Road Trip!

Last month, Mitch, Jake and I loaded up the Honda Accord and drove the 8-9 hours to visit our friends in Michigan. Christy, her hubby, Mike, and her 3 kids lived in our neighborhood until about a year ago when they moved for Mike's job. (See this post) So, while Gary was gone to Leader's Conference, we went to visit them! It was so wonderful to be able to spend such good time with good friends! And the kids did amazingly well on the drive! Of course, you know the trip is best told in pictures...

Kendyl, Mitch, and Kaitlyn hanging out in their PJs on our first morning. The girls were asleep when we got there, so this was the first time they got to see each other!

For any of you who know Christy, you know she had our week planned out well in advance! Our first day there, Christy and I went to the zoo with our 5 combined kids, and met her friend, Mandy with her 3 kids and her sister. We all had a great time!

The zoo there has a place where you can feed the giraffes!

Mitch and Kaitlyn...Those two sure do love each other!

Jake and Luke looking at the monkeys. They are only 3 weeks apart!

Our attempt at a group picture of all of the kids! FYI, Mike and Mandy's hubby kept ALL of these kids one night so we could go out for a Girls Night Out! What troopers, huh?

Luke, Jake and Christy

Jake and Luke

The next day, we went had a play date with a couple of Christy's friends and their kids. We went to the mall and walked around for a little while. Then ate lunch. Then went to "the jumpies", as Mitch calls it.

Kaitlyn, Mitch, Christy, Kendyl (I had the stroller with the babies)

Mitch and Kendyl were walking ahead of us, and this was our view! Isn't it the cutest?

Then Kaitlyn wanted in on the action...Mitch is going to love these pics some day!

He's going to be crushed when someone tells him he is going to have to choose just one sister one of these days! :)

The kids had a great time at "the jumpies"...especially Jake! He learned how to climb up and go down the slides (the smaller ones) all by himself! Kaitlyn taught him!

After "the jumpies" we went back to Christy's and the kids had a little "rest time". (The babies napped.)
That night was Girls Night Out (the night the guys kept all 8 kids!).

Sad to say that I think this is the ONLY picture EVER of just me and Christy!

Here we are at dinner (and drinks, of course)! Leave it to Christy to have this many girlfriends after only living there for a year! She amazes me!A few of us stuck it out for the Wine Loft for after dinner drinks (and desert for some). We had a fantastic time, and it was so awesome to get to meet so many of Christy's new friends!
The last day there...PAJAMA DAY! We stayed home all day and just played. Christy has a full funished basement that is the kids' playroom. It was awesome!!!!

Here's our rather unsuccessful attempt at a group photo!

Jake and Luke spinning around in circles together
Mitch and Kendyl (aka Mommy and Daddy) pushing their "babies" in strollers around the basement. Yes, Mitch's "baby" is his "night-night"!

And...I saved the best for last! The kids (except Luke, who was asleep) had all been playing downstairs in the basement for a couple of hours. It was a wonderful break, and Christy and I got to just sit and visit with no interruptions...what a concept, huh? Then we heard Kendyl cry, so Christy went to check on her. The next thing I heard was Christy, "Nicole....Come down here...and bring your camera!" This is what I found! Jake is NOT going to like this picture some day...but I do! My rough and tumble all-boy boy dressed up in a princess dress...complete with tiara! Gary says I'm not allowed to go back! :)

4 Year Old Logic

Me: Mitch, it is not okay to "blah blah blah"

Mitch: I didn't mean to!

Me: Just because you didn't mean to doesn't make it okay.

Mitch: I wasn't trying to make it okay, I was trying to not be in trouble!

Well...there you have it...4 year old logic!

Whoda thunk it?

My little chicken... I threatened to make Mitch wear a chicken costume for Halloween when he was about Jake's age. The child was afraid of everything! (Well, everything except people.) When he was 2 1/2, he went to two different birthday parties at Pump It Up ("the jumpies" as Mitch call it), and sat on floor looking at a Nashville Parent magazine the whole time. He was afraid of "the jumpies". He was terrified of Tickle Me Elmo, and any toy that he couldn't figure out what made it "talk". When Mimi and Pa bought him his Power Wheels for his 4th Birthday, he was afraid to push the gas.

So...when we took a family trip to Six Flags in Atlanta last month, I didn't really expect a lot from Mitch. Oh...and by "family"...I mean "family". It was me, Gary, Jack, Mitch, one of Jack's friends, (Alex didn't come, and my Mom kept Jake), Gary's Mom, Gary's two sisters, and their kids. We had a great time! I showed him the roller coasters online....they even have videos of some of them. He was soooo excited and kept saying he was going to ride roller coasters. We really talked it up, but I truly thought he would change his mind when he got there and saw them. I couldn't have been more wrong! The first ride he rode was the "Log Ride". He wanted to sit up front and with Jack. What?!? My baby is riding his first ride, and he doesn't want his "Mommy"?!? What is up with this? He got scared for a just a little bit when he went down the first little hill, but after the big hill, he said, "I want to do that again!"

I didn't take my camera to Six Flags, because I was afraid I would lose it or damage it. But...the next day, we went to a kid's park called American Adventures. Jack and his friend, went to White Water (water park) which was right beside it, and Gary, me, Mitch, Lauri and Wyatt went to American Adventures. Mitch rode every ride there a million times! He faster and crazier the ride was, the better! And having his cousin, Wyatt, with him just made it that much better. They are 5 months apart in age, and they have a blast together!

Here they are having chips and Goldfish for breakfast before Six Flags. Wyatt lives in Atlanta, so we stayed with them.

Mitch and Wyatt before American Adventures

This is about the only proof I have that Jack and Jacob (Jack's friend) were even with us. The left us right after this picture was taken, and spent the day at the water park.

Their first ride...listening intently to the instructions...my little rule-follower! :)

Now he's getting too cool in the trucks....he's loving this stuff!

Daddy and Mitch on his first ever roller coaster!

After a couple of rides, they decided they didn't need us anymore...and they wanted to ride together. Gary rode behind them once for reassurance. After that, they didn't care if we rode or not.

Can you see his hands in the air? This is the way he rode EVERY ride at least once!

Wyatt and Mitch on the swings. (Sorry Mimi!)

...On the Crazy Bus

Ahhh...nice, relaxing ride on the wagon ferris wheel. She let them tell her which way to go and where to stop. They loved it!

Gary and Mitch on The Scrambler. This is the one that I thought for sure would do him in...but it was his favorite ride!

Me and Mitch on The Scrambler

Me, Wyatt, Mitch, and Lauri on the Tilt A Whirl. We got on one that spun the ENTIRE time, literally! When it was done, Lauri and I had to take a break, and the kids were begging to ride again!

We definitely got our exercise for day walking up the steps to this slide. Poor Lauri...at least Gary and I could switch off! Lauri had to go every time! Oh...and Gary cheats! He kept pushing Lauri and Wyatt back so he and Mitch could win!

Left to right: Me and Mitch, Lauri and Wyatt, random kid who is in lots of our slide pics

Gary and Mitch

Lauri and Wyatt, Me and Mitch

Gary and Mitch, Lauri and Wyatt

After we rode all of the rides for hours, we went inside and ate lunch. Then we played in the "Foam Factory". It's a 3 story playground, basically, with a ton of foam balls that you can suck up with vacuums, shoot out of guns, send up with pullies, etc. There are climbing ropes, and several slides. The kids had a great time.

Here's Mitch vacuuming up some of the balls

Mitch and Gary shooting people with foam balls. Look at the evil expression on Gary's face!

The kids couldn't reach the guns to shoot them, so here's Gary holding both Mitch and Wyatt while they push the buttons that shoot.

They are 4, so after a while, they got bored with the Foam Factory and wanted to go play games in the arcade. I love this picture of them on the motorcycles. I'm not even sure if there was money in the machine, but Mitch seriously concentrating!

And...HE'S DONE!!!!

Yep...He's 20 Months!

It won't be any time and I will be posting about his 2nd birthday! How did that happen?

He is such a funny little guy! As I type this he is trying to climb into the wine cabinet...where does he get these ideas? He is definitely a high-energy kid! He loves to tackle, wrestle, hit, and throw. But just as much as he loves to be rowdy, he loves to snuggle! What a great combination! He loves to make people laugh, and he loves to laugh! I have no doubt that Jake will be the class-clown when he starts school.

He has finally started walking places. Yes, he has been walking for a while, but he always wanted to be carried into stores or to the car or basically to any destination. He would walk/run all over the house or outside, but aside from that...he was a "carry me" kid! I tried putting him down and making him walk, but he would sit down and cry in the middle of the parking lot! FINALLY, in the last couple of weeks, he has started walking everywhere. He walks to the dock when we go to the boat, he walks into the grocery store and to Target, and even into the church to take Mitch to VBS this week. It's good timing...I'm not sure how much longer I would be able to carry him...he is already almost 30 pounds!

He has also started talking more. He says Momma, Daddy, Mimi, Jack, Mitch, bye, go, yes, eat, please, up, and a few other things that I just can't understand! He follows instruction amazingly well! He cleans up his messes occasionally. He puts his sippy cup in the sink when he is done with it (that is, when he doesn't put it in the trash can)! He still loves to eat, and isn't picky about what he eats. He loves to show you his belly button. And he has a great time cheering for Mitch during T-ball. He has at least one bruise on his head/face at all times. Probably because he leads with his head in whatever he is doing. He even uses it as an extra limb to help him climb things!

He is constantly suprising me with the things he can do! The other day he opened a bottle of water and started drinking it. He even got almost as much in his mouth as he did down the front of his shirt (thankfully we were outside). He has learned to open the car door. Last week, I left him in the garage while I was running in and out unloading the car. When I went to check on him...I found him in the drivers seat of my car! (Is it wrong that I went to get the camera before I got him out? I mean, it's not like the keys were in it!)
He gets into his carseat on his own and even tries to strap himself in.

He throws his own diapers in the diaper pail, and sometimes even lets me know he when he needs a clean one. He brings me his shoes when he sees us start getting ready to go somewhere (he isn't going to risk being left behind). He climbs all over the playground equipment...up the ladders, down the slides, wherever he wants to go. I have even found him on Alex's top bunk once. Yep, climbed the ladder to hang out up there.

He has slept in a big-boy bed once. Last week while Mitch was a Mimi's he kept pointing and grunting at Mitch's bed. Of course, I'm not completely crazy...I ignored him and put him in his crib. After about an hour of him fussing off and on, I went in to check on him (for about the 3rd time) and this time I picked him up. When I did, he tried to get out of my arms and to Mitch's bed...so, what the heck? I put him in Mitch's bed...and that is where he went to sleep. I moved him back to his crib before I went to bed. He woke up at about 3am and was one ticked off little boy! :) That is first and last time he has slept in a big-boy bed for now. I am NOT ready for him to be out of his crib yet!
He loves the water! Last weekend, while we were on the lake, he started jumping off the boat into the lake (don't worry...he was jumping to his daddy). Mitch was doing it, and he was not about to let someone else have all the fun! He likes to "swim" and blow bubbles, and splash!

Jake is just a pure joy to be around. You can't possibly be around him without smiling! I couldn't be more blessed!

Pickin' N Grinnin'

Mitch, Jake, and I went to pick Strawberries with my mom last month. Amazingly, I am 33 years old and it was the first time I remember ever doing this! We really lucked out, too...In a month of uncommonly HOT June days, we actually had a very nice day to go. Jake had a blast running in the rows with his basket, and Mitch actually got in there and picked some.

Ah...my little city boy, Mitch! We are in the middle of a strawberry field, with baskets full of strawberries, and he complains that he is hungry! So...I told him to eat to some strawberries... Seems obvious, right? Mitch says, "But, Mommy...they aren't washed!" He really needs to get out of the city some! :) After much explanation and consideration, he gave in and started eating...unwashed.

Ahhh...he may be a city boy, but he sure is a CUTE city boy! How can he wear a yellow hoodie, with shorts that are almost too small, hiking boots and white socks...and still look this cute?!

And this one....This picture so completely captures my youngest son! Sippy cup in hand, bruise on head, food on face and shirt! The only thing missing in this picture is his mischevious grin!

After we got two big baskets full of strawberries, we went back to my mom's. Mimi (my mom) played outside with the boys while I made my first attempt at home made jelly...with Mom's direction, of course! Yummy! It turned out great...and was surprisingly easy! This will definitely be a new family tradition for us!