Dropping off the girl child at camp!!

So today Whitney went off to her first sleep away camp. I had told her so many stories about me going to camp growing up and how much fun I had. All the fun stuff you get to do, great friends, laughs. I found some old pictures of me at Gnaw Bone camp in Nashville, Indiana. Of course she laughed at them and how silly I looked, what wonderful memories.

She is bunking with a friend, and knew another girl who was going. We had the list, checked everything off, and then double checked again.

Whtiney had read thru the packet they sent us and noticed quite a lengthy list of what they couldnt take. No snacks, candy, gumm or ANY KIND OF ELECTRONICS, no laying around there, you were off on an adventure. With her initials on all the tags in her clothes, and extras of most everything thrown in by me, we drove off.

An hour down the road it starts pouring, even a little lightning. YUK! Not so interested in leaving my daughter in that mess. Luckily it stopped after about 10 minutes and the sun was shining again.
We get the girls checked in, find their tent number and head up the dirt road carrying a sleeping bag, pillow and every kind of bug repellant known to man. Ok, yes I wrote tent, not a cabin, a tent on a platform. The only ventilation was opening the flaps, no screen windows, nothing, the bugs were in or the air wasn't. Those were the two choices.

As the first girls to check into their tent, they get to pick the beds with the "best mattresses" and mosquito net...not kidding. We get their sleeping bags rolled out, sheets on. Then we proceed to clip on the bug repellents we brought, strap on the wristbands and spray down their beds with bug spray.
The camp does not encourage parents to stick around, so with a quick hug good bye, they were running off to meet friends and enjoy their time.

I cant wait to go pick her up on Tuesday and hear all the details. I hope she has a wonderful time. Yes, the camp is only two nights, that is a good start isnt it??

We have hit the wall.

Yes, it has happened. I didn't think it would happen so quickly, we were cruising along at an ok clip and then wham!!! we hit it. I want the kids back in school.

I love not having a schedule, until I am ready to go out for the day and they are still asleep at 10:00AM.
I love not having to cook breakfast, excpet then they are ready for lunch at 11:00 and I just ate breakfast.

I love having my house picked up, now not clean, that is a different story, just stuff picked up and put where it goes. That hasnt happened all summer. I have learned to live with this one a little bit and let go. Life got a little easier when I did that.

The fighting and bickering and constantly telling them to find something to do is old now.

I want to read that class list and talk about who is in the class and who isnt. I want to go by school supplies and put them in the backpack.
Then I want my two beautiful children to put the backpack on and head out the door to school!!!

Luckily, there is a little light in my tunnel...my parents are taking my children for 6 days. They are going to New York which will be a great trip for all. To be honest, I really dont care where they are going, I am just looking forward to a little break. I will miss them after a day I know, which is the crazy dynamic of this entire mother hood thing. I want to feel that, and I want to be missed. We are never apart for to long to have that happen.
My ranting is complete, thanks for tuning in.

My little girl turns 11

My baby is growing up. She hasn't been a baby for awhile, most days she acts like she is 15. But today, is a beautiful day, the day she was born. It was a long day, don't need to share the details, but she made it, we both did.

She is the life of the party. She cues in to little details and can always make you laugh with them. Like the lines or characters from a movie, that she will randomly say. She loves to imitate people dancing which always brings a smile to your face. Or she will just make up her own funny moves, just to get you to smile.

Her eyes are the most beautiful blue you have ever seen. They are bright and almost electrifying with intensity. I have never seen another person with eyes that color. She has recently figured out that wearing certain color makes her eyes really pop, yikes.

She has an uncanny knack of picking out clothes for her dad and I. He always get her approval on ties before going to work. Before our cruise I was trying on dresses for our formal night. Her eyes couldn't have rolled back in her head any further when I came down the stairs. But in her defense, some of this stuff was old, and I have since gotten rid of it.
She is competitive in everything she does, from learning all her multiplication tables first in her classroom, to being the first home from Dairy Queen on our walks. To pretty much anything with her brother.

Her drama queen comes out from time to time and she sheds some tears, luckily she gets over it quickly. This is the girliest thing about her.
She does not hold grudges and makes friends easily, she is strong and independent and everything I could ask for in my 11 year old girl.

So today, on her birthday, she wanted to go buy her hamster. She has been saving up money to get all the things she will need to bring this little furry creature into our home. He is pretty cute and he is in a cage, so I am ok with this. The smile on her face when she got him home was priceless and I am so glad I saw it.

My wish for her on this special day is everything she could ever want or need. I know all her dreams come true, she will make that happen.
Happy Birthday to my beautiful daughter. I love you forever. Mom

Sailing the Baltic Sea

Sunset in St. Petersburg, Russia at 11:42 p.m. Loved it

John and I were offered the trip of a lifetime and we took it. His boss called and asked if we wanted to go on a cruise to the Baltic Sea...in 7 days. Umm, YEAH!!!! babysitters lined up, schedule in place, passports at the ready and we were off. Stockholm, Helsinki, St. Petersburg, Talliin, Copenhagen. We were on board the most beautiful ship ever, first class all the way. We were pampered and treated like royalty.

Here we are standing at the Nieve River in St. Petersburg. The Cathedral of St. Isaac in the background.

The trip was a once in a lifetime, and we are so fortunate to be able to go. The places we visited were unbeileveable. The history is just so beyond our imagination, seeing things built and REBUILT in the 1400's. These places might not have been on our bucket list, but we are sooo glad we got to see them all. The food was amazing, the people we met were so fun and there were no computers, tvs or cell phones for a week. It was bliss.
I have nearly 150 pics, to many to post, but would love to share with you all sometime.

God Bless, have a great day!!
John and Laura

Spring in Michigan

Whitney's 10U travel team " The Pride"
They have had an amazing season. Whitney has learned so much playing on this team. It has been a huge time commitment, and she has not complained once about it. She has turned out to be a very strong 3rd baseman since she can throw like a man. She has had a grand slam and a home run also this year. Watching her has been a true joy for John and I.




The last day of school!!!!!!!!!!!

This year Lucas played spring flag football. He was on a team with all his buddies. He loved it, and enjoyed playing running back and quarterback. The kids has an arm for sure. Just not sure which sport he will spend it on.

His baseball team was his first year of kid pitch, can you say BALL, BALL, BALL!!! A little slow, but he liked his coach. He has such natural ability out on the field and enjoys going to practices as well as the games.

We wrapped up another school year. Whitney finished 4th, and Lucas finished 2nd grade. They had amazing teachers, and a wonderful year. There was alot of drama with all the girls in Whitney's class, so we were glad to see that come to an end. Apparently, that drama translated to the mothers of the school as well. A ton of drama on the PTO and I have made the decision to not serve again next year. I am done with the high school drama, don't need any more of that.

We are starting our summer out right up here with beautiful weather. We are looking forward to a fun filled summer, we hope you can be a part of it.

old house/ new house

Our last house was an act of love, patience, dreams, threats of lawsuits and tears. We helped design it, with loving touches from a friend. We watched it being built from the ground up. It took forever, and cost more then we expected, but we loved every inch of it. It was huge and a great place to throw parties, which we often did.
We moved in 3 days before Christmas. Lucas was just a baby, he took his first steps in the living room, was potty trained on a very durable hard wood floor, had his first haircut on the counter in the laundry room. We had lots of extra space for lots of overnight visitors.
Whitney and her playgroup friends playing in the basement. They were only 3 and they were all sitting in their underwear with suckers in their mouthes (it was cute, not creepy). it was the best house for playgroup, the basement was huge and we couldn't hear the kids.
We had a family of foxes that lived in the backyard. Whitney and John took cat food and sat out there for an hour and got to feed them by hand. So many fabulous memories, in such a short period of time.
We got a call in Sept. for an offer we could not pass up. We moved to Canton 3 days after Christmas. It was cold up here, and we didn't know a soul. Nobody comes out much in January in Michigan, it was a long few months for me.
But now, we have lived in this house longer then we ever lived in Brownsburg. The house is sooo different, but filled with so many wonderful memories. They just took a little longer to get started.
Our family now comes up to visit all the time and stays for much longer then they ever did in Brownsburg.
Moving was the hardest thing we have ever had to do, and the best thing for the four of us. Those cold winter nights when we didn't know anyone else, we had to rely on one another for everything. It brought us closer together then any vacation ever could.
Being away from our family is hard, some days harder then others special events at school, or when I have to be at three places at once and John is out of town. I wish I had a grandparent for a back up. But, we have grown to appreciate our family more then we ever did before and love them beyond belief. We have also built some strong friendships up here and I now have my back up. I am just not related to any of them.
We are traveling to Indy this weekend. One of my nieces is graduating from high school. There will be family get togethers all weekend and we cannot wait to see everyone. We haven't been back since Christmastime, this visit is long overdue. Although we will miss watching the Indy 500 on TV, a perk of living in Mi, we will have the joy of visiting with family and laughing until your sides hurt.
WE are blessed.

TRUE HAPPINESS

True happiness comes from a sense of peace and contentment. Which in turn must be achieved through the cultivation of altrusim, of love and compassion and elimination of ignorance, selfishness and greed.
Dalai Lama