Rudd Lake (Pond)

 Last weekend we hitched the old camper up again and headed over to Rudd Lake to spend the weekend with the Howe Family and the Hemann Family (Laura's sister). We had an awesome time as usual and Ava told me on the way home, " I just want to live there forever!" Well girl dream big, someday you may be living in a campground in a sweet 1979 Fan Style Camper. Don't let anything hold you back!

Another lovely weekend for Quinner. This time she flip flopped and did great at night time when she got to snuggle with Mommy and Daddy and horrible during the day. Ball Ball Ball. Maybe it didn't help that I took her camping two days after we found out she had an ear infection at her one year doctor's appointment. (Yes I forgot about getting her in and her appointment was a month late, but she's still huge and healthy) Or could it also be that a dagger sharp tooth was popping through on her bottom gums?

Example A: Very Sad Baby and Daddy who takes horrible pictures and has had a couple beers. (I realize I write in almost every blog post about how many beers we drink, yes we do love the liquor but we are not as big of alcoholics as I make it out. Isn't that one sign of alcoholism, denial?)

Now this is camping! Sprinklers and jammies, what could possible be better? Thank you Aunt Jennifer for bringing the lame snakes but coming through with the sparklers.

Dilly Boy enjoying a wagon ride.

 Baby Cole was a great camper, well that's what I think since I didn't have to get up with him in the middle of the night.

 Miss Heidi working on a sand castle.

 Ava girl right in her element.

 This is our beach front oasis, our little getaway place. For a "lake" that was made from a big hole being dug for the interstate it is an awesome place to hang out. We spent all weekend just relaxing, building sand castles, finding baby turtles, hunting for snails, and stealing borrowing blow up toys from new friends. Even Quinn seemed to relax when she was down by the beach with her chubby toes in the water.

 Second night of camping: Smores!

 Horrible picture BUT check out those two cuties sharing a chair and roasting mallows. Oh to be 5 and 6 again!

 There's my happy baby! If she was in air conditioning the girl was golden.

 Someone posted on facebook something about having a toddler. I was completely taken aback. I will not accept the fact that she is not a baby anymore until well ever I guess.

 Another awesome thing happened for this girl this weekend. She took the training wheels off.

I had it in my mind the day she actually took them off and Doug would be working with her and I would be watching, videotaping of course. He would push her down our back road and run along side her bike and away she would go. Magical heart wrenching stuff right there.

But that's not what went down at all. She came up and said, "I want to take them off my bike." Doug obliged. She hopped on, and away she went to the playground like she's been riding for years." I was totally devastated. I asked Doug, "Don't you feel horrible you didn't teach her to do that?" He had the perfect answer, " I knew she would just do it when she was ready and do it on her own."  Then I realized that's exactly what I wanted her to become. Independent and ready to tackle anything. You Go 2 Wheeling Girl!

 I don't know if it was just we are lazy (probably) or we just had that good of a time but we ended up staying for most of the day Sunday too. We rounded up some leftover burgers, hot dogs, and chicken to throw on the grill, went back down to the lake and soaked in more summer. And yes it was too damn hot out to sit at the picnic table so under the table she goes!

Here's what happens when this Mama is trying to give up t.v.

I decided last week that I am going to try to give up the tube for the month of June. Short term goals here people. So far so good. My biggest mountain I try to tackle in my life is time. More time with my girls, less time doing chores, and well watching t.v. Most of the time I don't actually sit down to watch anything until after they go to bed anyway but I realized I have the t.v. on just when we are playing in the living room, or trying to put Quinn to sleep. Why?

So now that it has been only a week I have actually gotten so much done. I have scrubbed my floors, put thing away, gotten caught up on laundry, and the best played Connect 4, gone to the pool, made Rhubarb Crisp with a good little Chef, and rocked in a quiet dark room and listened as a baby (not toddler) slowly falls asleep every night. But..... I know all the recorded "So You Think You Can Dance?" episodes will be waiting for me on July 1st.