting some rays. Then Saturday and Sunday were filled with lots of games and sunbathing. There was a big family dinner Sunday night, too. Monday we managed to fit in a pontoon boat ride (although it was very chilly out on the lake!) before heading for home. It was so much fun to be up north. I hope to spend some more extended time up there this summer (sorry Ben...he'll have to stay home and work...ahhh the life of a teacher!). We headed home around 2 pm with some runny noses and bug bites, but it was all well worth it! :)

Melissa Turns 30!

Melissa's 30th

**Click on above picture to see a few more from the night**

Last night we headed down to Royal Oak to hang out with friends for Melissa's 30th birthday. We first went over to Kyle and Melissa's house where we chatted and played Wii. Then we went out to dinner at a nice seafood restaurant. It was so much fun visiting with everyone. Sadly we had to get home after dinner, but I'm sure the rest of the group had a great rest of the evening! ;)

Delayed Post -- 13 Months

Lauren's gorgeous blue eyes

Raina has enough hair for a bow

Lauren and her favorite goggles!

Things around here have been pretty busy. I had a birthday, then there was Mother's Day, school is winding down, and m y girls are walking all over the place! I don't know where all the time has gone...things just go so fast.

Girls Stats @ 13 months:

Raina
::Sleeps twice a day (10-11 and 3-5)
::Goes to bed around 8-8:30 pm and wakes around 7 am
::Sucks her two right middle fingers
::Walking pretty good now
::Getting more and more hair
::Blue eyes and light brown hair...I think
::Says "what dat?" all the time
::Has two pretty dimples
::Loves to wrestle
::Loves to cuddle and be rocked
::Loves to sit in your lap
::LOVES to climb things, especially the couch and coffee table
::Eats three solid meals a day
::Picky about temperature of food
::Choosy about who she gives a smile to
::A bit more hold-me, hold-me these days (molars are coming in)

Lauren
::Loves her baby and blankie
::LOVES her goggles
::Sleeps twice a day (10-11 and 3-5)
::Goes to bed around 8-8:30 pm and wakes around 7 am
::Is walking so well that at times she is practically running
::Gives great smiles
::Is a bit on the clumsy side
::Is sneaky and loves to explore
::Still has pretty much no hair, but what is there is pretty light
::Vibrant blue eyes
::Is happiest outside
::Doesn't cuddle much, prefers to do her own thing
::Loves bath time
::Pretty easy going most days

Both girls are getting more and more vocal all the time. They still speak their own language, but they certainly love a good conversation. It's so much fun right now!

Barrett has been doing great, too. He hit a growth spurt recently and seems to be so much taller (all his pants are so short on him now). He is talking all the time, too. He says "Oh, man" when he can't go outside due to weather or "Bear-Bear do that" when he wants to give something a try. The past few nights he has come over to me to tell me that he wants to use the potty, also! I think we're on to something there. It'll be so nice when he is potty trained, that's for sure. :) We got a new van (yes, a mini-van...can't quite believe it myself, but honestly...I'm loving it right now) and Barrett is able to help open doors and close doors, etc. It makes life a bit easier. He is so big now, but there are still moments that I get to cuddle with him and I love that. He is so great!!! All my kids are simply the best.

birthday, eggs, and lots of food

Girls Birthday and Easter 09

***Click on the picture above for more pictures from the weekend!***

This past weekend was so busy, but so much fun!!! It all started on Friday when I took the kids over to Grandpa and Grandma Spitzley to decorate eggs. Barrett loved this! His hands were dyed some many colors by the end. He's getting to be so interactive and interesting! He talks so much and he is just so smart! Then, Saturday the girls turned one!! So we had a birthday party at our house. A lot of family and some friends came by to help celebrate. It was so nice visiting with everyone, although I think I need another get together just to get more time with everyone. Hosting can be exhausting work! I did have a lot of help though, which made clean up that much more bearable. Thanks to everyone that came to party and clean up! :) They girls got a lot of great gifts, several of which were summer clothes....now I can't wait for summer!! I can't wait to get them all dressed in their cute clothes! And finally, Sunday was Easter so we went over to Grandma and Grandpa Spitzleys again to enjoy a lovely brunch with family. The food was amazing and I overinduldged. It was worth it! :) There was an egg hunt outside, but unfortunately Barrett was overtired and was yelling at his cousin Louie whenever Louie went for "his" eggs. Barrett didn't quite understand that they were everyone's eggs. Anyway, that was resolved and all the kids went for a ride on the homemade merry-go-round. Afterward we got all the kids in a pic together. This was followed by several kid naps and lots of conversation. I was definitely beat by the end of the weekend, but I wouldn't have it any other way! Now I'm back to work with only about 8 more weeks to go!

Girls stats @12 months:

Raina
~Squirrley (loves to cruise around on the couch)
~Little monkey (climbs everything)
~Says "what dat" all the time
~Still prefers crawling, although she has taken a few steps
~Has great dimples and blue eyes
~Sucks her two middle fingers on her right hand
~Loves to cuddle when tired
~Is very attached to mommy and often has the "hold me, hold mes"
~Loves to play with others and be involved
~Some hair, slightly brown
~Eats three solid meals a day and still takes about 2 bottles of cow's milk
~Naps twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon for a total of about 3 hours althogether
~Goes to bed around 8 and then is up again around 7
~Loves food and will shovel it just like Barrett used to

Lauren
~Is walking!
~Prefers to sit and play quietly
~Can mimic very well
~Can say baby, momma, dadda
~Barely any hair and big blue eyes
~Prefers to be laid down when tired
~Loves her momma and dadda
~~Eats three solid meals a day and still takes about 2 bottles of cow's milk
~Naps twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon for a total of about 3 hours althogether
~Goes to bed around 8 and then is up again around 7
~Is a dainty eater most of the time and she takes her time eating
~Has a great smile

I am not sure how much the girls weigh, but they go to the doctor tomorrow for their check up, so we'll find out then. What an awesome year it has been. In many ways time has gone slowly, but then in other ways it has really flown by! I love my kids so much. Barrett is growing so fast and doing many amazing things all the time and the girls are doing well. I couldn't be happier!

Vacation

Florida 09

Click on the above picture for more pictures from our trip...sorry there aren't many. We were in our bathing suits most of the time and people really don't need to see that!

Yesterday we arrived back home after a vacation in Florida. It was a nice, relaxing four days in the sun. We stayed with my grandparents and Rex and Monica were there, too. We spent a few days lounging by the pool, shelling, and playing tennis. One afternoon we decided to go kayaking through the mangroves. That was fun. There were huge hermit crabs, strange fish, and even a few fish that were jumping out of the water! At one point, about a dozen fish jumped right alongside Rex and Monica's kayak! It was crazy! The last day was a bit on the chilly side (around 60-65 degrees) so we decided to bike around the island and do some shopping. It was a nice way to wrap up the vacation. By the time we were suppose to leave, I was ready, simply because I was missing my kidlets. I was so anxious the entire trip home, because I couldn't stand waiting to see them anymore. It was like Christmas morning! When we finally arrived home, Grandma Sue had the girls napping, Barrett playing, and dinner in the oven! Amazing! What a way to come home! We couldn't have done this vacation without all the help of so many people who watched our kids. A BIG THANK YOU for helping us out (you know who you are), the vacation really rejuvenated us!

Visit with Edin's

Yesterday we headed down to visit with Jocelyn, Jacob, Gwen, and baby Emmett. It was Ben's first time meeting little Emmett. Emmett is doing great and so are the parents (although alittle sleepy). :) It was a nice visit. Jocelyn and I went to the local secondhand baby store and did a little shopping and then came home to watch the Wolverines (too bad they couldn't pull out a win). We headed hoem after a really nice dinner. All the crying kidlets prevented us from staying and visiting for longer.

Wrestling with dad

Lauren

Raina

playtime

Barrett holding Kaylynn (he was so sweet with her)

Lauren and Raina

Barrett running in circles with Damian and Cayden

Kim, me, and Jenny after a night out

This past weekend was filled with playtime. Saturday my good friend Andrea came by with her 4 month old daughter, Kaylynn. It was so great visiting with her and watching our kids interact. Barrett was so gentle with Kaylynn and wanted to hold her all the time. The girls would just look at Kaylynn with those cute curious eyes. It was fun. Then later that night I loaded up the kids (Ben was down in OH watching his friend Grey fight in UFC 96) and headed over to Mark and Sheryl's. They had some family over and their grandsons. Barrett absolutely loves playing with these boys! They played swords, wrestled, ran around and around. It was fun to watch them play. The girls seemed to want to play, too, but they're still on the small side. These boys can play a little rough sometimes. :) Once the kids were put down for the night, Kim, Chris, Jenny, and myself decided to go out for a bit. It was a late one, but so much fun. I'm still tired though!

new baby and big babies

Aunt Britta with the new little man

He's just so darn cute

The new momma who just kept saying "I'm so happy"

Proud daddy

A bit tied down at first, but was back with his parents later that night

Ben with his lovely goddaughter, Mykenna

The life jacket was a life saver! Barrett is fearless in water!

The girls taking a break from swimming

Relaxing Lauren

Raina climbed in to the cupboard and Miss Lauren followed

What a busy, busy weekend (and beginning of the week...sorry for the delayed post). Friday night Kate and Matt came over and we chatted and chatted and eventually played some Euchre. It was sooooo nice to visit with them, because it had simply been just too long. I forgot to take pictures, sorry. Then Saturday a bunch of us decided to check out a few hotel rooms in town so that we could use the pool. It was so much fun to get the kids in the water and splash around. It was the first time the girls had been in a pool and they seemed to like it okay (although they were on the bit tired side to begin with). On the other hand, Barrett LOVED it! He would jump of the side of the pool, sometimes without anyone in the water to catch him! The life jacket was necessary, indeed! There was always someone nearby, but I could not believe how fearless he seemed with the water. We'll have to be extra careful this summer.

Later that night, after returning home and putting the kids to bed, I got a phone call from Jocelyn. It was around 11:00pm and she told me that she was having contractions. I couldn't believe it! It was so exciting! We decided to wait another hour and see what happens. Around midnight Jacob called me and told me that they were heading to the hospital. I told him to call me when they got admitted. So needless to say I couldn't sleep. I waited and waited and decided to call Jacob back. It went right to voicemail. I called the hospital and they told me that she had been admitted (this was around 2 am). I decided that I better get on the road, because I had an hour and a half drive. As I was backing out of the driveway Jacob called me. He said something about ruptured membranes, but that is all I heard. The connection was breaking up, so I just told him that I was on my way (I found out later that he was trying to tell me that she was going in for a c-section). The whole drive over there I tried calling Jacob (only to reach his voicemail every time) and I called the hospital and all they kept telling me is that they are not by a phone at this time. Ugh! I was panicing, because I couldn't seem to get any answers or any updates. So I finally arrived at the hospital (longest drive EVER!) around 3:30 am. When I got to the receptionist I asked for Jocelyn and she pulled up the computer screen and all I saw was one heart moniter (yikes...I didn't know what to think) and she said that she needed to call him to see if he wanted to come talk to me (I was unsure who the 'him' was...I think I was tired...she had to tell me that she was talking about Jacob). Jacob came out and all my worried went away when he smiled and told me that the baby was already here! Emmett Mac was born at 2:30 am!!! I went back with Jacob to see Jocelyn, who at this point was in the recovery area, and then proceeded to see Emmett for the first time. He was in the NICU due to the fact that the cord had been wrapped around his neck twice (the reason for the emergency c-section). He was hooked up to an IV and oxygen, but by the time I was there he looked pink and healthy. WHat an amazing thing a new baby is! Anyway, a short time later (around 6 am) I went back to Joss and Jacob's house to sleep for a fwe hours and then I went back to the hospital around 10:30 am. Soon after they visitors started to arrive. Emmett was still in the NICU at this point so people had to go back one at a time to see him. I heard later that Emmett was released from the NICU around 7pm, so he was back wiith his parents for the first night. What a day!

Thank you Jocelyn and Jacob for letting me share in this very special time in your lives. I feel truly honored.

And it all started with a little dirt...

This past weekend was great. Although my kids kept me busy cleaning I had a great weekend. It all started when I thought Ben was watching the girls, but he was actually changing Barrett's diaper. When he was done he told me that I should check on the girls and to my surprise they had both gotten into the potted plants! Raina wasn't dirty, but Lauren was covered in it and it appeared that she may have even eaten a little bit! Yuck!

Then Sunday morning as we were getting ready to go to the GR Museum, Barrett decided that it would be fun to paint his face with my lipstick. He also thought it would be fun to open my vanity drawer and "color" everything in it! Lipstick is pretty much impossible to clean, but it sure was funny. Afterwards, we headed off to the museum with most of Ben's family. A new dinosaur exhibit had just opened up and we thought that Barrett would get a kick out of it. For the most part he loved it (especially the digging of fossils...rice covered bones), but the t-rex and the graphic hunting scene did startle him a bit. One dinosaur even moved and appeared to look at him...he decided to then take a few steps back. We toured the museum and the headed back to the in-laws for dinner. It was a very nice day with family.

Dinosaurs at GR Museum 2.22.09

Click on picture above to look at more pictures.