Awww!

A little over a month ago I took Sophie to the pediatrician for her pre-Kindergarten check-up and shots. After the routine eye exam, the doctor informed us that she had failed, with what appeared to be a problem seeing out of her right eye. Today she finally had her appointment with the pediatric opthamologist, where they put drops in her eyes to dilate the pupils. I offered her my sunglasses as we were leaving the office, thinking that bright light might bother her, and she wore them right up until bed. I took this picture of her this afternoon - it was a very traumatic day for her and a good nap was in order!

The final diagnosis: she does need glasses to correct her vision. After a trip to the Wal-Mart optical center, and some coaxing and direction about which frames to choose, (as there was no way in #$!&* I was about to shell out the $70 for the Hannah Montana ones she picked out, not including lenses, when the off-brand styles were just as cute), she will have her new purple specs in about a week. I personally think she looks darling with them on, which is good since she'll have to wear them all the time. I'll post a picture of her when she gets them.

Family and Friends - Thanks for the memories!

For those of you that may be interested, here are some slideshows from our trip to Michigan. I've divided them up into segments, so just press play and enjoy!

What's that smell?

I'm still working on a photo montage from our trip to Michigan, so for those of you that may be interested, keep checking back and I'll try to post something soon. In the meantime, I thought I'd put up a couple pics I took out our back door. I think this little guy was having trouble finding his mother in the middle of the day, as we watched him bump and bumble his way around on our deck! Chris wanted to give him some food! Uh, honey, do you remember what happened when you fed a seagull at Lake Huron?

A week just isn't enough time...

Hey, everyone! We're back from our Michigan expedition, and in a worn out, tattered state I'm attempting to put together something of a journal entry about our trip. I thought the best way to convey as much as possible in a short form would be to do a slideshow. It's a long one, so sit back, relax and enjoy some pictures from our long planned, much anticipated adventure! I wish we'd had more time to spend, with those we did see, and those we weren't able to squeeze into our jam-packed schedule. This was a trip we won't soon forget! Thanks to everyone who helped us out along the way, with food, accomodations and a good dose of patience with our four lovely rugrats!

(Okay, I'm having some technical difficulties with the slideshow, so I'll fix it and re-post. Check back soon!)

Sammy's big day.

Today was Sam's kindergarten graduation. It's such an accomplishment, making it through kindergarten, that a graduation ceremony seems all too appropriate. (Sense the sarcasm?) Still, I have to say that he started the year only able to read individual words and sight words, and has ended the year able to read whole books that are at least the 2nd grade level. He's even able to read scriptures without much help, aside from the occasional archaic, biblical words! So, for that we are very proud of his accomplishments. Now on to 1st grade!!

Baseball, campfires and sunburns...it's starting to feel like summer!

Sammy and Noah had a baseball game tonight and Chris took a bunch of pictures. When Chris takes them to their games, I usually stay home with the two younger kids so I can put them to bed on time. When the boys come home, I always ask them if they got a hit. Noah is so funny, he usually says: "Of course, mom, what do you think?!" Tonight, when I proposed the ritualistic question to them, he just cocked his head and gave me an evil eyed look! Why do I even ask?

We had a nice night of camping yesterday. The weather was perfect, the kids did pretty well and are even starting to get into doing their part of the "camp chores", like unloading the firewood and helping make the food. Mostly they just like to play and run wild. Nicolas is completely in his element when he's outdoors. He spent most of his time digging in the dirt, rocks and pinecones. I'm sure I'll be finding remnants of all of the above in various unlikely places for days to come. So, aside from the multiple trips, falls and scraped knees, etc. suffered by poor Sophie, we all had fun and really got a boost from the beauty and peace found in nature.

Ahhh...

When Spring comes and the snow melts away, we are always unpleasantly surprised at the wreckage the blanket of snow has been covering in our yard and around the perimeter of the house. Despite my frustration at what seems to be the ultimate never-ending home improvement project, Chris and I rolled up our sleeves and plunged into the weed-infested abyss. We've spent the past few days doing what we can to turn our yard and outdoor area into somewhere we'd like to spend time. The projects have included scrubbing, scraping and repainting the front porch and steps, planting various shrubs, flowers, ground covers and other plants, pulling and spraying weeds and insects, placing bark and mulch in the flower beds and around the shrubs, and installing a hanging bird feeder in the center of it all! So, at least for the moment, I expel an audible "Ahhh" as I can look forward to sitting on the front porch sipping a Diet Coke, watching the masses of birds pecking away at the bird feed, enjoying the sunset (or sunrise, as both can be seen from our front porch!).

In an attempt to ease the sunburns, body aches and blistered hands, we've considered rewarding ourselves and all our hard work with one night at one of our favorite local campgrounds tomorrow after church, as the weather is supposed to be unseasonably warm. So keep an eye out for more pictures to come in the near future of our latest adventure!

By the way, I know the fence in the background is somewhat unsightly, but rest assured, we have scheduled a replacement to be installed in about 3 weeks. Unfortunately, our most recent windstorm completely did the rickety old thing in, and a part (not showing in the picture) was totally flattened! I am excited for the new fence and the beauty it will add to the yard, but my arms are dreading the inevitable staining I will be doing once the unfinished cedar is installed!

One final thing: Congratulations to Weston and Stacy and the newest member of the family! We can't wait to see her!