Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Summer Pool Time

With the drive way finally being cleared of wood and the weather above 80 I wanted the kids to play outside but with it hot I thought playing in the water would be a great idea.
First we tried the Elmo Sprinkler but Maddie didn't like getting splashed in the head so we go the pool out.

Brendan the little goofy kid, he kept wanting me to squirt him with the hose (he got so wet he looked like a drowned rat) and he finally got his umbrella to help guard him from the water. After we got air in the pool and cleaned it out Maddie couldn't even wait to get in.
Brendan loves to swim with his mask and snorkel (he has quite the set).
Maddie enjoying her pool. She didn't even want to get out for dinner and for her that is a big deal.

Sunday, July 22, 2007

UP Cabin Trip

Here are the photos from our time at the Cabin in the UP with Brian's parents.
Here Brendan and Madelyn are playing outside on the play toys (just after this picture was taken Maddie went rolling off, she thought that was the funniest thing and kept trying to spin it her self)
Brendan is the MASTER fisher-man. These are the fish that we caught on our first time out.
The cabin was about 1/2 an hour from this really neat beach off of Lake Michigan. Again Brendan thought we were at the ocean and didn't want to leave.
We went up to Whitefish Point and went to the Shipwreck Museum. It was amazing to see and read about some the shipwrecks that happen on the great lakes. Whitefish Point is the area on Lake Superior were it gets narrower and you have to go around the point to get to the Sault Ste. Marie. Over 550 shipwrecks have happened here.
This is the bell that the Museum, National Geographic, the the surviving family members brought up from the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. The museum had a really nice movie about how they were able to bring up the bell & they replaced it with one that had all the names of the whole crew that died in this wreck.
Brian and the kids standing next to a rudder from the older wooden ships.
Here at the museum is also a light house and a coast guard station. Here is one of the long boat that they used to go out to recuse crew men from the shipwrecks. This boat can hold 12 people in addition to the coast guard crew to man it out to the shipwrecks.
We went out fishing again and I brought my camera this time. Brendan caught at least 3 blue gill if not 5 while we were out. (The only fish large enough to keep this trip were Brendan's)
Here is my bass that was just a little bit too small to keep (see I know how to hold these types of fish now). I also caught a baby perch which Brian dropped on my lap after he got it off the hook & papa Andrews caught a baby walleye. Brian was helping Brendan catch all his fish and baiting my hook.
Brendan in the water by the cabin. He also went minnow catching with his little net too.
Since Madelyn didn't get to go fishing here is a photo of her at the Tahquamenon Falls.
Upper Tahquamenon Falls.
Here we are in front of the lower falls
During lunch most of us had these cute flowers on our plates so we put one in Maddie's hair and she is also showing off her new moccasin shoes (pink of course-Brian picked out that color just to let you know)
Here are part of the lower falls.

Thursday, July 19, 2007

UP Camping Trip

We had an the best time during our trip to the UP. We went camping at Island Lake national camp ground (it was a rustic camp site-only pump water & outhouses). We had a lake view from our camp site.
Here are the pictures and details of what we did.Here is the Mackinac Bridge. It was a windy day to being going over with a trailer. Good thing that Brian was driving. We drove up on Thursday with a stop at the Big Spring. This is the Big Spring. They upgraded the float that you go across with since the last time that Brian and I were there last. Brendan liked turning the wheel to get us across. Here is a view of the spring. You can see the sand bubbling under the large fish. The water here stays at 45' all year round due to the spring. Here is our camp site with Brian setting up the tent.
Friday morning we took the canoe out to go fishing. Brendan out with his new net out in the canoe. Here is Maddie looking happy-she wasn't. She did not like having to sit down and stay in one spot in the canoe. Maddie and I were only in the canoe for a short time but Brian first cast of fishing and he caught this small mouth bass.
After lunch we went to visit the Pictured Rocks Lake Shore. This is Miner's Castle. There is a walk down for a closer look just behind the rocks where the trees start. Here we are at Miner's Beach. Brendan thought that we were at the ocean. Brendan was nervous at first of the waves. By the time we left his pant were wet over the knees. And we were able to get him out of the water easy. Here is Maddie with her piggies in the lake too. Here is Miner's Falls. We had a short hike to get to it and a large set of stairs. -I don't like the stairs so much, but at least I wasn't the one who had to carry Madelyn. :)When we left home Brian had given Brendan a smaller leather-man tool. Brendan was so excited about 'his' tool. He had to tell & show everyone that we met for the whole trip. We didn't let him use the knife tool so here he is using the pliers to get branch's off the tree. Our last stop at the pictured rocks lake shore. This is Sable Falls.
After we got back the camp site Maddie a nap then after dinner the boys went out to go fishing again. Brendan had so much fun.
It rained all night Friday night but luckily it had stopped by morning. We packed up and headed over to the cabin to stay with Brian's parents.

Visit Brian's blog here for one more of my blond moments: Life Uncomplicated

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Missing 4th of July Photos

Brian rescued the missing photos for me off the memory card.
Here Brian and the kids are at our fire works watching spot having the first of three snacks of the evening.Brendan with the two older boys that he was playing Frisbee with.Daddy and Maddie getting back from their walk close to when the show is going to start.
Maddie and her boo-boo. Being the silly girl that she is with her shoes.

And of course our pretty piggies. Maddie loves all the girlie stuff: brushing her hair (she just doesn't like pig-tails, takes too long), wearing pretty dresses, getting lotion put on after a bath, and having pretty piggies and nails. Here both mommy and Maddie have matching toe nail polish on. She will sit still and let me put it on and wait till I tell her it is okay to get up to move. And when I went to do mine she wanted more on hers.

Sunday, July 08, 2007

Going to the Beach

Today was a hot one here in Michigan. So we had an early lunch and headed out to the beach.
Brendan and Madelyn both had such a great time.
Brendan is getting better with his swimming skills and Maddie just loves being in the water.
I also had the kids collect some rocks to paint for a fun afternoon art project later in the summer, Brendan had to go and make sure that they were the perfect size.
We all got a little bit of sun, Maddie the least (it looks like she has fairy wigs in the back) Brendan a little under his eyes & on his back (he will probably be brown tomorrow) & Brian a little on his back and of course I got the worst of it even with putting sun screen on twice. Oh well we had a blast.

Here are our photos:
Maddie in her hula skirt. (we used the wagon to tote everything for us)Brian & Maddie in the lake.Brendan running to the water.Brendan splashing into the water.Me & Maddie floating while Brendan keeps splashing.Brendan at snack-timeMaddie after snack-time (the scrape under her eye are part of the missing photos-she fell out the back screen and kissed the cement deck with her face. Didn't cry after I got her, and now at least she is some what careful around the back door.)

Saturday, July 07, 2007

Mommy's Birthday

This was the first time that we were home for my birthday and let me tell you Berkley gets crazy during the 4th. We went and bought some fireworks to shoot off on the 2nd, went to see the firework show on the 3rd, and had a bonfire out back and watched all the neighbors around us on the 4th. (The photos from this are MIA from the little camera, Brian is going to talk to some guys at work to see if we can 'save' them).

The 6th & 7th we spent out at Brendan's "Boy's House" (Brian's co-worker). There we picked out and named our piggie-Bacon. (the one in front)Brendan and Daddy got to ride the four-wheeler all over the place.While the Ranger was more Madelyn's style of transportation.Madelyn loved watching the pigs get all excited before they ate, seeing the buffalo (which were a bit nervous of her), helping to feed the chickens, turkeys & bunny's.We had of course more fireworks & Brian brought up his smoker and make them pulled pork for dinner on saturday.
Brendan had a blast.
And best of all~Mommy caught a ton of fish. 6 blue gills & 4 bass. (We let them all go.)
Now we are getting ready for our UP trip with papa & grandma Andrews. We are going on Thursday (the 12th) and will be home on Wednesday (the 18th) so no photos during that time. Hopefully I will be able to add more photos before we go.