sistering

Bear with me here.   My mind and heart are so full at the moment I feel it may explode.  You see, I’ve had an amazing weekend.   Again.  WORKING.   What’s that?  Yes.   Working.  This weekend has been a mixture of Hustle and Heart… digging in and doing hard work and collaborating and brainstorming with amazing women I have the pleasure of working with on a daily basis.  And digging in and doing hard emotional stuff that digs down deep to the core of you and leaves you raw and exposed and not the same as you were before.  

My job as a Lemon Dropper… our team puts on these amazing FUEL events (Fire Up Everything in Life) and I had only planned on attending the Chicago one.  However, when I found out Kelly secured Glennon Melton (THE Momastery writer) for Orlando Fuel, I was in.  I booked my flight and I was in.  

Glennon was amazing.  I mean, how couldn’t she be?  She’s amazing.   She made me reflect and think and cry and laugh hysterically, sometimes all in the same minute.  She said something this weekend, though, that really hit me.  She was talking about how we, as women, tend to judge ourselves so harshly.   We look at others and we judge ourselves because we aren’t like them, or our lives aren’t like theirs.   We see everyones “highlight reel” on social media and feel like we aren’t enough.   We start to feel like those that make choices that differs from ours means that they’re doing things better.   She told this hilarious story about not having it all together (surprise HAHA!) and feeling like this mom at the mall was feeding her “perfect” child an avocado as a dig at her.  She said…. we see these glimpses of things that are different than our journey, and we feel like those people are doing those things “at” us.  She said… No one is breastfeeding “AT YOU”.  No one is organic eating “AT YOU”.  No one is stay at home mom-ing “AT YOU”.  No one is vacationing “AT YOU”.  No one is dressing perfectly “AT YOU”.  We have to stop letting other women and their life choices be a reflection of what we don’t see in the mirror.   We have to stop judging ourselves based on their pretty, or their money, or their perfect, or their success, or their talent.  And…. we have to stop hating them for it too.  We have to be able to see and appreciate the beauty that they possess and the unique beauty that we, too, possess.  H.E.L.L.O!  

Mothering is hard.  We can’t bear the weight of life all alone and spend our lives in competition with others that are not like us.  Another thing she was saying was:  In carpentry, walls are built on joists.  Joists are where two pieces of wood join together to bear the weight of a load above it.  When the joist is too weak to bear the weight of the load, the carpenter will put a a board on one side of it.  If that isn’t enough, they’ll put another board on the other side of it.   Do you know what this is called?  SISTERING! Sistering.  Seriously.   What a perfect word, because isn’t that what our girlfriends do?  When life is hard, they come and stand beside you and they help you bear the weight of the load you are too weak to carry.  We have to stop being at odds with each other as women and we have to stand together, beside each other, and support each other.   Life is so heavy.  And messy.  And HARD.   We are going to need our sisters to survive it.  

My word this just about hit me upside the head.   And you know what happened this weekend?  A lot of sistering.   As we had dinner Saturday night, and I ended in tears about how NOT together I felt I was, how crazy life felt for me, how out of control I felt with things…. my girls… they were there beside me, standing there, giving me words of advice and encouragement and supporting me while I was weak.  Its so hard to admit I’m weak and broken and imperfect. I’m so blessed to have these girls by my side.  

As I leave Orlando and reflect on the amazing relationships I have with these women… these sisters… I realize that this is what its all about.  Coming together, working together, supporting each other.  SISTERING.   My heart is heavy as I give hugs and say goodbyes, knowing that little pieces of my heart are hopping on planes and scattering across the country back to their homes and families.  And I, too, will head home to my sweet family that I’ve missed.   I know, despite the difference, they are there beside me, sistering when I need them.  And I can’t wait to see them again, to hug their necks again.  What a blessed life I have.  

saying goodbye

Tonight the boys and I had a good cry over all the changes going on.   We've had a rough few days- they've been GOOD days, don't get me wrong- filled with fun and hard work and exciting changes, but not a whole lot of "family connecting time".  

I was tucking them in bed tonight and reminded them to get to sleep quickly so they didn't sleep in too late tomorrow and miss us before we left for the airport.  They both started bawling- but not because we're leaving- because we're moving.  They're SO upset about leaving our neighbors.  And truthfully, I am too.  And I know our neighbors are as well... last weekend we sat out on Gary and Linda's new deck and had a few drinks and the kids played Bocce ball with Gary and Ryan.  Linda got choked up watching the kids play- she said that's what she wants her back yard to look like- people over there having fun, kids playing.  She said she always thought she'd get to watch our kids grow up.  And that Amelia just has this special spot in her heart- she just adores her.  

Gaw.  I'm about crying now.   We just LOVE our neighbors.  And the Kelleys--- our kids have grown up together!  They're like siblings.  Its going to be so so hard to leave them. SO hard.  I know that changes are hard but will bring lots of new, good things into our lives, but it really sucks to have to say goodbye to people we love so much.

I tried to explain to the boys that goodbye doesn't mean we won't ever see them again.   Its like our family- we don't live next door to them, but we still love them and still see them.  Same goes for the Pattons and Kelleys.   We will always love them and miss them, but we can always call them or email or text them and see them if we want!  We just have to make time for it.   Porter wanted to get a picture of them, so I told him we'd make sure to take pictures with them before we move so we can put their pictures up at our new house.  I told them that Gary, Linda and the Kelleys will ALWAYS have a special place in our hearts because they were a big part of our lives the past 7 years.

I'm also so nervous about our new neighbors.  Its hard to think of a move as if we are "trading" off one set of neighbors for another.  It kind of is.  Moving is give and take... compromise.   We're trading off a smaller house for a larger one.  We're choosing a home that suits us better.  But, the trade off is we're also trading in our neighbors, community, school as well.  So, we have to pray and hope that what we're trading ends up being good for us.   So far we really like our new neighbors but we don't know them well enough to know if they are truly down to earth type people.  My gut feeling right now is that they won't really be people (wives) that I hang out with and get close to, but so far our kids get along SO well and love each other.  Time will tell.

I'm trying to remind myself that we've been so blessed with amazing neighbors and we're so lucky to have people in our lives that make it hard to say goodbye.

just.... enjoy.

I tend to push myself too much, and am guilty of not setting aside quality time to just decompress... to relax, let loose, have fun and ENJOY THE DAY.   This summer..... its almost over and I feel like I haven't been allowed to do things that *I* want to do.  Things for myself.   Things with the kids.   And it's silly... because I can do anything I want, but I have this thought in my mind that I have to be productively working, or at least feeling like I'm working, or else I'm slacking.  So, I've spent a lot of my summer working my butt off.  Sure, it pays off.  It pays off WELL.  But.... I also know I need to cherish these days because babies don't keep.

Carly and Kinsley came over today and while we sat on the deck just watching the kids play (well.... I was regulating the boys b/c of course Porter always seems to make issues out of everything) and chatted about business and kids and life in general, I realized... I need to schedule time like this.  I NEEEEEED to make time for things like this.  To push work aside and just enjoy the day, enjoy the company, enjoy the kids.  

I hope that I keep this in mind, that I'll never regret the time spent with the kids or the time spent with friends.   I'll never look back on life and think "Oh, I wish I would have worked more".  No.   I need to keep perspective.  Today brought me that.  Thank you.  

Deep thoughts on "Siblingships"

This afternoon I came across this blog post:  What I love about being a Mama: Sibling Friendships and while I could relate to that euphoric feeling of melting into a puddle at seeing your children truly LOVE each other, it also made me feel really sad.  Sad, you say?  Why?!  *sigh*

Sometimes I feel like the biggest mama failure ever because my kids rarely seem to like each other.

The boys fight ALL. THE. TIME.  And if I were to pinpoint a "culprit" it would be Porter... because I swear to goodness we can get into the car after pickup and I ask how their days were and Hudson starts to excitedly tell me and Porter, rarely ever fails, has to make some snide remark about how stupid that was or that sounds dumb.  I mean, its not ALWAYS Porter, but if I were honest he's the instigator 75% of the time.

It's not just that... its really so much more.  The boys get along with Amelia great.  She's the munchkin little sister that they adore.  Sure, she annoys them but for the most part, they bend over backwards for her... her little antics and needs are charming and adorable.  But with each other?   They can't see past the ends of their noses.  A brother asking for a favor is a huge inconvenience.  They don't talk nice to each other.

Don't get me wrong... there are times that they get along beautifully.  Usually it is when I am fed up with their fighting so I send them both to their separate rooms, only to find they've snuck into Porter's room to quietly play legos together.  And there are times they'll wrestle and joke around, or ask to have sleepovers in Hudson's room (because he has 2 beds), or times that they play Minecraft together and crack each other up.  Oh I relish those times... I stare at them in awe wondering why... WHY can't it be like this all the time?  Why can't they have this beautiful "siblingship" where they adore each other and have each others back all the time?

I don't really know how to change it.  I don't really know what I've done wrong... or what I can do to make it right.  Sometimes I feel like its a crapshoot, this siblingship... that personalities often just clash and make it impossible for them to be "friends" most of the time.  But sometimes I feel like its something I've done, something I've not nurtured, somewhere I've gone wrong.

I'd love to know your thoughts on this... I'd love to know how your children's relationships are.  Are they close in age?  Far apart?  Different genders or the same?  Do they share a room?  Do they have similar personalities?  Has their friendship been close from the beginning or was it a work in progress?   Tell me the scoop, friends.... this mama needs help.

WAHM benefits.

Mondays.

They usually are filled with to do lists of laundry and editing and emailing clients and dishes and more laundry and bills and grocery shopping. All the things needed to catch up from the weekend. Oh yeah, and taking care of the kids. That would be a big one.

Today was no different. I was gone late yesterday at a session in Bloomfield Hills. I got home at 10pm and had a couple client orders to place with my lab. I didn't get to bed until 2am. Amelia was up bright and early at 6:30 (thanks to Hudson screaming for toilet paper from the bathroom.). I had all intentions of buckling down and getting a lot of things accomplished. I have a few sessions to edit and I'm weeks behind on Project Life. I had a stack of bills to pay and piles of laundry to catch up on.

Carrie texted me asking about places to take Teddy (her 1-year old). I suggested the treehouse and then thought... Why not join them? I started to respond but then deleted my words. Then I looked at my babies and thought.... There aren't many more Mondays ill be able to just pick up and take them somewhere fun, to spend the day with them.

I hopped in the shower and was ready in record time. A few girlfriends met up with us- Carrie brought Teddy, Heather brought Rowen and Karinya brought Katherine (which Hudson was thrilled about... Someone his age!) and John.

I had only planned to spend 2 hours there, tops. We ended up staying and chatting until past 2:00. It was nice to "skip work" today and make some memories with the kiddos? Because I'm sure down the road they'll be more likely to remember the day mom threw her list away and packed them up for a fun day out instead of entertaining themselves and watching tv all day. I hope I can try to remember these type if days are needed once in awhile, if not on a regular basis. Work will always be there. "When in doubt, choose the kids. Work can come later..."

What would have been viral on YouTube...

Katie and I went shopping on Saturday--- the WHOLE DAY!  No kids!  She picked me up at 10 and we headed to Ann Arbor for what ended up being darn near 10 hours of kid-free bliss. 

Our first stop was Old Navy.  We both ended up with a ton of things to try on so we went into the handicap room to try on together.  Let me tell you.... if there had been a video taken of us during that half our I can guarantee it would have gone viral on YouTube.  I envision it having a title like... "Delusional moms try on too-small clothing in Old Navy dressing room."  I had to help Katie out of two dresses and the only thing that kept my fat sucked in was my thigh to boob spanx that I wore. 

We were laughing SO hard at ourselves.  I'm pretty sure everyone in the dressing room area could hear our loud, cackles as we fell into the walls of the dressing room in fits of laughter.   We laughed about spanx, and big boobs, and dresses that Katie got stuck in and stomach fat and our inability to judge exactly how fat we really are. 

I honestly don't remember the last time I had a good laugh like that.  It was so needed.  I love that I have friends I can be so funny with, about such stupid things, and not feel self conscious about it.  Our day was just so great.  We vented about our potty mouthes with our kids, our short tempers, the probability that we're scarring our children with threats and psycho mommy moments.  We laughed about our fat mom-bodies, our delusional views of what we really look like.  We had lunch and stuffed our faces and assured ourselves it was going straight to the fat bellies.  We shopped and people watched and gossiped and discussed hideous clothing trends.  We had a grand old time.   

I'm so lucky.  Lucky to have a great girlfriend I can laugh with and lucky to have a day away from my kids to regroup.  Now onto Monday.... another week of the daily grind coming on up!

Thirty-One

Thirty one seems like an insignificant year. It really is. It isn't the age you are allowed to legally drink. Nor the age that takes you out of your forever young twenties Nor is it the age that sends you over the hill. It's easy to forget thirty one.


My husband, however, did not. What I thought was an unsuspecting annual "birthday buddies" dinner with the Huffs (Don and I, along with Heather Morrison, share December 10 as a birthday) turned into the results of a month long conspiracy between Katie and Ryan to surprise Don and I for our birthdays!

Sure, There were a few instances where I wondered if something was going on... My sister mentioned my mom was going to be in town (and then insisted she was just overtired and losing track of the date), and then the fact that we were going to a different restaurant than normal, in which Ryan blamed it on each of us as an excuse (he told me I picked the restaurant last year and Don wanted Buffalo bBQ wings- even though I was so craving a chocolate thunder for my bday I kept my mouth closed for the sake of compromise). And there were a few other things that made me think hmmmm but for the most part I was clueless. I blame today on being uuber cranky and missing lots of signs. I was dreading dinner.... Was grumpy and irritable and just wanted to hole up at home.

We picked don and Katie up (should have been another clue... We normally meet up), and Katie was impatiently texting me "where are you?? Mamas hungry!!" And on the way there we got into a deep Disney vacation conversation.

When we got to the restaurant I saw Adrian, and it still didn't register until we walked around the corner and there were family members and amazing friends all gathered to celebrate with us!! My best surprise- my mom flew into town!!! I was floored. Could not believe they pulled it off and that they thought to do something like this. It sure makes thirty one seem a lot more significant. Thank you to everyone who came (and thank you to those who couldn't make it but I know you wanted to be there!). And even more thanks to Ryan and Katie for showing Don and I how loved we are, and that thirty one (and thirty six) don't have to be as insignificant as they seem.

NTB | Kalamazoo State Theater | 10.6.12

I'm not sure I've ever really been to a "real" concert.... I mean, other than the Fairgrounds.  I've seen Destiny's Child, Smashmouth and Third Eye Blind (how's that for variety!) but all back in high school/college and all at fairground type locations.  I've never been a huge "groupie" over any particular band until the past few years.  Coldplay has been on my MUST SEE list for some time now, and they along with Jack Johnson and Needtobreathe play constantly on my iTunes at home.

I first heard of Needtobreathe about a year and a half ago at church.  I go to a pretty modern church and I equate our Sunday worship to attending a concert with amazing preaching in the middle.  The first songs I heard were Something Beautiful and Lay Em Down.  They brought tears to my eyes.  I know, weird.  I totally get teared up in church.   My friend Sadie let me borrow her NTB cd and I was hooked from that point on.

A few months ago Jane mentioned listening to them and loving them, and it just so happened they were touring near us so we made plans to see them in concert.

A little backstory- the singer is Bear Rinehart.  His brother, Bo Rinehart is uhm, guitarist or something or other.  Anyhow, its a "brother band" with some other great members as well.  They grew up in NC and their father was a preacher.  The brotherly love I saw on stage was just so touching.  Bear was constantly uplifting his brother and talking about what a great songwriter he was.  And he'd give his brother these devilish grins on stage while playing.  There was one point he reached over and kind of ruffled Bo's hair.  So sweet.  Made me smile and hope my boys adore eachother like that someday.

(photo taken from Needtobreathe FB page)

We met up with one of Jane's college teammates, Kristin, and her husband Craig.  (Who also were clients of mine last year!).  Pure awesomeness is the fact that Kristin texted Jane earlier in the day and told us her husband got us backstage passes!  He has become friends with Bear through business, so he was meeting up with them before the show as well.  Anyhow, we met up for dinner with Kristin, Craig and another couple (Erin and Eric) at the Radisson, and then stopped by a bar near the theater to have a couple drinks.

The concert- blew me away.  Craig and Eric were kind enough to use Eric and Erin's tickets and sit in the balcony while the 4 of us drooling ladies got to sit in the 7th row from the stage (mind you in an older theater, so a small venue).  Oh my word.  The show was AMAZING.  The energy and passion that they put into the show is just soooo.... awesome.  I'm an official Needtobreathe groupie for sure.  I can't wait until their next show!

After the show we waited with Kristin and Craig while they chatted with the band manager (WHAAA?!) and joked about golf and talked about kids etc.  Then he took us downstairs to meet up with Bear!   I was sooo nervous as we walked downstairs.  I could not believe we were just shooting the shit with their band manager and were about to meet the very singers that were just on stage.  That I listen to on my radio.  WOOO!  

Oddly, Bear is super charismatic on stage and full of energy and jokes.  In person, he's extremely quiet. Jane and I kind of just stood back while Craig laughed and joked with them about golf and upcoming fundraiser functions they're doing together.  Kristin, thank goodness she's chatty, has had dinner with Bear and Seth at her house, so she had something to talk about at least.  Then Bo came up and introduced himself and us ladies ended up talking to him about his son who is 6 months old and was born 6 weeks early (and was the reason he didn't make it to Kristin and Craigs for dinner b/c his wife went into labor early).  






I am totally bummed I didn't just muster up the guts to ask for a picture with them.  It felt so weird that Kristin and Craig were just chatting with them and the manager like old friends, and I thought a "So, by the way can I take a pic with you" would seem weird.  And part of me was thinking maybe they'd offer... but they are so humble, looking back there is no way they were going to say "Oh you want a picture with me?" HA who does that??   It was so surreal to just be standing there shooting the shit with these guys, and really I wanted to scream "OH MY GAWWWDDD!!!"   HAHA!  We did get a picture on the set as we were being walked out.

Both brothers were so incredibly humble, kind and down to earth.  Completely amazing people to look up to and I can see them going so far with their music.  If you haven't listened to Needtobreathe, you must.  While they are a contemporary Christian band they write so that anyone can enjoy their music- anyone can relate to their songs in whatever way might suit them.  

For me, I relate mostly in a religious way, though some songs really speak to me as a person doing the mom thing and struggling with trying to find my footing in this world.   I wish I had more time to blog during the day when I have thoughts of how these songs really speak to me.  I would love to write up some posts on what the words mean to me right now, in this place I'm in in life.

Sleepover!

For some reason I have not been in a very bloggy mood, which sucks.  There are lots of things I've missed documenting these past THREE WEEKS that I've been MIA here.  I plan to go back and "record" the big things but there are so many little snippets and funny things the boys have done that I know I've forgotten.

Normally I feel really guilty for not blogging but I actually feel okay that I've taken a little break.  I hope that I can try to take 20 minutes a day to update with whatever little nonsense is on my mind and get back into a routine.

Speaking of routine... ugh.  This summer has felt SOOOO blah!  I honestly feel like I don't have time to really focus on any task for longer than a few minutes without having one of the kids needing me for something (usually this would mean breaking up a squabble between the boys or redirecting them from whatever chaos they are creating... typical typical!).  I'm actually looking forward to school starting.  Wait, no.... I'm not, but I am. Does that make sense?  I'm looking forward to my "new role" here at home being a WAHM (errr... work at home mom) and hopefully will find it easier to get work done when the boys are at school and it is just Amelia and I here.  I am still thinking of putting Amelia in daycare one day a week, but we'll see...

Tonight Porter (or, really, the boys...) are having their first friend sleepover.  Eian, our neighbor, is staying the night.  I forget how it feels to be a kid and have a friend over, and more than once I found myself irritated with the noise and busy-ness and wanting to put them to bed early.  But then I remembered how fun it was to stay up late and be silly and be imaginative and have fun with a friend, so I tried to loosen up.  Hudson did go to bed earlier than P and E because he was having meltdowns, but Porter and Eian stayed up and played dress up, GI Joes, made a fort in the playhouse in the basement and giggled and chitty chatted.   I was sewing downstairs so it was cute entertainment while I sewed.

[soda and popsicles from gary and linda]

I'm having a serious camping itch this week.   We have not camped at all this summer.  In fact... we've only gone on one "trip" this whole summer.... our week up north on Lake Huron (which I never finished blogging about... hmm....).  I miss camping!!  We do have reservations to go to Holland in September and are thinking about an end of October camping trip with Lori and family, but I want to go now!  I feel like this summer has flown by and we've done nothing.  Boo!  

Sage Lake Girls Weekend

Marleen's parents have a house on Sage Lake and she invited me, Jenny and Jennifer up for a Girls Weekend.  I'm not one to turn down a Girls Weekend so of course I was in!  I was a little hesitant to leave Amelia, but I knew I needed a weekend to recoup and have a little kid-free time.  Summer was halfway over and the kids were draining me quickly. 

SLGW was quite relaxing.  It involved a day of sitting on the lake and drinking... Yes, that is me in the lake.  Notice I'm on a raft.  I called dibs on the one that kept me out of the water most.  Luckily I wasn't the only "anti-lake-swimmer".  Jenny has the same sea-weed big-fish fear as I do and Marleen freaked us out by pulling anchor and moving the boat while Jenny and I were in the rafts (tied to the boat).  We looked down and we were no longer on the sandbar, but in DEEP, DARK water with LOTS of icky seaweed.  CREEEPY!  We survived to tell the tale, though.  

Since Girls Weekends are pretty much "ya had ta be there" type events, I'm just going to jot down a few memories for memories sake.

• Sun, Lake and Drinking.  Did I mention we drank.  A lot?   Rachel was known for her BOW... Box of Wine.
• Jennifer, aka Charlie Tango, and her "Tiger".  Rarrrr! 
• Running into Marleen "Aka Big Red"'s childhood summer friends 
• The Cedar Bar.  Ohhh the Cedar Bar.  
• The terrible band (that oddly got much better as the night went on... hmm....)
• "You know how we got ready and dressed up to come here for a night out?  Well, these people did the same thing.  And that's the best they could do."  HAHAHA!
• Larry the Lobster hitting on Rachel "I picked you!"
• Lots of shots of Jose Cuervo
• Breakfast Shots?  No thanks. 
• "Ca-Caw! Ca-Caw!!"
• Hitting the outlets on the way home... SHOPPING!!

Here's till next year!

The happiest 5k on the planet!

Awhile back I saw an advertisement for The Color Run online.  It looked SOOO fun!  I was pregnant at the time, but knew I wanted to participate after I had Amelia.  Just before I had Amelia I noticed they opened up a run in Ann Arbor so Jane and I hopped on board and signed up.  I was so excited for this race!

Well... actually it isn't a race at all.  It really is a "happy 5k"... walk, run, skip... whatever... just get colorful, exercise and have fun!   

My initial goal was to run this 5k in under 30 minutes.  I knew if I trained I'd be able to do it.  However.... I failed to train.  I literally went to the run only having ran 2 or 3 times since having Amelia.  Luckily, there wasn't a stopwatch or any deadline so Jane and I were able to take our time and just have fun. 

While the run was a lot of fun, and there were different "color stations" every kilometer, the real color came afterwards.  It reminded me of Woodstock or something... there was a huuuge color "mosh pit" near the stage where a dj was playing and everyone was throwing their color packets around, doing a conga line etc.  SO much fun.  We sang and laughed and just took in the sight of all these colored runners around us.  Then we headed home, stopping in Chelsea for lunch (boy did we get some looks!).  I can't wait until they come back to MI... I will definitely be running again!

TGIF

Well around here I guess it doesn't matter much what day it is anymore.  The days tend to run into each other.

The temps this past week have been SO miserable.  It's been in the mid 90's/low 100's.  WAY too hot for me.  I can't take it.  Not to mention we have not had any rain in.... I don't know how long.  Our grass is brown and crispy.  Yesterday we did get a "flash downpour" for about half an hour.  It poured hard... it hailed a little bit.  I urged the boys to go out and play in the rain to cool off.  They were hesitant (go figure... they'll bust out the hose and mud in a second but rain... "I'm scaaared!") but did go out a little bit.  It cooled the evening off into the mid 70's but it was humid.  Can't win for losing!

It has been so hard to keep our 2nd floor cooled down (where all 4 of our bedrooms are).  We rarely have to use the a/c in the summer, but lately it has been on 24/7.  I finally suggested we turn off the a/c upstairs and have a campout in the basement (thanks Heather for the idea!!).  Amelia and I slept in the guest room (I've totally become a co-sleeping mama with her.  What. the. hell.) while Ry and the boys crashed on the sectional sofa.  We still had to have some fans running though for air circulation.  I can't wait for the heat to break!!

This morning we met Stephanie and her boys at the Chelsea Treehouse.  It was so hot out that even being inside the Treehouse was sweaty and miserable.  We had butt sweat from just sitting and chatting while the boys (red faced and sweaty) ran and played.  We managed to stay about 3 hours and wore the kids out.

This picture cracks me up.... Porter dressed himself and for some reason this combo is something he puts together often (orange striped polo with plaid shorts).  I was cracking up when I noticed him playing with this boy at the Treehouse... they obviously have the same sense of style!  

Tonight Ry took Porter to the Tigers game.  I'm so glad they're getting to spend some one on one time together.  He plans to take Hudson later this summer (though I'm not sure he'll end up enjoying it much).  I feel like I get plenty of quality time with the kids both together and separately, but Ryan doesn't have that opportunity as often.  Porter was SO excited to go.  A few weeks ago or so I had picked up Tigers t-shirts for the boys at the store for Ryan to give to them on their "date night" with Daddy to the Tigers game.  He was so excited about it!

 Hudson, Amelia and I headed to Target to pick up a few things and spent the evening trying to stay cool at home.  Its 11pm and Hudson is still up (watching Toy Story with me for the 2nd time) and we're waiting for Daddy and Porter to get home.  

Memorial Day Celebrations

All weekend I've been bummed we aren't camping.  Although, it is 90+ degrees out and I'm sure if we WERE camping I'd be complaining that it was too hot and sleeping in a sweltering tent would be miserable.  But still... I'm sad we aren't camping.  (not sad we aren't camping in this heat).  Next year I'll get my shit together and make camping reservations way ahead of time.  Like in January.  Serious. 

Saturday evening the Huffs had brought their troop of little guys over and the Dawsons joined us after a birthday party.  Our little get together started out great but Jane and Adam had barely downed a couple hot dogs when poor Jilli Bean fell off our climber and broke her ankle.  To say we feel terrible it happened at our house is an understatement. Jane and Katie headed off to the ER with Jilli and Adam took the other girlies home. 

It's so crazy to think these boys have known each other their entire lives.   Porter and Donnie became buds at the ripe old age of 3 weeks and 9 weeks and the rest is history.  I love this group of little dudes.

The wild boys finished off the evening on the trampoline... I was pretty sure we'd be joining Jane and Katie with more broken bones from these wild guys.

Today we met up with the Tappans in Spring Arbor for the Memorial Day Parade.  I thought it'd be crazy busy but we found a nice quiet tree to sit under near the end of the parade route and we had the yard of a dorm building essentially all to our selves.  It was hot, but the shade + breeze made it very tolerable and we had a great time.  We decided to skip the festivities that were by the church (bounce house, face painting... essentially all the FUN part... HAHA!)  because we knew it'd be hot on the pavement and crowded and I soo wasn't about to crowd with others in the heat.

All weekend Porter has been playing with the neighbors' grandkids.  The two families by us that have kids are away this weekend, but the other two neighbors happened to each have a granddaughter visiting so he played with Julia all day yesterday and has been playing with Makenna all afternoon today.