Shopping with Livi

While my parents were up visiting for the Fourth, Mom and I decided to take Olivia to the Briarhouse for a little shopping while Dad and Nolan were fishing.  Before we knew it,  Livi had taken some women's boots out of the box and had them on her feet.  She got up, clomping as she went, and proceeded to point out items to Mom and me that she wanted to try on in the dressing room.  If we suggested something, it was a non-starter, but we helped her gather her pile and she disappeared behind the dressing room door.  We could hear her stomping around in those big boots and every once in a while she would open the door and throw out a reject item that didn't meet her expectations and then quickly close the door again.  She came up with some pretty awesome outfit creations and had an absolute blast.  She was also over the moon to have her very first strawberry Italian soda, complete with whipped cream AND pink sprinkles!  This little girl cracks me up!

Campfire

Eric spent last Saturday taking some of the dead limbs and branches off  of the trees on our property.  Nolan was a good and strong helper, helping to pile all the brush.  We had a lot to burn, so when my parents were up to visit we decided to have a campfire.  Nolan was a very patient marshmallow roaster and got his perfectly golden brown.  Livi was a tad more reckless, but couldn't get enough of roasting them "all by herself!" She didn't really care about the s'mores at all, but definitely enjoyed the chocolate.  She is her mother's daughter through and through.

Week 26: Red, White, and Blue

The Fourth of July has become one of my favorite family holidays since we moved to Rhinelander.  We began the day the same way we have the past 5 years by heading downtown to the parade.  This year it was exceptionally hot - close to 90 and standing on the asphalt for a couple of hours with little breeze proved to be a bit challenging.  But, we still enjoyed watching the many marching bands and floats parade by.  My favorite is always the Thunder Bay Bagpipe group that comes down from Canada every year.  Their music is so unique and it is so rare to get the chance to see bagpipes to be played.  It is a real treat.  

After lunch, we headed over to Tom's house to grill out and hang with our family lakeside.  Everyone enjoyed swimming, boating, and chatting away the afternoon.  It was a great way to spend one of my favorite days out of the summer.  Happy Fourth, everyone!

Strawberry Picking

Last year we made our first trip down to Merry's Berries in Antigo and we decided that we were going to make it an annual event.  So on Saturday we headed that way despite the hot and humid weather.  We left bright and early in the morning to try to beat the heat and got all our picking done before 10am.  Nolan was a very diligent picker, and carefully looked for the rosy red ripe berries by gently lifting up the leaves.  Livi ate more than she picked, but was my helper with putting them in our container.  We've been enjoying the fresh berries all week in the form of strawberry bruschetta, on salads, with whipped cream and angel food cake, and even a few batches of strawberry daquiris. Yum Yum!

Bookworms

With the chaos of everyday swimming lessons and some of our other summer obligations, we haven't been to our library quite as often as usual.  But when we do get the chance to go, we make the most of it.  The kids have been reading books like crazy lately - Nolan's been really interested in large factual books about animals and of course, all things superhero.  Livi has been loving books about Disney princesses, trains and bulldozers, and they have both spent hours looking through Search and Find books.  At Storytime last week, they each made an adorable spider hat for a craft, and they loved them so much that they wore them for hours once we got home!

I have been trying to read more too, and recently finished two books that have been on my list for quite a while - "Call the Midwife" and the first book in "A Series of Unfortunate Events" by Lemony Snicket.  Both are shows that we have watched and loved, so I thought it was important to revisit the themes and characters in their original form.  I was not disappointed and look forward to the next book in both series!  

Week 25: A place I love

One of the places I love most is the pontoon.  I absolutely adore sitting in the sunshine and cruising down the river, enjoying the beautiful Northwoods landscape all around me.  The kids love it too and it's one place where I rarely need to discipline or even do much to supervise them.  They are completely content to sit in the sunshine, have snacks, and enjoy time with our family.  It is probably our most relaxing family activity, which is why it's one of my favorites!

Kids Say the Darndest Things...

Olivia: "Mom!!! Mom!! Come quick!! There's a snake in the tree!!"

 I reluctantly and carefully trudge over to the tree and she points to this tiny little caterpillar "snake."

Now that Nolan is a pretty accomplished reader and writer, I've been finding lots of these kinds of notes left around the house...

Nolan (at breakfast): "Mom, I had a dream last night."

Me: "Oh yeah? Want to tell me about it?"

Nolan: "Well....I had a dream that my tentacles fell out of my penis."

Me: *Silent, but confused*

It took me hours to realize that he actually meant his testicles, not tentacles.