Neebish Island

It's true that not everyone can appreciate Neebish Island, and yet for some it is paradise! For us, Neebish Island is a remote, rustic, woodsy place in northern Michigan. It's Mr. Heather's favorite place to be! He spent his summers growing up on that island and when he was 16, he made the 8 hour drive on his own to be there. Many folks go up to fish, but I swear the mosquitoes are the larger than any catch! What I love about the island is that you do get the "getting away from everything" mentality. I love to play cards with my mother-in-law, love to watch the huge freighters go by, and love to make campfires and s'mores. Plus, there's always "Happy Hour" up on Neebish...something we don't have in Ohio on a regular basis!

We took a short cut and made microwave s'mores!

Nothing like a cup of "coffee" in the morning to jump start your day!

You probably don't realize what a sacrifice this picture symbolizes...Robert's parents are HUGE OSU fans....but in honor of Robert's upcoming graduation this Aug. they put these shirts on for a picture! This just goes to show how much their son means to them! There's a whole lotta love going on at this moment. (I won't mention the campfire we had later! JK!)

There are always lots of little odd jobs to do here on the island. Replacing the mailbox turned into a family affair! The girls love to help!

Zoe spends a lot of time up on this rock, singing and making up songs!
She let us join her for a picture!

What's the weight limit on this cot?

Sisters!

Zoe learns to read! She read her first story up at Neebish!
She also lost her first tooth!

Finally, a tribute to the chair. This chair has been hauled away on a truck by the local furniture store. It has been retired. In respect, please observe a moment of silence and remember all the special memories over the last 38 years. Don and Jack, this one's for you! POOCHIE!

Summer Fun!

Table for Two, plus a friendly cat

Time to hit the sand!

True Taste of Summer!

Followed up by my mom's strawberry pie-overflowing with her own homegrown strawberries...I'm sorry we didn't take any pictures....but it was wonderful!

Family Photo Shoot!

I met a lady on the Mom's Network who is also a photographer and she sold me the pictures to me on a CD so I can post them wherever I want without breaking any copyright laws! I'm thrilled! The best part was that I didn't have to spend tons of money and decide which pics I wanted and which ones I didn't and who gets what, etc. Everyone can pick their favorites in whatever size they want! That's PRICELESS! So here are the results! We were in an urban children's garden so you can see the hospital, etc. in the background, but I still like them!

My favorites!

Just the two of us!

Quotes from Today

Words of wisdom from a 2-year old:

Mommy, I pooped. (She says this frequently - whether she did or not.)

No shoes. Wheeeee! (Picture her saying this while running around the public library barefoot while the reference desk is helping me locate and reserve a book on effective discipline for toddlers.)

Words of wisdom from a 4-year old:

Chicken nuggets are good for you; broccoli is not.

Hey, let's look for mermaids when we're in Michigan! You have to keep your eyes open!

Food goes to your fingers and vitamins go to your toes.

Words of wisdom from a tired mother at the end of a day:

Water does not go on the floor. Towels do not go into the tub.

Stop squirting lotion on the carpet!

The good news is that after bath time, I'm still smiling!
Maybe because it's finally bedtime! LOL!

Sprinkler, Summer Fun!

"You didn't tell me when I put this swimsuit on that I was going to get WET!"

Much Better!

Andrew Turns 1!

It's still hard for me to believe that my brother's a daddy! Even a year later!
Uncle Tim, Aunt Wendi, Cousin Andrew, with our girls!
SMILE! It's your birthday party!
ROAR! This little lion just wants to celebrate!



MOMMY! THERE'S CANDY INSIDE THE PINATA!
Andrew actually did a face-plant in his cake! I have it on video...maybe I'll be able to figure out how to post it here!

Being a Mom...

So what's it REALLY like being the mom of two girls at our house? Kids make you realize things you never knew before. And you do things you never thought you'd say or do. This is just the beginning....

11. Baby dolls and Barbies are always losing their clothes. Apparently, they just can't decide what to wear and in their state of indecision, they just wear nothing. I am constantly dressing their dolls and yet they are in constant state of undress.

10. Today I caught Mr. Heather singing "Elmo's World" in the shower getting ready for church. That didn't happen B.K. (before kids)! (We didn't know who Elmo was five years ago!)

9. Be prepared for streakers...any time of day or night. (This is a daily occurrence at our house and always conveniently when someone drops in-like when the guys delivered our mulch and rang the doorbell for directions and Sammy flies across the living room screaming a Tarzan yell. Nice.)

8. Putting on shoes can be a true "Tug of War" and the beginning of a tantrum...unless you're OK with them wearing YOUR shoes. Then, that's fine. It just seems a tad bit strange to take your four-year-old to the grocery wearing heels so I refuse to do it. You have to set the limit somewhere.

7. OK, I've posted this before, but it's a good one. It's one of those "it's funny because it's true" things. You know you're a mom when you have to search in the toy box for something to wear.

6. Nothing will crack you up more than when your kids crack themselves up and you get to witness it. They're so funny when THEY think they're funny! Today, Sammy and I just giggled and giggled over absolutely nothing except we were enjoying each other's giggles!

5. When your parents and grandparents sincerely tell you that you've done a good job raising your kids....that's priceless (and probably not entirely true, but you take it and run with it!)

4. Kids sneak in after bedtime for one more last hug and kiss, one more drink of water, or wants you to make popcorn, or read another book, color another picture, sing another song, hmmmmmmmm, you get the idea....PLEASE JUST GO TO BED...NOW!!!!

3. It's funny to me that kids have no qualms about letting their needs and wants be known. (Once, I asked for water while traveling up north. Ask Jack or Bonnie about that sometime....) Anyhow, here are quotes from the girls: "Mommy, I pooped." "No shirt! No socks! No pants!" "I want sugar." "No nap." "I want a snack." "GOLDFISH!" "I don't want eat chicken." "More ice cream.""If you let me do that, I'll give you a kiss." "Don't you want kisses from me?" "I won't ever kiss you again if you don't let me."

2. Call me a redneck, but I can't help it! I throw the trash on the front porch after a diaper change. The Diaper Genie just doesn't cut it anymore now that she's two. On the flip side we are potty training and it's coming.....slowly! Sometimes, she'll pee for M&M's and other times, she's just not interested. Not even if I offer her the whole family size bag.

1. As Helen Hunt says, "I can't tell if I'm a better person, exactly, but I know motherhood makes you want to be a better person."

School's Out!

If you haven't noticed, I have a little more time on my hands! I've been trying to update my blog and have been going at it feverishly! Besides, I can't just be idle...I have to put some of that creative energy to use!

My parents & my grandma Mary watched the girls last week for my last three days of school. They all enjoyed each others' company and came back with some good stories. Here's a couple: After my dad made pancakes with Zoe, she helped set the table. My grandma made some remark to Zoe that now all they needed was syrup. Zoe replied, "I made the pancakes and set the table. YOU'RE in charge of the syrup!" While my mom and grandma made chocolate chip cookies for Andrew's birthday party with the girls, my mom made some remark that this reminded her of when she made cookies with me. Zoe exclaimed in awe, "My mom used to make cookies???" I guess all those sugar cookies we make at Christmas and Easter don't count so in guilt, I bought some chocolate chips to make cookies at home!

It was an AWESOME school year and I'm really proud of my kids, but I'm also ecstatic to have the summer to spend time with my other kids- you know, the ones that share the same last name as I do! I'm determined not to let the summer slip by....we've scheduled lots of quality family time together! I'll keep you posted! HAPPY SUMMER!

THE GRADUATE!

I have to admit, I thought I was ready for this. However, when the music played and they had all the moms stand up front, and the kids marched in with their caps and gowns with flowers tightly clasped in their hands for their moms, I broke down and shed a couple of tears. What a happy day! We are so proud of her!

Sammy knows how to celebrate! She parties right along with the best of them!