HFCC ZOO WALK 2011

Last weekend we traveled to the Detroit Zoo for the 4th annual Huron Forest Camp CedarRidge zoo walk.  It is a fundraiser for our camp.  The money goes to help with camp operating funds so that more kids can come next summer and learn more about the Lord.

Sponsors help offset the cost of getting into the zoo early for the walk.  Walkers also pay an entrance fee and collect pledges from friends and family.  

 My aunt, uncle, cousin, and her kids got to come too.  My boys were really happy because they love to hang out with Jayce and Grayson-they're within months in age.

 I can still remember climbing on this cement hippo when I was a kid.  And as a teenager when I went one time with my friends.  Little Monkey Man is sporting a hat we bought him for his birthday to support Faith and Travis' adoption fund.  Rosebud's is from them too.  They sell lots of other great hats too, so please check them out!!!!  (This is a different link with lots more hats)

 The morning started off chilly.  We wore lots of layers, but by the end of the day no one was cold.

 SO CUTE!  This is my cousin's newest little guy and I love him.  His hat isn't from Faith and Travis, but it was still super cuddly and cute!

 Pop Pop does lots of work for camp.  He even was at the zoo by 6:30 am to help set up.  He was so happy to get to have his grandkids there.

 This photo needs a name.  Or a caption.  Any ideas?

 Oh look, we have all six in one picture.  No one is looking...but there they are!

 We loved the new lion exhibit.  They even roared for us!

 I'm hoping to get a new lens for my camera.  One that takes pictures of things far away without them being ant size  :o)

 We saw a polar bear.  One.  But I guess one is better than none (they have an awesome exhibit there and usually you can see several).

 There is a great playground there.  Rosebud is new to the playground scene, and luckily Grandmommy was up to running around after her.  Mommy was exhausted beyond description by this time in the day.

 Snug loves camp.  And he was thrilled to do the zoo walk.  He asked for most of our pledges this year, despite being really shy doing it.

 Mommy would have liked to have been carried all day.  She got some relief towards the end, but we're not discussing that.

The seals swim right over top of you in the arctic exhibit and LMM was THRILLED.  He just was so excited every time.  Normally the polar bears would (in a different tank, but it looks like they're together) swim over top too.  He would have flipped out about that.

It was a great day, it completely wore me out, but what a fun way to help support a ministry so close to our hearts!

Just Another Tuesday? Never!

#1 asked me the other day where the baby was going to sleep.  Probably after I told him we probably will be meeting baby in about 9 weeks.  

I had given it some thought, but not much.  I guess I hadn't gotten past the first 2-3 weeks where baby will sleep in a pack n play or a co-sleeper in our bed.  Past that...not much.

The plan, originally, was that when baby was a few weeks old he/she would get the crib and Rosebud would move into my old daybed that is up in her room.  I even got a side rail for $1 at a garage sale in the early spring.  Well, what I didn't know is just how small Rosebud would stay.  When she is up on the daybed it all but swallows her up.

I've had another crib offered to us, but I really don't want it.  I don't want more big furniture and I don't want two cribs that can't be sold or donated (both have side rails that move) on my hands in a few months.  We don't even have room for another full size crib.  

I didn't want to have to take down the daybed and trundle either as it is very difficult to disassemble and really, I don't feel like storing it...again.  But that may still happen, we'll see.

Anyway, I got online and started looking at small toddler beds. I found a few I liked.  I liked one from IKEA, but simply refuse to pay what they want for it.  I found one on Wal-Mart.com that I also liked, but still, more than I wanted to pay.  So of course, I turned to Craigslist.  

I found a pink bed that I liked, and called the number listed.  The girl assured me she still had the bed and would meet me at their house today at 10:00am.  They have some sort of family emergency and as of this very moment are supposed to be driving to Arizona, never to return again.  I told her I wanted to see the bed first, and she said that was fine.

So this morning #1 and I headed out to see the bed.  The address ended up being at a house(?) that had a sign(?) on the side saying it was an automotive shop office.  The automotive shop was next door, but didn't look to be in business.  House/sign/shop were not promising looking.  

We drove up and the front door was either open or missing, couldn't decide, and in its place was a broken baby gate shimmied to stand up and keep two small children from falling outside.  I'll let you use your imagination on how the entire scene looked from there.  

I could tell #1's cop-dar was going off full steam.  He wasn't pleased to be at the location.  About thirty seconds after we pulled up and were assessing the situation another mini van pulled up next to us.  A lady and little girl got out, and #1 asked her if she was the one selling the toddler bed.  She looked very confused and said she was there to buy the toddler bed.  I was also pretty sure she wasn't the one selling it as from her appearance she did not fit into the situation at all.

Hmmmm.  So both of us are there for the same bed.  At the same time (which we had BOTH confirmed with the seller) Nice.  I believe she even said to me "well, this is awkward".  It was.

So the woman selling the bed came to the "door" and asked us to come in.  I was hoping not to have to go in.  And then was even more dismayed when we had to walk to the back of the house and into a back bedroom. I was glad for my husband at my side and the other random woman/child combo.  At this point I was pretty sure I was not going to want to buy anything that had been in this household and trying to think of a gracious way to back out.  

But when we saw the bed, it was exactly what we wanted, and in decent shape (we learned it had only been bought 2 months ago...any longer and more than one thing would have had to be screwed back on...just a minor repair).  But I could tell it was exactly what the other lady wanted too.  

She told me that I could have it because I had arrived first.  But her daughter was twice the size of Rosebud, and clearly in need of a toddler bed before we were so I told her that I had time to keep looking as I didn't need it till Dec/January.  She looked at me kinda funny and said "Really?  I only need it till November!  Where do you live?"  Well we exchanged info (live within like 3 miles of each other) and in November when she gets her old daybed from her parents (funny, huh?) she has no need for the toddler bed.  So in November we'll get the bed and we don't have to store it!  Plus, I'm pretty sure from her immaculate-not-even-a-cheerio-on-the-floor-van that it will be well cleaned up.  

This is the bed.  Neither of us wanted the mattress.  But we both get to use the bed!

Tuesdays are always so interesting!

The Apple Orchard Raspberry Patch

 One day I decided we should go to the apple orchard.  #1 is pretty flexible about making last minute outings.  I'm usually more the planner, but lately I've been kinda scattered.  So after Oliver's vet appointment we stopped at an orchard.

 They had a really nice country store that sold local honey, syrup, odds and ends, and tons of produce.  Each of the kids got a free apple to munch on.  Rosebud made hers last about 2 hours...but she ate it without help.  We were hoping to be able to pick apples, but we couldn't find an orchard that would let us.  Instead we got to pick...

 ...raspberries!  There was plenty of room for the kids to run and play.

 They also "helped" pick.

  The people who sent us out into the bushes knew we had three kids and never batted an eye, just said "have fun"!  Don't worry, they did!

 Snug took it upon himself to carry one of the pint boxes.  He was very careful with it.

 Rosebud ate raspberries with one hand and her apple with the other.

 She ate ripe berries, over ripe berries, and we even found nice white not-even-close-to-ripe ones with the stem (OUCH) still on them in her diaper over the next couple of days.  We're still fighting the rash that resulted from so much fresh fruit.

 Yum!

All of the kids sported raspberry faces, and after picking for about an hour (can't say that the bushes were loaded but we did end up with 2 picked pints).  I really would like to know just how much they ate-I'd guess probably a pint between the three of them.  

So our trip to the apple orchard turned out to be more of a trip to the raspberry patch.  But that was ok.  We had a great time.  Bring on fall!

Published!

As many of you know I write for The Cloth Diaper Whisperer, usually about once every six to eight weeks.  If you cloth diaper, or know someone who does, it is a fantastic blog (not because I write for it, but because it is a great resource...had to clear that up).  As I have (obviously)been out of the blog world for quite a few days, I missed the day that my post about washing a disposable diaper was published, but you can read it here.  It was a total fiasco (the washing ordeal, not the blog post).  So I did not was a disposable diaper.  Not me!  (Linking up with Not Me Monday which has returned!)

I've been out of the loop because:
A) #1 switched shifts at work which always alters our entire family's schedule
B)  Homeschooling Snug two days a week is rewarding, but also takes a lot out of me
C) I am SO tired at nap/bedtime that I rarely do anything but fold laundry and lay on the couch.

We had a great weekend as a family, and I have some nice pictures to post...later.

A Day At The Pool...Little M Man's View

 This summer I went from a "I must have my life jacket on in case the water touches me" boy to a swimming with my face in the water without any help boy (as long as I can touch...nothing over my head please!).

 When I can't be in my "Nemo Fish Pool" I love love love the water cannons at the splash pad.

 I will spray you if you come close enough!

 My mommy thinks I'm cute.  She keeps taking pictures of me...and I just want to SWIM!

 At the beginning of the summer all I'd attempt were the little slides in the "Nemo Fish Pool".

At the end of the summer, I'd do the little slides in the "big pool".  

 I always tell mommy what a brave boy I am after each slide.

 And when I'm tired, I go back and relax in my "Nemo Fish Pool".  I cried when the pool closed this week and there is no more swimming.

*Mommy*
I am so proud of how far LMM came this summer.  Until the end of July he was terrified to be in any water over his head, even with a life jacket.  He was not confident even in water where he could touch.  By the beginning of September, when our pool closed, he would not only go into water where he couldn't touch with a life jacket on, he'd take it off in water where he could touch.

The downside is, he developed a NASTY case of swimmer's ear in mid August...something we battle daily now.  He cannot get even a drop of water in his ears without them starting to get infected.  He dutifully wears earplugs and an ear band-it to protect them.  The other day Snug was taking a bath, I was helping Rosebud, and the next thing I know he was in the tub with Snug with his head under the water "swimming".  As I had left him at the table to finish his milk...well lets just say I wasn't prepared to have him swimming.  And now he has a fever and headache and earache...which means it is once again back.  We'll probably have to take him to the doctor as I've battled this by myself for two days and he's getting sicker.  We have medicated ear drops, but we know from the first time that if it gets bad enough we have to do antibiotics.  With his previous history we simply cannot take any chances when it comes to his ears.  Evidently he didn't get that memo.

Little Monkey Man's First Day

 Today was LMM's big day.  The first day of preschool.  He is attending the same school that Snug did last year for pre-kindergarten.  He was a very very proud little boy today.  He was thrilled to have new shoes.

 He just is growing up so fast.

 He and Little Miss E. that I have in my daycare are attending the same school, same days so that is very convenient for me.  And as Snug's (strange) school schedule also has him in school on Tuesdays...#1 and I went grocery shopping with just Rosebud today.  We called it a "date".

 He was very happy to pose for some pictures and show daddy his classroom.

After "clipping in" he ran to the train table and didn't even say goodbye.  I guess that is better than tears!  He cannot wait to go back Thursday.  I don't know his assistant teacher, but his lead teacher and I have known each other for years and I love her dearly.

When I picked him up after preschool, the director of the preschool said "he did really well.  He will have to learn to follow our rules, but he's not the only one."  Hmmmmmmm....could be an interesting year!  I am just glad he was happy to be there and wants to go back.

Yay Yay Yay for Labor Day!

Labor Day marks the beginning of festival season here in SW Ohio.  We still live close enough to my college town to return for events, one of which is their Labor Day celebration.  This year we are leaving out a major part of the festivities, which is the BEST fireworks I've ever been to (besides Disney, but that's a given).  They don't start till 9:30 plus we still have to drive home afterwards.  Due to school tomorrow, and the fact that I'd be taking the kids by myself, we won't be attending this year.  It may be Labor Day, but daddy still works.  He's moved shifts for the fall/winter so he does get to enjoy daytime fun.

We always start off our time at the fireman's breakfast.  $5 for each adult, kids five and under eat free.  It is supposed to be a fundraiser...I think they lost money on our family.  We brought pancakes for LMM, but he ate his fill of eggs, sausage, and orange juice.  Snug had four pancakes along with the eggs. OJ, and sausage.  Rosebud ate eggs, hash browns, sausage, and a pancake.  That right there was $10 in breakfast.  We won't say how many pancakes daddy had  :o)

 After the breakfast the kids got to climb around on the firetrucks.

 After the initial festivities, we walked around the festival site and then headed to main street to our pre-saved parade seats.  The parade route fills up quickly.

 On the way, we found several families from our church congregated and settled there instead.  Daddy went and retrieved our chairs and we squeezed in.

 Parades may have bands, and rescue vehicles...tractors and floats...but what my kids go for is CANDY.

 The ironic thing is that they get 1-2 pieces during the parade and they never see the rest of it.  The candy fairy lives here and visits after every parade and holiday.  We don't actually say the candy fairy came...but once it gets home, candy is never to be seen again.

 Rosebud settled herself down right on the street to enjoy her sucker.

 Eventually daddy got tired of tripping on her and put her in a chair.  She was just as happy.  The sweatshirt she is wearing was mine when I was a baby.  How fun!

 After the parade we meandered back to the festival grounds for, as LMM called it "money in a haysnack".  They spread out straw on a tarp and then threw nickles in it for kids to find.  I am SO glad they broke it into age groups as when the 7-10 year olds did their's it was quite aggressive.  LMM was in the 3 and under group.  He got 30 cents.

 Rosebud could care less about nickles, and she joined both the under 3 crowd and the 4-6 year olds to simply play in the straw.

Snug got it and collected about 60 cents.  Not bad considering that is more than 2 days of chore money for him!

Well, here it goes!  Almost every weekend from here on out is some activity...I love the fall!!!