Instapost

Well, I admit it, I’ve been cheating.  I’m having an affair with something more instantly gratifying.  It’s keeping me from blogging, and luring me with it’s ease.  It’s Instagram.  And yes, I am in love.  I can snap a picture with my phone, apply cool filters to it, and post it instantly.  It satisfies my need to see my life in pictures on a screen.  Luckily, I’ve decided I’m like the bachelorette, I can maintain two relationships at once.  So, I’m back to update you on what’s been going on since I’ve been off “fooling” around.  Right now we’re on vacation, but a lot happened before that, so I’ll come back with a vacation post later!

I discovered Instagram one morning while Sof was still asleep in my bed.

Later I caught her playing in my shoes.

  The theme continued that day when she got into my make-up.

 

She might be sleeping late and being naughty because it seems to be normal these days to have Dora playing on the TV at 10:00pm!

To get ready for vacation Adrienne and I had our nails done.  Fun time with my big girl.

Sof and Scratches are good friends.

We went to our cottage for the weekend because we couldn’t check into our place in Grand Haven until Sunday.  No way we were going to waste a beautiful weekend!

Bedtime fun with Mommy’s phone camera:)  Sof looks so old in this pic I barely recognize her!

It’s a big deal to her that she can have braids like her big sisters.

Dancing with Daddy!

Love these 3.

Driveway fun with the hose. 

We celebrated Mimi’s birthday(on the real day!).

We did our 40 mile bike ride again with Anne, Rick, and Joni.  It was awesome!  We stopped for lunch at the half way point.  We found a little sweet shop/deli that is so cute you don’t know where to look first!

   We came back and took a dip in the lake.

Then we grabbed our things, jumped in the car, and headed off to start our real vacation.

The Big Catch Up

It’s not like I’ve neglected my blog or anything.  It’s just that lots of good stuff happened all in one week.  If we had any sort of normal bedtimes or morning routines I may have been able to give these events their due justice in their own post.  We don’t though.  It’s summer, and that means kids are up late, we are swimming at 8:00 at night, and there is not a quiet second for me to even attempt a quick blog.  So here it is…a week in review…10 pounds of potatoes in a 5 pound sack.    

We finally made it to the real beach(as real as it gets in Michigan).  I packed, sun screened, negotiated, argued, sweat, and smiled as we laid claim to our little square of the sand.  Buckets came out and the sand castles started being erected.

  

That lasted a good heavenly 15 minutes.  Part of the charm of the beach is the ability to go from water to sand, cooling off and drying out.  We discovered real quick that the lake was absolutely freezing, not a wave to be seen or jumped, and some sort of algae floating generously along the shore.  The beach was abuzz with theories on why it was so cold, tides and winds, but all I know is we left earlier than we would have.

We rocked the Kindleberger festival parade.  My Dad was the Grand Marshall(which makes me think of the Flinstone’s Grand Poobah and the horned buffalo hat).  He didn’t wear a hat, but he road in a convertible waving while his “Girlz” walked along side him and threw candy. 

 

It was fun.  Like really fun.  The power…oh the power.  All those kids gathered in hopes of scoring a bag full of candy and we have the power to give it to them.  Are you crowding out a little one?  Greedily grabbing it all while more timid kids get nothing?  If you are THAT kid then we say, “No candy for you!”(said in a Seinfeld soup episode accent). 

The family waited at the end and we stopped there and watched the rest of the parade go by.  We threw the candy we had, and then collected more.

 

My mom’s cousin Steve and his wife Marty with their grandkids.  Marty and I had some fun with the political candidates walking in the parade.  We decided there should be new parties, no more republican and democrat, just candy or no candy.  No parade candy, no vote from me.  Although the no candy party might have a large following among dentists.  By the way, if you have a bubble butt and your khaki’s are too tight you’re not getting my vote either. 

The cousins all gathered for celebration.  It was a great reason to gather-weddings, funerals, and parades. 

    

 

  

We barely had a chance to let the sugar buzz wear off and we had to high tail it back to the other side of the state to collect Adrienne from the airport and give Mark some birthday wishes.

     

After a birthday dinner at our favorite Japanese restaurant, we headed to the airport.  I can’t even begin to list all the amazing things Adrienne got to experience on this trip!  It was truly once in a lifetime!

    

 

That is Dee Dee Woods in the middle.  She’s kinda a big deal.  Like she choreographed THE SOUND OF MUSIC!  She also did Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.  Yeah, she’s the real deal!

Broadway class at Disney.  They learned lines, songs, and choreography for Mary Poppins. 

As wonderful as the experience was, I was happy to have my missing birdie back in the nest with the other 2. 

     

Since the parade and big girl’s homecoming landed on Mark’s birthday. I figured we better give him the next day!  It involved the usual suspects eating, drinking, and lovin’ on babies!

 

 

  

Happy Birthday Honey, and many more!

The birthday candles aren’t the only hot thing around here.  The weather is blazing!  The mornings and evenings feel like the middle of the day, and the middle of the day makes you feel like the Witch that Hansel and Gretel just pushed in the oven.  Last night we escaped for awhile to the waterpark. 

   

I’m eating a lot of ice cream these days.  My justification is that I’m sweating it out.

 

 

Adrienne was laughing, and started choking and coughing on a piece of Reese's.  I did what any good mother would do.  I took a picture!  Yes, that’s chocolate ice cream on her forehead.

There you have it, 4 days of stuff.  We are tripping over summer fun, just barely able to squeeze our door open.  We are hoarders.  Please don’t offer me help, I like my condition.  I will gladly stay buried:)