My son asked, “What’s ‘Wells Fargo’?” as we passed by the large building while running errands. I replied, “A bank.”

He asked, “What’s a bank?” I was a bit shocked and not sure what to say. How can a teenager not know what a bank is?  I calmly said, “A financial lending institution.”

His response…..”OOOOh! OK

He was completely serious….until he realized how funny that conversation was.

We laughed our butts off. I love my family! <3

Sebastian's 18th Birthday Dinner

Happy Birthday Bash! You are not usually camera shy. What's up?

I think Bash is showing off his abs. Colton is quite impressed

Can't forget to get Zac in the pics.

Our family tradition is that the birthday person gets to pick out what they want for their birthday dinner and what they want for dessert. Bash chose Totino's Party Pizzas, Ceasar salad, and cheesecake. Yum! We had fun eating messy pizzas and telling jokes and remembering our favorite, or craziest, birthday memories!

Sebastian's Birthday Shopping, Dinner, and a Movie With Mom Day

Sebastian will be turning 18 this week!
Our family tradition is that the birthday child gets to go to dinner and a movie with Mom or Dad.
We were a bit hungry when we started out so we ate first. He chose Long John Silver. Yum! Excellent and cost efficient choice!
He wanted to shop at Spencer's and Hot Topic so we went to the local mall. We had fun wandering around, looking at stuff, and being able to take our time and just hang out together. He picked out a couple sets of plugs and tapers for his ears. He also bought a mustache t-shirt and a mustache phone case. Can you tell we like mustache things around here?
Later, we saw The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. I cried at this one, too. We liked the movie...but hated that it had a non-ending.
We had a wonderful time spending the day together, just the two of us.

Book Wish List For Our Grand Babies

After purchasing a birthday book for The Love of My Life, I decided to browse the juvenile section for books for the kids. I stumbled upon these family favorites. 

Dr. Seuss's Sleep Book was a daily read for many years in our home when Ron and Shayna were young. Sadly, Bash and Zac don't remember much of the book and Colton and Spencer have never read it. Someday we will get a copy and read it aloud.

 

The Monster at the End of the Book starring Grover was another favorite that we often read several times daily. The reading was quite dramatic and tons of hysterical laughter always ensued. The kids loved helping Grover hold the pages closed while I used all of my strength to open. Later in the story the children joined me and with great feigned struggle dramatically defied Grover's appeals to NOT turn the pages that he painstakingly tried to keep in place. I can't wait to read this book to our grand babies!

I did not discover this book until the children were older. I think every parent should read stories like this to their children often. This book beautifully and simply illustrates that being yourself is the best thing one can be.

I will definitely add more books to this list in the future.

First 7th Grade Football Game of Season 2013

7th grade, red team, won their first football game of the 2013 season! Our guy plays center on offense and also plays punts and kick offs on special teams. Fun!

Take Out Chinese From HyVee For Labor Day Dinner

Jeff and I wanted to go to Aldi to get a few ingredients for dinner. They were closed for Labor Day. We went to HyVee instead. After gathering the items we needed, Jeff suggested dessert. On our way to the bakery area we smelled yummy Chinese. We impulsively decided to ditch our original plan for dinner and get take out for six instead. We have never tried their Chinese. The family meal had six individual pints of a main course, 3 pints of rice, and 12 of any combination of egg rolls or crab ragoons. We love crab ragoons so we did not get any egg rolls. We completely forgot about dessert in the excitement of picking out a fun and easy dinner for the family. We even got really crazy and bought paper plates so we did not need to do dishes.

The kids thought it was neat to get their own box of food and were very happy to have a special treat for dinner. We were pleased to learn that HyVee take out Chinese was pretty yummy. I like the sweet and sour sauce at HyVee better than our usual Chinese place. The rice was OK, but I really miss the fried rice we used to get in Michigan. I have not found a place around here that has really yummy fried rice.  Overall the meal was delicious and the company (my family) was awesome!

Each person gave someone else a fortune cookie after the meal. We took turns opening and reading our fortunes. It was hysterical! The kid who got "work on improving your exercise routine" has been making an extra effort to getting into shape and dedicating a portion of every day to working out. Jeff and I really appreciate the kids being back in school. "Absence makes the heart grow fonder"  was perfect for him. The youngest and I both got the same fortune! We teased that we were twins. As a mom, "be prepared to modify your plan" is essential to maintaining sanity. I did not realize that I did not have all the fortunes when I took the photo. That it OK. I cannot remember which of the remaining boys opened "do not rely on those who do not care about you" but we all agreed it was great advice and the sixth fortune was equally fitting. 

That a fun family meal! 

Finally! My Very Own Notebook Paper Shirt!

I have been wanting a shirt like this for a very long time. I finally made a few for my boys and grand boys to learn if I could make them look nice and if they would hold up to washing and kids. Then I got wild and crazy and made more and listed them on ebay and Etsy for sale. I am excited to report that they are getting a lot of attention!

Anyhow,  I wanted one so badly that I tried Bash's on several times but didn't want to steal his shirt....or wear a mans shirt. So I made a shirt for myself and the Love of My Life. I made ours with aqua lines instead of the traditional blue, because I LOVE aqua. We look so cute and nerdy in our Notebook Paper shirts! I will definitely post photos of us soon. For now you will have to see my new shirt in this self portrait taken in our truck.

You can go to our Etsy store (the link is on the right) and decide if you like the traditional blue lines on the shirts for sale or the aqua lines on my shirt in this photo. Come back and leave a comment letting my know which you prefer.

Blueberry Pie!

I had never tasted blueberry pie. I know, this is shocking news knowing how much I love pastries and every sweet thing, and especially my addiction to any kind of cake! How could I have passed up this scrumptious dessert all these years? I always passed it over for the familiar apple pie, chocolate pie, or (wait for it....) cake, of course. I truely have been missing a great thing my entire life. Thank you, Curt, for opening my eyes...and my taste buds. Your fabulous baking has, once again, changed my life.

In addition to eating blueberry pie for the first time ever, I had the privilege of tasting the blueberries coated in all the amazing yummy-ness before they were baked in that delicious pie. It was like heaven in my mouth. The lemon was an unexpected surprise. Yum!

My pie eating adventure was just another awesome experience during this visit in Michigan.

Our Mystery Road Trip To "The Beach" in Ottumwa, Iowa

Road Trip!

We told the kids we had a surprise for them. The only thing we would tell them about this surprise was that they would need swimming suits. We take many trips, both near and far, so they had no idea if we were going across the country or across town. The suspense was driving them crazy!

My Love of My Life and Me getting on the road

Our Boys- yep, they brought their skateboards

and half an hour on the road they still have no idea where we are going.

We stopped at a Pizza Hut for lunch on the way. 

We liked the sign so we took a quick picture. 

We live in the city so it was quite a treat to eat lunch in a small town with small town hospitality. 

It felt a little like being back home in Michigan.

We finally arrived at The Beach in Ottumwa, Iowa. 

It is about a forty minute drive from our home, but took us longer because we stopped often to browse interesting gas stations, touristy areas, and to eat.

I love this photo!

The boys posing for the camera

Goofy posing for the camera

I love it!

The boys had a blast on the slides. 

The tall one on the left plummets nearly straight down 200 feet.

They free fall for most of the drop!

I was too scared to try it. 

The wave pool was fun.

Love of My Life and me....we have so much fun together!

I am so squinty. I could hardly keep my eyes open. The sun felt like it was burning through my retinas!

We stayed until we were all tired and hungry. We had dollar burgers at McDonald's on the way home. 

That was a great day! I love my family!

Mazdapi - Nerdiest/Coolest Car Ever!

We spotted this neat car while running errands this week.
We are a geeky family so we appreciate smart humor.
Pi is on the trunk right after the mazda logo, and the licence plate reads "MAZDAPI"
I love it! I hope this gives you a chuckle, too.

I Love My Boys!

My boys and amazing husband. 

I was missing them terribly while I was enjoying my visit with Shayna and our new grand babies so they took a super cheesy photo at the local Steak and Shake. Aren't they sweet?Pictures always help me feel closer when I am away. 

Parker and Peyton Have Finally Arrived!

I am excited to welcome our second and third grand babies to our family! 

These precious little boys were born 30 seconds apart today! 

Parker weighed 7 lb. 3 oz. and was 21 1/4 inches long. 

Peyton weighted 7 lb. 1 oz. and was 20 1/4 inches long.

Interestingly, Peyton was born en caul. This is quite rare, occurring in fewer than 1 in 80,000 births. The whole birthing staff ooohed and aaahhhed when they saw him come out with his sac intact. It was neat!

Mommy is doing well. The boys are nursing like champs. Daddy is proud and can't wait to get home from deployment to meet his sons. 

I would like to give photo credit to Amanda, at Amanda Cobb Photography. Amanda is not only a gifted photographer, but she was also amazing with the boys. She was gentle and patient and spent as much time as necessary to wait for our precious little guys to settle comfortably into each pose. The pictures are beautiful and it was a wonderfully sweet experience. Thank you, Amanda!

Happy Mother's Day

My favorite picture from our Mother's Day weekend.

We spent the holiday pampering ourselves at a hotel for this holiday. 

The night before Mother's Day my boys gave me cards and gifts that they had picked out and signed themselves. They were so sweet that I cried. We hung out in our hotel room and chatted until they fell asleep, in the same bed! They looked so sweet I just had to take a picture. 

This picture makes me so happy. Only a year ago we had just moved in together and our boys were struggling daily to get to know each other and become a family. Now they are peacefully and happily sleeping in the same bed together. It warms my heart.