A few pictures of the birthday festivities today. Seth turned 9 and Colin 7. I find it all a little hard to believe!
As kids, we celebrated lots of special occasions with these red "You are Special Today" plates. I love that my kids now get to have them too...
...and thank you to my sister for buying me another one so both boys can have one on this special day!
I cut the cake and as I was putting Seth's piece on his plate, I heard him quietly mumble to himself, "I'm so glad I'm alive." Me too Seth!
We got the boys a few small things to open on their actual birthday. They both got origami books. Seth got one on making paper airplanes and Colin got animals. Should be fun! I envision lots of paper floating around this place soon! I mean...more than usual.
Thank you Chad and Katie for the gift cards. This is Colin saying, "Whoa!" They are excited to do their own shopping!
Happy Birthday boys! Next up...a surprise visit from Grandparents tomorrow! They have no idea. Hee Hee!
The boys have a birthday this week. We surprised them with a quick trip to The Great Wolf Lodge after school on Friday.
They were surprised and loved almost every minute of it. They woke up at 5 am Saturday morning and were shocked to discover that the water park did not open until 9 am. We powered through our disappointment and had a great rest of the day.
We have a few more birthday activities planned for this week but I thought I'd get these pictures posted for now.
Birthday Boys! Seth will be 9 and Colin 7.
This was right before he performed what he calls his, "famous back flop".
I think this is a game of tackle water basketball?
Pure joy!
Seth was too cool to wear his wolf ears so I wore them most of the weekend. I haven't been cool for quite some time.
Goofing off in the elevator
Colin wanted to hear the bedtime story read by Wiley the wolf in the lodge lobby
This was Seth five minutes after we got back to the room. One tired little wolf pup!
Happy Birthday boys! Here's to a fun week (we celebrate birthday weeks around here. Unless your John, in which case, one day will do. One more way he earns his "low-maintenance" title!)
So there's this guy. We were kids together. Our parents were the best of friends. I remember him mostly as a clown (sorry bud it's true). But he was a smart clown. He was witty and creative. A lot like his mother, an artist.
That kid grew up into a thoughtful artistic creative young man with a heart for Jesus. He wrote a book and put together a talented team of people to help him. They've now asked for help in getting the project funded.
They didn't ask me to spread the word I just wanted to.
These folks are genuine and trustworthy, with their hearts in the right place and focused on the right thing...the only thing!
And for you local Royals' fans (or maybe not so local) he and his team also wrote a children's book about the 2014 American League Wildcard Game against the Oakland A's (if you're really a fan, you know the one!).
The boys started school today. We sent them off bright and early (actually it was still a little dark outside but it was indeed early!). This is the first year that both boys will be in school all day. I enjoyed a quiet morning of news watching and coffee drinking and then joined my husband for lunch.
We ran into a friend at lunch who asked where the boys were. I told them the boys started school today and she said, "Oh, isn't it so sad when they go back to school?" I thought about just nodding my head in agreement to be cordial but after a brief moment I said, "I've got to be honest and say that this year...I was ready. So ready. So very very ready!" And in reality, the same can be said of Seth and Colin. We were all ready for school to start.
We had a great summer. Nothing to complain about. We enjoyed camping, baseball games, visits to and from grandparents, swimming in lakes and pool and even mud puddles. But towards the end, I craved some peace and quiet. Seth wanted some structure back in his days. And Colin, well, Colin just wants to be with his friends again (there is a downside to this idyllic country life...no neighbor kids to play with).
I wish I was the kind of parent who had an endless amount of summer plans that both entertained and educated. I try to treasure every moment with them but let's be honest, not every moment is one I'd like to remember. There have been moments of impatience, frustration, boredom, and full fledged meltdowns (not all of them from the boys). Our boys want to be active...all the time...every day, but unfortunately they were matched with two pretty low-key parents. We try to provide activities they would enjoy but there's just no way to provide them at the same rate and frequency they would like. So we've had our moments of learning to be creative with free time and taking on the responsibility of entertaining ourselves. There was a long learning curve. We made it but probably just by the skin of our teeth.
So...welcome school year 2015-2016. Our family for one is happy to see you!
Parents and children who make it through school supply shopping without hurting someone or swearing should get a medal. For the record...we'd get that medal. But thank the good Lord we don't have to do that again for another year.
I'm not feeling well. John just read off a list of symptoms on WebMD and I answered yes to the entire list. The diagnosis...it's either asthma or black death.
I'm waiting for John at the movie theater. Right now a two year old is running away from four adults who are ready to leave. The adults are spread out across the lobby and the 2 year old is still winning. #beentheredonethat
The boys finished their first week of Vacation Bible School this week. This one was at a local church where we do not regularly attend. I like sending the boys though because for at least one week every year they can worship and learn about Jesus alongside classmates and teammates. I want them to know other "church" kids in our little hometown.
They had the closing program tonight and each class got to sing one of the songs they learned during the week. I'll just show the video and then we can discuss a few key points. (Sorry for the fuzzy video. I was standing in the very back and the room was dark...those of you who know Colin, shouldn't have any trouble picking him out in the crowd.)
Discussion Points:
1. Colin missed two days of VBS this week, because he was sick, and still managed to know all the words and motions.
2. He plays a mean air guitar.
3. He might have been hanging around worship team practice with mommy a bit too much or he has a future as a worship leader (or as the front man of a rock band...oh dear Lord, please let it be worship leader).
4. My absolute favorite part is the head and hand thrust at the very end.
5. He's so pleased with his performance he claps himself right off the stage.
Seth sang a song with his age group as well, but he would rather die than have me post a video of what he described as the "most embarrassing thing he's ever done."
Most of the work has been done on Birdie (Our Vintage Trailer). John installed new flooring yesterday and has worked behind the scenes on things like water hook-ups. We still have some trim work to do but I wanted to get interior pictures taken even if those little bits aren't quite done yet.
So without further ado...I present Birdie in all her glory with a few reminders about what she used to look like.
Before
After
Dinette Before
Dinette After (check out the new floor!)
We left a few cabinet doors off and will use those spaces for shelving instead. The camper is stocked with board games, cooking supplies, camping gear, and more. We are all set for a summer of camping fun.
It was a lot of work but I'm so happy with how it turned out. It's helpful to have such a handy husband. And a special thank you to our neighbors who gave us lots of materials during their barn clean-out.
Thanks for following along in this adventure. Here's to many more adventures to come!
Today John's employer hosted employee families at our local amusement park. We go every year so that we only have to go once a year to the land of overpriced mediocre food and spinning rides that make me feel awful.
All that to say, we had a great time. We each had one thing we wanted to make sure we got to ride. John wanted The Fury of the Nile - Done! The boys wanted the ball pit/nerf gun building - Done! And I wanted the Merry Go Round - Done!
Eatin' lunch!
Can't help working just a little while we stood in line for rides.
Mommy and Colin heading out on The Fury of the Nile. Colin wasn't sure he wanted to go and had to be convinced it was going to be okay. I love the look on his face which is half - I'm excited and half - I might die.
Seth driving the taxi. John rode with Seth and I rode with Colin. We determined they still need a bit more driving practice. No biggie - we got time.
Riding the Merry Go Round (Mommy's favorite ride). All three boys in my family go along with it when I want to ride the Merry Go Round but these pictures tell a different story. Look at their faces...that is the look that means, "Mom, this is lame!"
Even John's face says so and my face says, "I love this ride."
Just thought I'd share some music that I've been rollin' on repeat...
I don't always lean so heavily on Christian music but that's what has been moving my soul lately.
1. Mighty Oaks - Just One Day
The lone representative of the secular genre. Three guys who come from three different places on the globe but sing harmonies like they grew up singing together.
2. Ben Rector - Forever Like That
I'd put Ben Rector on the list of christian artists who doesn't necessarily sing about Jesus all the time. This song makes me feel all cuddly and swoony (it's a word).
3. All Sons and Daughters - Rising Sun
These two are singer/songwriters who are also worship pastors in Tennessee. We've been playing this song at church lately and I dig it. I also like, "Called Me Higher" and "Oh How I Need You"
4. The Oh Hello's - Cold is the Night
Another group for the "Christian Artists who don't always sing about Jesus" list.
5. Rend Collective - Lighthouse
This is another one we've been playing at church a lot. It's fun because I take a break from playing piano and jump on vocals and tambourine. If I had an accordion, I would totally play it. I would not however wear fishing gear. The boys like "Build Your Kingdom Here", also from Rend Collective, and after singing (and dancing) it a few times they finally realized the line that says "Set your church on fire" and questioned why anyone would ever do that. They then received a lesson on metaphors. They praised Jesus and got an English lesson!
Okay so it may not be that big of a deal but it feels that way to me.
I don't have any good "after" pictures of just the trailer remodel yet. I'll hopefully get some taken this week. But for now...here we are enjoying the trailer on her first official camping trip (with us anyway...she's an old bird...This is not her first go-round. Have I mentioned I'm thinking of calling her Birdie. I don't have a good reason. It's just what has stuck so far.)
Anyway...onto the pictures.
Board games
Posted this on Instagram...I love how vintage it makes the trailer look.
Our set up. Boys in the tent.. mommy in the trailer.
I'm participating in Throwback Thursday just so I can share this picture my mom recently found.
That's me on the right and my sister, Kelly, on the left. This is Grandpa and Grandma's travel trailer. Here are a few things about this picture...
1. I'm jealous of their striped awning and how perfectly it matches the trailer color scheme. I also wish I had that screen door. You would be surprised how expensive those things are now.
2. Kelly and I are wearing our camping shirts. I'm not sure what made them good camping shirts but that's the only time I remember wearing them. There are several pictures of us camping in these shirts.
3. I'm framing this picture and putting it in my trailer.
Work continues on our trailer but nothing worth documenting. Right now it's a lot of caulking around window frames and sealing leaky seams. Those things are necessary but not picture worthy. We had lots of rain last week which stalled the process as well. Hopefully with drier skies we'll get more done soon.
So...the not so fun part of redoing a vintage trailer has begun. I've been doing the fun stuff like bringing the dark dingy cabinets to a bright new life, sewing curtains, and shopping for red and aqua kitchen decor. But John hasn't had a chance to work on it much until now. We knew there would be water damage to deal with. The previous owners had covered up portions of the walls with plywood. And no one ever covers pretty things with plywood.
After some initial investigating we discovered fairly extensive water damage so the plywood and original birch siding had to be removed. Last Saturday was mostly demolition day. We've been pulling out rotten wood and insulation since then. I think we've turned the corner so the fun stuff can begin again.
This is something fun...the ice box was painted the same burnt orange color as the cabinet doors so I painted over it with chalkboard paint. I envision some fierce games of pictionary on rainy camping days.
This is the current state of the back beds. This is where most of the water damage was.
The front dinette area. Not as bad as the back but still not good.
After removing the broken water tank and pulling out rotten wood...John's face appeared in a giant hole in the floor. Not encouraging despite how handsome he is.
I busied myself with recovering the dinette cushions. I researched buying these online but after seeing the jaw-dropping prices...I moved on to finding an online tutorial on how to recover them myself. And that's precisely what I did. You'll have to see the finished product later. The dinette where they will live is still dismantled.
Seth is helping put the cabinet hardware back on now that the cabinets are painted. He's been a huge help with this project!
John comes home from work and gets right to work on the trailer. What a guy!
Current state of the dinette area. We're installing this wainscoting on the side walls. I love the way it looks. It's proving a bit of a challenge since none of the walls or windows are even or square. Lots of measuring and piecing bits together.
Colin has also been a big help...mostly with painting. Since he's such a messy painter most of it is done in his underwear. Hence...no pictures. Rest assured he's pitching in to help.
I can't wait to get it up and running. The vision in my head looks so cool. I hope it translates into real life soon.
Thanks for following along. Hopefully we'll be coasting into a completed project in the next couple weeks. Camping season is quickly approaching.
