A good night for some t-ball

Tonight was an outside night.  After eating supper and doing the dishes, we headed outdoors to find some red tomatoes, kill some beetles on the raspberries, and play. 

Emma and I went for a nice bike ride. Tim and Evan played catch and then the family played t-ball.  It was a wonderful night.

Tales from the fourth of July

We had a great week off for the fourth of July.  I posted a few pics already of the kids swimming, deep swimming, and enjoying a relaxing weekend up there.  The things I haven't commented on yet was the weekend after the fourth of July holiday when Kim, Andrew, Kristen, and her brood came up.  Emma and Evan always love it when their cousins come up as they splash, swim, snack, and laugh their way through the weekend.  Everyone made it up by Friday night and the noise at the cabin was instantly increased tenfold!  Kristen and I went for a quick run during movie time and what would be right before bedtime.  However, we were warm after the run and thought it would be fun to go late night swimming!  The kids agreed and raced to go and get their suits on and be the first ones in the lake in the dark.  It was probably around 9pm, maybe a bit early, when we headed there and the water felt like bath water!  It was so nice outside and for the kids it was so unexpected, so it was a nice surprise.  Unfortunately the mosquito's thought it was a nice surprise and wanted to join in on the party as well.  So we weren't out for long, but the kids definitely talked about it after!

Then, the next day it was in the water again.  If you remember, it was like 90 to 100 degrees and a perfect time to be in the lake.  Deciding to shake it up a bit, I thought it would be fun to start an annual fourth of July boat race.  The kids picked teams (Andrew and Kyra were the captains) and they got to pick their teammates, their inflatable boat, and their oars.  They all were so excited during this part.  Andrew picked Evan and Kaylee for his team and Kyra and Emma were on a team by themselves.   Kristen and I tried to wrangle the kids in the boats, tell them what to do, shout directions, and I pushed them out past the dock to start the race.  With a jolly count down, they were off.  At first, it was fun!  The kids were laughing and competing and trying to be the first one team to the beach.  Then, as Kyra and Emma kept rowing in circles and Andrew's team made it to the beach, there were some hurt feeling and tears.  "She wasn't doing it right" "I've never rowed before!"  "It's not fair!"  were some of the things we heard.  But, we tried it again.  Andrew, Kaylee, and Evan were so excited they won and were anxious to go. Kyra and Emma were a bit more hesitant.  We tried it again with the same results.  Unfortunately what I thought would be a fun little race, dissolved into something else.  Maybe we will try it again next year.... but, I am not so sure.

And finally, the next big event for the weekend?  Fireworks!  The Heuer clan went to a little ole' firework shop in Webster, spent too much time and money there (Tim loves fireworks and they have too many cute little ones for kids to resist) and brought the lot back to the cabin.  This was all Emma and Evan could talk about.  So on the Saturday night after the 4th, we started early so we could catch the parachutes, see the flames, and let the kids help a bit with the bottle rockets.

All the kids chipped in to help light the bottle rockets.  Evan absolutely LOVED this.



A picture of the kiddo's together. The best one I could get.




The box o' goodies...




Emma helps to light the pink elephant she had to have :-)





Another must buy according to the kids because "Papa drives tractors!"




Everyone enjoying the show.




A favorite picture of mine... all eyes up towards the sky!



The Heuer Produce Stand

I am so excited and happy with our garden this year.  Past years our garden has been slightly neglected.  Actually, let me rephrase that.  Past years our garden has been very neglected, but fortunately we still got a fair amount of produce.  However because of the domination of weeds, Tim had gone to extreme measures to clear the weeds... aka.. has used weed killers such as round-up instead of using good ole' hands and hoes.  This year, not the case.  We are reaching a point where the Heuer kiddo's can entertain themselves for roughly 20 minutes at a time (some days better, some days worse) and this enables Tim and me to weed the garden.  Sometimes the kids help weed (especially if enticed with $1 allowance to help), sometimes they run through the rows and play hide-n-seek, sometimes they drive the weeds away in their gator. Either way, I get roughly 20 minutes each night at least to weed the garden.  I now find this to be relaxing and rewarding instead of a constant chore.  Probably because this year my garden rocks and I am proud of it.

My tomatoes are taller than me, my newly planted strawberries are looking great, and I added a small bunch of rhubarb as well to enjoy next year.


Not perfect, still some weeds, but it still rocks.




The harvest from this evening.

Evan has now been nicknamed "the tomato whisperer".  Maybe it is because of his size and ability to see low in the plants, but he is able to find all the red tomatoes in the rows.  And, he loves doing this.

The kiddo's happy with their discoveries.



My pretty sunflowers.

So, nightly, we make our way to the garden.  I pull some weeds, the kids grab buckets and find tomatoes or green beans and then run off to play.  Now we know to keep all of our produce up high or guarded.  The first three tomatoes Evan found were eaten by Sage.

Whistle while you work...

Or sing while you bike.

The kids love going for bike rides.  Emma always leads the way, Evan goes next, and I follow the crew to make sure everyone is being safe.  We have a cul-de-sac that isn't even a quarter of a mile away that we bike to quite a bit.  Around and around and around we go....

I thought it was funny tonight as both kids were singing as they were going around the circle:

Emma was singing what she said was a Justin Bieber song - something about "Kiss me, Kiss Me" then, Miss Me or something like that. I had not heard it before and Emma really only knew a few words. 

Evan decided to sing his favorite Larry song from Veggie Tales:
"God is bigger than the boogie man, he is bigger than Godzilla or the Monsters on TV-Oh- God is bigger than the boogie man, and he is watching out for you and me."

Yup, Justin Bieber and Larry the Cucumber - nice picks to sing while biking.  I just had to laugh.

Emma's secret

Emma and I went on a bike ride tonight.  I normally let her lead, as at times she can still be a bit unsteady and I like to know she is being safe, but this time she wanted to ride along side of me.  It is normally very nice to get outside, chat with her about things, and get some exercise for both of us.

Tonight, as we were riding down the road to where we think her little friend Jack lives, she says to me "Mom, I have a secret!"  Yup, I take the bait and proceed to chat with her about this "secret".

Me:  "Oh yeah?! What is your secret?"
Emma: She sighs, glances sideways at me with a bemused look on her face "I think Jack has a crush on me."
Me: acting surprised "Oh really? Why do you think that?"
Emma: Big smile "I just think he does."
Me: "Well, I kind of think you have a crush on him too!"
Emma - acting embarrassed and surprised: "MOM!"

And then she started to say how she thinks she is probably too young to have a crush on a boy and for Jack to have a crush on her, (with another sigh too).  So, I told her that I remember who I had a crush on when I was in kindergarten, which made her laugh and ask about that.

It was a fun little conversation. 

Just another lazy summer...

Some Random Pictures of Summer:

The kids always love when we turn the sprinklers on.  Here they are sharing in the fun with their cousins:

 

Emma getting splashed with the hose.



Charley having fun with the hose.




Bathing beauty





Friends



Evan and his Justin Bieber hair.  Whenever we wash his hair and he combs it, he has to comb it all forward, never to the side.  He calls it "my Justin Bieber hair."

Summer School

The kids and I have fallen into a routine where we play school at night.  I was a bit concerned that I haven't been working with Evan like I used to do with Emma when she was little, so we are doing crash courses on spelling, important phone numbers, and numbers.  Emma loves playing school too, so we are continuing to work on her reading and math so she doesn't forget what she learned in kindergarten!  Plus - Target has a great deal in their dollar section now with little wipe boards, dry-erase pens, and workbooks for Pre-K, K, and school grades. So for $10 I loaded up the Heuer School and after supper, we play school.  (I am lucky, I get to play the bus driver, teacher, and recess flag lady).  It is fun for everyone really.  I had tossed around going to college for teaching, so it is kind of fun to play teacher once in awhile... and bus driver... and recess flag lady!  They are all a hoot.

At this moment, Evan pretty much knows how to spell his name. But, we are continuing to work on the letters and how they look.  He is also still trying to figure out if he is right-handed or left-handed, as he does everything with both yet hands.




Concentrating hard on his name.




The final worksheet.

 And Miss Emma.  She is still working on reading Level 1 books, but does enjoy practicing most nights.  I often read to her from her Kit (American Girl Doll) books as they are chapter books, but she loves hearing the stories.  We have had some interesting questions from her lately as Kit is a little girl who lives during the Depression.  Kit's Dad loses his job and they have to take in boarders so they don't lose their house. So, from these stories I get questions from Emma now "Mommy, are we going to lose our house?  Mommy, what if Daddy doesn't find a job?  Mommy, do we need to take in boarders?"

Taking a spelling test.



Her math tents.




Her first spelling test.  9 out of 10 isn't too bad!

 I figure it is a fun way to keep learning during the summer and to spend good quality time together.  Although their favorite time during "summer school" may be recess some days or riding the bus others, it is still a good way to past the time.

**and - check out Target for their neat little books and school stuff!

The sleepover party

Emma celebrated this past weekend with a sleepover at our cabin with her best friend Breezy (Brianna)!  Emma and Breezy have been friends ever since Emma was 1, so they go way back :-)  Breezy is our daycare provider's daughter and she and Emma are really such good friends, they play so well together, but unfortunately can fight like sisters.  However, they are happy to be back together this summer during the days.  The kids still go to their daycare one day a week, to allow Tim to have one day to work hard finding a job and because I still work from home one day as well.  While we have had many family members and cousins up to the cabin, this was the first time Emma got to bring up a friend. so to say she was excited is an understatement.   This unfortunately also made Evan believe that he was going to bring his buddy Will up. Evan was going to bring up an extra pair of goggles "for my friend Will" and he was excited to teach Will "how to train".  So, that led to a little conversation and disappointment for Evan.

We picked up Breezy Friday afternoon and headed up north. On the way, we stopped to a favorite creamery for ice cream :-)  That is always a kid and adult favorite thing to do. We made it up north and the swimming suits were instantly put on, sunblock was sprayed, and down to the lake they went.  It was fun to hear the screams and laughter as they jumped off the dock and swam in - over, over, and over.  As the thunderstorms approached, they came in to change and make their own little pizzas for supper.  The TV came on, tag was being played, and there were multiples "Evan!" as they were wanting time on their own and Evan wanted to play with them.

After the pizza supper, it was to the basement again to turn on all their favorite Disney shows (Austin & Ally, Good Luck Charlie, and Jessie) and snack on popcorn.  More running came after that, playing hide-n-seek, more whining about Evan, and finally settling in to more TV with their late night snack.  Falling asleep was a little difficult as Breezy wasn't tired, but Emma was. Then, Emma wasn't tired and Breezy was. Then, they wanted the radio on and the light off - then, the light had to be on, but the radio was too loud. Yup, one of those nights. They finally settled down around 11 or so to rise around 6:30.

The next day was more of the same - playing in the lake, going on the jet-ski, laughter, fun, and enjoying the lake with your best friend.   We took Breezy to meet her Mom at a little local town, had lunch, and parted ways.  The girls were sad to go, but both were extremely tired.  I was hoping Emma would nap... so I could nap. :-)

As said this weekend by my little boy....

There is a restaurant up at the cabin called "What the Heck" .  They have good pizza, cheap beer and drinks, and a popcorn machine in the corner.  Those add up to heaven for Tim and I and a fun night out for food at the cabin.  The kids love this place because they have a pool table, multitudes of coloring books and games for kids, and then the beloved video games.  Emma and Evan enjoy playing Big Buck Hunter, pretending to drive the motorcycle game in the back, and love, love, love, the claw machine to win a stuffed animal.

Tim and I have probably given the kids about $10 to try and win a cheap $.50 stuffed animal and their various family members have donated to the cause as well. Throughout our excursions to What the Heck, we have brought home one, cheap, pink, teddy bear thing.  However, every time we go, it is a fight with the kids about playing that game. 

Now, Evan was thinking ahead this week. As we were packing to go to the cabin, I see him busily in his room moving back and forth and thinking hard about something. He comes up to me later, with his little hand stuffed in the front pocket of his camouflage shorts, jangling something.  I ask him what he has in his pocket and he smiles a huge smile and says "I have money for the games at What the Heck" and sure enough, he pulls out a handful of quarters and pennies and nickels and dimes.  Unfortunately only a few quarters and mostly other small change.

I cannot help but hold back a smile and I tell him that I didn't think we were going to What the Heck this weekend.  But not to be deterred, he goes outside to talk to the boss - his Daddy.  Per Tim, Evan does the same thing - he walks over to him, jangles the change in his pocket and says "So Daddy, I was thinking we should go to What the Heck tonight."    Tim smiles and replies with a "Oh, you do, huh?" laughs to himself and Evan heads back into the house.

I put his change in a baggie as he was constantly losing some with all the jangling he was doing and try to break the news that we wouldn't be heading there tonight.  Emma was having a friend up to sleep over and it just wouldn't work out.  I felt bad, but assumed we would head there again.

But, I still thought it was pretty cute: "So Dad, I was thinking we could go to What the Heck tonight!"  Priceless!

The impromptu run in the sprinklers

Ah - the dreaded Monday back at work.  While there are some in my household that would gladly switch places with me and make the trek back to work on Mondays (nope, still no luck for my husband) I slowly dread Sundays coming because that means Monday is not too far away.

Monday evenings are rushed in the Heuer household because the kiddos have swimming lessons at 5:30.  So, that means I fight traffic even more aggressively to get home on time, rush to get food of some sort in the kids' stomach, and head out to swimming.  Level 1 for Evan and Level 3 for Emma.  Both kids did not want to go tonight, but we quickly got them in the car and headed to lessons.  (let's just say I learned my lesson from last Monday that to arrive late to swimming just brings on tears - from both kids.  More on that later.)

Evan still struggled and insisted that "I do not want to go swimming!"  even in the 100 degree heat and my prompting that swimming will feel good. Emma jumped right in and settled into the swimming routine.  The half an hour went by quickly and we headed home for supper - and me proudly resisting the Culver's that we drive by and the heavenly flavor of the day "Chocolate with roasted almonds and salted caramel."  Seriously - how yummy does that sound?

At home it was supper, dishes, and then outside to play.  We played in the front that was sheltered from the sun and was blessed with a light breeze.  I was weeding my flower garden, Evan was "the nice helper boy" that drove the blasted, pulled  weeds in his gator to the fire pit in the back, and Emma was "my flower shop helper".   Mostly, Emma pretended to call customers on the phone and water the flowers.  They had fun playing shop, I got a lot of weeding done and had fun pretending to be the customers on the phone, and we all spent some quality time together.  Before I knew it, I heard some hissing in the flower garden which meant that it was almost 8:00 and the sprinklers were turning on! 

I quickly got all of my tools picked up - put the phone and shoes in the house - and was heading towards the garage to tell the kids it was time to go in. But, then I figured - screw it!  I was hot and sweaty, I figured the kids were too, and I surprised them all by dropping what I had in my hands and sprinting through the front yard down the row of sprinklers.  I turn, see them with jaws dropped and then laughing - then, they follow!  Screaming and laughing they run through the sprinklers, tripping over each other to keep up with me, as we laugh and do it again - and again - and again.  The water was ice cold, but felt so good against the 90+ degree heat we have been having.

We stayed out there for about 20 minutes, running and jumping through the blasts of freezing water.  I surprised Emma and Evan even more as I would pick them up and carry them in front of the sprinkler so they would get completely soaked with water.  I let them push and pull me in front of the sprinkler as well, drenching me right along with them. 

While the kids play in the sprinklers quite a bit, it isn't something that I often join in on.  I think the enjoyed it and I definitely enjoyed the element of surprise and cooling off in the summer heat.

Quotes and Quibs from our week

I often think to myself "Self, you NEED to remember this. The kids will be big before you know it and you will forget this cute little stuff.  So - here I am, making a memory:

Evan as he was swatting a fly on his arm (and no, I am not proud of this one)  "God Damn Fly."  and then he shakes his head and does the UHHHH he is known for.

Tim was excited to take the kids fireworks shopping and to have the kids help him light them.  Yes, this is completely foreign to me as, because most of my family knows, I was never a big fan of fireworks.  So, take the DeLorean back 25 years and you will see me in the house holding my ears and crying as everyone else is outside enjoying the fireworks.  Still  now, not a big fan of the noise of fireworks but I put up with them so my husband can be a pyromaniac one day a year.  Anyway, I digress.... Tim is excited to have the kids help him light the bottle rockets.  When Tim asks Evan if he wants to help with the bottle rockets, Evan looks up at Tim and jumps up and down and asks, "Will these go up to the moon??!!"

And, one of my favorite exchanges between my kiddo's.  Evan had a boo-boo on his foot.  When he has a boo-boo, his world stops.  He will not swim, he will not walk, he will not put blankets on himself.  Weird for a little guy that can be so tough in some aspects, but not in others.  Anyway - Evan had a boo-boo on his foot and refused to go swimming. So, because of this, he didn't want anyone else to go swimming either.  So at one time one day, I am in the kitchen making something and I yell to the kids, "Hey guys- who wants to go swimming?"  Evan is in the living room and quickly yells "NO!" and Emma is in her bedroom and excitedly says Yes.  Evan, thinking on his feet and knowing what this could mean for hims says, "Ummm. I think Emma said no!"  Then I hear the exasperated "Evan!  I said Yes! I do want to go swimming!"  Then never to not get the last word in, Evan says again "Umm - Mama, I am pretty sure Emma said no again."

Mr. Tough Guy

I have often said that Evan is all boy.  Rough-n-tough, throwing balls, aiming guns, pestering his sister, and worrying his Mom.  Well, tonight in my mind says it all : Evan is one tough little dude and always wants to appear that way to his family.

I was sitting here watching the news with Tim and the kids are in bed.  It is lightening and thundering out and, like normal, Emma comes out because she is scared.  We console her and usher her back in bed, which gets Tim and I talking about the difference between Emma and Evan.  Emma loves coming out from her bed to get a hug from me, whether she has a bad dream, hears a rumble of thunder, or thinks something is scary. Evan, on the other hand, is completely opposite.  Evan has told us a few times that when he is scared or hears thunder that is loud ("or really booming!" in Evan speak) he burrows under his blankets and covers his head.  He hasn't come into our room for a long time. 

But tonight was something new.  A while back, we took off the railings on Evan's bed because, well, he is four and we thought it was time.  His bed at the cabin is higher than normal as he has dresser drawers underneath the mattress, but still, we thought it would be okay.  Evan was a bit concerned, but just because he didn't want all of his things to fall out of bed (which actually is a concern because his bed is pack-rat city with cars, stuffed animals, blankets, pillows, you name it) but he agreed.  It has been two months, maybe, since we took them off and everything seemed to be going okay.  He never came and got us because he fell out of bed or started crying, so we assumed everything was good.  But, Emma told Tim tonight that Evan has fallen out of bed (the two kids share a room at the cabin) and that he just climbs up and gets back in!

I instantly felt horrible!  The two kids were in bed when I heard this story, but I couldn't help it!  I had to go in and chat with Evan to see if he has fallen out of bed before.  He and Emma were still up, so it was a good time to talk quickly. 

So, I went in, picked him up and said, "Evan - have you fallen out of bed here before?"   Evan buried his head and hid his eyes "Um No...."   silence... then...    "Well, maybe sometimes....."  Uh!  Instant heartache for my poor little boy that has been falling out of bed and not telling me!

I am pretty sure I smother him with kisses, lay him in bed with Emma for a minute, and put his railings up.  He seemed to be okay with it and was anxious to snuggle back in bed.  I have told him before, especially after hearing that he buries his head under covers during storms, that he can come in if he is scared, but he obviously prefers not to for some reason.  He is one tough little boy.... unless he has a scratch or boo-boo.  But, that is a story for another day.

The cabin 2012

With the warmer than normal spring/summer, it makes the lake water at the cabin that much more enjoyable!  The kids, Tim, and I are taking full advantage and loving every minute.  The kids are down at the lake as much as Tim and I allow, as they know they are not to be there without an adult.  So, pretty much every waking minute that Tim and I want, we would be down by the water.

The activities???

Riding the jet-ski. 
All kids, and dog, enjoy this activity.  Sage just started riding this weekend.  In the past, we couldn't figure out why she would bark constantly and swim out after the jet-ski when people left.  Well, it turned out, she just wanted to go for a ride.  She loves it!  Evan does too. Emma is a bit more skiddish and when she does ride, reminds me "Now Mama, do NOT throw me off the jet-ski. Just an easy ride!"  They are both slowly driving and navigating the lake with a responsible parent along for the ride.


Sage enjoying the ride.




In fact, Sage gets upset if we go for a jet-ski ride without her.

 Swimming! 
Emma is learning to jump off the dock without her life-jacket and swim to where she can touch.  She and I also have "swmming lessons" where we go through what they are teaching her in class.  She so badly wants to learn how to dive and is taking small steps to get there.


Emma trying to perfect her dive.



Little bird, big bird - FLAP!

Even Sage gets in the action with her floaty toy.  She could constantly retrieve if someone was willing to throw her toy for her every 5 minutes.



Sage's favorite activity?  Retrieving her toy.


  And, then there is Evan.  He gets down to the lake, puts on his life jacket and jumps in!  This evening he even brought down one of his big cars and wooden ducks to play with. He threw them in first, then jumped to retrieve them as well.  He is maybe taking some lessons from Sage.


E

Hanging out and being goofy.

  The action shots. I was playing with the burst option on my camera and got a few good pics of him jumping in the lake.  His Aunt Pat laughs because when Evan jumps, he does the "running man" and is constantly kicking his legs until he hits the water.


Picture 1 of 2: Jumping off the dock.




Cowabunga!

 The trainer!
 Evan's ultimate water activity. He will drag this down to the lake, grab his goggles and climb on board.  Then it is "Mama, I want to ride the trainer. Will you drive me?"
He did try water skiing this weekend!  I was pretty excited for that. While it didn't go too well as his little legs cannot control the skis that well yet, I was still happy he tried!  He never made it out of the water and unfortunately, swallowed some water as well.


S'up Dudes?  I am training.




Olympics 2012 Baby!  I am there with my water-ski trainer.  If only....

Emma rode it a few times as well.  Her preferred water activity though? Swimming and jumping off the dock.

Go Emma!

Hopefully we can get her water-skiing this year!

 And then - relaxing! 

Being patient, enjoying the downtime, and loving the lake!



Patiently waiting.



A jumping contest... I think Sage wins.



She flies through the air with the greatest of ease...

 That is a snapshot of our time at the lake.  We had Eric, Jordan, Gaeb, and Seth up for the weekend as well.  The kids love having their older siblings up at the lake and it is fun to celebrate the 4th holiday with family.  We went fishing, went deep swimming, and just hung out.  There is nothing wrong with that when it is 90+ degrees outside.  Perfect weather for being at a cabin that has air conditioning!  HA!