a quick update

After my last post about never being able to win at Croquet, I have to let everyone know that I won a game of Stinger on Monday!!! It was close; I was almost beat out, but I managed to win against Daniel and Hannah. I knew it was just a matter of time until I would come out victorious! Just thought you'd all want to know...(yes...Brent was at work if you didn't read that between the lines...but we're only focusing on the victorious part for now!)

Family Time At It's Best...except that he ALWAYS WINS!!!

Hannah is such a little mother-type...we went outside for a rousing game of croquet last night, and she brought her little stroller out. Don't know if you can tell, but she has a tiny little naked baby doll, a sippy cup for her doll, and a photo album in the stroller. She played the first game with us, and the third game, but took a break during the second one to feed her baby. I looked over at her sitting in her little kid's lawn chair and saw her screw on the lid to her sippy cup and give it a good shaking like she was mixing formula for her baby to drink. I'm still nursing, so I'm not sure where she got it from...I'm guessing it's all built in by the Lord.

Hannah has the same mothering instincts, but unfortunately for her, Hannah has my athletic ability, too. Brent tries to help her out, but she just doesn't get it. Daniel was even trying to encourage her last night, but some things were just not meant to be...

When Daniel realized how well Hannah did if Brent helped her, he starting playing all helpless so Brent would help him, too. Daniel does just fine...I think he just wanted his fair share of attention. By the end of the third game, Daniel and I were ganging up on Brent, but he still managed to blow us away at "Stinger" all three times. We even tried to change the rules (a trick I'm known for in my last futile attempts at winning) but he got us everytime...it's no fun when we play with grown-ups...next time Daniel, Hannah, and I are playing by ourselves...maybe then I'll have a chance...but I'm not holding my breath!

Just a fun shot I took the other night...has absolutely nothing to do with croquet, but I couldn't resist this face!

How does she manage?!?

So I've been pretty pleased with how Sarah has taken to solids...she clearly likes to eat! Until yesterday--for some strange reason she decided she didn't want to eat, but rather play...and she ended up with rice cereal from her eyebrows to her ears to all the rolls in that chubby little neck of hers! I just think she wasn't in the mood to eat...go figure!

Hannah loves to read books to Sarah. I bought a bunch of those touch and feel books when Hannah was a baby, and now I'm so glad I kept them! It's a favorite thing of Hannah's to sit and read books to Sarah. As you can see, Sarah doesn't seem to mind either! By the way...Hannah's latest thing is to "read in her mind" She almost has Daniel convinced that she can really read--she just can't say the words!

I like this kind of thinking!

My mother-in-law sent me an email with this in it...I think I'll keep this perspective next time I have to step on the scales at the doctor's office!

Yesterday I went to the doctor for my yearly physical. My blood pressure was high, my cholesterol was high, I'd gained some weight and I didn't feel so hot.
My doctor said eating right doesn't have to be complicated and it would solve my physical problems. He said just think in colors; fill your plate with bright colors; greens, yellows, reds, etc.
I went right home and ate an entire bowl of M&M's and sure enough, I felt better immediately. I never knew eating right could be so easy.

This one turned out great!!!

I was playing around with my filters in my photo editor today and came up with this one. I think I'm going to get it printed in an 8 x 10 and frame it in a black frame with a big white mat! I'm loving the way it turned out! The pic is from this Sunday before we left for church.

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There's little that compares to the giggle of a little girl responding to her Daddy's tickles!

I just don't get it...

I send the kids outside to play everyday. And most of the time they go adventuring, but the past several days they've been camping out on the front porch. We have 4 acres of land, some densely wooded, a great swing set, a paved driveway and basektball hoop, a gravel part of our driveway for digging in and spinning out on their big wheels, but no...they camp out on the porch! I even tried to get them to camp out under the shade of one our many trees, but they would not be persuaded. I think it must be the electrical outlet that they have the cd player plugged into so they can listen to their book on cd...go figure!

Pics from the kids time at Grandpa and Grandma Griffins

Two of Hannah's favorite things...shopping bags and umbrellas! She often scavenges behind me when I'm putting things away from a shopping trip. "Can I have that bag, mommy?" Her room is full of plastic bags with all her little treasures in them!
Down by the camper is one of Daniel and Hannah's favorite spots at Grandma and Grandpa Griffins. They have picnics and weiner roasts. They get to sleep in the camper on special occasions. One night during their visit, Grandma and Hannah went down and had a sleepover in the camper. They stayed up until midnight watching movies...just the girls!

So when they needed a place to keep their riding lawn mower, true to Grandma and Grandpa fashion, they built the kids a clubhouse! Oh yeah, the lawn mower is underneath the clubhouse, but the top is for the kids to play in...and it has a great slide!

Sarah loved Grandpa Griffin, that's for sure!!!

Not sure who she's talking to here...maybe me...but more likely it's Great Grandma Griffin..."Can I come down and play at your house?!?"

Hannah lost her first tooth while she was at Grandma and Grandpa's house. It was so loose for so long. Grandpa even tried to use the pliers, but to no avail. It eventually became so loose that Grandma was able to pull it. Tooth #2 is now loose, and Hannah is much braver now that she knows more about how it will feel when it comes out.

Grandpa on the roof retrieving a frisbee...enough said!!!

Grandpa had a birthday while the kids were visiting. Daniel went to the cousins' house and Hannah LOVED having all the attention for herself! 58?!? Grandpa's really getting old, isn't he!!!

Playing catch up with the pictures

Here's a bunch of misc shots from around the house recently and what not...

My dad and my brother during my one day visit at my house where I grew up. I stayed the night after picking the kids up about an hour south of here.

My brother is truly the biggest kid I know. He makes the addage, "the difference between men and boys is the price of their toys" true. They don't have kids of their own yet, so they buy toys to play with when the nieces and nephews come over. Like this monster banzai inflatable water slide that is about 10 feet tall or so. The kids loved it even more when my dad hooked it up inside the house and had the warm water coming from the wash tub in the basement instead of the water hose spicket! It was like bath water... or so I'm told...I steared clear of the whole thing!

I really don't think he'll ever grow up! But the kids sure do like playing with him!

Hannah's attempt at taking our picture. This is the best one she got! We clearly need to work on getting our heads in the little screen on the back of the camera...

We stopped at the Mackinac Bridge for a break on our drive back home. It's about half way between my parents' house and our house in Pembine. I let the kids get out and play along the beach and wade into the water while I nursed Sarah. It took a bit longer than I planned, but they had fun! It's one our favorite places along the drive to Grandma and Grandpa's house.

Daniel said the funniest thing the other day...

Okay...so we're in Walmart looking at the school supplies--I'm not sure who's more excited about the kids going to school, me or them, so we were among the first to hit the school supplies aisles at Wally World once they moved the fireworks out of the way. Daniel and Hannah were ooing and ahhing over all the fun little gadgets and different things while I was swiping all the 20 cent crayons and gluesticks I could find into my cart (I hate coloring with dull crayons, and one can never have too many gluesticks when doing crafts with a 5 year old!) I looked over at Daniel, and he has a little pencil sharpener in his hands turning it over and over in amazement. It was just one of the little ones, but it did have a case to catch the shavings in--much like the ones every little kid has in his school box at one time or another. In an awestruck voice he says to me, "Look, Momma...a wireless pencil sharpener!" What has happened to our society that our kids think in terms of wireless when they see something like a manual pencil sharpener! I guess that tells you what kind of techno-geek household we have!

I've been tagged in the worst possible way!!!

So I know it's been years since I've blogged...I'm sorry...I won't bore you with all kinds of excuses, just hopes of getting better! I'm going to be posting random pictures of things from the past month or so as I get time, so we'll see! :-)

But on to better things...My friend, Marsel, tagged me on her blog--a long time ago--and I'm just now getting around to answering her question. And for those of you who are from around here or have visited, you'll understand why it's taken me so long to come up with my 3 favorite restaurants that we like to go to that aren't chains! I had a hard time coming up with 3 that weren't fast food! Quite honestly, when we eat out we either hit Pizza Hut, BK, McD's (the manager of McD's even bought us a baby gift when Sarah was born we frequent it so often!) We've been branching out lately and going to Subway and Taco Bell, but those are all chains...when Hannah and Daniel were gone to Grandma and Grandpa's house, the first thing Hannah asked about often on the phone was if the Arby's was finished being built yet! So this is truly a hard one for me...but here goes:
1. Mary's Place--I've included a picture so you all can really get an understanding of where we live! This is a great place to get a really good burger and an awesome milkshake. The onion rings are really good, too. But I do have to say I've been too scared to venture anywhere else on the menu. I've included a picture just so you see--it's really a truck stop more than anything. But it works in a pinch--especially when the electricity has gone out! It's totally the kind of place where you would expect the waitresses to yell, "Mel, Kiss my Grits!"
2. The Four Seasons--this is a country club/golf course that Northland has special arrangements with. It's the only place in town where the guys can go to have an off-site meeting. It's fame comes from the legend that it used to be a cover for organized crime back in the days of the mob and gangstahs! It's a very nice atmosphere and a good meal. I always think it's a bit pricey for the quality of food, but it's the best atmosphere around! It's quiet and classy.
3. Maxsells--this is an amazing place we just found! We've only gone once, but we'll be sure to go back for special occasions. This is definitely a "no kids" kind of place. It's about a 45 minute drive into the UP of Michigan, but worth every gallon of gas!!! It's an old house that's been redone and sits overlooking a lake. It's very posh-posh without being over the top. I walked in and felt quite special just being there. The steak was amazing and the atmosphere was wonderful!
So nothing too exciting to report on the restaurant front here...I'm so thankful we get to eat out on Sundays--I'm not picky anymore as long as I'm not cooking or cleaning up. Pizza Hut's always a favorite because there's usually leftovers for Sunday Night so it's good for 2 meals! Next time...tag me for something better, will you, Marsel!!!