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.

E turns 4!

Happy birthday to E! It is hard to believe that she is already 4! Her arrival changed everything. Four years ago, I was teaching in Port Huron. Jut was a youth minister in Algonac. We were living in Algonac enjoying walks along the river and eating entirely too much DQ! Now, we live in Alma near family. I get the privelege of staying home with E and X. Jut is currently a youth minister but is in the process of transferring to the roll of lead minister. Our life is so different, but we love it. We walk along a tiny river and do it without ice cream, which is probably better for us anyway.

At 4, E is so much fun. She is a great big sister to X and will be wonderful with the new baby coming this fall. I love watching her explore nature. Going on leaf hunts is fun. Watching E pick dandelions for me is precious.She has had more fun digging in the dirt in our backyard this spring. I'm excited to plant some flowers and veggies. I think E will be a great little farmer.

My favorite time of the day is nap time and bedtime because I love cuddling you and reading stories.  I love when she quotes stories throughout the day or acts out the scenes.  People comment all the time what an active imagination she has...and she does.  At story time at the library or music class, she is the first to blurt out something like, "I see a crocodile!" when Miss Tina takes a breath.  Drives me a bit crazy but Miss Tina is very gracious and says that she adds life to story time.

E's favorite books right now are the Bernstein Bears, Arthur, and Little House on the Prairie picture books.  Although, we read a great variety of books each week.  E also loves our new On Demand box from Char*ter.  She can watch the Bernstein Bears and a slue of other wonderful shows whenever she wants.  I think she'd watch TV all day, if I'd let her!

 

She still enjoys watching and playing with her Care Bears and Strawberry Shortcake.  She still dresses up as Cinderella and the fairies, but right now she'd rather be outside swinging or digging in the dirt or blowing bubbles.  Candyland, the fishing game, Memory and Scrambled Eggs are her favorite board games.  E loves getting to stay up 'late' after X goes to bed so that she can play her special games.

We are working on 'school'.  E wanted so badly to go to school this winter that I started having lessons in the afternoon when X napped.  We are working on writing her name.  She can write all the letters...but somehow I can't quite make her understand that the order of the letters matter.  But, we've had a month plus break from practicing writing...as she's been napping quite a bit and I've been napping a lot (good thing she always does an hour or so of quiet time each day!).  So, maybe when we start up again, it will all become clear and make more sense.

We've been sporadically working with the 'l' sound...but we still visit the 'hibrary' and eat 'hogurt' and pray for 'hindsey' at night.

She wants the new baby to be a girl.  She alternates between thinking she (the baby) should be named 'Strawberry Shortcake' or 'Angel Cake' or some other name from Strawberry Shortcake.  So, we'll see in a few months whether she'll be disappointed again or not...it took a couple days to convince her that X was indeed a boy and not the girl she originally wanted.

X's first haircut

Well, at 1 year, 6 months, 3 weeks and 2 days old, X received his first haircut...from Jut and I.  I didn't think he'd sit in a chair and be still enough for a 'professional' to cut it.  So, we gave it a shot.

I started out by trimming up the back, but he kept turning his head...so it was a bit crooked and uneven.  Jut didn't like my cutting style and decided he'd do a better job.  So, he gave me my little squirmy boy and took the scissors. 

He started on the front...and chopped it all off.  The little guys hair is at his hairline.  However, I guess it makes it mostly straight.  X really started getting squirmy at this point.  Jut decided maybe it wasn't so easy, but he trimmed up around X's ears and declared it done, as X was done at this point anyway.

So, I took him upstairs and he got content reading books...so I decided to try and trim up the rest of his hair.  So, I snipped a bit here and there...trimming up all the rest of the ends.  He did really well.  That part of his hair looks okay, I think.

We'll see how he looks tomorrow in the light of day.  I don't know if a professional can help how I botched his back and Jut massacred his front, as they are both too short, but if it looks too bad, we'll see what they can do.  Poor little guy's first haircut wasn't traumatic for him, but his parents learned that it wasn't really all that easy to cut the hair of a squirmy 19-month old.

**We decided this morning that it looks okay...a bit short in front but okay.  Jut used the trimmers to even up the back and so he's looking pretty good.  In a couple weeks, it will look better!  :)