Tuesday, August 7, 2012

A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That...

I can't believe how fast this summer is flying by!!  It feels like it just started, and it's already August... Yikes!!  Suffice it to say, our summer has been CRAZY busy!  We've been doing alot of traveling, home improvements, and visiting with friends and family. It's been alot of fun to say the least! :)  This also explains my lack of blogging too. :)  So, without further ado... Here's a little sneak peak into what we've been doing over the past couple of months.


I came home from school one evening to find my husband and our neighbor running around in the yard next door with rakes.  When I asked what was going on, I couldn't quite hear the response, so I chalked it up to men being men, and went back inside the house.  Shortly thereafter, Brian comes running in to get the keys to the truck and tells me that he needs my help... When I ask why, he proceeds to point to the dog crate on the front porch.  When I looked inside, I saw this sweet little guy... How cute is he?! :)  He was in our neighbor's yard, and our neighbor was going to "dispose" of him, but Brian interrupted and thought of a much more humane way to remove the raccoon from their yard.  I mean, c'mon, he's only a baby! :) 

So we took him up to the park a couple of miles up the road from us and released him back into the wild...
Being that he was just so cute, I did ask if we could keep him...
But, I soon realized that Vander and Riley probably wouldn't like that all too well! :)

Goodbye little furry friend!  Safe travels! :)

We picked our friends from Germany, Katrina and Benjamin, up at the airport and they spent the night with us!  We invited our other friends, Kinga and Maciek (who also lived in Germany with all of us), over for an authentic American meal (burgers, corn on the cob, potato salad... The usual! :)).  We had such a fun evening, and it was so great to be able to all be together again! :)  It was like a little piece of Germany over here in the U.S.! :)

After dinner, we sat around the bonfire and enjoyed a few drinks and s'mores, while catching up with everyone. :)  

Katrina and I...
I think my cheesy grin shows how excited I was to have us all together again! :)

My very dear friend, Nicole, had a baby shower...
She's due in August... Yay!! :)
Isn't she just the cutest pregnant lady ever?! :)

Nicole, Stacy, and I...
We've literally grown up together.  :)
And, being the younger sister, Stacy has actually known Nicole for her entire life. :) 

Our kitchen went from looking like this...
(eeew!)

to this...
(The cupboards were all sanded down.)

to this. :)
Yep, we sanded and re-stained our cupboards.. And they look awesome! :)
We've actually done much more work in the kitchen, but I'll touch on that in a separate post...
Wouldn't want to spoil the surprise! :)

Vander had a play date!!
My friend, Cessa, who I haven't seen in about 5 years, came over to visit and she brought her pup, Koda.
The pups had such a fun time playing, and Cessa and I enjoyed being able to catch up! :)  

They look like they're up to something! :)

How cute! :)

Oh, and I managed to break my middle toe... Ow!
This isn't the greatest picture of it and it was taken about 4 - 5 days after it happened.
I was in our garage (and yes, I was barefoot!)  trying to find something on the workbench, and I managed to dislodge an air compressor and it came crashing down directly on my middle toe...
Words cannot express the pain that caused! :)
But, it's gradually getting back to normal... It's no longer purple, the swelling has gone down for the most part, and I'm no longer walking all funky.  I still can't run all that well, and wearing heels isn't the most pleasant sensation, but at least it's better than it was! :)  

Monday, August 6, 2012

Happy Birthday, America!

Being that last year we spent the 4th of July in Krakow, Poland, and the year before was spent in Berlin, and the year before that was spent in Friedrichshafen, Germany, Brian and I were excited to spend this Fourth of July in true American form... By hanging out with family.  We spent a long weekend up north at my family's house and simply enjoyed spending time with each other, laughing, shopping, visiting the National Cherry Festival, swimming, barbecuing, watching parades, relaxing, off roading, and hanging out with the fam...  All in all, it was a fun way to celebrate America's birthday, and it was so great to be back "home" to celebrate after spending the past three years away! :)  

Brian was eagerly anticipating the start of the 4th of July parade in Ludington... :)

Stacy, Kaden, and Randy getting ready for the parade... 

Lovin' all the flags! :)

You can't get much more American than this! :)

A very hot Kaden... :)
It was so sweltering hot, that you would just sweat by simply standing there... Ugh!

No Northern Michigan parade is complete without a performance by the Scotville Clown Band!!
These "clowns" are awesome! :)

After the parade, we headed back home to enjoy a yummy 4th of July feast! 
The spread...
Mom and Dad never fail to outdo themselves! :)

YUM!! :)

And American flag cake for dessert...
Perfect! :)
Is he not the cutest kid ever?! :)
Randy and Jason being typical goofballs! :)

The guys... 

Dad and Kaden...
Such buddies! :)

The remainder of the day was spent in here, where we attempted to beat the heat...
However, since the water temperature was only slightly cooler than the air temperature, it felt kinda like we were swimming in bath water...  But, at least it was still cooler than standing outside. :)

Stacy, Kaden, and I invented our own game...
The goal was to jump out of the water and through the hoops! :)
I'm pretty sure it was probably quite comical to watch! :)

Vander enjoyed watching from the deck! :)

Happy 4th of July from Brian and I! :) 

Me and my favorite little man! :)

Later in the evening, we brought out the sparklers and fireworks...

So much fun!  :)


After the sparklers were gone, and it was finally dark enough to light off fireworks, Kaden sat down front and center and directed the fireworks show for the evening! :)  The "show" proved to be quite entertaining, what with Brian's crazy firecrackers and dad's fabulous dancing skills... Needless to say, the laughter continued well into the night! :)  


Here's a look at one of the crazy fireworks that Brian set off on the 4th...
They were pretty intense to say the least! :)  
And I'm pretty sure that it sounded like a war was taking place within our yard as those fireworks were set off...  Thankfully we live in the country! :)


I think it's pretty safe to say that one of our favorite memories, by far, of that evening was watching our dad bust a move in the driveway!  Hysterical!!  It still makes me laugh just thinking about it! :)  (And, I promised him that I wouldn't do this, but this video of him dancing is just too good not to post... So, enjoy! :))  
**  Sorry, Dad... You know I love you! :)  **

The rest of the weekend consisted of some off roading...


And, this pup did not like his off road adventure one bit!
Poor guy was so miserable and kept standing up to put his head in my lap... :(

We also headed up to Traverse City to check out the National Cherry Festival for the day...
Love this view of Grand Traverse Bay! :)

Brian enjoyed the air show taking place over the bay... 

Needless to say, Brian was less than thrilled when I asked him to take this picture with me in front of the National Cherry Festival sign.
His response to my request... "Wow. It's almost the same as standing by the Brandenberg Gate!"
What a smartass!  :)  

Hanging with my mom! :)

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Father's Day Weekend...

We headed up north to my family's house over Father's Day weekend, where we spent time hanging out with family, shopping, off-roading in the Raptor, watching Kaden's t-ball game, barbecuing some yummy food, and celebrating my dear, sweet dad. 

There's something to be said about leaving the city and heading up north during the summer... It's more relaxed and peaceful up there, allowing for more time to sit back and unwind. :)  Being "home" in northern Michigan is one of my favorite places to be during the summer! :)  

Happy Father's Day, Dad!! :)
Thank you for being so wonderful, supportive,  encouraging, generous, and loving! :)
 I'm so very grateful to have you as my dad !!

Celebrating Father's Day with the fam... :)

And another family picture so that mom could be in it! :)

Watching Kaden's t-ball game...
What a little batter he is! :)

Look at him run! :)

Safe at first base!

Brian and Vander watching the action...

At bat again...

... and made it to first again! :)
Love his pose! :)

Family pic with my favorite guys! :)

Kaden learned how to read in Kindergarten this year, so he's been practicing his reading with everyone...
Vander included! :)
This was just too cute to witness!:)