Meet Mattie

This morning we picked up our new puppy Mattie. Anyone who knows me well will know this was a very happy day for me. I'll let the pictures tell the story:

At the breeder's house picking up Mattie.

Me trying to keep Ben from crushing the poor little thing.

Keely may be smiling but Ben is in the background throwing a tantrum because I won't let him squeeze the life out of her.

What makes Keely happy in the car? Holding her new puppy all the way home.

What makes Ben happy in the car? Eating his sister's leftovers after already consuming his own lunch!

Mattie with her biggest fan Keely. Can you tell what Keely did all day?

Mattie's other fan Shawn. He may not admit it out loud but he's already fallen in love.

Good night Mattie!

Camping at Warren Dunes

Any one who knows me is probably shocked, but it's true. I did it, was a good sport about it, and even had a great time. I have to say that my biggest worry was actually that it would be blazing hot in mid-August but thank goodness the weather was perfect. Really, there were actually only 3 things I didn't like about camping: 1.our mattress got a hole and went flat the first night, 2. we all came home with a bazillion bug bites, and 3. Ben was like the rooster that woke everyone at the crack of dawn (sometimes a little before the crack of dawn). With that said, the positives far outweighed the negatives and I'd even venture to say that we'll do it again. That's right, you heard me...so here are some of my favorite things about camping:
1. the friends we went with (thanks especially to Elizabeth for getting us all organized and making sure no one went hungry!)
2. the kids loved it
3. sitting around the camp fire after the kids went to bed
4. the beach - perfect sand and fresh water instead of salt water
5. Stopping at Culver's for custard on the way to and from (okay, so this is really not part of camping but still one of my highlights).

Here are a few pics from the trip:

Some of the boys sitting around the campfire, Ben looks pretty comfy in the pink chair, huh?

This was both Keely and Ben's first camping experience. She was soooo excited to sleep in a tent and sleeping bag

Ben and Shawn both worn out from not getting enough sleep (look closely to see Ben's head peeking out under the arm of the chair, he slept like that for almost 2 hours!)

Mike C.'s back after the first day at the beach - Natalie, you did a bang up job of rubbing that sunblock on! : )

Keely and Cora loving the beach!

Bye Bye Julee

My sister Julee has been here visiting for the past week. It was her first time out and she braved the trip from Utah almost 8 months pregnant and toting her 18 month old son around. She even went the extra mile and brought Gavin, my sister Arah's son with her so that Keely would have a playmate while she and Ayden visited.

We had such a great time. Julee and I got to sneak away while Shawn watched the kids a few times and we of course made time for some good restaurants and a couple movies. Gavin and Keely had the time of their lives and Ben and Ayden were hilarious together. Pretty much they took turns bopping each other on the head and rotating time outs. 18 month olds haven't mastered the art of being social yet, have they? One of the funniest interactions was when Julee picked up Ben to show me how jealous Ayden gets (he's pretty possessive of his momma). Needless to say Ayden was not a happy camper, but the funny part was when he turned around and started yelling at Ben after he had given Julee a piece of his mind. He just pointed his little finger at Ben while waving his arm up and down and bellowing very descriptively. While he wasn't using any words his position was definitely made clear. Thanks dear Julee for making the trip, it was so great to have you here!

Here's a few pictures I took during the visit:

Ben at the park

Gavin at the park

Ayden at the lake

Keely at the lake

Chicago

All right, I've been taking a lot of heat for not updating - I'm sorry!!! I haven't had time to look at other people's or post on my own but this is me committing to try to do better.

This weekend we were lucky enough to spend some kid-free time with some great friends! The Barlows invited us out to their new home in Stevensville, MI and we spent all day Saturday in Chicago watching a Cubs game and touring the city. Elizabeth and Michelle's blogs will give much more detail, but I'll just highlight the top 7 most memorable moments (in no particular order) of the trip for me.

1. Potty breaks. Try taking a little vacation with 3 pregnant women sometime. There are LOTS of potty breaks!
2. "You're outta here!" What would a Cubs game be without the coach getting thrown out of the game and the fans filling the field with trash in protest?
3. Good old fashioned car talk. Poor Chris got stuck in the middle of the "vacation van" so he got the best of both worlds - the guys' conversation and the girls' conversation. I think he would have preferred to just hear the guys. Shawn also got voted the worst Shot Gun partner for his tendency to fall asleep.
4. The trophy - Matt and Kristen have a paper trophy proudly displayed on their mantle which Matt claims is his due to his ability to beat Kristen in the game Singing Bee. Well we were all jealous and wanted a stab at the trophy so it was girls against guys in Scene-it Squabble. Unfortunately the trophy remains with the men.
5. The reigning hosts of the year. Matt not only typed up a hilarious trip packet and mailed it to us pre-trip, but also had an itinerary waiting on our beds when we got there (nothing better than knowing what to expect). Kristen had shopping bags for each couple complete with our towels all tied up in bows as well as shower packs which included shampoo, conditioner and body wash. To top it off the boys got hooked up with some sweet Benton Harbor tees which they will all wear proudly for years to come. Oh yeah, and did I mention the food? Yum!
6. Chris threatening to kill some poor, drunk 20 year old that grabbed Michelle's belly. You should have seen that kid hustle!
7. Gummi bear test - I took a lot of abuse over just wanting to eat the red and white gummi bears so we did a blind taste test to see whether my condition was all mental or whether it really warranted all the fuss. Turns out that the green gummi bears are actually apple flavored (I thought lime all this time) so I can now add green to my handfuls - but orange and yellow are still out!

I can't neglect to mention Abram and Kristin without whom none of this would be possible. Thanks for taking the kids!!!

Wooohooo!!

A salesman just came to my door and when I answered he asked if there was a parent home. Seriously. He wasn't just trying to flatter either because when I corrected him he turned red and got all uncomfortable. Poor guy, I didn't buy anything from him but that seriously made my night!

4th of July fun

Would it be too much to say today was the perfect day? Well it was. The day started with a great breakfast at the Ellis' followed by bike decorating and sign making for our patriotic "parade." At 5 we all gathered together again at our house for a barbecue and fireworks. The weather was perfect and we were surrounded by wonderful friends all day. At one point in all the chaos Ben disappeared across the street to the neighbors house (which was scary and not perfect) but after finding him I played with him outside and in the car a while (he loves to "drive" the car) and I kept thinking how lucky we are to have these 2 wonderful kids in our lives. To top it off at the end of the night Keely turned to me and said, "mom, you light up my life just like the fireworks" (I seriously don't know where she comes up with this stuff)! I'm happy.

Before and After

Finally! Here are some before and after shots of the house:

Living Room
Before

After

Kitchen

Before

After

Basement/Rec Room

Before

After

Dining Room
Before

After

Master Bed
Before

After

1/2 bath/powder room
Before
After