Just some life

Life keeps going. Baby could be here in 2 months. We've got a ton to do before he/she gets here, but he/she will come regardless of our preparedness. But, I would like a place for the little bundle to sleep in once he/she makes his or her appearance and it would be nice if we had a vehicle that could carry all three children before we have three children. So, maybe I need to work on at least those two things. However, I have gotten my kitchen cupboards cleaned and organized. The toy room bookcases clean and organized. One of the closets in the office has been reorgainized. And, I got a new Dy*son vacuum...I love my vacuum. I love seeing how much junk I can pull off my floor every time I use it. My next task is to clean the office and reorganize all the cupboards in there. Jut will be gone for a week soon and maybe I'll get really ambitious when he's gone.

X is doing great. He's at such a fun age right now. He's finally got a reply to an affirmative question. He says, in the cutiest, sweetest voice, "Me too". You'll ask, "X do you want to go outside?" He'll reply, "Me too." and nod his head. It is so adorable. He's got a mischievous little smile and a twinkle in his eye all the time. He is too cute for his own good, in my opinion.

He's got so many words and he adds words daily. His vocabulary amazes me. He's saying new things all the time. He loves trains and trucks and tractors. He's infatuated with Thomas the Train right now. Reading Thomas books and watching videos is his favorite. He'll look at you and say, "Thomas...remote." Nod his head and say, "Me too." E likes to play with his trains, too, and that leads to sharing wars. But, mostly they do okay.

E is doing very well also. She's already to start school this fall, but we are going to do some preschool activities at home. I've been planning some activities to keep her engaged this fall. She's very social right now and always wants to play with other kids. I feel a bit guilty for not putting her in school just because I know she'd love the social aspect, but we will have a great time cherishing our last year at home together before we have to start following the craziness of schedules that schooling dictates.

E is ready to read, too. She wants to read and gets frustrated that she can't read. I don't want to push her academically, but it is nice to see that drive. We'll work at her pace. Right now she is enjoying the Little House chapter books and is excited to move into the 'real' books later this fall. She also loves the little books with pictures for some of the words so that she can 'read' with me. I enjoy listening to her read to herself...she makes up stories and it is fun to listen to.

She started off the summer riding her trike. Our neighbors gave us their daughter's old 2 wheeler with a bell and training wheels and she LOVED that. Then, my cousin gave us his son's old bike...a 'real' bike with brakes. She just has gotten brave enough to try that bike. But, she can't work the brakes very well yet and ended up in the road, which scared her. So, she won't ride it far but she loves that she can go fast on it. She wants to 'polish' it and change it from blue to pink or turquoise so it looks more like a girl bike.

X loves riding bikes too. Unfortunately, he can't reach the peddles on the trike. So, he scoots himself along with his toes and tries to keep up. He can't wait to be able to do all the things that his big sister, "Sissy" as he calls her, does. It is a 'monkey see, monkey do' household around here.

Well, my time is almost up. I've been at the hospital since 7:50 this morning. I failed my glucose tolerance test last week and so I'm doing the 3-hour fasting test this morning. Fun, fun. The good news is that I'm now registered into the hospitals new computer system and won't have to go through all that again when I'm in labor. There are benefits to some things even if they are annoying.

Warwick Community Days

 One of the benefits of having G'ma moved to Warwick in June (other than it gave me the opportunity to see her 6 times before she passed away) was that we found out about Warwick Community Day at the end of June.  They have the largest mobile petting zoo in Michigan on premises, two inflatables and lunch all free of charge.  Plus, there is some other things that cost extra, but the kids spent several hours just enjoying the free activities.

 I didn't take many pictures of the animals, as I was busy keeping my eyes on X.  But, they had  two huge tortoises, slues of goats and sheep, a kangaroo, a couple camels, some little monkey species, an armadillo, a couple parrots, some little pacing cat animal and a bunch more that I don't remember.  E was excited to touch an albino Burmese python because we had been reading about how they are invading the Everglades from our library book Eco Dogs that week.  They had an entire reptile trailer but we didn't go in there.  We just got to see the Burmese python as one of the workers was holding it outside of the trailer.  X, however, didn't want anything to do with the big snake...and that was okay with me because I didn't really want to get too close to it either.

 The kids loved looking at the goats.  Numerous people thought that they needed to share their goat treats with the kids and so they got to feed them too.  X mainly threw the feed at the goats because he didn't really want them touching him.  E enjoyed having them munch out of her hand and chatting with the goats as they did it.  She was much more adventurous here than she has been at other zoos.

The next stop were the inflatables.  Both the kids loved them.  They had an obstacle course and a bounce house with a slide.  E loved them both.  X loved the bounce house.  He laughed and laughed and laughed as the bigger kids jumped and he'd get knocked down.  He hadn't figured out how to jump yet and he loved the feeling of jumping as the bigger kids jumped and he'd go airborne.  It made me nervous but he loved it.

E ran up and down the obstacle course again and again and again.  She loved chasing the other kids through it and coming down the slide at the end. 

The slide on the other side of the bounce house was fun too.  Although, I didn't particularly appreciate the fact that X thought that he needed to climb up to the top.  He came down the slide once and the other times that he climbed up to the top, he came back down the ladder.  He thought it was cool to be up there with the bigger kids but didn't always enjoy all the 'help' that the bigger kids tried to offer him.

It was a very fun day.  The kids had a blast.  There were many tears when it was time to leave the inflatables but they had a good time.  Then, it started to sprinkle and it didn't seem so bad to be leaving. 

Fun on the 4th

I finally downloaded pictures and found some fun that we've had this summer.  So, I thought I'd share.

On the 4th, we headed down to Lansing for some shopping and fun.  Unfortunately with it being the 4th, three of the four shops I wanted to visit were closed, but we had some fun anyway.

E and X had their first experience with Toys 'R Us.  They were amazed.  E spent her b'day money on some accessories for her babies.  X fell in love with the train table.  Santa knows what he's looking for now for Christmas.

After our shopping, we had a fun time at the splash park in Lansing.  It was packed, as it was the 4th and hot, but the kids loved it.  They had a great time running through the water and watching all the other kids.  We had fun watching them and trying to keep track of them as they ran around and around and around.

Daddy's helpers

Our neighbors gave us a small two-wheeler with training wheels for E.  It has silver 'bicycle grass' that blows in the breeze hanging from the handlebars, a basket to carry treasures and best of all, it has a bell to ring.  E loves it, but she doesn't love getting 'stuck'.  The tread on the back tire is non-existent and so she spins her wheels frequently.  Jut decided to try and switch the front and back tires to give it a bit more traction.  He had lots of help with his endeavor. 

E started out 'helping' but soon lost interest.  However, X was all about helping dad and playing with all the tools in the toolbox.

When Jut left the task for a few minutes, X was more than happy to take over fixing E's bike.  He thought that he knew just what to do.

Hammers fix everything don't they?!  Hammers in the hand of a 1.5 year old is kind of scary...especially when he started swinging it.  Luckily, it didn't hit anything important or anything that would hurt.

The boys checking out the finished product.

Where did E disappear to?  Once the novelty of the fix-it project wore off, she headed over to the neighbor's house.  She and D were very contentedly playing a game or chasing each other around the yard.  The bike is fun but having a playmate is even more fun!

The Last Week...

Nellie Flegel         March 13, 1915-July 17, 2011

We got the phone call that we had been dreading (but knew it would be coming soon) last Sunday just before 7 AM.  No good news ever comes when the phone rings before 8 on Sunday morning.  My mom called to inform us that my grandma had passed away at 5:45 that morning.  With the sadness of the news, there was also joy for her because she had been taken out of ICU the Friday before and put into hospice care, as there was nothing left medically that the doctors could do for her.  As one cardiologist put it, "Her warranty has expired on her parts."  96 years of life and 10 years of dialysis care had taken its toll and her body was just plain wore out.  She went into ICU on Friday, July 8 for a week and then was taken back to Warwick on Friday, July 15th and went home with Jesus on Sunday, July 17th.

Jut fielded the phone call Sunday morning and I knew by the conversation what the news meant.  Jut got off the phone and said something to the effect that Grandma was having the best Sunday morning because she was worshiping Jesus in heaven.  Later that day, a cousin posted the picture of the spectacular sunrise that Grandma left this world with...and it was amazing.

Sunday flew by as Sundays do around here...church, lunch, naps and back for youth group.  It was a busy, hot day.  Monday came with the news of when all the family would be arriving home...they started trickling in Monday afternoon through Wednesday afternoon.

Also came the decisions on Monday...as a granddaughter, there aren't many decisions to be made.  But, my cousin and I did have to decide what the grandchildren (and great grandchildren) wanted to do for flowers or memorials for Grandma.  We got to go on the trip to the florist.  It was actually a pretty light-hearted trip...with discussion revolving around the wind mills going up near Breckenridge.  At the florist, it was very interesting to see what was discussed and what the florist created.  The flowers were beautiful but not what I would have envisioned based on the discussion.

Tuesday was a 'normal' morning at the house.  We went to the final program for the reading program at the library, which was a circus theme.  The kids had a blast.  Jut came home during naptime and I went to have a baby check-up.  The dr thinks it might be a girl...I'm still convinced its a boy.  I was measuring 31 cm at 25 weeks.  Then, we headed over to Grandpa's (& Grandma's) house for dinner with the family.  Grandpa wasn't quite himself.  He was using Grandma's walker, which gave my heart a start when I first saw the walker come from behind the doorway but it was Grandpa using it and not Grandma.  It was bittersweet to see everyone.  It is always fun when we get together but there was definitely air of sadness to all our catching up.

The end of the night was precious...Grandma would have loved watching it.  My folks had E and X outside catching fireflies.  There were tons and tons and tons of fireflies out.  They were making themselves very easy to catch and the kids were mesmerized.  It was fun to watch.  It was the first time of the week I thought to myself, "I wish I had my camera!"

Wednesday was the viewing.  We missed the first hour and a half of it because we thought that the kids needed to take naps.  At the break, we went to my aunt and uncle's to eat and then went back for the second half.  It was fun to see all the people.  We had 220+ people through the funeral home to pay their respects that day.  I thought that it was such a testament to the life that Grandma lived that she would have so many people come to honor her.

Thursday was the funeral.  It was a miserably hot day.  But, the funeral was beautiful and perfect.  Pastor Dave did an absolutely amazing job with the funeral.  He discussed funny stories about Grandpa and Grandma and how neither could hear and so you'd end up trying to keep up with two different conversations at the same time when at their house.  He discussed how Grandma was a natural teacher and how that flowed through everything she did and he compared her to the apostle John.  It was a wonderful tribute to Grandma.  I couldn't imagine a better send off.  Stacey shared a poignant memory of Grandma and quilting and Aunt Evie shared how much Grandma got to enjoy in the past 10 years because of receiving dialysis. It was a perfect service.

Then we went to the graveside service.  I missed the majority of what Pastor Dave said there.  The kids were melting (physically and behaviorally) in the hot temperatures and sun, as was I.  X's head was soaked and both were miserable.  So, I put them back in the car with it running.  The dinner was packed.  I'm not sure if everyone even had a seat.  It was a little chaotic.  But again, the number of people that were there was wonderful tribute to the person that my grandma was.  Pastor Dave said that it was one of the largest funerals that he'd ever done for someone of that age.

After the dinner, we went to Grandpa's.  X took a nap in the quiet, cool house.  E enjoyed some "E" time.  The rest of us just sat quietly and enjoyed each others company with some green tea.  For dinner, we went up to Aunt Elaine's with the rest of the clan.  The night ended with another scene that Grandma would have loved watching.  The 6 youngest great grandchildren started playing in a little water fountain that my aunt has in her flower garden.  The oldest is 7, then 4, 3, 2.5, and two 1.5 year olds.  By the end of the night, the two littlest were running around naked because their diapers became so drenched that they were useless.  They used gallons upon gallons of water but they were so precious running around playing.  All the adults ended up outside watching their antics.  Another kodak moment missed.  My favorite picture was X drinking out of the fountain and his huge grin afterwards.  They all were precious!

Friday a bunch of the family met for breakfast at a local restaurant.  Four of the little great grands were there.  The two 1.5 year olds loved running around the table with each other.  They were quite the combo.  E was the big girl and loved trying to keep track of the younger 3.  Then, we gathered to write thank yous.  The four little ones had a great time playing together.  By lunch, X and E's cousins headed for home and my kids went home with Jut to take naps.  By dinner, the thank yous were finished and my kids were back.  We enjoyed one more meal with the family and then Dad took E and X 'uptown' in a wagon for ice cream, which made E's day.  Another missed kodak moment.  I never would have guessed a funeral week would have given me so many precious photo opportunities!

It was a long, long week, but overall a wonderful week spent with family with so many memories shared and built.  It isn't often that E and X get to play with their cousins from Indiana.  We usually only see them a couple times a year for 24 hour visits.  It was so nice for them to have time to get comfortable with each other and play with each other.  Grandma would have loved watching them interact.  I enjoyed hearing other people's memories of Grandma and seeing the lady that she was outside of the title of "Grandma".  It was a great week of celebrating her life.

Grandma was one of the most influential people to my life.  I loved hearing her stories of traveling with her Aunt Lelya, Aunt Ruby and Aunt Mildred.  I loved hearing her tell about traveling down to Arkansas to marry Grandma with Ruby and her Aunt Lelya and riding the bus to the end of the line with Grandpa and back again as their 'something special' after getting married.  I loved hearing about her years as a teacher.  I still can't imagine being responsible for all grades K-8 and being expected to get them 1.5 years along in their education b/c the teacher the year before didn't do well...and the fact that English was most of the kids' second language with Czech being their primary language.  Craziness.  I enjoyed watching her in the kitchen.  I used to think she was the best cook in the world. I loved eating lunch at her house on Saturdays when Mom worked.  She made wonderful lemon meringue pies.  She taught me how to make pie crust.  She made sure Stacey and I got to church every Sunday if Mom and Dad were working.  She loved reminding me of the temper tantrums that I threw when I was little...especially if I complained about my kids' behavior.  There are so many memories...I was blessed to have her in my life for 34 years.  I will profoundly miss her stories, the twinkle in her eyes, her beautiful smile, her worn hands that she managed to keep busy to the end.  I'm so thankful of the profound Christian influence she had on my life and the knowledge that this world is not the end.  I can't wait to see her in Heaven someday!

A week away in pictures...

Sunset the evening we arrived

E and her Burger King crown that she wore all week playing with a stick outside the cabin

The stairs going up the dune to the neighbors house...ours were much steeper but generally nicer

The front of the beach house

X playing in the water that was purposed to rinse our feet...however, due to X's love of water, it was empty most of the time.  It was also the same tub I used to bath the kids all week in the outdoor shower

X enjoying an indoor s'more on a rainy evening...E made almost as much of a mess but I didn't capture a good pic of her

X trying to goober Jut after said s'more...notice the ladder behind them.  That was how we got up to the small loft that we slept in...not fun to climb down in the middle of the night when baby positioned itself on my bladder!

E ready to head down to the beach...notice her face is still a bit swollen from a bug bite.  Her eye was completely swollen shut on Sunday AM when she woke up.  I ran her to urgent care before we left town just to make sure everything was ok.

The kids enjoying collecting rocks on the beach

E with her rock collection...she thought we were going to bring all of those home...however, Jut didn't particularly want to carry them up all 58 stairs...we managed to convince her only to take ones that would fit into her pocket

X and the Lake

"Mom, that water is COLD!"  It numbed your feet within 10 seconds, but the kids loved it anyway.

There is lots that I failed to capture on camera...like our awesome grill and chef for the week...or beautiful gardens at the main house that we got to walk through every day...or the Charlevoix light house that we could see from our cabin...or all the walks along the beach that we took, but it was a fun getaway and we look forward to doing it again!!

A week away...

We were able to escape life for a week this month and head up to Charlevoix. Jut and I hadn't been on a vacation since we went to Sri Lanka five years ago, and we'd only done weekend excursions with the kids. So, we decided it was time to try a family vacation.

Early this spring, I researched different rentals in locations up north. After much deliberation, we choose to rent a little beach house on the shores of Lake Michigan just outside of downtown Charleviox. When I say it was a little house, I mean a little house. It was maybe 400 square feet with a tiny loft wide enough for a full sized mattress on one end and a twin on the other end. The "kitchen" was a countertop with a sink, mini fridge, microwave and ice maker. The grill was our main method of cooking for the week, which was wonderful for me because that meant that Jut did all the cooking...however the rainy days made the outdoor grill cooking was a bit of a challenge. There was a bathroom in the cottage, but the shower was outside on the backside of the cabin. The outdoor shower was nice when it wasn't raining or too breezy. It was a really fun little cottage. Jut and I look forward to the day that we can return child free and enjoy the ambiance of the setting.

We arrived on a Sunday evening and the kids wanted to immediately go and investigate the lake. So, I took the kids to the water while poor Jut unloaded our tremedously packed car and walked down (and then back up) the 58 steep stairs from the top of the dune (where the main house and car were) to the cabin. The kids fell in love with the water. E immediately started collecting stones. She had a pile so high on the beach by the end of the night that we could see it from inside the cabin. X loved just making the rocks go "splash"...so he spent forever throwing rocks into the lake. Were they content to just look at the water? Heavens no. Both were soaked by the end evening. Lake Michigan is early June is freezing. Both were like little ice cubes by the end but we still had to tear them away.

We enjoyed an absolutely gorgeous sunset and put the kids to bed. Thankfully they slept relatively well and did better as the week continued.

For the rest of the week, we enjoyed exploring Charlevoix and Petosky. The kids continued loving the water. We had fun building a sand castle, collecting rocks, throwing rocks in the water, walking along the beach. They never tired of the beach. It was great. It was kind of funny. E really wanted to find a park one day. So, we found one and played for awhile. But, I think she had much more fun playing at the beach later in the afternoon, and she didn't ask to go to a park again for the rest of the week.

One day while exploring downtown we got to see the drawbridge raise for a boat. Both kids loved it. E will still play 'drawbridge' from time to time and tell us that we can't pass. She's funny.

We had a couple campfires on the beach throughout the week. The kids loved S'mores by the fire or by the microwave on nights that a fire wasn't an option.

The last three days were a bit challenging weather wise. But, we found a place to go indoor swimming and explored more in the car. Plus, G'ma came and spent the afternoon with us one of the rainy days, which added some variety to life.

It was a very fun vacation and I can't wait for our next opportunity to get away as a family for an extended period of time. Life away from TV, the Internet and life's general demands is a wonderful change of pace.