Dave's Falls

So we may have a shortage of good shopping around here, but we definitely do not have a shortage of places to go and things to see. With 13 waterfalls in Marinette County, there is always something to go explore. We headed over to Dave's Falls which is about 15 minutes south of us for some good family bonding after getting Daniel back from his first week of summer camp. We took a picnic lunch and then enjoyed the hike. The nice thing about Dave's Falls is that it's very easy hiking, and that is key when taking a toddler to a water fall! Much of it even has steps and bridges. It's not the most spectacular falls in the area, but still a fun thing to do with the kiddos. Did I mention I love where I get to live...on most days! :-)

The many faces of Sarah

Sarah is definitely unlike the other 2 kiddos the Lord has given us! She is a bundle of non-stop energy. Her facial expressions are enough to endear her to everyone who spends any amount of time around her. It takes her a bit to get warmed up, but once she does, she loves being the center of attention. Brent would insert here that she is just like her momma! While driving to church Sunday, I said something to Brent that sums up exactly how I feel about Sarah..."How did we ever think we would be happy with just 2 kids!?!" By the way...Dawn dish detergent is the only thing that gets a 7 year old's dollar store glitter hand lotion out of the hair of a mischievous, get into everything, 2 year old...ask me how I know...

Where's the Momma?

"My daddy came home from work Monday, July 6th, and pulled into the driveway. He honked his horn, and Mommy sent me out to see what daddy needed. When I went out there, Daddy said, "Go inside!" For some reason Daddy did not want me outside. I did not know what was out there. There were 2 baby raccoons by our garage. Then Mommy went outside, and she looked at the racoons, and then she and Daddy said I could come outside. So I did. Daddy didn't want me there at first because we didn't know where the momma raccoon was. We did not know if the momma was killed or if she would come back and hurt us. I think they were cute!"

Written by Hannah Griffin

Bowling!

Brent took Tuesday off since it had been so long since we had been together as a family. We took advantage of our free bowling this summer and had a great time! Even Sarah bowled the first game...but snuggled down and fell asleep while I was holding her during the second game. Let me tell you, I'll give up just about any type of recreation to be able to have my baby fall asleep in my arms! It was a perfectly sweet way to enjoy being together again--Brent playing with the older two while I got some amazing snuggle time in with Sarah!
Sarah enjoyed playing around on the floor...the alley was nearly empty so she could run around without getting into too much trouble...except for the time she set the reset button after Brent had thrown his ball. His ball bounced into the guard that wipes the pins away. The owner was very kind and said it happens all the time. Watching her go-go-gadget arms is a full-time job--and I'm out of practice after having 2 weeks off!!!


We had fun reminding Daniel and Hannah that they both had to use this ramp the first time we came bowling at this alley...they had a hard time with the fact that Sarah beat them both because of this ramp!
You can see it here--she's starting to wind down--she also loved to watch the balls come up the return--and played with the spot that blows air to dry your hands.
Daniel did pretty well...he and Brent had a pretty stiff rivalry going on...well at least a verbal rivalry...it'll be a long time before Daniel is able to do more than trash talk with Brent!
Hannah had a great time, too. She's funny to watch bowl...she just takes off running and then drops the ball...she is so much like me, it's scary at times!

They're Home!!!

I picked up our kids Saturday afternoon, and we stayed in Michigan with my parents until Monday morning. It worked out well since my sister's kids were visiting with my parents, too. Our kids love getting together--Bobby is Daniel's age and Lauren is Hannah's age. Claire is now 13, so she is able to tag along with the adults or have fun playing with Sarah. We missed Fathers' Day with Brent, but we will celebrate it this weekend instead. We arrived home around 3:30 Monday afternoon. The kids were so excited to see Brent when he came in the door! I love it when they get giddy with excitement over seeing him. They played and wrestled forever, too! It was great to have them visit with the grandparents, but it's good to have them back home, too!

School's Out!

The kids had a half day of school the last day...actually less than half a day...they were able to leave after the awards assembly at 10:30. To celebrate we went home, grabbed a quick lunch, changed clothes and headed to town to get Frosty's since I had buy one get one free coupons. We stopped at a way side off the highway that has this beautiful waterfall. There are 13 waterfalls in our area, but they are all pretty rough hiking with a 2 year old. This waterfall was perfect since it's been built up for tourists--complete with a bunch of stairs--Sarah can do stairs no problem! It wasn't hot or cold, just comfortable so we were able to stay a good while playing in the water and just enjoying the great outdoors.

Getting Ready for the Spring School Concert

We had a few minutes before it was time to leave for the kids' Spring Concert for school what seems like a gazillion days ago, even though it was just a couple of weeks, so I decided to get some pictures of the kids all dressed up.
"Yes, she's still standing there waiting for me to smile! When will this lady stop trying to get a good picture of me!"
Sarah shows her stubborn streak most when she comes up with a better way to do what you are asking her to do. In this case, it was her idea to hug Hannah instead of just standing sweetly next to her. I let well enough alone since it was actually a better shot!
I learned that even though the kids are almost 10 and 7, it is too much to ask them to stand in the sun no matter how much better the lighting is there!

These are quite too funny!

Spring Classes for Women at
THE ADULT LEARNING CENTER

REGISTRATION MUST BE COMPLETED
by Tuesday, June 20, 2009

NOTE: DUE TO THE COMPLEXITY AND DIFFICULTY LEVEL
OF THEIR CONTENTS, CLASS SIZES WILL BE LIMITED TO 8 PARTICIPANTS MAXIMUM.

Class 1
Up in Winter, Down in Summer - How to Adjust a Thermostat Step by Step, with Slide Presentation..
Meets 4 wks, Monday and Wednesday for 2 hrs beginning at 7:00 PM..

Class 2
Which Takes More Energy - Putting the Toilet Seat Down, or Yelling About It for 3 Hours?
Round Table Discussion.
Meets 2 weeks, Saturday 12:00 for 2 hours.

Class 3
Is It Possible To Drive Past a Wal-Mart Without Stopping?–Group Debate.
Meets 4 weeks, Saturday 10:00 PM for 2 hours.

Class 4
Fundamental Differences Between a Purse and a Suitcase–Pictures and Explanatory Graphics.
Meets Saturdays at 2:00 PM for 3 weeks.

Class 5
Curling Irons–Can They Levitate and Fly Into The Bathroom Cabinet?
Examples on Video.
Meets 4 weeks, Tuesday and Thursday for 2 hours beginning
at 7:00 PM

Class 6
How to Ask Questions During Commercials and Be Quiet During the Program
Help Line Support and Support Groups.
Meets 4 Weeks, Friday and Sunday 7:00 PM

Class 7
Can a Bath Be Taken Without 14 Different Kinds of Soaps and Shampoos?
Open Forum.
Monday at 8:00 PM, 2 hours.

Class 8
Health Watch–They Make Medicine for PMS - USE IT!
Three nights; Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 7:00 PM for 2 hours.

Class 9
I Was Wrong and He Was Right!–Real Life Testimonials.
Tuesdays at 6:00 PM Location to be determined .

Class 10
How to Parallel Park In Less Than 20 Minutes Without an Insurance Claim.
Driving Simulations.
4 weeks, Saturday’s noon, 2 hours.

Class 11
Learning to Live–How to Apply Brakes Without Throwing Passengers Through the Windshield.
Tuesdays at 7:00 PM, location to be determined

Class 12
How to Shop by Yourself.
Meets 4 wks, Tuesday and Thursday for 2 hours beginning at 7:00 PM.

Class 13
How to Fight Cerebral Atrophy–Remembering To Take a List To The Store, Avoiding Separate Trips for Each Item Needed.
Cerebral Shock Therapy Sessions and Full Lobotomies Offered.
Three nights; Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 7:00 PM for 2 hours.

Class 14
The Stove/Oven–What It Is and How It Is Used.
Live Demonstration.
Tuesdays at 6:00 PM, location to be determined.

Upon completion of any of the above courses, diplomas will be issued to the survivors.

Our picnic at Lake Michigan

I actually managed to get them all looking at me at the same time! Amazing feat for sure!
I'm not usually one for just scenic photographs. I usually try to put a person in the foreground and use the scenery as background, but this was a beautiful time of evening at the bridge. I was wanting to stick around to see the sunset become more vivid, but it was going to be midnight as it was before we arrived at my parents so I didn't stick around.
I told them it was cold, and I would not get dry clothes out of the suitcase for them if they were fussing about being wet when we got back in the car...it didn't deter them one bit! All of us love playing along the lakeshore of Lake Michigan at the foot The Bridge.
I didn't even try to get Sarah to stand up and look at me for this shot...She was loving playing in the water more than anyone else!

The Mackinaw Bridge is the halfway point between our house and my parents' so we usually make that a stopping place when we travel. When the weather permits, we pack a picnic so the kids can get out of the car and play, and we can save some money, too. We managed a stop at dinner time when I took the kids down last weekend, but it was rather chilly so we didn't stay too long. No one ate much because they knew they had limited time and chose to spend it playing along the lakeshore...or in Sarah's case, chasing the birds. She LOVES birds and had a great time with all the seagulls that were hovering around us waiting for us to feed them. We have learned from experience that you should not feed the couple of birds around you lest you get swarmed by a gazillion more that appear out of nowhere once you start feeding them. I was telling my kids about the ol' Hitchcock film, "The Birds." Somehow they weren't as freaked out about it as I was even just telling them about the movie!

On a sweet note...we did arrive at my parents around midnight. Sarah had not taken a nap at all in the car so I expected her to sleep quite soundly once she gave in to sleep. And she must have for those 3 hours from 9-12 because she was WIDE AWAKE when we went into my parents' house. She made a bee-line for the toy room and wanted to see the dog, too. We all tried to head to bed since I had a long drive the next day, but Sarah was very much awake. She kept calling for me, and then she'd call for Hannah, then I'd hear her playing with the stuffed animal in her bed, then she'd call me some more. I finally went in and "laid down the law" one last time and gave her some definitive and "measurable" incentives to stop calling for "Mamma or Ya-Ya (Hannah)" I went back to bed and after just a few minutes I heard "Snuggle me, please." She obeyed the letter of the law, but not the spirit--she didn't call Mamma or Hannah, but still got her point across. And I, being the great disciplinarian that I am, gave in and went in to snuggle with her. I couldn't resist, knowing I wouldn't get any sort of hugs or snuggling in for 2 whole weeks! :-)

We finally got them outta there!!!

Our children are spending their 2 weeks with the grandparents like they do every summer. Brent and I are doing our best to get some of our bigger projects done while we can without having to stop to change a diaper or stop to see how bad the fall was since it's impossible to really tell just based on the screams.

One of those projects is getting rid of the bushes in front of our house. They have been with the house from the beginning, and it is quite obvious! Critters have taken up residence in them along with some poison ivy from time to time so it was time to get rid of them. The more Brent cut into them (thanks, Dad, for lending us the chain saw!) the more obvious how old they really were. The main trunks were so big and the branches were so twisted and mangled together that it really took some doing to get them out.

I personally was so thankful our neighbor came over with his pick-up truck and helped Brent haul the cut shrubs away so I didn't have to get all poked and yucky! (How's that for girl talk!!!) I did have a really nice visit with our neighbor's wife while the men worked. We're doing our best to build a relationship with them--they are the epitome of Yooper folk--they'd do anything to help with little or no expectation of anything in return.

I'm having trouble with the pictures so they are going to have to stay all out of order for now. Hopefully you can figure out what's going on here. Now I have to decide if I'm going to put a flower bed where the shrubs used to be or if I'm going to just grow grass--or in our case more dandelions! :-)

She's smarter than I think...

So I have a couple of things to say about Hannah in this post. I often neglect her and Daniel because Sarah provides more brilliant stories, but somethings happened this week that made me chuckle. Last week was the last week of school which included a special field day on campus. Hannah is definitely not into anything athletic whatsoever and spent most of the day bouncing in the inflatables and socializing (she is my girl!) Brent was able to get away from his office for a bit to spend some time out on the field as well and we both got such a kick out of this because it is so "her!"

The kids were playing the game where you have to pass a bucket of water over your head and fill the big bucket at the end of the line. The bucket also has holes in the bottom of it. You can see Hannah's thought process from the progression of these pictures

"You mean I have to take that bucket and put it over my head?!? Let me think about it..."
"Yikes! Not enough time to find a way to get out of this...think fast!"
"Hey, If I take it and hold it up high away from my head, it still counts! Mission accomplished--the bucket was passed and I stayed dry!"

Something else happened that took both Brent and me by surprise. Hannah had the highest GPA in her class! I have to say I was really surprised when her name was called at the awards assembly on Friday morning! I don't want to sound ugly in the least, but I have never thought academics were one of Hannah's strengths. She's a very quick study when we're working together in the kitchen or around the house, but apparently she's alot smarter than I give her credit for. Daniel received the same award for his class, but that didn't surprise me as much as Hannah. I'm thinking she lets Daniel take the lead when they are playing together and lets him do all the thinking (see...she is smarter than I give her credit for) So we don't see the intellectual side of her as much as we see the creative, crafty side of her. Thankfully, there is a bit of Brent mixed into her as well :-)

And please indulge me for one last moment to beam about her...most importantly, she received the "Esther Award." This is the character award for the year. That is so much more important to us than any academic award. Her teacher had some very kind things to say about her...I was in tears just thinking about any first grader being so sweet, but then to hear my baby's name made me weep! I mean...weep, like a baby, weep! I'm so thankful to see God's Word taking root in her heart and changing her life. I tend to focus on the negatives and all that I see that needs to change. Brent and I were both so thankful to be reminded that God is working and changing her in spite of our weaknesses as parents that sometimes sabotage that!

In case you were wondering...

...this is what a bathtub full of water with a full bottle of shampoo dumped into it looks like. How does one let a 2 year old dump an entire bottle of shampoo into the bath water? There was a time I would have asked that same silly question. However, I now understand that anything is possible when the mom of said 2 year old is standing in the kitchen trying to figure out how to clean up the bottle of vegetable oil that the innocent looking little mischief maker dumped on the kitchen table, chair, floor and herself. How does one let a 2 year old make such a mess...if you have to ask that question, it is a sure sign that you have no children or that your children have not yet reached the age of 2. Any thoughts of how to get all that vegetable oil cleaned up?!? I must call my friend, Robin, who once figured out how to get vaseline out of her twins hair...all the while managing to keep sane...yes, I must call Robin...either that or I'm waiting for Brent to get home...he's the one with the engineering mind...he'll figure something out...I might just let him share in the joy of spending all day with a 2 year old...how I need the mall right about now...

This is not funny!

WIZ005-010>013-018>022-030-031-035>040-045-048>050-073-074-151000-
VILAS-ONEIDA-FOREST-FLORENCE-NORTHERN MARINETTE-LINCOLN-LANGLADE-
MENOMINEE-NORTHERN OCONTO-DOOR-MARATHON-SHAWANO-WOOD-PORTAGE-
WAUPACA-OUTAGAMIE-BROWN-KEWAUNEE-WAUSHARA-WINNEBAGO-CALUMET-
MANITOWOC-SOUTHERN MARINETTE-SOUTHERN OCONTO-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...EAGLE RIVER...RHINELANDER...CRANDON...
TOMAHAWK...ANTIGO...KESHENA...STURGEON BAY...WAUSAU...
WISCONSIN RAPIDS...STEVENS POINT...APPLETON...GREEN BAY...
ALGOMA...WAUTOMA...OSHKOSH...CHILTON...TWO RIVERS...CRIVITZ
810 PM CDT THU MAY 14 2009

...COLD AIR MASS TO INVADE THE AREA THIS WEEKEND...

IN THE WAKE OF A COLD FRONT FRIDAY NIGHT...A COLD DRY AIR MASS WILL
WORK INTO THE AREA THIS WEEKEND ON BLUSTERY NORTHWEST WINDS.
SATURDAY AFTERNOON HIGHS ARE EXPECTED TO RANGE FROM THE UPPER 40S
NORTH TO MID 50S SOUTH. CLEAR SKIES AND DIMINISHING WINDS ARE
EXPECTED SATURDAY NIGHT AS A COLD HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM SETTLES
INTO THE REGION. SATURDAY NIGHT LOW TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO FALL INTO THE 20S OVER MUCH OF NORTHERN WISCONSIN...AND NEAR THE FREEZING MARK OVER MUCH OF CENTRAL AND EAST CENTRAL WISCONSIN.

BE SURE TO MONITOR LATER FORECASTS AND PREPARE TO MAKE PLANS THIS
WEEKEND TO PROTECT SENSITIVE OUTDOOR PLANTS.

Why I don't get out much...

This list one of my friends put up on facebook cracked me up so much! I have to say I'm quite tempted to try some of them...and that my friends is why I stay home with the children...Brent is afraid of what I might do if I get out! :-)

1. At Lunch Time, Sit In Your Parked Car With Sunglasses on and point a Hair Dryer At Passing Cars. See If They Slow Down.

2. Page Yourself Over The Intercom. Don't Disguise Your Voice. !

3. Every Time Someone Asks You To Do Something, ask If They Want Fries with that.

5. Put Decaf In The Coffee Maker For 3 Weeks. Once Everyone has Gotten Over Their Caffeine Addictions, Switch to Espresso.

6. In the Memo Field Of All Your Checks, Write 'For Marijuana'

7. Finish All Your sentences with 'In Accordance With The Prophecy'.

9. Skip down the hall Rather Than Walk! and see how many looks you get.

10. Order a Diet Water whenever you go out to eat, with a serious face.

11. Specify That Your Drive-through Order Is 'To Go'.

12. Sing Along At The Opera.

14. Put Mosquito Netting Around Your Work Area and Play tropical Sounds All Day.

15. Five Days In Advance, Tell Your Friends You Can't Attend Their Party Because You have a headache.

17. When The Money Comes Out The ATM, Scream 'I Won! I Won!'

18. When Leaving the Zoo, Start Running towards the Parking lot, Yelling 'Run For Your Lives! They're Loose!'

19. Tell Your Children Over Dinner, 'Due To The Economy, We Are Going To Have To Let One Of You Go.'

20. It's Called THERAPY!

Mother's Day

Just some fun pictures taken this morning with my new camera Brent bought me for Mother's Day. He (and the kiddos) fixed me breakfast in bed...well...he fixed it in the kitchen, and then they served it to me in bed, but I think you knew what I meant. He then surprised me by getting Sarah ready so that gave me extra time to get my makeup and hair done. Sunday mornings tend to be really busy around our house, and I usually end up doing my makeup in the car on the way to church...hence the severe lacking of me in any of the Sunday pictures!
Love this man! The message today in church was about the qualities the older women are supposed to teach to the younger women in the church. I truly don't struggle with loving Brent because he makes it so easy! He is a wonderful example for Daniel of how to care for his wife and treat her with love. I especially appreciate how carefully he dwells with me according to knowledge. I'm not an easy case to crack, but Brent has worked very hard at figuring me out. When we met, his job entailed going into different departments, watching them and their processes, and then writing computer programs to automate those processes--all that to say, he's incredibly analytical and often knows more of what I'm trying to do than I do! But like I said, I'm a tough case to crack and sometimes leave him scratching his head. I'm so thankful that he takes the time to work through issues with me. I often tell Daniel to watch Daddy carefully because he will show him what a godly husband and father acts like. I could go on and on, and often do, so I'll stop now...
My favorite kiddos in the world. It's encouraging to see some fruits of our labors with the older two...and we're working very hard with Sarah right now. She is SO VERY strong-willed...and a little OCD we're thinking. Brent and the kids fixed lunch for me this afternoon. Brent left the oven door open to let the heat out (because it was a bit chilly in the house today!) She got up from her chair (she's no longer in a high chair either) and went and shut it. It bothers her terribly if things aren't quite right. If something she's playing with breaks or comes apart...her world stops. She's definitely going to be our perfectionist! On a side note...we were driving home from school on Friday, and Sarah started counting. She's done this a lot lately-usually making it to 3 or 4. But Friday, I promise it's true, she counted to 11!!! The kids and I kept waiting and didn't say a thing, and she just kept counting. I'm so glad I wasn't alone with her or I might have second guessed what I was hearing. She counted to 7 for Brent this morning...we're in so much trouble with her...I'm going to start praying for her school teachers soon because with her OCD tendancies and her quick study of things...they are going to have to be on their toes!
Sarah got bored sitting for pictures so she decided to stand behind the kids and put her arms around them. She definitely has her own way of doing things!
This is the first shot...before she got tired of sitting still...

Why Sarah loves it when I bake

Is there any wonder why Sarah loves to see me bake? Brent has to stay through work this evening for the Spring Concert on campus so I baked him some chocolate chip cookies (his favorite forever!) Sarah was so excited and started yelling, "Cookies, Cookies, Cookies!" I shushed her and told her they were for daddy and it was a surprise. She ran to Brent and said, "Surprise, Surprise, Surprise!" I think she realized that she would get to lick all the beaters and bowls herself since the kids were at school already. Needless to say, she enjoys her cookie dough!

Our new car

So for those of you who haven't heard, we had our first "deer incident" several months back. A deer ran out in front of Brent while he was driving on an icy patch back near campus, and it took out the front end of our '97 Blazer. Because of it's age, our insurance declared it a total loss. The Lord taught me personally much about trusting Him and His sovereignty through it all. This was the first time in the 4 and a half years we've been here that there wasn't something we could do to fix the situation. It's what we looked forward to when we talked about going into ministry--being put in financial situations where we were utterly dependent on the Lord to provide. We were aware of our dependence on the Lord in Chicago, but it was always just a matter of writing a check and that was the end of it. We were excited to show our kids that the Lord provides and answers prayer...and He did! We made it a real matter of prayer with our family, and we were able to find a car that is 2 years newer than the Blazer and much less miles on it than the Blazer had, too...all for the amount the insurance company gave us for the Blazer. It's a 99 Pontiac Bonneville and the ever important girl point is that the color is silver with a semi-cool spoiler on the backend! It's really comfortable--I like it much more than our minivan, and it seems to get better mileage than the van or Blazer did--but Brent's the one figuring that out. God is truly good to be so faithful even when my faith is so weak.

Outside shots

Posing for pics with the new camera. I thought Sarah was engrossed in playing with her dishes and kitchen, but she snuck out. She came out with Hannah's shoes on and no pants...we only had a short amount of time left so I chose not to fight that battle at that time. With Sarah, there are no shortages of battles to choose from!

I'm back!

My camera died right before Easter so I haven't been able to take pictures let alone post them. It's been really hard to be without a camera this last month or so. Brent gave me my mother's day gift early...a camera! Yay for such a great guy! (He'd be great without giving me a camera, but it's still a great reminder of how wonderful he is!) I've been working with it trying to figure out all the ins and outs of it so I'll have a lot of random shots to post coming up...

random shots

One of Sarah's favorite toys...puppy. (actually 2 of them here in this shot, but the smallest one of top is her favorite!) She often takes it to bed with her, but she doesn't sleep with it. She puts it under her crib with it's own blanket for it sleep with. She'll say good night to it, kiss it, and put it to bed where she can see it. My mom put it on top of one of her birthday presents as an after thought, but it turned to be one of her favorite things!
Yep...she has a stuffed snake wrapped around her neck, pushing a stroller, with Ariel in it while trying to wear Hannah's shoes...what does go through this girl's mind? It might be just a bit troubling if I knew!
Sarah loves blankets, too. Its the only way to get her to snuggle with even then it lasts only a minute or two at best. If she gets hurt, she wants to sit on your lap with a blanket to help her feel better...any blanket will do.