And Another Thing...

To the water!

All of the sudden, the weather here in southeast Michigan has been beautiful, so we decided to start taking full advantage and head to one of our favorite parks to play inthe water and get reacquainted with spring.

We played in the water, got pulled around by dogs chasing birds, found huge branches and set them sail, built fairy houses, laid in the sun and listened to all the spring sounds around us, discovered a huge swan convention, practiced sleeping with one leg up like the swans, and had a group of swan thugs intimidate us (and our dogs) away from them.  Then we stopped at the playground on our way back out of the park to wring the last bits of energy out before we headed home.  It was a great day!  We're all looking forward to going back in a few weeks to visit the little signets that are sure to be hatching soon.

After the storm...

We're heading out to get some of our energy out.  Trust me, it's much needed.  And yes, I have entered the Hipstamatic craze.  It's lovely here.

Maker Faire Fun :: The Water Swing

Braidon spotted this water swing (I actually have no idea what it's actual name is) when we first walked in and declared that he had to try it out.  When we got around to it, the line was really long and I was not at all enthused about waiting.  However, the kids were adamant, so we waited.  Well, it was definitely worth the wait.  As you can tell from the pictures, they all had a great time.  I'm not sure if it was how high they were swinging or the fact that they were getting soaked doing it, but every one of them squealed with delight the entire time they were swinging.  Perhaps the most excited child was Olivia, she was absolutely tickled pink.  I grunched and grumbled about waiting in line, but this turned out to be my favorite part of the while event.  To see my kids so delighted made my entire day.

Maker Faire Fun :: The Purl Street Scarf Project

We were so excited when we happened on to the Purl St. Scarf Project booth!  I had not heard of this porject before, but once we knew what was going on, we just had to participate.  Olivia, Anna and I all knit a little bit for the scarf.  The ladies manning the booth were so happy to have the girls help out, they thought it was really neat that they just grabbed some yarn and needles and got to work.  Anna picked a scarf peice that had rather long rows, but she was determined to finishe the row, and she did!  She sat there for a good 20 minutes repeating her little knitting poem over and over again until she had finished her row.  Of course, Olivia snatched up the first pink fuzzy yarn she laid eyes on and got through about 3 rows.  I am so happy that the girls got to take part in this project.  Soon, we'll be able to go visit it and they will be able to see that they helped create something that made the world a little more beautiful and fun.

Maker Faire Fun :: Building cars out of trash

One of the tents that we visited at Maker Faire was sponsored by Arts and Scraps, a non-profit organization that recycles scraps into fun craft projects and supplies.  We have a similar place in Ann Arbor called the Scrap Box that we like to frequent.  The kids all made cars out of old VHS tapes and various peices of scrap.  When they were finished, they got to race them to see which car would go the fastest.  Braidon's car actually went further than any other car at the time and he could potentially win a gift certificate to Arts and Scraps along with a mention on their website.  When we left later in the day, he was still in first place!  He's very hopeful that he'll win.

Please leave a message at the beep...

We're at Maker Faire Detroit today and will not be able to come to the blog.

Blueberry picking and baseball games

We went blueberry picking yesterday and I must say, it was delicious fabulous picking!
 
We ended up with 20 pounds, which means that while we got a great start, we will have to go back a couple more times to even get close to our goal of 100 pounds.  I think I'm going to revise that down a bit, taking into consideration all the hullabaloo going on in the next few weeks (more on that later).

Braidon and his friend, Alex, relaxing after they did a stellar job picking!
 
Every year, Oliver's company treats the employees and their families to a Lansing Lugnuts game and a tailgate style dinner.  It's always a fun night.

We enjoyed a lovely dinner that included, hamburgers, hot dogs, brats and very yummy potato salad.

The game was not one of the most exciting that I have attended, but it was still fun to see the action and in-between activities.

My dad went with us, which made the game much more informative than it has been before. My dad is something of a baseball trivia nut and he was kind enough to share his knowledge with us.

  Braidon and Olivia stood a little bit away from us to watch the game.  When I took this picture, it struck me that they are getting so big!

We had a great time at the game and I can't wait for next year's season.  Tickets are actually pretty reasonable and we're thinking of trying to get to several games next year.  If you're local or visiting the area and you want to make a date with us, let me know!

What I'm loving today...

:: this picture that I found of Olivia almost 7 years ago

:: that I apparently have the power to bring on the rain just by watering my veggies

:: Saragh scolding her guinea pig for being rude and not saying thank you when she feeds him.

:: my kids getting so excited when I come home with really good deals from the thrift stores.

:: my parents living 4 minutes away and willing to babysit so I can make an Ikea run

:: a tidy house after 20 minutes of cooperative cleaning

:: the realization of a functional kitchen; 4 years in the making.

:: my husband, because he's not going anywhere and I am absolutely sure of that.

Boy Scout Camp

The boys went to Camp Frontier at the Pioneer Scout Reservation in Ohio last week.  Wednesday was Parent Night, so we went down with another scout parent to check things out.  This was the first experience either of them has had away at camp.  Although they were very excited to have this adventure and were having a tremendous amount of fun, they were both very glad to see us on Wednesday.  I'm very happy to say that Ben hugged me so hard, it hurt!

Ben was dubbed "The Kid With the Hair" by his fellow scouts.  You can see why they'd think that.

We got to eat dinner with the boys and after they consumed enormous amounts of food we had a lovely conversation.  As I watched nearly every boy go back for seconds and thirds, I deduced that 90% of the cost of camp was for the food.

Braidon participated in the Root Beer Cantina which I gather involved drinking an unhealthy amount of root beer in a very short period of time.

This is where the boys learned all kinds of stuff like lashings, rope tying, survival skills, first aid, etc.  The fenced in area on the right side is a human foosball table.

This is the tent where Braidon did some of the work on his fishing merit badge.

I may be biased, but I think these were the two best looking boys at the whole camp.

On a serious note, the boys had great time all week long.  This is including, but not limited to: each of them earning 3 merit badges, passing the swim test on the first try, learning a bunch of new things, eating as much food as they wanted at meal time and  surviving a tornado by hiding out in an unfinished latrine.  All in all, a very good week.  They're already talking about next year's camp.

Balloonfest 2010

This was our 3rd year attending the Michigan Challenge Balloonfest in Howell, Michigan.  Balloonfest is one of our must-see-can't-miss events each year.  You might think that it would get old watching hot air balloons launch year after year, but you would be so wrong.  There is just something absolutely amazing about watching these aircraft inflate, take off and soar though the air.

We always get there early to get a good spot and eat a picnic dinner, so there is a bit of waiting and chilling at the beginning. 

Braidon enjoyed people watching...

I enjoyed reading some of the best book ever...

Olivia and Saragh danced away to the music playing (loudly) over the speakers.

And then...

This guy is the first to take off every year and he always gets a standing ovation.

Pretty soon, all the rest start to take off as well and the sight of it is amazing!

We were very close to the launch field this year and the balloons were very low to us as the took off.

This one is called "God's Promise" and I think it was my favorite.  You know me and my ROY G BIV!

This balloon was homemade (as opposed to commercially made like most of the others) and the basket is a rolling garbage can!  The kid who made the balloon made it from recycled balloon fabric and materials.  Very cool!

The girls always get a kick out of the Sandra Boynton balloon.

 

 
Pretty soon the sky was filled with beautiful hot air balloons.  Beautiful!