Summer!!

Well, summer is coming to an end. It does not feel like we should be back into school and daycare days but sure enough, they have arrived. We did take advantage and did a lot over the summer; we had road trips to Ohio and Michigan, we were blessed to have caught Hand, Foot and Mouth disease (and consequently infecting our cousins, Sorry!), we LOVED swimming at the pool, we had our Annual Camp Grantie weekend, we went to the museum, the zoo and Navy Pier, Sox Game, fireworks and a wedding! I found out I had to have surgery on my foot and did so the beginning of August, I’m still on crutches which makes it interesting taking care of 5 children again. Within a week of my surgery, Bailey broke her baby toe. It has not stopped her from running and jumping and being all around crazy but when she hits it, she definitely lets you know because it hurts! We were told to keep it wrapped and follow up in 3 weeks.

Just a FEW of the MANY silly things they said…

We tell the kids to ‘freeze’ if they are running too far ahead or getting into something they shouldn’t be. While in Michigan, Bailey’s reply was ‘I’m FROZEN mom!’

Bailey loves singing and making up songs. After our family vacation with the Woods, Bailey came up with a ‘Grandpa Song – I love Grandpa, he’s so handsome!’

We discovered Bailey had Hand Foot and Mouth Disease while we were on vacation; she got the worst of it and passed it on to her brother and 2 of her cousins. We were in the Urgent Care in Traverse City and Bailey decided to paint her fingernails with a pink highlighter they gave her.

During our stay in Ohio with Grandma and Grandpa Wood, the kids must have had something that upset their stomachs because they both (within 30 min) had huge blowouts…and not in a good way. After Brett was finished and he was discussing (loudly and in public) that ‘wow that sure was a lot! That was a good one!’ I replied, ‘yeah you and Bailey both’. Not to be undone, Brett says ‘I bet I had more than Bailey’. He refuses to be 2nd with anything.

To expand on that, we were out to lunch the other day and Brett was FULL of energy. We kept asking him to tone it down a touch. Then he went on a rant about ‘I want to be the best at everything I do! Whatever I do, I want to do it better than anyone!’ This went on for a while…when finished we noticed that Daddy was literally tearing up with pride!

Brett loves wrestling and loves having more wrestling partners when we visit family (grandpa, uncles, AND daddy?!). I come outside to hear Brett say ‘Grandpa BA-TACKED me!’

Brett said one day his tummy hurt. I responded generically apparently. So he said, ‘If I was a Daddy and a kid said that to me, I would say ok, here’s a pill, hope you feel better, and then I would get one down for them.’

Every summer Grandma Nancy, Great Auntie Bobbie and Great Auntie Barbie kick Rob and I out of the house for the weekend so they can have full access to the kids. Win-Win. During a walk, Brett saw a Hummer and got really excited. Bailey said, ‘Ok, calm down…calm down.’
While playing at the park, Brett looked like he was getting pretty hot. Aunt Barbie suggested maybe they could play in the pool when they got home to cool off. Brett said, ‘Great idea, you go ahead and start it, come back and tell me when it’s finished’.
Brett was walking swiftly and said ‘I’m rushing because I have to pee!’

On Mommy’s birthday, Brett decided during breakfast ‘I want to buy you a present.’ I said that was sweet and asked if he had any money. He replied, ‘I have change in my piggy bank…but I’ll have to wear shorts with big pockets to carry it all to the store.’

Kids love going to movies! We saw Brave this summer. Bailey got a book that came with an Audio CD. She asks to listen to it every time we are in the car. We quickly discovered that she had the entire book memorized, word for word. She often says she is Merida and really hopes that I don't turn into a bear.

Was reading our Lego City book, we were on a page about the police station and there was someone in handcuffs. Bailey points and says ‘And here’s the guy who made bad choices….’

During bath one night, Brett starts singing Row Row Row your boat. Which I thought was so cute. Then I heard, ‘Then we all DIED!’ smashing the boat in the water. ‘WHAT?!’ Brett turned to me matter of the fact, ‘Mom it was the Titanic’. Oh of course it was…

Brett was tired as we were eating out. He laid his head on my lap and kept trying to touch under the table (which completely grosses me out), I kept redirecting his hand and said don’t touch. After the 4th time, I asked calmly ‘What part of you is not listening?’ Without skipping a beat, he said ‘my arm’.

Was trying to get kids dressed so we could go do something, I asked Brett if he wanted to get his clothes or if he wanted me to pick out. He said ‘You can…but red shirt and blue shorts.’

We’ve been working on potty training with Bailey, traveling, being sick and broken feet have put a bit of a wrench in it…but one day she said she had to go. I said ‘great we’re going in a min can you hold it?’ I realized I should have explained that better when Bailey literally grabbed her shorts and yelled ‘NO I can’t, that doesn’t work!’

With mommy not able to walk or carry anything, both grandmas have had to pitch in quite a bit! Grandma Nancy continued to take a kid a day while Grandma from Ohio basically moved in for the month of Aug. I’m not sure what I’m going to do when I have to put Bailey to bed and I don’t do ALL the things Grandma does. One day when Brett was off on one of his Grandma Nancy days, Bailey told the other kids ‘No one is faster than my brother, NO ONE!’ This was repeated many times.

August brings back our daycare friends. It has been sweet to see how much the kids really missed each other and have jumped right back into things. Bailey came downstairs from nap just after everyone left for home. She was sooo upset that she did not say goodbye to Colin that Mommy had to text his mommy. Bailey approved what I wrote and had to push ‘Send’.

Brett starts pre-k after Labor Day. He’s really excited and tells everyone “I’m going to go 5 days a week, every day that Daddy goes to work, I go to preschool!”

Summer 2012

BAM!

Daddy's bday Rock Out

Bailey's Cinderella Song