Hunter

My house is too quiet right now. I am minus a person. One that made enough noise to fill the void I forget is there, one I have worked hard to plug when he is gone.


Hunter went home tonight.


After two months of being with us he has gone back to his Mom's house.


It flat out sucks.


No one that I know understands what I am feeling right now. You wouldn't unless you were in my shoes.


I have to give him back each time.


I have to love, nurture and care for him. Then give him back.


It hurts each time.


No matter what happens, no matter what we deal with.


It hurts.


It will take me a couple days to not seek him out. I am sure I will walk into his room tomorrow to wake him up.


I know I will be looking for him when I get home.


Man this sucks.


So, I wanted to share this video of Hunter. I shot it a few weeks ago in our backyard. This is after he gave me a heart attack...or 20...by doing this. Now it's normal and I ask him to do it. For some reason that just seems wrong. lol

Kids Road Trip

In one week my kids are going on their first road trip with Grandpa and Vick. They are GIDDY with excitement. Spending a week traveling to Mt. Rushmore, the Black Hills and all kinds of fun stuff is planned.

But this week, we are getting them ready. Packing, repacking and shopping for any thing they could possibly need while they are gone. Travel shampoos and lotions. At least two bottles of sunscreen, because they are some mighty-whitey kids and any possible med they could need. Boo is my child, so there will be at least two bottles of Motrin in the bag.

I am nervous. Not because they are going with my Dad, but because this is the first time they are going on a "trip" with someone other than me and Hubby. It will be great for them, and us, but I am nervous that someone will be homesick, have an attitude or just be miserable. It is a lot for me to let my kids go, but I don't think I could have said no if I wanted to.

So, next week Hubby and I will have more time to spend just us. We will get to have conversations that don't revolve around what the kids are up too, only what we are up too. Yes, we are both working all week, and I have a HUGE project to start.

I need the time to keep moving. Otherwise, I will go nuts missing my kids.

Here, There, Everywhere!

We are back...sort of. I have two more days off work, so I don't know how much I will actually be here. The weather is GORGEOUS, so we have been outside.

The 4th of July was wonderful, lots of time with family (is there such a thing as TO MUCH time though? I think maybe...). The weather at the cabin was perfect, we couldn't have asked for much better.

Today, we are running errands, getting to dr. appointments and getting Koda a much needed truck gate. The kids are right now outside playing basketball on our new hoop, watching the construction guys grate the road.

We will have a new road starting Wednesday!!! Next week our driveway will get done, but the road alone is exciting. The kids can ride their bikes again. I don't have to keep refusing because our driveway is to short.

Tomorrow...another dr. appointment and Hunter's first tutor session. After that...the day is open until we have our last puppy class. Koda graduates tomorrow...I am so proud. lol

Summer can really begin

It is time...

Starting on Thursday Hunter will be here for the remainder of the summer...everyday except for 4 when he goes camping with his mom.

THE REST OF SUMMER!!

I am so excited, but so nervous.

We tried this before, and had mixed results. But, Hunter was 7 the last time. 5 years ago.

We have so much planned, so much that he normally misses out on during the summer months. places to go, things to see and excursions to partake in.

Plus, just think of all the time he will have to bond with the family again. How close we will all get. How much love will be in this house.

I can't wait.

I miss him when he is gone.

Monday Monday

I really don't have much today. The weekend was busy, but wonderful. Friday night was spent running errands and having dinner just us. It was nice.

Saturday we visited my Dad is the hospital. He is home now, no worries. He loves bugging Boo...

"Boo...want a cookie" "Grraaannnddddpppaaaa...I am resting. Stop it".

The entire conversation played out multiple times. Hilarious!

Saturday afternoon we spent our first day by the pool. My BIL and SIL have a pool for just a couple more weeks, so we wanted to get some time in before they moved. Boo spent almost 5 hours in the pool, and she was the only one in for most of the day. She got out to eat, and went right back in. I had to make her get out when her lips turned purple.

Yesterday was spent in the yard. We got some clean up done, Boo picking up 205 sticks (worth $2.05). We transplanted some Hostas, and started regrowing some plants that I almost killed off. I shouldn't have plants...just saying. Thankfully, Ma was there to show me the way to bring them back, cutting everything off and starting over again.

Mikayla was over last night, so we were outside most of the time. She loves the swing we have in the back yard, and even got to play with some chalk with Boo. She was covered, but loved it.

See, not much. Tired, but happy. Kissed by the sun but not to much.

Fresh Strawberry and Raspberry Tarts

We hosted Father's Day at our house last weekend. It was a great time, and the weather was perfect. The kids were running around like chickens with their head cut off, and Koda was loving the attention. It was wonderful.

We grilled, we talked and we played outside.

The highlight of my afternoon...serving these.

Fresh Strawberry Tarts with Raspberries added.

These were so easy to make, and so tasty! I got some rave reviews...thank you Pillsbury!!

All it takes is this:

1 Refrigerated Pie Crust
3/4 Teaspoon sugar (or a little more...)
2 1/2 cups sliced strawberries (or 2 cups with 1/2 cup raspberries added)
1/2 cup Strawberry glaze (I used the entire container, but I made a triple batch)
6 tablespoons hot fudge ice cream topping, heated (I used regular squeeze chocolate so the kids wouldn't struggle with it, and it worked wonderfully).
1/3 cup whipped topping

Directions are easy as pie (hehehe)

1) Heat oven to 450. Remove pie crust from pouch and place on a flat working surface. Sprinkle sugar over crust and gently press in. Cut 6 rounds about 4 inch in diameter (I did almost 5 inches to create a taller cup, I also used a glass to make the circle and cut around).

2) Spray back of muffin pan with cooking spray. Fit rounds, sugared side up, over the backs of the muffin cups. Pinch about 5 equal pleats around the side of each cup IMPORTANT Prick each cup liberally with a fork. This allows the air to escape.

3) Bake 5-7 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool 5 minutes, removed from muffin cups. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

4) - In a large bowl mix strawberries (and raspberries if you add them) and glaze. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, about 30 minutes,

5) Just before serving, spoon 1 table spoon chocolate topping into each shell. Spoon about 1/3 cup berry mixture into each shell. Top with a spoonful of whipped topping.

This berry desert is light and yummy!

I'm feeling HOT HOT HOT

It is flingin-flanin-stinkin-hot out today.

And the coil in our air conditioner is frozen...which means no air at the moment.

It worked yesterday, the day before and the day before that.

Today, when it was 96 at 6 pm, it wasn't working. It was 84 in the house, even though the thermostat was set to 68.

Not good.

Thank goodness we have fans in every bedroom and the living room.

Boo is eating frozen grapes, Koda is chewing on a frozen toy and I am sitting in the one area there isn't a fan.

I must be crazy

I am off to put towels where they just shouldn't go...and drink some lemonade with Boo.

I love summer, I really do.

The Shoe Tree

After yesterdays You Capture, everyone was asking about the Shoe Tree.

We aim to please...or something...here at FritzFacts, so Shoe Tree you get.

The Shoe Tree is actually about 4 trees up at the cabin that residents have thrown, hung and even nailed their old out-grown, grungy old shoes too. I have been going up there for 9 years, and it grew from one tree to 4 (maybe 5) in that time.

Each year the kids ask, beg really, to throw their old shoes up there but I have always resisted. Their shoes may be beat up, but someone else would be able to wear them so we normally donate them.

Last year Labor Day Weekend I finally caved in.

The kids brought their old-nasty-funky- to-gross shoes up north and we threw them on.


Hunter was able to get pretty good air, and his wrapped around a branch on the first try. Again, Hunter has Mad Skills.

Boo's however, took some work. After a few (many) tries, Hubby finally picked her up and she placed hers on a branch. It was just plain easier for her that way.

Now, when we drive by, the kids want to stop and see if their shoes are still there. I think this year we will bring another pair up for them to throw Labor Day Weekend, both of them have a pair or two that I wouldn't make my worst enemy wear.

A weekend away

This past weekend, we headed up north to the cabin. One last weekend before the school year began.

The drive was about three hours, give or take. We had to stop to pick up something for Hubby's mom, but then we hit the road.

When we stopped about two hours in for bathroom breaks and gas, and saw a tiny little mouse running through the parking lot. This has better not be a preview of the weekend, my brain could not take it.

We got to the cabin about 45 minutes ahead of my mother-in-law, and got everything put away. The kids were feeding the birds and chipmunks when we noticed this...


Yeah...that's from a bear. A big one too. The print is one of three that we found in the damp sand, and were pretty close to the size of Hubby's hand. Didn't make me nervous...at all. I swear. I am so lying. I made the kids stay pretty close for a little while. The print was a little too fresh for my liking.

Once my mother-in-law got there, we pulled the wilderness camera, no bear pictures. A great one of the deck though, so something went passed the motion sensor.

We finished setting up the deck for the weekend, uncovered the tables and opened the umbrellas.

Look at the lovely visitor we had inside the umbrella...

Nasty looking bat isn't it. Hubby had to get gloves, because this little guy was not opening his eyes to fly away for nothing. There were actually two up there, but one was smart enough to fly. Hubby carried this lovely misquito eatting creature to the woods and tossed him away. Bats make the coolest noises!

Later in the afternoon, the kids were climbing trees. So shocking...I know. Hubby had noticed that a branch was broken on one of the trees, but all the ladders were buried in the basement. Never fear...Hunter is here!

He scaled that tree so fast. Hubby handed him the saw...yes the saw...and away he went. Mother-in-Law was not a fan of this, cringing with every moment. Boo showed Grandma not to worry about Hunter, as she fell up the stairs. Lovely.

They finally got the branch down, and then Hunter scaled back down and gave Grandma a HUGE hug. Poor thing.

The rest of the weekend was spent playing bean bags, playing with cousins and friends. We spent about 3 hours at the lake, where all the kids had a chance to go tubing (Boo not so much, Hunter rocked it).

Sunday we left early to head to my Dad's for Big Sis' birthday. After great food (yum...shrimp) we headed home after the long weekend.

As we hit one main stretch of road, Hubby pulled over. Never before had these (big) guys been so close to the fense, and never with a baby in tow.

How cool. The kids thought it was great. Buffalo are HUGE

Even after a great weekend, it was wonderful to be home.

Hope everyone had a great long weekend!!

A Summer Tribute

What did you do on your summer vacation?

Have you heard what tomorrow is?

Tomorrow We Are THAT Family is hosting the Sizzling Summer Vacation Spectacle Blog Carnival!!

And if that isn't wonderful enough...

There are door prizes!! DOOR PRIZES every hour for linky participants! The prizes have vacation themes, which could be so many things.

Are you excited yet?

Take any trips this summer? What about last summer? Share the wonderful\scary\fabulous\horrific details with your bloggy friends, and have a chance to win some door prizes.

Did I mention that there are over $800 in door prizes!! Oh, I forgot...sorry.

$800 in door prizes!!

So tomorrow morning, head on over to We Are THAT Family and link up. I can't wait to see some of the stories.

A day at the park

Sunday we had a reception for Boo's old daycare provider. I was so excited for her, for many reasons. Plus, she is joining the Step-Mom club. The wonderful club, that has it's moments.

The reception was at a wonderful park that is a little bit of drive, but not to far.

After we said hello, raved over her gorgeous dress and said hello to her girls, we had a wonderful snack.

She had...a desert buffet. Oh my goodness Boo was in hog heaven.

Brownies, mini cheesecakes, cookies, lemon bars, Strawberry Shortcake, three different kinds of strudel and more. It was a child's heaven. Boo had three things (have to cut her off somewhere.), and I had a couple too. It was yummy.

Boo and Hubby went for a walk when she was getting a bit antsy. They stopped and looked at the falls, and then took who knows how many flights of stairs down to the bottom. Boo thought it was great, until they had the come back up.


The Falls are gorgeous, no matter how far you have to walk for them. Boo had never seen them up close before, really only in pictures. I promised her we would go this winter so she could see them frozen. It is definitely something you have to see to believe.

On the way back to the car, Boo asked if she could play at the park for a minute. Now, this park is a get your tetanus shot before you play park.





So of course I said go for it. Every kid has to play at these types of parks, it is a right of passage or something. I wouldn't let her go down the slide, mainly because she was wearing a dress, but also it was metal. Talk about burns on the back of her legs!

She did pretty good on the monkey bars. She hasn't been able to get all the way across yet, but she is getting there. Her hands were sore afterwards, but she was so proud.

Another thing we can add to her first grade goal list.

Learning in her sleep

Boo is an avid reader. She loves books, and has a ton at all times.

Car rides are filled with reading one book after another. I learned last year to keep books in the car for both kids, since Hunter is a major reader as well.

His reading tests have been off the charts the past couple years, and that makes the reader in me very proud. He has changed his preference of books lately, but that is fine. Just keep reading little man!

Last week Boo had her 1st grade reading test, and she excelled. Her teacher told me to advance her books...a lot. So, off to the book store I will go. Thank goodness we have a book thrift store nearby.

I was telling Brooke about Boo's reading test, and she was proud too. The teacher in her is always proud of each kids accomplishments. I let her know that Boo loves reading, almost always has a book in her hand, and loves going to the bookstore more than the toy store.

I was telling her how Boo sleeps with books, every night. I kid you not. I don't know if Brooke even believed me. (don't look at her mess of a bed. We clear it off every night, and it always looks like this in the morning)

Building her vocabulary by osmosis I guess.

Goodbye to Summer

I am always amazed the wonders of technology. Right now, as I type this, I am messaging back and forth with Brooke...in Thailand...via Facebook. Love it!

Anyway.

This summer has been full of learning new things, adjusting to new things and finding new things in ourselves.

I have learned that I am so much stronger than I thought I was. That my husband is even more fabulous, and that my kids amaze me daily.

This summer Boo has learned to ride her bike, tie her shoes and dry her own hair. She has proven to herself that she can go to Grandpa's for a week (three different times) and have a great time, even she misses us. Boo also learned how to have her own part in the recession.

Hunter has grown so much this summer, and I don't mean just height wise either. He has come to terms with his own wants and needs, and grown so much as a person because of it. He learned the best way to eat watermelon, and earned the right to bring a friend to the cabin for the first time.

I can't believe that summer is coming to a close. This weekend we have two weddings, but next weekend...Labor Day Weekend...will be spent having some wonderful time together, sending summer out with a bang.

Summer days/nights

A couple weeks ago we had a friend turn 40. KFC, as we call her at work, is one of my favorite people, and her party was a blast. I had to share a couple pictures, they just crack me up.

A couple of us decorated her work space. It was fun to hang things, sprinkle confetti and wrap her chair in streamers.


The party was on the most perfect day. The sun was shining, the temp was warm and the beverages were flowing. As the afternoon turned to evening, a one-man-band came to entertain.

Entertain he did, and not with his tunes.



Yeah...that is Jessica Rabbit on his shirt. Roger is in the surfboard...

Spending an afternoon/early evening by the pool was great. Hubby got to work on his dives, in between throwing KFC into the pool. They have a love/hate relationship. He loves to torture her about her age. Don't worry, I smacked him.





The evening was lovely. There were some amazing clouds that moved in, didn't cool it down, but made the sky beautiful.

Today we are spending the afternoon at her house again, lazing around talking and enjoying the wonderful weather. I can't wait.

The best part of summer...

When you are having so much fun that you forget to stop for lunch, and only remember when your mom gets you for dinner.

Watching the Olympics snuggled up on the couch with the big windows open. The breeze is wonderful.

Having pre-season football on tv.

Realizing school starts in just over two weeks.

Meeting your teacher for the first time, and opening with "I went off the bike jump, and my brother told on me. I fell, it hurt." Great.

Tonight is a great night!

Here fishy fishy fishy...

This past weekend, Hubby went out of town to go fishing with "The Guys". They go at least twice a year, and it is about 5 hours away. Most of the time they don't have much luck, but not this weekend. There were fish galore.

We now have 8 pounds of walleye in our fridge, and I can't wait to eat it all up!

But they didn't just catch Walleye. The caught Northerns and Crappies too.

One of Hubby's walleye, 23 inches

Hubby's 12 1/2 inch crappie

Another Walleye - 22 inches

It was a great weekend. One of the guys caught a 32 inch, 8 1/2 pound Northern. That is one large fish!

The weather was much nicer this time around, remember the ice from May... Plus, you can see the redness on Hubby's face. He swears it doesn't hurt...

Very exciting!

Today was a very exciting day in our house.

It started out with nothing out of the normal, laying around, watching movies and snuggling up with Boo. I wasn't feeling the greatest, so I wasn't up for much. Hubby was off watching NASCAR, so it was Boo and me hanging out.

I promised Boo that after I watched Reign Over Me (such a good movie), we could go outside so she could ride the scooter (she can only ride it if we are outside, not just her brother).

She helmeted up, and off she went. She wiped out once pretty big (note the big band aid...), but got right back on.



After a while, she asked the question...

"Mom can we work on my bike?"

Um...OK. Usually hubby is home for this, since he does it better, and I work the camera better. But sure, let's have a go. So the first time out, I held on to her seat, and kept reminding her to look up, go straight and don't stop peddling (Thanks Iowa Mom!!!)

After the first run, she fell, but wanted to try again right away. She got going, and I just let go!!

And away she went!!





So at the end she hits the curb, but look at her go! She is even taking turns and starting on her own.

Rock on Boo!!! I am so proud of you.

Now she wants to go back outside....I have created a monster!

Bugs

Spending the weekend at the cabin is always a blast. But to Boo, it is pure heaven. There are bugs...bugs and more bugs. The first thing on her Christmas list this past year...a bug vacuum. And the squeals that ensued were wonderful to hear.

This weekend she was, like always, on the hunt. It was to early for a lot of grasshoppers, but the butterflies were just coming out and she caught a few. She had inch worms, caterpillars and strange black flying things.

At one point, there was a spider in the house. Someone (they shall remain nameless...) yelled for someone to come kill it. Who went running? Not me, I was laughing to hard, but Boo did. She did kill that one, but saved another one.

Later, someone (different this time, but still will remain nameless) freaked about a bug, and Boo was there to save it. She put it right into her bug habitat.

This week, Boo is at camp. There are major bug activities planned at camp all week long. Tomorrow, they are spending hours and hours learning about water bugs, drawing them and writing about them. I can't wait to hear how her day went. She isn't going to be able to contain herself.

Get the candy!!!

Friday we went to a small town parade, that is always better than the larger parades. The kids get more attention from the people walking, more candy (always a must) and we just have a blast period. Besides, where else do you have pre-teens riding mini motorcycles.



This year, the weather was great. It was hot, but not to awful. But, there are always a ton of floats that have water guns, plus the fire trucks spigots. Oh the kids were soaked!

Hunter was forced to ride home in soaking wet shorts and shirt. He wouldn't hide from it, he would run towards the water. He had such a blast.
Mr. Z was almost as wet, but would hide towards the end. Boo and Miss. H were mostly dry, they didn't want to get wet. Even Mr. M got a little wet, and he was not happy about it at all.

By the end of the parade, we had 4 wet kids, 4 bags of candy and one sleepy baby. It was great.