Taste of Muskegon

Saturday night, after the garage sale, we went to "Taste of Muskegon" downtown. It was a last minute thing after an invitation from Jen. The weather was awesome, and Jake and Amaya were at G & G's. We only had Ryan, oh how easy it was just to have one kid with us. We had many tastes, from many different restaurants in the area, and boy were they yummy! The kids had fun, and even found a cool brick wall to walk in front of. It was such a great backdrop for a photo op. Cute Buggy.

Hangin' with Evan.

Cute Hailey.

Ryan and Hailey picked clover and tried to blow it like dandelion seeds. Ahh, the innocence.
Check out the cool photographer in the reflection of Hay Bay's sun glasses.

Spence and Evan doing their water shots and wasting all the water. Oh well, they were having so much fun.

The Klairter clan.

Garage Sale

So, I had a garage sale last weekend, (6-21-2008) the bridge on my road is closed, causing a detour and I think it hampered my profits. I only made $150.00. I keep hearing how other people make like $1000, and don't know how that is possible. I would love that! It sure was nice to get rid of some of the bigger stuff (translate kid stuff) that takes up room around here. It is unbelievable how much stuff we have accrued over the last 7 years. I didn't even put 1/4 of the stuff that we have into the garage sale. I only put in the stuff that we so obviously do not need to keep. I am very thankful for my much needed space after the sale:)

Jake sharing his homemade juice pop with Hailey and Ryan. What a nice boy!

Ryan's Lugger

Ryan's Lugger....We got Ryan a new electric car to ride on. We have had many different hand me downs of these cars, (Barbie Jeep, Caterpillar tractor, Harley Davidson motorcycle) all of which have died and been unable to recharge. So this year, I put the rest in the garage sale, and bought this. It is an early birthday present (bday is in Sept), but I want him to be able to enjoy it all summer. We got Jake and Amaya big, outdoor stuff for their 2nd birthdays, so now is Ryan's turn. He can't really even drive it yet. He steers while Jake pushes the pedal, or he pushes the pedal, jerks himself, then cracks up. It is so cute. Plus, this car is full of juice enough to drive the big kids around too. They all have a ball in it.
Granny also has a lugger, it is really close in appearance to Ryan's. So cute!

At the ranch

This is a picture of Amaya that was taken on a Thursday night. She was supposed to have her riding lessons, but Gabs forgot :(
6-12-2008

Amaya was so sad. I had talked to Gabs the week before about bringing out my camera and taking some pictures, so we stayed and used her stuff!
Here is Amaya hanging with the horses. I really believe that she would stay there and watch, just pet or follow them around for an entire day.

The week after this, Amaya was able to spend an entire day at the ranch "helping out". This was her dream come true. She helped clean out stalls, replaced old shavings with new ones. Wheeled loads of manure to the "poop pile", went to the feed store, went to the vet, and went to Gabe's Aunt's house and check out a few goats with their kids. There were a total of 5 girls who went with, Amaya being the youngest. She was tired at the end of the day, but when I arrived to pick her up, she said... you're here already? She was there from 8am til 4pm, without any complaint.

Jake just looks like such a big kid in this picture. He is only 4 (almost 5).

Little Buggy Ryan on the swing.

It was fun to go out to a new site and use the props that are there. I love the old barn, grass, and swing.

Boo Hoo

For the record, Ryan doesn't like the homemade quiche that I made from scratch for him. I am so sad, that would have been so easy and awesome.

Rarity

I am rarely actually seen in a picture on my own blog, so here it is....a picture of me and Ryan, my little bug.

Thank you, Amaya for taking the pictures!!

Alone time

This morning I got to spend a few hours, all by myself, in my own home!!! Who knew that this would feel like such an indulgence? It was almost a guilt feeling (but not quite) to be this happy to be without my kids or husband. I am so guilty of being one of those moms who never take time for themselves because there is always something that needs to be done around here. I just can't help it, I just want to get it done.
Well, Amaya was signed up for basketball this week, which they cancelled because there weren't enough people signed up, and today was supposed to be her first day. I took 4 hours of vacation this morning so that I could go and make sure everything ran smoothly for her, plus this way, I didn't need to have my mom pick her up. I have to pay daycare for at least one day every week and today was the day. So, I got them up and brought them at 9:30, just like on a regular work day. I then went to my mom and dad's for a little visit, and then I went home so that I could play Betty Crocker for a little while.
I made little mini quiches for Ryan for his breakfasts (all homemade thanks to Julie), and then I made a big pan of Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars, yes, all from scratch. I mean really, is there any other way to make cookies??
Plus, I did two loads of laundry, made the bed, did a ton of dishes, watered the garden, took a shower, and talked to some great friends for quite a while. All this before I went to work and put in 8 1/2 hours running around the ER on another crazy night! Phew, that is quite a productive day for me. See how much I get done without my kids?
This is not to say that I don't love my kids, or love spending time with them, it was just so nice to do this all by myself, without interruption.
My shower was even great, I brought in a radio and listened to Bare Naked Ladies (BNL) while getting ready. I was even belting out the words all the whilst washing my hair and dancing in the shower. I haven't done that in so long. How fun!
I know I am a dork, but I am okay with that. I had a really great day!

So Cute

Oh, he is just so darned cute! Sticking his tongue out and zerberting (who even knows how to spell that?)

Finally

Ahh, summer!! It is finally here. It seems that we have waited so long for this warm weather, and now it is not only warm, but crazy....storms, tornados.


I love the summer, it means hanging out with my kids outside, in this itty bitty pool, swinging on the swing, sprinklers, gardning, oh..and did I say just hanging out! Our days are spent lolly gagging around the yard, blowing bubbles, riding bikes, eating popsicles and many, many baths. I appreciate and am so grateful that I am only part time (2 days a week-12 hrs) and am able to spend this time with them. I have longed for the summer when I didn't have to wake up the kids to go to school and here it is!


Ryan is at such a good age for this type of non-routine and he LOVES the water! He is soaked daily and goes through many outfits because I have to change him so often.

Jake is happy either in or outside. He still loves the Nintendo wii system, and his latest game of choice is Lego Star Wars. His birthday is in less than 2 weeks, and he is going to be 5 years old. What a crazy thought. Jake still really likes Spider Man, he has since he was 2 years old when he received his first pair of spider man jammies from Grandma Pat. This is the year (hopefully) that he will learn to balance his bike enough to take the training wheels off. He just can't seem to figure out how to balance.



Amaya, she is a fish. She loves the water, and would honestly spend hours in a pool if you let her. She usually pulls out her plastic animals (giraffe, zebra, horse, and elephant-make them all plural to the 10th power) to play with for the entire day. She has always been this way, and I think she always will.



Sometimes I think of getting a real in ground pool. Scott would love it, and we even talk about putting one in on our next home, but right now, this little pool is great. They are wet enough, and it is perfect for a little one. Plus, we get the hose and sprinkler out all the time. Not to mention the beach is just right down the road, and when that water warms up, we are so there!!

For JJ

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When I was 18 years old, I used to work at Chi Chi's as a waitress/bartender. They had those little Andes mints that you passed out when you gave your customer the bill. Well, I used to take a handful or two home sometimes, and when Jen and I were out, driving my Ford Escot wagon, that didn't have heat, we would eat them. They stayed nice and cold without the heat, so they were really yummy. We would drive around for hours looking for parties or something to do, yet laughing and cracking up the entire time while we had our blankets on and rolled down the windows when we stopped so that we wouldn't get carbon monoxide poisoning from the fumes coming back into the car. (seriously) We would listen to the home made tapes that Gerry Witherell made for me with groups like Cinderella and Skid Row, or we would listen to Queen-Bicycle (like on Wayne's World).
This is such a random post, inspired by Jen's rain post. Thanks for the memory Jen.

Broken teeth

Last night, Amaya lost her second, top, front tooth. It is so funny, because, she has a bit of a lisp. It is so cute! She is so proud to have lost this tooth, she even had to save it to show Ryan and Jaker this morning.

Jake has a hard time sometimes being the little brother. He, so badly, wants to keep up with Amaya, whether it is in school, friends party's, and especially losing teeth. He will be 5 years old in like 2 weeks (holy cow!), but is still little/young in comparison to Amaya. This afternoon, they were eating popcorn as a snack, and I kept hearing this terrible crunch, so I went to investigate. Jake was eating the kernels, which we tell him not to because, "it will break your teeth"! So I reiterated this to him, and Jake replied, "good, because I want the tooth fairy to come!"

He was eating these kernels so that his tooth would fall out and the tooth fairy would come for him. How cute!! I told him that his time would come......

Beauty

Last night Amaya and I went to check out the eagles. We saw an adult, but no baby. As I was watching, Amaya was out exploring in the woods, so I took a few photos of her. She is officially a 2nd grader now, I can't believe it!

After pulling up to the mailbox, when we got home, I noticed this butterfly on the side of the driveway. I took these shots from inside the car.

G & G

Over the river and through the woods..........well, actually is is just down the street, then around the corner, to Granny's house we go.....
I can honestly say that my whole life growing up, that I never wanted to live really close to my parents, but after moving to Spring Lake, and my parents living just down the road, I love it. I love that they are close enough that we can walk or ride bikes over, I love that they are close to help with the kids, and especially in case of emergencies. It is so nice to have them just around the corner. I bring the kids over sometimes just to break up my day. We go over and walk around the yard, play in the playhouse, maybe go for a ride on the golf cart or just to hang out. The kids like it. There is always stuff to do over there, but even more so in the summer time.
The pond has always been a love for my kids. They love to feed the fish, and sometimes, if the time is just right, Granny lets them play in the pond. Granny is always outside working on something. Papa is always doing something too, even if it is just walking around the yard, waiting for his flowers to bloom. He gets antsy if he sits too long. He loves to just watch the kids. It reminds me of Grandpa Louis, his dad, who just used to pull out his chair and set it wherever we were and just watch us. They just get a kick out of the kids, especially the little ones.
My parents have been a tremendous help to us with all the school issues of picking up my kids when I have to work, doctor's appts, and field trips. They have picked them up for years, gotten them to daycare, or taken care of them when we can't. I don't know what we would have done without all this help. We really appreciate all that they have done for us and all that they continue to do.
Scott's parents are great too, they live close, just in Fruitport. They are helpful too in caring for our kids, coming over to help in situations too.
We are very lucky to have the parents that we do. It's funny how different things are when these people become grandparents in comparison to when they were the parent.


More pond fun.

Granny's Peonies.