Birthday For Bubs

How is it that my sweet boy is 14! How is it that I've been a mom for that long? Wasn't I just in college?!

Regardless, it's here. And he's huge and tall and wonderful and funny and all the things.

So off we go to celebrate...

First -a quick trip to Target to help Sissy buy her brother a present. Complete with a Vanilla Bean Frappacino (a wildly overpriced frozen vanilla milk whip cream thing) from Starbucks.

Seriously though - best $5 to have her chat and talk and scheme and want to spend time with me.

Then home for some pizza and cake with Grandma and Grandpa, plus a treasure hunt to earn his birthday present.

From there, to the Planetarium with YiaYia and Papou - and then a FroYo place for the largest frozen yogurt with cookies you've ever seen. But hey, you get a birthday once every 365 days. It's worth some FroYo.

Because time....it goes by in a blink.

 

Prizing It Up

Before the glorious summer sun fades away to fall, I wanted to sneak my family out to Art Prize. We have this amazing opportunity - and we never go. So...I simply insisted.

We snagged free parking by using our GRPM membership - and once we parked there, the kids asked to go in an explore. Hubs and I loved the idea they wanted to walk through an uncrowded museum.

We then took a stroll across the bridge...and found a few exhibits for Art Prize - totally fun!

 And we ended our adventure with wickedly overprized frozen yogurt. But the natives were hungry and I got my memory...so...it was worth every tasty penny!

Camp Henry

One of the things Bubs missed in Covid School was the overnight field trip to Camp Henry - so when it was time for KK, she was all about it. 

As long as I wasn't the chaperone.

I'm already the Mean Lunch Lady - did I have to go on that trip, too.

Well, apparently yes. For as much as parents have whined about not being able to be in the schools in the last few years, I think they also balked at an overnight with tweens in the rain.

But - because I love my kid - and responded to the pleas from her teachers, I got the chance to hang out with some amazing girls for the night. And they were just delightful. They played and sang and danced like tweens do - and then they read with flashlights and were lights out exactly on time. With no peeps. And then, were the last cabin awake in the morning. So glad to have had this chance to hang with them - and just be Fun Mom instead of Mean Lunch Lady.

As a side note, when KK was explaining it to others - I remarked back that some twerp was playing too aggressively for another kid. And I told him to knock it off - and to that kid, I was mean.

But to the kid who didn't know how to voice to his friend that it was too rough, and that he wanted to save face, he was grateful that I helped. To him, I was safe.

And that's worth all the Mean Lunch Lady titles those kids can throw at me.

The girls agreed.

 

This Girl Can Play!

Woowee, has this child found her stride this year. She's excelling at being coached, she's learning and trying - and she's doing so well! She's loving ShortStop and 2nd...and she can fire on target to 1st like it's on fire. 

And she's an amazing encourager and cheerleader to her teammates.

Ok -so double headers on Sundays after church are brutal.

But she's worth it - and she's so fun to watch!!

 

Sparty On!

Even if they tanked against my beloved cousin's Gophers...we still had a ball. GO GREEN!!

 

Back to JBF and New to Suttons Bay

I got swept back in to my love of our local consignment sale and couldn't pass up the opportunity to stretch myself and try something new - like a new venue. 

We worked our tails off - walked sooooo many steps and had a ball. And we broke some records, too! It was fun to be back!

In the meantime, KK got her first field trip in - with COVID restrictions lifting - it was a marvel to get these kids out and exploring. Here, she's in Suttons Bay exploring water particles in the Great Lakes. What fun!!

 

Labor Day Love

Once more unto the lake! So happy to see the relatives that could make it - bummed about flights and life that gets in the way for those that couldn't - and sad but accepting of those that are no longer with us. 

This reunion is special on so many levels - and while it wasn't without a hiccup or three (Uncle L, I'm looking at you! Here's hoping you're healing well, we love you!), the love was still in the room. Or, in this case, on the deck. 

Until next time, crew!