In for the long haul.......

So it's about that time - Potty time.........

I seriously was so excited to get going with Brooke and it seemed to come a bit more naturally a few sticker charts and a small threat of not being able to wear pink and she was good to go.

Not so much with Bradymeister.

We are going to have to pull it up from the bootstraps for this one stubborn dude!
He could care less about going, he requests for his diaper to be put back on, he doesn't find anything special about sitting on it, flushing it, watching videos about it.....no appeal what so ever. School is working with him on 15 minute intervals and still nothing! I think we are going to have to attempt a naked weekend boot camp - but who wants to give up a weekend? Luckily the weather stinks and it just might be something we gotta do. Case in point......... this guy doesn't budge when the TV is on Superman and Buzz light year could be live and in person sitting in front of him doing the hokey poky and he wouldn't notice - it is eyes glued on set when it is on. So I thought okay lock and load - put super friends on a continuous loop place the toilet in front of said super friends video and plop one Mr. Munson on toilet........for sure he would go right?......90 minutes later after having him chug milk and water.......I got nothing folks......NOTHING.......

Bless this little guys heart he could have been sitting on a catus and wouldn't have cared.....

Well this is what is going to happen after 90 minutes on a plastic molded seat......haha!

It's going to be a long road ahead.....but I am not going down without a fight - I am going into this weekend armed with Superman stickers, a new Superman Shirt and many many threats!! Wish me luck!

Pentwater Paloooza.....

Well we survived our first tent camping trip with the kids and you know what - no big deal. Don't get me wrong camping is a lot of work, but I think it is a lot of work with or without kids. The kids were the least amount of work once you prepare to pack, unpack so that was a blessing they got along great with their friends and really proved they are at a great age for all this. The weather Gods also cooperated and gave us one of the best weekends this whole summer which provided for a lot of activities to be had. We had a lot of beach time, campfires, concerts, fireworks, playgrounds, horseshoe tourneys - the kids had a ball and left completely saturated in sun and sand and were exhausted when we got home. I had one kid voluntarily walk to their bedroom put on jammies (big guess who this is...) and just laid down in bed at 5pm the other one slept in until 9am so apparently the 11:00 bedtime two nights in a row caught up to them!

Here are a lot of pix of the weekend......(sorry for the quantity but this becomes my scrapbook at the end of the year!)

We finally traded in our two person apartment for the "family" penthouse!

Group shot of the campers enjoying some time at the park....

Come and ride the train......the choo choo.......

Brady man and his bud griffy....not sure if this is a kiss or an attempt to bite off his cheek

The girls hangin out by the campfire....

Getting silly.....

Isn't this the real reason we all go camping......The Smore!


So Rob and Chris show up at a horseshoe tourney and the guy goes "did you bring your shoes" and they both looked at the guy like "ummm Yeah we are wearing them" Little did they consider he was talking about "horseshoes" and these weren't regular Joe smoes they signed on with......
Here is Chris in action let's just say that there are other sports where the dear old Dad excels and horseshoes might not be one of them - they were 3-13 in the tourney....

Most likely because this is an example of what they were competing with.....by the way this is Jim and he tours the US throwing "shoes"

Meanwhile while the boys were busy getting their bootys handed to them the moms took the kids to the beach.....



Loving the new camera and some new features to play around with - check it out....lots more to learn!

Dad and Brady bugs hanging fireside...


Din Din a cooking.....Salmon and a ball o' beef and potatoes for one non fish eating girl.



Near......Far.......Where ever you are......somehow it never gets old....

Nothing like a cool refreshment after a hot day in the sun....


Our lovely path down to Lake Michigan...
The beach was gorgeous - it had this big wading pool before you got to the big lake and the kids loved this part!
Peace people....cause I am sure she knows what that means.....
Sports Illustrated - August 2009 All she needs is some dread locks and Dudley Moore besides her.....
Going for a walk up the sand dunes....

I love this kid more than life - no tantrums, no meltdowns......just grabs his towel and lays down and says "I'm Tired".......Heading out for a beach concert and some night life.....as much as these kids have ever seen!

Brooke was a little in awe of a band on the sand......
Firework display.......Brady still needed earmuffs on.....he is all about the sight not the sound....
My sweet baby girl - camping extraordinaire!

Bad News Bears

Brooke wrapped up her first season of T-Ball and she represented the only female on the entire team and proudly I have to admit she never cared or thought it mattered. I also think her coaches enjoyed having her on the team, somehow she was one of the few that would listen to them, the boys let's just say were somewhat "distracted" running around aimlessly, dumping dirt in each others helmets, sitting down on the bases - you get the picture. I wasn't sure it was a age thing or a male/female thing....but as I glanced over at my own son and saw him in his own little world talking to a leaf I would bet on the latter. At any rate she enjoyed it and it was fun for her to "do what daddy does"! So in a recent game she goes up to bat and looks over at Chris and says "Dad if I hit it to the outfield I get ice cream" Well sure enough out goes the ball into the grassy pasture and you would have thought this chick won the lotto as she was running to first base- grinning ear to ear! Who does this Babe Ruth think she is calling her shot? Well it happened two more times and we have made good on one of the three scoops we apparently "owe" her.

Here are a few pix of the Major leaguer......

Taking a crack at it....

Well duh.....what 5 year old doesn't need her own trading cards (g-parents yours will be in the mail soon!)

Look who wore her game face today....

Case in point, and nothing against this sweet little boy whose parents apparently want to put the curse of the cubs in his future, but again fielding the ball or "hey there are rocks down here!" It was amusing to watch!

This was the at bat when she called her shot - I mean there was ice cream at stake I would be gritting my teeth too!

And this my friends was the face of a little girl sitting at first base knowing Dad owed her a cone!

Wonder Twin Powers.....

Activate.

Form of an Eagle.....Form of a ice berg....... form of a brother and a sister.......

These two are cracking me up they have defiantly "joined forces" and are working together as a team.....(with some average bickering here and there) they are at such a cute age where they truly enjoy each other's company and become each others companions, they play, they teach each other, they protect each other, and of course they also bug each other.....but more often than not they are loving on each other, they constantly hug and kiss and "wrestle" with each other. But lately they had some "separate" agendas were they weren't by each others side for a few days and boy did they miss each other, it's endearing and really good for them both Absence apparently DOES make the heart grow fonder......Brooke got an opportunity to go camping on her own and Brady was seriously depressed, don't get me wrong he was loving the main stage action he was getting with mom and dad, but I caught him several times singing "come back Brookie.....come back to me" she truly is his wing girl and loves when she comes to his rescue! So for now I am soaking it in........I know the Indian burns, the teasing, the competition with each other will somehow "deactivate" these wonder twins a bit as they grow up, but for now they can gang up together and save the world!