Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

The pleas from my daughter, Emerson, to have a new haircut before school starts have increased exponentially. (Remember her haircut requests? You can read about them here.) I've given her a trim here and there, but she's never had a real haircut.

Until now.

It was a big decision for all of us-especially Jason. He said the "Emerson Haircut Decision" was similar to "Alayna's Virgin Ears". (You can read all about the virgin ears here.) We've been studying all about Locks of Love and Emerson just thinks it would be fabulous to have her hair be a part of a wig for some little girl out there who has lost her hair. We ultimately decided that because the hair would be used for a good cause and we really had no reason not to do it, that we would honor her wish.

So, with shaky hands and through mild perspiration, Sunday night I cut ELEVEN INCHES of Emerson's hair off. Hair that she had been growing since birth. One of the last things remaining from her babyhood. I didn't really think she could get any cuter, but good LORD, she looks adorable. And she knows it.








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Soakin' It Up

Blowing bubbles.
Swimming at a friend's pool.
Sun-kissed skin and bleach-blond hair.
Staying up too late and sleeping in the next morning.
Running through the sprinkler in the yard.
Fishing at the end of the dock.
Picnics in the park.
Bonfires on the beach.
Riding bikes.
Chasing butterflies.
Walks through the neighborhood after dinner.
Car shows in town.
Splurging on ice cream on a Friday night.
Squirt gun fights.
Impromptu get-togethers with family.
Flying kites.
Quick trips to the cabin, and long ones, too.
Hunting for ripe veggies in the gardens of our grandparents.
Catching fireflies.

These are the things that make up our summers. The simple things that I did when I was young are the same things my kids are enjoying now. Late summer always brings a bit of nostalgia with it. It's hard to believe that in one short week, the summer will be over and school will be starting. It feels like we just celebrated Independence Day and now Labor Day is upon us. I'm not sad about it, though. We've had a great summer here. We've made some great memories, too. We've found that it's not really about where you go, but rather who you're with that really matters.

What will you do with the rest of YOUR summer? We're going to take these last nine days of summer and SOAK THEM UP.

Her First One

After months of wiggling, and literally WEEKS of dangling, Emerson's first tooth has finally LEFT.THE.BUILDING.



She hasn't eaten an apple or corn on the cob all summer, but she thought it would be a good idea to bite into a plastic hot dog!

Daily Scene

We were driving through downtown Flint the other day and I pointed out a big painting of Abraham Lincoln on a building...

Me: Look! There's Abraham Lincoln - he helped end slavery!
Emerson: Who is Ends Lavery?

The Matriarch

There is a very special person in our family. She is our Grandma Lois. Actually, she's Jason's grandma, but I've claimed her as my own, as well. She was born in 1915, which makes her NINETY-FIVE years old. Can you imagine the things she has seen and experienced? Terrible things like The Great Depression and Scarlet Fever and war. Wonderful things like children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and traveling everywhere from California to Norway. And even unbelievable things like meeting Helen Keller. (Yes, it's true!) It really is hard for me to comprehend living for ninety-five years. Imagine trying to explain that to a six year old. It is just unfathomable! We hope she is with us for many more years to come!

We celebrated her 95th birthday this past May, and friends and family came from near and far to join in the festivities. Here's a photo of Grandma with Jason's dad, Steve.


If you know her, you know what a sweet, kind person she is, with never a bad word to say about anyone. If you don't know her, you're missing out! She is very active in the community and never misses a family event-whether its here in Michigan or California, Wisconsin or Washington, D.C. And BOY does she love the babies-she has such a way with them! All of the kids just adore her.


Yesterday we had Grandma and Linda, Jason's mom, (we call her Nana) over for dinner. At one point, Owen leaned over and quietly whispered in Nana's ear:

"Can you even believe Grandma Lois is still alive?!"

Daily Scene

Today we were having a discussion with the kids about the differences in homes, like how some have pools or basements, and how some are big and some are small, and what kind of house they'd like to live in.

Owen: I want a big house with a rectangle pool.
Jason: Mommy doesn't want a big house because then she'd have to clean it...
Emerson: I'd clean it for her.
Jason: Maybe if we had a house that big we'd have someone to clean it for us.
Emerson: If we had someone to clean our house for us, I'd go outside and lay in the sun ALL DAY.

T-R-O-U-B-L-E

Yesterday we planned to do absolutely nothing for the entire day. The kids don't really mind, though. They make their own fun. Owen divides his time between his favorite cartoons and video games, playing Star Wars, and trying to annoy his sister, Emerson. Grey enjoys spending his days saying "mama" and "no" 1.3 billion times, and Alayna, who is now mobile, is content to be wherever the action is.

Then there is Emerson.

My little diva. OK, she's a BIG diva. And she's not afraid to admit it. She knows what she wants and doesn't take no for an answer. So when she wanted to dress-up in her FANCIEST dress and wear her pink hair and borrow my jewelry and wear my make-up, and wear her furry winter shoes, who was I to say NO?!








She tried to coerce Greyson into playing with her, but he was having NONE of it. Here's how the conversation went:

(Please note her entire conversation with him was spoken using an ENGLISH accent...)

Em: Grey, don't you want to try this dress on? You'll look dashing and very fashionable.
Grey: No.
Em: Well, don't you want to wear this dancing skirt? Its total fanciness...
Grey: No.
Em: Excuse me, sir.
Grey: No.
Em: Here's your check card-its your ALV card-you need it to pay money.
Grey: No.

...And on, and on, and on. I couldn't even type fast enough to catch everything she was saying. And I have no idea where she gets the lingo. Dashing? Fanciness? ALV card? Total diva. Did I mention she's FIVE?!

I. AM. SO. SCREWED.

Not Quite What I Had Planned

I've been waiting all summer for Jason to have a break in his schedule so we could take the kids to a small, kid-sized water park near here. I thought the kids would love it. So we packed up some snacks, lubed everyone up with sunscreen, and we were on our way. The baby napped on the way there, so I knew we'd have a few hours before she got crabby. The kids were so excited! I'd just like to say that I'm so happy I took pictures the first twenty minutes we were there, because the ENTIRE trip lasted ONE HOUR.

You want reasons? #1. The water was colder than ANY garden hose you have ever felt-even in winter. #2. The water slides were so big no kid would EVER go on them. #3. There were about SIX other kids in the whole place.

I am so glad we only had to spend twenty-three dollars on admission, because we couldn't BEG our kids to stay there any longer.

Sigh.

Nevertheless, I did manage to get a few good shots of the kiddos:







Grey waiting for Daddy to come down the slide:


Inside the waterfall!

Alayna trying to walk!



When we got home we decided, since there was still the better part of a day left, to try out the new bike path in our town. This, however, is not as simple as it sounds with four little ones. Owen is pretty good on his two-wheeler, but Em tires easily and Grey and Alayna can't pedal at all.

So, Grey and Em got the trailer pulled by me.

And Alayna got a free ride in the backpack by Dad-he's got some killer balancing skills riding a bicycle with a baby on his back!

The trail was awesome-not too hilly, and it ends at the park. What's better than that?! I think the bike trip was a hit!


As if that wasn't enough for the day, when we got home Owen and Emerson decided that they wanted to try their skills flying kites. We've been waiting and waiting for a windy day.







I think its safe to say the kids had MUCH more fun riding bikes and flying kites than their time spent at the water park. Sometimes it really is just the simple things that provide the greatest pleasures.

The Unknown

Confession: I buy sugar cereal. Fruit Loops, to be exact. And I feed them to my one-year-old. I know all about the preservatives, sugar and dyes; no sermons needed.

ANYWAY.

I was pouring some cereal into a little bowl the other day, and out came this:



First of all, I think its safe to say I won't be buying anymore Fruit Loops.

Secondly, WHAT. IS. THAT?!

A Man of Few Words

My children are not known for being early talkers. The first two were silent observers until around the 20 month mark, but then the vocabulary just SPILLED out of them. Greyson? At age two he could say about five things. And today, about two months from his third birthday, he's up to about thirty words. Now don't get me wrong, he's a smart dude. And boy, can he get his point across. But he'd rather grunt and point and scream to make his requests known.

He's also a singer. What does he sing? It might be "Frere Jacques" or it could be "Where is Thumbkin?"...I'm not really sure. Because, you see, THERE ARE NO WORDS. And up until recently, there was no video footage as proof. He could be singing for HOURS and one little bleep from the camera and he's as quiet as a mouse.

Now, I know the footage isn't perfect-I'm driving the car and Jason's being poked by me to aim the camera at the boy WITHOUT being seen OR heard-but we got it. TOTAL PROOF. Video footage I will use to bribe him with in the future.

So without further ado, my man of few words, Greyson.

416 and 3

Yesterday was a great day.

We have a 2002 Harley-Davidson Road King. Despite having four young children, we really try to get out on the bike once in a while. Its great to just hit the road, if only for a couple of hours. And once in a GREAT while, we get to take a BIG trip. We've been up and around the thumb of Michigan to see Lake Huron. We've been around Lake Superior, from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan through Canada and back around through the Upper Peninsula, which took four days. We've been on a southern trip, starting in Michigan and heading through Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virgina and back, which took nine days. Yesterday was just a one-day trip, but it was great.

My parents took the three older kids to the cabin for the weekend and Jason's parents took the baby for the day. The reason for this trip? My brother-in-law's fortieth birthday. We had three bikes for the trip:

Kelly and Jim (the birthday boy)

Mark and Alice, who are family friends

and us. The trip was actually an overnight trip for the others, but because I have a baby to feed, our trip was just a day trip.



If you're not from Michigan, you might think that our state is all about cars and crime and snow. And while our state is known for these things, there is so much more to us! We rarely take the freeway on our motorcycle trips, so we get to see Michigan's small town life, up-close and personal. Its not always pretty, but its still a part of us. This time of year, you can't drive more than a few miles without running into a roadside stand offering the finest in home-grown fruits and veggies, including raspberries, blueberries, watermelon, peaches, apples, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, and the best sweet corn you've ever tasted. You also can't go more than a few miles without catching the scent of manure, mainly from the cows, but we've got horses, pigs, sheep, goats, donkeys, and chickens, too! Another thing we like to do on our trips is to eat at local restaurants. Although we never quite know what to expect, we usually find some really great food and meet some wonderful people.

By car, from where we live, you can reach the western border of Michigan in a little more than two hours. Our trip yesterday? Took SEVEN hours. Sure, we stopped for lunch and a few other times for breaks, but seven hours? Now that's taking your time! We made it to Lake Michigan around five o'clock, said goodbye to our riding crew, and headed for home. We made it back in less than five hours, including a stop for dinner at a great place we found in St. Louis called The River Rock Bar and Grill. YUM!

So, you're wondering what those numbers mean up at the top, aren't you? Well, 416 is the number of miles my butt was on that motorcycle. And the 3? That would be the number of continuous days of sleep I need to fully recover from all that riding.

Daily Scene

I was standing in line at the desk of the eye doctor today with Owen, behind an elderly lady.

Owen: "Mom, how come when you get to be a grown-up you get really big and when you get old you get small again?"

Me: "Sshhh...I'll tell you in the car."

Emerson Sings!

She's my little patriot!

Blueberries

About thirty minutes north of here, tucked away down a few backroads, is a farm with acre after acre of every kind of blueberry you can imagine. Yesterday morning was gloomy-full of clouds with a chance of rain. Our spirits couldn't be hindered, though. We had made plans to go bluberry picking, so off we went. We tied our buckets around our waists and eagerly headed off to find the perfect spot to fill them (and our bellies, too!) I'm pretty sure all of the kids ate their weight in blueberries, and most of them abandoned their buckets after a while to play hide-and-seek between the rows. But we still ended up with a TON of berries to take home with us, and nap time lasted a little longer, too!



This is my mom-her first time bluberry picking!






The babies couldn't get enough of the blueberries and they were so good the whole time!


Here's the whole crew, minus my mom who took this picture. Thanks, Mom!

Catch me if you can!

Don't be fooled-Emerson's bucket was EMPTY when we were finished. She ate all of her berries!

Owen took his job VERY seriously. When I asked him if he ate any, he said "Yes-I ate A LOT! I ate NINE."


Greyson stole my camera and took these next two shots-pretty good for a two-year-old!



Brady's not afraid to get dirty!


Of course we had to pop our heads into this bluberry sign!


My mom and sister made pies with their blueberries and I whipped up some muffins. Tomorrow will be "pie day" at our house! YUM!


If you've never been berry picking, I HIGHLY recommend giving it a try. It really is fun for the whole family. We're going back next week to gather enough to stock our freezer for the winter months!