Caleb's 4th birthday party

Today we celebrated Caleb's 4th birthday with a simple party with family.  With a kitchen under construction and super high temps, we really went simple this time and I think it made the day that much more enjoyable!  Lillian and Caleb helped me create "dirt" for his cake and they were so happy to be included!

When the family members arrived the kids immediately started playing.  They were having so much fun playing that we never even got to the games I had planned.  I figured if everyone was already having a great time there was no need to change a thing!  After a good amount of playing and some yummy pizza for dinner, Caleb opened his presents.

This was probably my simplest cake to date and it was just perfect for my little digger!

Caleb, Lillian, and Gabriel were eager to try out the new toys!

I got the idea to make homemade play dough "boulders" from a booth at the craft fair in Houghton Lake.  I loved how they turned out and how much fun the kids had playing with them!

 

 

Happy Birthday, Caleb!  I am so happy we could celebrate YOU today!

Progress and a dilemma...

We have appliances!  We're making progress!  However, in the process we determined that the contrasting wood finishes of our cabinets, floor, table, slider, and window trim are a bit much. 

The first step in solving the problem is to sell our current dining room outfit and replace it with a darker, more modern dining set.  We listed the furniture on craigslist and it is supposed to be picked up tonight!  Next we will go out shopping and hopefully find a beautiful, dark, modern table to take its place.  We are grateful to Dan's parents for the beautiful cherry furniture they passed on to us six years ago and for their blessing to replace it at this time.

Our next project will involve the sanding and staining of the sliding doors and kitchen window.  We might have out work cut out for us!

Moving day (again)

Boy, oh boy, did I pick the wrong day to clean up my other music classroom!  As I mentioned before, I accepted a part-time teaching position next year, which I am very thankful for.  However, my new position will have me teaching in a different building than the two I've been in for the past few years.  So, I cleaned up one of my classrooms back in June and returned to campus to clean up my second classroom today.  Unfortunately this coincided with a 90 degree day and my classrooms are most certainly not air-conditioned.  The kids love visiting my school so Dan kept them entertained while I packed.

Perfect summer day

I am thankful for another beautiful summer day - complete with water fun, blooming flowers, fresh raspberries, and lots and lots of playing!

 

 

 

Boxes, boxes, and more boxes

Liam had fun playing among the boxes today as Dan and I finally collapsed them and brought them to the recycling center.  It will be nice to park both cars in the garage again!

Coming home

After a great week up north with Dan's family we were excited to come home and see the progress on our kitchen.  Hooray!  We have kitchen cabinets!

 

Despite our excitement, we were also overwhelmed at the thought of cleaning and organizing our now dust-filled kitchen. 

 

Thankfully the boys were ready to nap and we were able to get some work done.  I found some plywood in the garage and was able to clean it up to serve as our counter top for the next several weeks.  In two days we will have appliances again! 

 

Houghton Lake, days six and seven

Houghton Lake has a big craft fair a couple times a year and we almost always pop in.  When we do, our kids just have to take a ride on this.

 

Once again, the weather was beautiful today and we spent more time in the water!

Our week would not have been complete without a trip to the Custard Cup!

We are thankful for a great week up north with family!  Tomorrow we will head home and see what our kitchen looks like so far!





Houghton Lake, day five

The first thing Caleb wants to do each morning while we are up north is go outside.  He and I took a walk/bike ride together after breakfast and got to watch a tree get chopped down.  It was quite the excitement for my little boy! 

Later in the day we spent more time out on the boat and in the water.  We are loving the warm weather! 

 

 

 

Although the Fourth of July was yesterday, the fireworks in Houghton Lake were tonight.  Caleb got to see them for the first time and he was thrilled!



Houghton Lake, day four

Happy Fourth of July!  Today marks Independence Day as well as our dog Abbey's 11th birthday!  We celebrated with bike riding, swinging, playtime at the park, a boat ride, swimming, and lots of good food!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Houghton Lake, days two and three

It has been a fun couple of days in Houghton Lake!  Yesterday the kids helped make meatloaf for dinner.

And Liam has spent as much time as possible attempting to climb the stairs.

Caleb was thrilled to help the guys unpack the moving truck today!

And Liam enjoyed an Oreo for dessert tonight!

So far it has been a great week!



Houghton Lake, day one

We love vacationing up north in Houghton Lake and this week is the perfect time.  Not only is it the Fourth of July, but our contractor is installing our new kitchen cabinets while we are away.  Dan asked that I keep pictures of the progress of our kitchen secret until the whole project is complete.  But, I will give you a sneak peek at the "before" pictures from when we left this morning.

We sold all of our appliances on Craigslist so our kitchen is looking rather empty!

 

We had a fairly uneventful drive up and, as you can see, the kids are already finding ways to have fun!