Days with the Dorans

Today we went and saw our friends, the Logans, (and Grandma and Papa Miller) at the lake. I plan on writing about our playdate with "Lots of Logans" after I get some pictures from my mom, but I did get some pictures of what we did to get ready. Because I am sick of junk food (and we ate A LOT during our kitchen remodel), I thought we should bring some fruit.  I found a great idea on Pinterest and put Ali Jane to work and bonus she learned "ROY-G-BIV" so she could get all the fruits in the correct order (we couldn't find an indigo fruit). We made these so quickly and they were a lot of fun! We couldn't wait to eat them so we headed over to the lake.  They were a huge hit with all of the kids (and the grown-ups too). One kid perhaps more than others (don't let that face fool you, he loved them).  Sean ate a ton but apparently he isn't a fan of oranges or pineapple so he left those behind. He found the Log...

While my cousin was here, I discovered the wonderful world of Pinterest.  I actually had heard about it, but purposefully stayed away in fear that it would suck me in.  Well, I finally joined, and yes, it has sucked me in!  It is full of great ideas and I wish I had more time in the day to try them all!  I did try one out last night.  I stole the idea I saw, made it more my style and then blogged about it (yes... I started another blog).   I taught a few blog workshops last week so I started some new blogs so I could remember how blogs work in the beginning ( now I just upload pictures and type... EASY!). My blogs are about HOW to blog and another about my love of stealing ideas and making them my own.  The latter is much more fun and I would love if you would go and check it out (maybe follow it and share ideas with me).  You can get there by clicking  HERE.   So back to Pinterest.  I found an idea that I just ...

I see my brother a lot in the summer... Why?  Well because my sister-in-law works and so all us teachers hang together.  I ADORE my niece and nephew but Timmy Ziggy is all over the place!  It's dangerous... He's quiet and he's quick which are two combinations that scare me! So when my brother asked me what I was doing on a particular Saturday, I assumed he was planning on coming over... but instead he asked me to babysit overnight so they could go to a wedding (and enjoy themselves).  I told them absolutely and that I could bring them back to our house so that the cousins could have a sleepover (and I'd have the wonderful back-up help of my husband...).  I got to Dan and Steph's and the kids were sleeping so I got to sit in the quiet and read and it was heaven... that's where heaven ended.  It wasn't because the kids weren't good (they were)... it was because of TZ.  I forgot what it's like to have a kid who is into everything and (most i...

Kim, Nev, Angie, Pam & Me Al with Kim's daughter (fast friends) It had been two years since I last saw my childhood (best) friend, Pam, and almost as long since we'd spoken (sadly she's not a phone gal).  So when she sent me a message that she was going to be in town and would love to set up a reunion (albeit short), I was EXCITED! Pam sent out a message to some of our favorite girls and we headed to (where else?) the lake where we had spent so many of our summer days! Going on an adventure! My darling friend Nevada got there first (as I assumed she would after talking to her that morning).  Sadly her son was at camp so missed playing with all the kids, but soon Pam was there and then the rest of our old friends started showing up one by one in their minivans loaded with car seats! And not all the kids are in this picture...  It was crazy to see all those kids but it felt so good to just sit and chat with old friends (some of whom I hadn't talked...

My cousin is in LOVE and ENGAGED and I was so excited when I heard that she was coming home (and bringing her fiance' and his three kiddos with her). I have a small family (a total of 3 cousins) and Nicole grew up so close to us that at times she felt more like a sister than anything else so seeing her again brought (happy) tears to my eyes! Russ and his kids are wonderful and my kids LOVED them and opened up to them right away. They brought lots of Canadian candy treats (including some kinder-chocolate stuff that came with a prize in a chocolate egg)!  After spending some time together we were off to Hamtramck, where our family (the Polish family we share) were from.  We spent our childhood at my Busia, Uncle Joe and Auntie Irene's house~ the festivals, Shoppers World and the Polish Village... We couldn't wait to get back there and enjoy some dill-pickle soup! After a quick stop at my house (they stayed with my folks'), we were off... Sadly, we didn't make...

 It shocks me a bit that though we only live 15 minutes away from my folks and spend a lot of time there in the summer, that my kids have never really gone fishing... All that changed on Jeff's birthday when my dad invited his "best buddy" (Zach) over to go fishing.  My dad's friend "Papa Larry" (Papa of LOTS of Logans) had Kyle with him so the Papas were going to take their grandsons fishing.  Well, they had a great time and caught lots of fish and Z caught a love of fishing! The next day, Z wanted to call Papa again and ask if he could come fishing.  My dad said, "Sure." Then Ali asked, Z... "Could I come with you?" So he (Zach) called Papa and got the OK.  Then moments later Joe came and asked the same thing so Z called Papa yet again... I found myself taking the Bigs (well... Sean came along for the ride) over to my folks. I dropped them off for the afternoon but I didn't even think about getting pictures or asking my mom to t...

Zach: I spy something green. And it can kill you. And it's not the green light saber over there. In the end, I learned that he was spying poison ivy (which hopefully he didn't spy) which he got a few weeks ago.  His poor legs looked HORRIBLE but thankfully he's looking better now and was the only one to get it. Sean tried to play too, but he's not very good.  He just said, "AIRPLANE!" I guess he doesn't really understand the rules. They had fun. First there were two. Then three. Then four.