What a Blast!!!!

We have had such a fun time since I posted yesterday. We went to the Remick's last night around 6pm. We partied long and hard. We all ended up in the pool in our clothes because we didn't take suits. It was sooooo much fun! Great times with good friends- can't beat that. Julie invited everyone to Rockford to her mom's today. It ended up just being us, Bekins and Onstotts that went, and we had another great time. MUCH more low-key, but a relaxing fun afternoon. We laid out on their water tramp, grilled out burgers and dogs, swam, and hung out on the dock. The kids all fished and each of them caught at least one. We are just getting back and we have tired kids- YAY! Early to bed tonight. The kids had a lot of fun spending the night at the Boeves last night and they are worn out after their night and afternoon at the lake.

I saw Lynette's blog post today and am going to try and post 50 things about myself as well. It may bore you, but I found hers interesting to read and learned things about her that I didn't already know. So here it goes...

1. I was born in Raleigh, North Carolina.
2. I lived in Raleigh for 28 years. I didn't even leave for college.
3. I went to Meredith College for 4 years (it was about 5-10 minutes from my parent's house) and it was an all-female college. I had a full scholarship to college.
4. I graduated in 1992 and began teaching 9th grade English at Millbrook High School in Raleigh.
5. I taught in Raleigh for 6 years.
6. I moved to Zeeland in June of 1998 after meeting Ryan at Myrtle Beach and dating long distance since March of 1997.
7. I lived with Jennifer and Chad on W. Lawrence Street that summer until Ryan and I got married in December of 98. He proposed in October and we got married 6 weeks later.
8. We had Cobe a year later in January of 2000. We had Brooks in 2003 and Sadie in 2005.
9. I started teaching 7th grade Language Arts, Social Studies, and Computers to 7th graders at Creekside Middle School in August of 98.
10. In 2003-2004 school year, I was the Dean of Students at Creekside part-time while working on my master's thesis and practicum.
11. I received my master's degree from Grand Valley State University in Educational Leadership in 2004.
12. I moved over to Cityside Middle School in Aug. of 04 so I could teach part-time, and I still teach 7th grade there part-time to this day.
13. I love my family more than I could have ever imagined loving anyone. I have great parents, in-laws, husband and 3 kids.
14. I am blessed with many wonderful people as friends, co-workers, and church family members.
15. The only foods I hate are coconut, all nuts (except peanuts, cashews and pistachios),
cherries, tomato juice, coffee. I used to abhor bananas and tomatoes, but over the years can tolerate those now.
16. I absolutely love to read: fiction and magazines.
17. I love to do Sudoku, crossword puzzles, word jumbles, etc.
18. My favorite activities include walking and talking. (not necessarily at the same time)
19. My favorite new activity is blogging... can you tell?
20. I have a mom and a dad who both still live in NC- Lake Gaston more these days than Raleigh, but they do split their time between the two.
21. I have a brother (Brent) that lives in Santa Monica, CA, but is rarely in CA because he is ALWAYS on the go.
22. I have a brother (Jeff) who lives in Raleigh, NC as well and who is married to Michele and has a little boy, Miles. Jeff and Michele were actually in the same class in high school, but never dated until introduced by Jeff's best friend and Michele's cousin who are married to each other.
23. I have always wanted to be an editor if I ever give up teaching. I get a thrill out of finding mistakes in printed text. (I am a nerd.)
24. I have always wanted many, many kids and would love to adopt kids that no one else wants. For instance, kids who have AIDS. Ryan only wanted 2 kids, and now we have 3 and he never wants to adopt. He loves his 3 kids dearly, but I know I will never get him to agree to adoption.
25. My favorite color of car is navy blue and my favorite car that I have ever owned was a navy blue 240SX that my dad bought for me in college.
26. I am now very partial to my mini-van and love it. It feels like home away from home to me since I am constantly on the run. I feel like I could live in it if I had to.
27. I love to eat out, but we rarely do since it is so expensive. I am not a fast food fan at all. It grosses me out to think what goes on behind the counter of restaurants. I do not think all employees obey the signs "to wash their hands before returning to work" that are posted in bathrooms. :-)
28. I love Mexican food, pizza and all Italian food. I really like Chinese food as well. My favorite food to get at a "regular" restaurant would be a mushroom swiss burger. YUMMY!!!!
29. I am glad we picked the names we did for our kids. However, sometimes I wish we could have revolving names for our kids because I LOVE picking out names for kids. I have a list a mile long of names I still want to use. Hence the reason I want so many kids.
30. We have a cottage for sale and a house for sale, neither of which we can sell.
31. I am a person who has to be on time too (like Lynette). I agree with her that I would much rather be early to an event, appt. than to be the least bit late.
32. I am also a very organized person that can be uptight when I feel unorganized. I am getting better since having 3 kids and loosening up some. Or maybe it is my husband who is helping me with this since we are polar opposites when it comes to organization and schedule following, etc.
33. My husband has the best sense of humor that I know of. His brother Kyle runs a close second. Put the two of them together, and it is a non-stop comedy routine.
34. I love parties and social events, but I love alone, quiet time just as much.
35. I fear for the safety of my loved ones the most of all.
36. I have enjoyed gaining friendships and getting to know some people better through blogging.
37. Hmmm... coming up with 50 things about myself is harder than I thought! Can this count for one?
38. My favorite season of the year is summer. I love the weather and the freedom of no set schedule in summer. I also love early fall when there is a slight chill in the air, but not enough to freeze, just enough to put on sweatshirts and jeans and go to football games.
39. I love that fact that Sadie is attached to her dolly and blanket and that they comfort her. I don't like that she needs her "pie-poo" but we'll cross that bridge of getting rid of it when we need to. I love that Cobe is comforted by "Steve" his stuffed monkey. I think it is funny that Brooks has nothing that he needs for comfort.
40. I love listening to my 3 children in the next room wrestling with their dad. Such simple things make them the happiest. I pray that I can always remember that it is truly the simple things that bring happiness to us.
41. I have 9 cousins, all on my mom's side. My dad was an only child and my mom has a sister and 2 brothers.
42. My kids have 5 cousins on Ryan's side (soon to be 6) and one cousin on my side.
43. I have many childhood memories- one of my favorite being staying outside all day long playing in the creek (we called it Planet Rock) and playing outside until dark. We also put on a lot of "shows" with my 9 cousins at my grandparents house.
44. I sometimes wish I had had the wisdom that I do now as a teenager.
45. I understand I wouldn't be the person I am today if I had had that wisdom.
46. I love nature, being outside, but I love coming back inside to cool off and get away from the bugs.
47. My favorite show is Survivor. I could NEVER be on the show because I wouldn't last a day getting bit by mosquitos.
48. I have a load of laundry that needs folding in the dryer right now and usually do. I usually keep a load in the dryer and don't fold it until I need the dryer for another load.
49. I would throw a shirt away before having to iron it. Right Mom????? :-) I do NOT iron.
50. I can't believe I got to 50- but a perfect ending. I do not give up. Ever. I am a bit of a perfectionist and do not feel satisfied until I accomplish a task I set before me. I am not the type to start something and "get back to it later." Ryan on the other hand.... once again, we are polar opposites in that area.

So, I hope you learned something new about me. This was fun- I challenge you to do this if you have a blog so I can learn something about you.

The Weekend So Far

Yesterday we headed off to see what we thought was going to be A Night at the Museum. Come to find out there was a mis-print in the paper and it turned out to be RV playing instead. Lynette had her kids and I took mine plus Justin, Jake and Chase. I thought it was pretty funny at times, but couldn't tell if the kids quite got all the humor or not. They giggled in some places, but for the most part, I think it was above their heads. They were just thrilled to each get their own popcorn and pop.

We left there and I picked up Sadie and dropped off Cobe at Chase's house. Brooks and Sadie napped while I watched coverage of the police officer's funeral. It was amazing to see all the support officers have in this area. Ryan attended and didn't get home until almost 6:00 after meeting up at 8am to go- a very long, emotionally draining day for him. I took the kids to Mary Jo's and came home to shower. We didn't make it to the party until around 7:30 or so, but it turned out to be a fun night. There was a band that Ryan decided to sing with for a majority of the night. He, Brian Buter, Cal Keuning and Matt VanLiere tried out their vocal ability, and sadly enough, were much better than the band! They were in great need of a lead singer. We got home around 11:15, slept in this morning to the pitter-patter of the rain, and then headed to J's Again for breakfast. We went to Mary Jo's to get the kids, stayed there for them to eat lunch, and headed to the Hains' house because she had made Brooks a cake. (No occasion, he just loves her cakes because she makes homemade frosting which he never gets from me! ) We hung out there for awhile, went by the library and rented some movies for this rainy day, and came home. I ended up napping some while the boys watched a movie. We woke up to sunshine just in time for the outdoor party tonight!

Now I am getting ready to shower, take the kids the Boeves for the night, and head to the Remicks to their party. No plans at all tomorrow after church- we got 5 movies at the library so we may have another movie afternoon. We need to be lazy before our busy week starts again. Toot-a-loo!

Weekly Update

We had so much fun at Mary Jo and Jim's last night. We had chicken on the grill with lots of fresh vegetables- very yummy. Then we took the boat out and the boys ended up swimming. The water was very warm even though the air was cold, so they swam with Jim for awhile. (Even after saying I'd take pictures, I FORGOT my camera AGAIN!!!) We went through the channels to the other "lakes" around them and had a really nice night. Very peaceful and relaxing. Today Brooks had gymnastics and Cobe had his last day of soccer camp. Both boys really enjoyed their activities. Brooks has another 4 days of gymnastics next Monday-Thursday, and Cobe is done with soccer, but starts Science Camp (Pirate's Cove) at Hope College next week every morning from 9-noon. He has gone the past two years and really enjoys it. It is an expensive camp, but well worth the money for all they get out of it/learn. Jace DeWitt came home from soccer with Cobe so they had lunch and played while Sadie napped, then we headed to Timber Town to play. Lynette met us there with her kids and brother and sister, plus there were a few other kids there that our kids knew, so they all had fun playing. Elliot and Sadie had fun eating vanilla wafers! We stayed there awhile, came home, had baths, ate dinner and had 2 asleep pretty early. Cobe played some more outside, but the other 2 hit the sack. I ran to Dunham Sports to pick up a water trampoline to take to my mom's in NC. She sent me the $ to get it because it was super on sale. I can't wait to get there and use it. Lisa came over and we walked after I got home from Dunham's. It was a day more at the pace I am used to! :-)

Tomorrow morning, Ryan leaves at 8 to go meet up with the thousands of officers making a procession to the slain GR officer's funeral. It is going to be televised on Channel 13, but unfortunately, we'll miss it. We are heading to the Holland 7 to see A Night at the Museum for a buck. I am taking the boys, Justin and Jake and meeting Lynette and her kids there. I heard that movie is a great flick, but am a little nervous that the boys may get scared when the T-Rex comes to life. I saw it in a preview and it even freaked me out some. I HATED Jurassic Park because I am such a chicken and dislike movies like that, so I hope that part is really short in this movie!!!! But I guess for a buck if we all get scared, we can get up and leave!

Tomorrow night the kids are going downtown Holland to see the Clown Band with Mary Jo and Jim and are maybe even spending the night with them. Ryan and I have a party to go to (a friend of his from work-Jeff Somers). Saturday night, the kids are sleeping over at the Boeves because we have another party to go to- the Remicks. Two nights away from my kids?????? A blessing for sure, but I know I'll miss them!

We heard from our realtor today and he said the showing yesterday didn't pan out. Like I thought, but still frustrating. We are going to have a meeting next week and come up with a new game plan. Can't wait to see what the plan will be! I am sure it will be drop the price- what else could work? I am just so relieved we never started building the other house- we would be stuck with 3 houses!!!!!! I can be thankful that we are only stuck with 2 and a lot!!!! HaHa

I missed the first 20 minutes or so of Big Brother tonight b/c Lisa and I were walking, but caught the rest. Still can't say I am totally into it. The America's Choice guy's (Eric's) mannerisms bother me for some reason, so I wish they had picked someone else for that role. I love Danielle so far though, and dislike Jen as much as most of them do. I was surprised that more people didn't vote to get Amber off- I liked Carol a lot. Oh well- too early in the game to pick a favorite or predict a winner. I guess that is how they hook you.

Enjoy the weekend- looks like great weather ahead!

Ho Hum

You would think I would enjoy yet another day without my kids, but I actually find myself BORED! The boys went to Jen's on Monday, then Justin and Jake spent the night here. Yesterday was the beach, and then today after gymnastics and soccer camp, the boys went to Jen's again. I like the peace and quiet, but only so much of it. I never realized how much I thrive on the noise of little rambunctious boys. :-) I guess it makes me appreciate them more and all of their activity more when they aren't around. Sadie isn't even herself when they aren't around. After soccer camp, she and I went to Big Apple Bagel, then we came home for her to nap. I made cookies, paid bills, read the paper, organized pictures, and a few other tedious things. And now here I am bored. When Ryan gets home, we will run pick up the boys at Jen's and then head to his mom's for dinner. We were going to swim and go out on the boat, but with it being so chilly, I don't know if we will be able to do that. Tomorrow, more of the same... gymnastics and soccer in the a.m. We'll probably hit the library at some point b/c we have books to return and prizes to collect. Maybe we'll go to a park or something b/c it still may be a little too chilly to swim.

Anyone watching Big Brother??? I had to find something to watch this summer and for some reason, reality TV is my weakness. I can't tell if I'll like the new "twist" of having America participate, but I do like the fact that it is on 3 times a week.

I feel like I haven't had good pics to post in forever- maybe I'll snap some tonight at the in-laws. Ta-ta!

The PERFECT beach day!

I wish I had some pictures to share, but for some reason I didn't even think of taking my camera to the beach today. It was a great day. Anyone ever visited Pier Cove? If not, I would HIGHLY recommend it! It is right off 196 exit 34 towards Fennville/Allegan. It was very quick to get there and there were just a few stairs, and you were on the beach. Nice when I am hauling 3 kids, a cooler and a big beach bag. I can't go to the state park because I have 2 kids who think they need to be carried through the sand, plus all of our stuff. This park was neat b/c first, it is free! Secondly, there is no walk, and third, there is a small creek that feeds into the lake that was perfect for Sadie and the other kids to play in for a change of pace from the big lake. Four moms went with their kids (Me, Lisa, Tonya Grotenhuis and Leah Koopman) and we had 9 kids between us, so they all had a blast. We went out in the big lake several times with all the kids to jump waves, ride boogie boards, etc. Also, it isn't crowded at all because there are only about 12 parking spots near the entrance, so that limits how many people can be there at a time.

We got home and are all ready to crash, except.... Ryan and I have to clean AGAIN for another showing tomorrow!!!! ARGGHHH!! I can't even get excited or hopeful anymore for all of these showings because obviously, nothing ever materializes. So I just view it as someone forcing us to clean, who isn't interested in our house. Bad attitude, but so far, the truth! I can't imagine with our house being on the market for a year, that there is still someone out there who hasn't seen it that would want it. Oh well- somewhere, someone, someday will come along and snap it up, right???? Humor me!

Same schedule tomorrow as today- Brooks gymnastics and Cobe soccer camp. Thank goodness that the showing will be somewhere between 10:30 and noon so we would be gone to those two places anyway. But with that wide window of time, that means they are looking at multiple houses.

I am off to clean and hit the sack!

The HEAT!!!!

You would think since I lived in the humid south for 28 years of my life, I could handle this heat, but I do not like it one bit. I have the air cranked and plan on staying inside for the afternoon. We got up and ran a few errands this morning, went to Burger King for breakfast and then headed to the high school for Brooks' gymnastics. He absolutely loved the class and keeps talking about how much fun he had and how he can't wait to go back tomorrow. Funny thing because right when we got there, he shed a few tears saying he didn't feel like doing it today. :-) He got over that real quick and did really well. We stayed there and semi-watched his class (really just ran my mouth because I knew several of the moms there), and then left and headed to the high school soccer field for Cobe's soccer camp. This is where the heat hit me- yuck!!! I dropped him off and came back home with Brooks and Sadie. Sadie didn't want to eat lunch, so I put her to bed and Brooks had lunch. After soccer, Aunt Jen came and took the boys to her house for the afternoon. So I made dinner for tonight already, swept and cleaned the kitchen floor, folded laundry and washed some dishes. I am hoping Sadie is shutting 'er down for awhile so I'll have some free time to just relax. The boys have their classes/camps again in the morning, and then we are heading to Pier Cove for the afternoon to play at the beach. I think it will be a scorcher again tomorrow, then it looks cooler after that. Let's hope!

Yesterday Ryan had to work from 6am-9am but didn't end up getting home until 11am. There was a fatal car accident he had to deal with and a man drowned so he ended up working later. We all napped for awhile once he got home and then hit the pool at Knollwood. Mary Jo and Jim met us there and we had a great time swimming in the pool. Brooks has decided in the last 2 or 3 days that he was going to learn to swim, so he did. Now he swims all around. Such a hoot to watch! He went from having to have his Elmo ring on all the time, to not wanting anything on so he can swim. We came home and Ryan got salmon ready for the grill. The Onstotts and Boeves came over for fish, vegetables, fruit, pasta and salad. We had a yummy dinner. I am not a fish fan at all, but I do love salmon when Ryan cooks it on the grill. We still have a ton more to eat so I am sure I'll get sick of it eventually since it isn't my favorite.

I am sure you have all heard by now, but a Grand Rapids officer (Robert Kozminski) was shot and killed this weekend. It had been 21 years since an officer has been killed in our area. It hit close to home with Ryan being an officer, and I hope everyone will pray for the family and friends of the GR officer. I think I take for granted that Ryan will be safe everytime he leaves for work, and I know I shouldn't.

Sadie is crying, so there goes my free time! "-)

Lil' Piggy Toes

Sadie got her little pigs painted for the first time yesterday. After she woke up from her 4 hour long nap, we headed over to Lisa's. Lisa got out her polishes to repaint Maya's nails, so Sadie let her paint hers as well. I don't think I could have done it- look how tiny those toenails are! Boeve picked up Ryan on his way home from work and they headed over for dinner. (I looked at the package, and you spell it Brats.) We had a great dinner, the kids jumped on the tramp while the men watched a comedian, and we headed home for bed. It was an early night. Don't forget to read previous posts and give me some good ideas for salmon!