End of School Surprise Party

We honestly live on the best street ever.  Have I mentioned that yet? Our neighbors are fantastic.  We love to have parties and I feel there are many other moms out there that were destined to be camp people too!

We planned this for a few weeks but managed to pulled this all together the afternoon of the last day of school and surprised the kids.  They were so excited and each of them kept coming up and thanking us all afternoon it was so cute and fun!

 sign on our car that kids see coming home from school

a dad on conference call throwing water balloons at kids from street.

 the party planners or better yet  partners in crime

 kids seeing party and running down street

 sign in front of our house.

 on probation from buying anything for a while.  but so worth it!

 slip and sliding

snow cone machine

where did the bloody knife come from?

1 mile Fun Run

The girls participated in a 1 mile Fun Run for Bay, which was called May in Bay.  They did so fantastic.  Of course have some great shots and my camera corrupted the memory card.  So angry.  If I am able to upload pics from a friend I will.

In true family style they had to run 4 times around the track. Ruthie ran 6 times around because shewated to and Lucy ran 3 and figured out a way to tell them she finished and got a medal.  Whatever it was so fun!  Glad we did it!

Beach Babes

Of course we went to the beach to hang on Friday and play in the sand.  Lake Erie is still a little too cold to swim in at this time of the year, but there is always time for sandcastles!



Honestly, this face!

Then look at him jumping in the hole they were trying to dig.  Ruthie isn't annoyed at all.

How about a nap time?

Cousin Love

My sister came to visit last weekend.  The best part about moving to Ohio is that my sister is only 2 hours away.  We see her and her family alot more, (but not as much as we would like!) now that we live in Ohio.  Her son Harper (I call him Pingu)  has to be the cutest kid on the planet.  His voice is a voice that upon hearing it could melt your heart, and could stop traffic.  Picture the little rascals and then put it on the cutest face in the world.  well, you get my drift.  Not as raspy as alfalfa but honestly, the cutest.

Ruthie was really sad that Lucy and I got to spend Friday morning while she was at school with Harper and pouted the entire morning that we get more time with Harper.  Harper and I took Lucy to school at lunch and had a few tricks up our sleeve for when we picked up the girls from school.

We went to the balloon store and Pingu spent about 15 minutes hand picking every balloon that he wanted filled up. The tiger one to match his JJs .(pjs people - he has pjs that are tigers with tiger slipper feet that he sleeps in... I die!)  The black and red ones because of the buckeyes.  The yellow ones because Lulu likes yellow.  There was a method to his madness.  We got 14 balloons in all.  We only carried 8 to school as he was stressed enough carrying just the 8.  I swear, if it is possible to get arm cramps he got them, since he focused on keeping his arms up and not tangling the strings!

Judging from the pictures I would say the balloons were somewhat of a hit!

Soccer

Nothing made me feel more like I had finally arrived and become a full-time resident of my home town like spending the day at the soccer fields!  There are 16 fields at the park and literally every field is numbered and there are games being played from 8:30am till 1:30 pm every Saturday.

Lucy has decided to play this year and we are so happy!  It is wonderful to see her running around chasing the ball and enjoying herself.  She understands the game after watching Ruthie for how many years, and is having fun.  That is all we ask for. 

(check out the lefty boot!)

Ruthie is still quite the sight on the field.  It is fun to watch her play as well, in a much different way. This is her 5th season playing Soccer and the girl just gets it.  It is fun to watch her, she knows where to position herself on the field, score a bunch of goals and see her use her aggression in a positive way.  The league is a Rec League and they play only girls the same age.  She unfortunately spends alot of time sitting out because when she is in the game she dominates.  Many games she is the only one to score for either team and usually it is about 4 goals!  They play 5 on 5 and they have 7 players on the team so it is hard to explain to her when she has to sit out alot or play defense.

Travel Soccer tryouts are in a few weeks and we are super excited that this is something she will embrace and find some friends that enjoy the same activities as her and she will play with kids closer to her skill level.

Opposites

These two ladies could not be any more different.  This picture was taken on a typical day after school.  Lucy decked out and Ruthie in her skater gear. 

As a mother there are plenty of battles you fight everyday.  One of the battles that I have chosen to never fight is clothing.  Now of course, the rule is you must wear it!  But I don't care what it is.  I take each child out to the store.  Tell them what their budget is, and what they need to accomplish, how many shorts, tshirts, jeans, etc.  they need to pick out and I let them get and try on and buy whatever they are going to wear.  I am sick of buying stuff that ends up in their closet, they don't like it and won't wear it.  In the morning, I tell them to go upstairs and get dressed and maybe they want shorts, or pants, and that is the ONLY direction I give them.  I have done this since they could dress themselves, at the age of 2 or 3.  (My friend Kris can attest to this.  I thought there was something wrong with Lucy when she was 3 and she wasn't getting herself completely dressed, and I had a serious conversation with her confiding in her that I thought something was wrong wit Lucy as Ruthie had been getting herself dressed with shoes on since she was about 2.5.  Kris just looked at me, very kindly and said....  Um, you do realize that Ruthie doing that at that age was not normal my son who is 5 still doesn't do that!). 

Ruthie has always had her own style of comfort, alternative gear.  Her reasoning is very serious. (Which I whole heartily agree). She says I don't want my clothes to be to short and tight!  Amen sister!  Last time I went to the store she bought EVERYTHING from the boys side.  Not one item of clothing came from the girls section.  Now, put away that finger, and stop with your judging.  Within reason, she doesn't look bad and I really like her style.  And if she wants to shop from the boys section then so be it.  Sometimes sales people can be obnoxious about it.  But I am giving her freedom of expression.

Lucy, still rocks the tutu's and leggings every day.  Prefers dresses to anything else and is always concerned about fashion.  She always matches, and most of the time her outfits make me smile and laugh, just at the cuteness of it all and that she is so polar opposite of her sister!

I can't help but think how many of us have horror stories about what our parents made us wear. I know that won't be Ruthie's situation, but I am sure she will have some horror story about me, it is after all the circle of life.

I  love them both just the way they are. 

computer problems.

computer problems make me so angry!  part of the reason I have not blogged all year is that our computer is a sometimes works kind of a thing.  I don't know about you but I hate blogging on the ipad.  useless.  I like the old school computer.  So Simon got it up and running hopefully for good the other night, so now...  No more, I promise to start blogging then disappear for a couple of weeks!!

Dance Studio

You can tell by the way we parent that we were Camp Directors.  At least for me anyway.

Example -

What should we do with a spare bedroom?

 That certainly should be made into a dance studio.  With blaring music and a disco ball.


I think one person certainly approves!

Bay Village

So we moved to my hometown.  A perfect little community where you can walk to get your coffee, walk to the park, walk to the pool, walk to the ice cream shop, walk to the grocery store with your neighbor drinking a can of beer and pulling  wagon to take your groceries home in..  the beer might not be exactly street legal but we will keep it amongst friends.

The House. 
We had many discussions about what kind of house we were looking for and had a list a mile long of what we wanted.  All of the houses in Bay are old, unless, you bought a house, tore it down and put a new one up in its place.  Which many people do.  It was a little of an adjustment as our house was not even 10 years old, plenty of space, tons of bedrooms, 5 yikes! and plenty of bathrooms, 4 (nobody needs that many). A huge yard, over a half acre.  And yet...these were things we absolutely loathed about our house.  Tons of useless space, tons of money to heat, took over an hour to mow the grass and that was with a riding mower, don't even get me started on the landscapers, the sprinkler system, etc. etc.   So back to our list.  3 Bedrooms, 4 would be great.  2 bathrooms and a half would be ideal.  We were even picky about what streets we wanted to live on, and tons more.  I think there were over 20 demands in all  While all streets are awesome in Bay, we really wanted to be near the center of Bay where everything happens.  Really nothing much happens in this sleepy kind of a town, but we do have coffee shops, a bowling alley, grocery stores that are awesome, huge park system, the beach, our favorite restaurant all within walking distance. 

We looked around and tried to negotiate things on our list, well, I would take a finished basement and sacrifice a 4th bedroom, or I will settle with only 1 car garage for a half bath on the first floor.  We did some negotiating trying to make all the factors work. 

We ended up finding the most perfect house for us ever!  It met EVERY requirement on our list.  Every single solitary one.  I walk the dog around town and I look at all the houses that are for sale or that we looked at and I am giddy in the fact that we absolutely LOVE our house.  It is our dream house.  It may seem odd to a few people that have been to most of our houses, but this is absolutely perfect for us and our family and we are totally ecstatic and amazed everyday that we managed to pull it off. 

***By pull it off we mean, at one time we had 3 houses.  The rental, the house in Michigan, and the house that we own now.  Not that there was any stress in that!

The stress level that has been decreased is amazing.  I guess I never realized how stressed out we were before in our old house.  Between the yard, overwhelming, the shear size of the house, and everything that comes with maintaining it.  This is like a cake walk for us.  Don't get me wrong.  I am sure we will have maintenance issues and stuff here, but nowhere near the level of the old house.

We painted the whole house and did a kitchen reconstruction before we moved in and made it our own.  We still have a list of wishes a mile long but we are like teenagers with cheesy grins on our faces we are so happy about how this all worked out.

The kids school is 4 houses away.  There are 20+ kids on our little street that is a culdasac.  We have parties with our neighbors all the time.  The kids are so happy and things feel like home.  After all the moving that is a beautiful thing.  No matter where we live we always end up being the house that every one gravitates to.  Last Friday night we had 5 neighbor families and all their kids and pizzas and beers which was perfect.  It started with me and a neighbor friend sitting in the red chairs in the front of our house drinking beer and the rest is history!  Now that is a familiar story, kinda sounds like the many nights in Battle Creek. 

Bye Bye Battle Creek.

I remember moving to Battle Creek, with a 6 week old baby and a year and 6 week old baby and not knowing what hit me.  Not knowing where the grocery store was, or where to go get a good beer.  Why didn't anyone tell me about Arcadia, Bells, and Dark Horse.  I feel like we were just getting aquanted and then I had to leave.

I remember telling friends in Columbus...  I am so far out in the middle of nowhere, that the nearest Panera is 25 minutes away and the nearest starbucks is 35 minutes away! 

The first year was hard.  The babies, Simons travel, not knowing anyone.  But then things started to get easier.  A drive-thru Starbucks came to town.  I literally wept the day I drove by and saw the coming soon sign.  I called Simon at work and was crying over the phone.  Then a Panera came a few years later.  Obviously, I have a passion for all things having to do with coffee and sweets.  And while I really am not addicted to panera (I am not admitting to not being addicted to starbucks)  It for me painted a picture on how far in the middle of nowhere I thought I was.  My choices of grocery stores were Meijer or Walmart.  I dragged my friend to Whole Foods one time over an hour and a half away I don't even think I bought anything but I just wanted to be in that grocery store because it made me smile!

What made Battle Creek easier, I know wasn't the convenience of the driv-thru starbucks (well a little credit here) was the life we made there.  We lived in a lovely new neighborhood where I woiuld load those adorable babies up and take them in the jogger and do the neighborhood loop of 1.7 miles in and out of every culdesac and never being out of my comfort zone and never to far away from being able to change a dirty diaper.  With every walk it got easier and easier. 

Once I got my comfort level.  I ventured out to the Y.  Where I started getting in a workout routine, where I would start to see familiar faces.  I joined the Junior League.  Much to the stong suggestion/mandate by Simon's new position.  I met some crazy wonderful ladies and I started to put down roots.  Some of my closest friends I met through the Junior League.    Then we started having playdates that lasted for an hour or so, they eventually turned into daylong pajama marathons and things started to become more comfortable and more like home.  Through our country club we made even more friends and were even more involved.  I sat on the social committee and thoroughly enjoyed my ladies lunches and organzing social events.  Even if I wasn't the typical country club wife.  (by typical I mean my standard uniform, jeans, black uggs and my black tops)  Come on now, I am never going to put on heels, a dress, and bust out the fur for anybody. Even the ladies of the social committee.  But they liked me for me and I didn't have to pretend I was somebody I wasn't.

I have really struggled lately with moving again!  My girls miss their time in Battle Creek.  It was the only home they ever knew.  That is where all their happy childhoood memories are.  We have spent months trying to stay upbeat and happy that we moved to be closer to family and friends, and in a city where you have a choice of 5 paneras in a 5 mile radius.  Starbucks is Everywhere (by the way, my new addiction is my keurig, but that is another post for another day) Heinens (grocery store) is a block away. 

But the other day, I found myslef driving down the street crying really missing my Battle Creek Peeps.  I came home and was explainging to Simon.  I had so much going on in Battle Creek.  I had amazing friends that I loved having deck wine Tuesdays, and Thirsty Thursday, and tons of laughs with.   Between the Juinior League and the JL  Board, My training group at the Y, Our Triathlon Training Team, the Country Club and the committees and amazing friends and neighbors.  I don't have that here YET.  I know I will and believe me, I have alot going on but I miss playdates that start at 10am, turn into lunch and then turn into happyhour.  the pick up line and park at school that turned into social hour that turned into dinner playdates.  My walking buddies, my hangout on a dock on a Sunday and drink beer buddies.  The 6 foot island in my kitchen, man if that wasn't the best cooking surface, I don't know what was.  ( I think that is really the only thing I miss about that house)  Oh maybe the jacuzzi tub too.  I have to stop that list.

I have to remind myself that all took time, and I know I will be back to being busy and like that again, I am just trying to take baby steps and figure out what I want to do.  But seriously ladies from the BC  ploease come and visit and bring me some Bells, Arcadia, and Dark Horse memorabilia.  I miss them too!

Jersey

A bribe to get the girls to commit to moving was a new puppy. Literally I was at camp and was calling breeders.  I got home from camp and the next day we went to pick out our new puppy that we couldn't take home for another 6 weeks.  Thank goodness!

Our first dog was named Guernsey after the Channel Island where Simon grew up.  We really tried to find a geographical name that had meaning and everyone settled on Jersey.  Which is also a Channel Island but where Simon and I first lived, where we resided when we got married and lived happily and worked at camp for over 3 years.  My vote was for "chief" or "Cayuga" but I don't really get a vote ironically since it is really Ruthie's dog so Jersey it is.  I still call him Chief since he doesn't come when he is called at all.  God I love that dog.  Well I am supposed to anyway.

Our rental was nice with a fenced in backyard but really small a 1/3 of the size of the house we moved from  Honestly.  We were very near a busy street with no kids.  Our kids were miserable.  They couldn't just go out and ride their bikes like they were used to, and didn't have any friends, just starting at a new school.  I thank Jersey everyday for giving the girls something positive to focus on.  To keeping their mind and ours off of the elephant in the room and letting our family have something positive to rally around.  For that he is the best thing to happen to our family.

Now, if he could please stop chewing everything, and I MEAN EVERYTHING. 

**Look away now week stomach readers.

He likes to climb on the dining room table.  And stand there and bark.  Yes he is 70 pounds of puppy

He climbs on coffee tables, then throws whatever is up there onto the floor, lamps, picture frames, glasses of water.

We really should stop buying him treats because the boy loves a good crayon.  He can smell them out a mile away.  Find them in the couch, under a bed, anywhere and everywhere.  Do you know how fun it is to clean up technicolor poop!

Hair rubber bands, As you know hair ties are everywhere especially in a house of 3 girls.  So, today he had 3 hair rubberbands in 1 poop!  He is amazing.

Every flip flop in the house has teeth marks in it. 

Oh Polly Pockets.  You know those rubbery people that have all sorts of clothes that you can change.  He loves those to.  He also successlly pooped out a polly pocket with her dress, coat, shoes and handbag all still intact.

He chewed the seam off the blanket and was in his crate, when I got home he had his head hung low and wouldn't look at me thinking I wouldn't see the thread coming out of his mouth.  Well I pulled over 6 feet of string out of his mouth/stomach.  And when I wa done he tried to wrestle me to eat it again.

He ate the cling on window St. Patty's day sign that we had on our door.  It was fun picking up that poop while he was speeling out letters in his poop.

He is in a crate in our house unless we are out or he is in the yard.  Man is he sneaky!

Long time no talk

I really don't know where to start......

2011 started with a bang, Simon moved to Cleveland, only to visit us on the weekends.  We had the house on the market trying to sell it, all the while wanting to be together as a family.  The moving truck came, with it left alot of tears, for friends we had to leave, for a life we were saying good bye to.  We arrived, in Ohio, I was there for 3 days.  LET ME SAY THAT AGAIN.  We moved our entire life and I was there for 3 days and then left for camp for 10 weeks.  The girls came to camp 2 weeks later having lived in a houe for just a couple of weeks.  We spent the summer at camp, the girls got fed up around week 6 and had to go home early to the lovely friends and family who could help.  I got home from camp and the girls started school 5 days later.  We were living in a house that was OK, just a rental while we were still trying to sell our Michigan house, that had been on the market for a year. 

We finally got word that our Michigan house was selling so we bought a house and had to move again.  We moved and were living in our new house for 3 weeks and then left for 8 days to Florida to see Simon's mom who we haven't seen in over 5 years.  Then when we got home it was 2 weeks till Christmas.  We had 5 houseguest (who were lovely and wonderful for 2 weeks) taking us into the new year.

The New Year brought a sick Grammy Ruthie (Ruthie's namesake and my best friend, amazing 90 year old grandmother) and her death, then we had to wait 2 months for the memorial for family and friends to all arrive at our new house for the services I organized and brunch. 

To say that my head has been in a very serious fog is a MAJOR understatement.  I have had every single emotion known to man.  At all different stages, and sometimes at the same time.  I feel that I am hopefully clawing, scratching and fighting to get out of this Funk.

What has gotten me through is this amazing Team Bisson, the love of the most amazing husband, and 2 perfectly, beautiful and lovely girls.  I wish I could say the dog is great but dare I whisper the word "marley".

**The above picture is of the girls on the beach in our town. the lake is 2 blocks from our house and the public beach is a few block bike ride.  We love to go to the lake and clear our heads.  I sent this picture out as a moving card to some and literally it had only arrived in mailboxes when we signed the papers to move again!    We are 13 miles west of Clevelands City Center.