Traveling to the UP

Here we go... 2012's trip up to the UP.  It's quite an exciting morning when we wake up and it's the day we leave for the UP.

Our group meets bright and early (at least bright and early for me...) at a central location to line up, pray, and then pull out for our adventure north.  This year our group added "Aunt" Nancy and we lost the company of my parents due to my Mom's broken hip.

As our family pulled into the parking lot, everyone else was already there waiting.  Kev hauls out these never ending long white sock, puts them on, pulls them up, puts on his sandals and jumps out of the truck.  Now, let me explain what we call "Patterson Pants".  The name of the socks comes from an inside joke we have with my cousin and her husband.  But the way in which Kev chose to display the Patterson Pants is an inside joke we have with Kev's cousins (our friends and camping buddies) Toni and Paul.

And this is the reaction Kev was looking for!

Poor Paul was blinded by the shear whiteness of the socks peaking out between the brown sandals, while they climbed to heights unknown by no other sock.

After Paul recovered, we circled up for prayer, divvied up the kids and headed out.

I have to say that this trip is usually the highlight of our camping season.  This time of year is our favorite camping time, and the sights (and smells for those who don't have allergies) are just amazing.  Here are some of the color we witnessed while we made our way north.

When we make it to Ste. St. Marie, we take some of the back roads to avoid pulling our rigs through the downtown area and as we turned the corner this greeted our eyes.  It was like God planning the ship to be there at that particular time to welcome us to our UP home away from home.

Then after we set up camp one of my favorite ships floated by.  Micah was running out with his camera to capture his shot.

And here it is... I love how he captured his shadow...

Ok, so this next picture I love because it encompasses why we love this campground so much.  "Grandma" Linda just sitting on the banks of the St. Mary's River as the water slowly floats by and freighters come and go.  Doesn't it just look peaceful?  Relaxing?  

These banks are pretty special to my family.  My grandparents used to come to this very campground and sit on this same river bank enjoying the view, before my Grandpa's stroke.  My parents started coming up here to camp and we followed right behind.  Maybe someday our kids will come back to this very spot.  Kind of like migrating birds, always returning to the same places along life's journey...

Blessings!!

To Get You in the Mood...

Yippy, I get to share with you our fall trip to the UP!  So excited because writing the stories allows me to take a few minutes away from today and fly back in time and relive so many wonderful experiences. And this last trip had a really special, once in a lifetime, opportunity that we were able to do.  Can't wait to share that story with you!  Here is a quick picture to get you in the mood and I will be back shortly to start our journey!!

Blessings!!

Ionia October 2012

I am again attempting to get my blog caught up... but I am going to give it my all in the next few weeks because I don't want to get any more behind than I already am.  When the time comes to print these past 2 years into a blog book, it's going to be confusion enough trying to get it all in order because of my scatterbrained approach to....well...if you ask Kevin...EVERYTHING!

I am now going to take you back to our beautiful fall.  This was our last camping trip of the season and we went out with a bang.  It was a beautiful weekend!  Ionia was the park of choice and our camping buddies were along for the fun.

We love fall camping because the parks are not that full and the kids have more freedom to run around without an adult because the lack of leaves and people, making it so much more easier to keep track of them.  Some of our best camping times, are the kids all running around while the adults sit around the fire enjoying our time together.

During our weekend at Ionia, we decided to go for a walk.  But in late October you need to be mindful of where you are walking, because it is open hunting season.  So we followed a trail that kept us away from the hunters.  It was actually one of the horse trails, but sadly we couldn't go very far because the trail crossed a creek.  On horseback we would have stayed dry, but there was no way we were getting across dry.  Some of the kids thought they could attempt the crossing, but us Mom's put a stop to that right away and redirected there interests to a huge hill that we decided to climb instead.

At the top of the hill was the road that comes into the park, it had a guardrail that we all climbed over, except Romeo.  I just have to comment that we have the coolest dog ever.   Nothing, stops this four-legged animal, he is willing to do anything we ask him.  Including catching some serious air.  He jumped over the guardrail the first time and we were all amazed at the height he got, so we made him do it again so I could get a picture...and then again because we just wanted to see him do it again.  He has such form in the air!

We crossed the road and walked on the lake side of the road.  There was this huge grate that we always drive by but had never stopped to look in it.  We decided to check it out.  It was kind of cool, but a little scary when you look into it.  It is a huge deep concrete hole.

We continued on, winding our way down golden leafed trails and long side the shimmery lake.  Just enjoying the beautiful day and our time together.

Later this same day we took a little field trip to an old house that was up for sale in a little town near Ionia.  It was a huge old farmhouse that was built back in the 1800's by a local doctor for his family.  It was massive and also very much neglected.  I am sorry I didn't take a picture of the outside of the house, but it was like going back in time walking through the home.  Imagining what it was like new, when it was loved and taken care of.  I took only 2 pictures, and it was up in the attic, because Kev asked me to take a picture of the stick framing that amazed him.

It was kind of creepy in the attic, there was a noose hanging from the rafters,  so I didn't take anymore pictures or walk around up there like Kevin did.

I did a little research on the house, but couldn't find much.  It took about 7 years for this house to be built.  Building started in the late 1800's and finished in the early 1900's.  The local Doctor and his family lived there.  When it was built it had all the latest and greatest inventions.  The house still has most of it's beautiful woodwork still intact.  It must have been the buzz of the town back in it's heyday.

Oh and I almost forgot, here is a cow that makes his home on the property of this house.  I thought him  cute, he thought me scary, and moved away quickly after this picture was taken.

Blessings!!

FMG 2012

Our social calendar the last three weeks have been very full.  This week I am finally feeling like I am getting my feet back under me.  And school is back in full swing!

Yesterday Tyler read the word 'animals' for the first time with hardly a hiccup.. then he looked at me with a huge smile on his face and said "Mom, that's the first time I have read that word!"  It was pretty cool, and then a little later he looked at his countdown clock and saw that we were down to 5 min left in his reading and said "I must be having fun because my time is almost done."  Can't tell you how awesome it was to hear that!  Love..Love..Love..

One of the events that filled a day these past three weeks was our annual trip to Frederik Meijer Gardens with Ama and Poppop.  We actually had a little snow on the ground which made it feel a little more festive.  So without further ado.... here are some pictures I took that day.

Always need a picture in the sleigh.

Kids trying to take a picture of the speedy trolly... it's orange.

Train changes every year or two. This year it was new one.

Love his face here... makes me laugh!

Our annual, wrestle the kids down, sit on the same bench and look like you like it otherwise you won't get lunch when we are done picture.

Then Tyler's annual I will smile for a few but when your least expecting it you are gonna get this...

Ama and the boys looking for the birds.

Jilli is probably showing Poppop her missing tooth.

I didn't take any pictures of the trees this year, but I did snap one of this star that lights up, so thought I would put it up for you all to admire.

That about wraps up our FMG 2012 trip.

Blessings!!

Tooth Theatrics

Oh the drama of losing a tooth.  I don't ever remember putting on such a show when I lost a tooth, maybe my Mom can shed some light on that, but for Jilli, it's an emotional roller coaster.

For days leading up to the pulling of the tooth, she was complaining that she couldn't eat anything but milkshakes and slushies because of her loose tooth (which she was not allowed to eat).  It was just too painful to try and chew (but when she was hungry enough she chewed just fine).

Then the day arrived that she thought it should come out.  But she wasn't going to pull it out herself and of all the medical things I can do for my kids, pulling a tooth just grosses me out.  Daddy is the ONLY man for the job.  She waited all day with her tooth hanging from a string until Daddy could come home and pull it out.

Of course once Daddy came home and he was ready to pull it out, there were tears, and questions, and giggles.... Then Daddy gave one little tug and it was out.  No pain included.  She was so happy, she ran to look in the mirror at her bloody mouth.

All Done....

What would she do without her tooth-pulling Daddy!!

Guess

Can you guess what is different with my very handsome son??

Sorry the picture is a little dark and grainy... this was taken with my phone in very low light.

*********UPDATE*******
His braces were put on Jan 2, 2013.

Christmas 2012

What makes for a great Christmas?  Is it the presents under the tree, the people you are with, the weather outside, the parties that you go too?

Well, we had a great Christmas and let me tell you what made it great....

It wasn't a white Christmas, the snow came the day after Christmas, but it was chocked full of family time.  We got to spend a lot of time with Tim and Melissa, which is such a blessing.  We had a family gathering at my brothers house where my Aunt Ruth and Uncle Gary, my cousin(s) Cathy, Scott, and Lilly all were there.  It was so much fun to just be with them.  Sadly I didn't get any pictures from that night.  I could kick myself for some of the pictures I don't take.

The Sunday before Christmas was spend with my family.  I love my nephews.... Donal is such a bundle of energy, I think it's because all of his curls, and Aiden, that little guy is still a little off limits to me.  He's quite the Momma's boy, but if I get down on my hands and knees and chase him he laughs and runs around squealing.  We had lunch at Mom and Dad's opened presents during the afternoon then went to the candlelight service at their church (has anyone else noticed all the good old Christmas carols words have changed??).  After Church we headed back to Mom and Dad's for some good old fashioned Hungry Howies Pizza, Tim's fave when he comes home.

Jilli and Aunt Melissa taking pictures of themselves.

Monday was spent with Kevin's family.  We had a great lunch and then opened presents.  Lorelei is at such a fun age.  She says the cutest things...  She is so stinken cute!  She was a little stinker though because she didn't take a very long nap like her Mommy needed her too.  Kev and I were standing in the living room and we looked up and there she was standing at the base of the stairs in her jammies with a smile on her face.  We hung out the rest of the afternoon, then called it an evening.  Daddyclaus and Mommyclaus still had to wrap presents :)

Christmas morning, for the first time in years, our family made it to a 9:30AM service!  We sat in the pews of Kevin's youth and tried to sing the Christmas carols, their words were changed too!  Then it was back to the house to open the kids gifts.  It is becoming tradition that Kev's parents, my parents, and Aunt Laurie come for gift opening and snacky lunch afterward.  Then it was an afternoon of relaxation.  A perfect Christmas day.

Ty didn't want to sit in front of the tree for a picture, so we have the two willing participants.  

Note to self...Crazy Tyler was Santa Claus this year, so next year it's Jilli's turn.

So the greatness in our holiday was time spent with family celebrating the birth of our Savior.  

Hope the rest of you had a GREAT Christmas too!!