Monday, August 15, 2016

Vacay 2016!

Prepare yourselves, this is about to rock your photo viewing stamina.

We have apparently decided that our family will circle Lake Michigan during the same week every summer. That is according to the ever reliable and truth-based TimeHop. Therefore, we now consider that week sacred and traditional! (I can already hear the family marking their calendars in blood... because, for real, we will need that type of accountability!)

This summer we revolted and went the opposite direction around the lake and started in Iron Mountain with my sister and her fiancé with a weekend of water-sporting! There was tubing, skiing, boating, relaxing, jet skiing, cliff jumping, wedding crafting, and just family-funness! Cue first of the Great Lakes... Lake Superior!

And now the threatened photo evidences. For truth, ma' people, get yourselves a coffee, a diet coke, a whatever-will-help-you-through-this beverage. Oh, ye of faint heart, STOP NOW! This is where you are still considered ahead-of-the-game!

Did I mention that my most-favorite-10-year-old niece joined us? Because she did, and she brings pure AWESOME JOY to our family, and her cousins were over the moon! If you don't know her, then you are missing out on the bomb.com!


Double trouble! Fear not, there wasn't even a hook on the end, but we all kept our distance!





Cliff jumping for these two little ones, is more of an exercise in climbing up AND down large rock formations...

But they are darlings!
Boy... ALL. BOY.

My little Honey Bear!
Flippo Family Water Olympics!

My dad is ripped! #savage

This dog has it WAY TOO GOOD!

Family bath...


Day Two: everyones a pro!
Star-Babe is down!
But she sure is pretty, bobbing around out there!
Oh the Yoop!

Sweet girlies are getting tired...
Photo credit: Mary Alice
Our families closest thing to an Olympian...
NBD... 
No one wanted to leave, our time was so short together, but we picked up these two ragamuffins (sometimes we call them Grandma and Grandpa) as we traversed the entire length of the U.P.
Cue Great Lake #2... We made a detour in Manistique and let the boy battle the break water.

Grandpa clearly loves this little guy and this picture of himself! Mwhahaha


Then on to birthday camping in St. Ignace on Lake Huron, Great Lake #3! Shout out to Castle Rock Camp Grounds, for that was the prettiest campsite with the cleanest public bathroom I have ever... I mean ever...



This is what our campsite looked out at! It was rough, people!


Then across the bridge we went, and who doesn't stop and take pictures!? No opportunities missed, no matter the temperature or amount of sand that has been your constant companion for DAYS!!


#owningit
After an amazing lunch of whitefish at Darrows and pie all-around, we made our way to the Flint area (no Great Lake in sight) and spent time with extended family! Great way to end our trip!

She followed Ivan around, mimicking his every move! Another bomb.com cousin (once removed). 
PS: If you made it all the way to the end than you deserve another beverage!
PSS: My mom's heart is so full right now!

Thursday, August 11, 2016

Who said he could turn 6 on me?

Who said he could go and turn 6 on me? I have a few discrete words for that soul! 


He is my baby, and he loathes it when I say that! He is my boy, my boy who lives up to every definition of that term! He loves being outside, he loves getting himself to high places, he loves being with the water, he loves being with his family, he loves turning ANYTHING in to a weapon, he loves adventure and he loves making incessant noise (especially if it sounds like flatulence)! He is a serious-goofball-philosopher who entertains any crazy awesome idea, even if no one else can see the value.

Here are a few pieces of photographic evidence, from our recent family vacation, that support the thoughts above. Each picture truly captures a distinct part of this sweetheart boy of mine! 









Note the evident personality differences between these two. #mercymercymercy








His birthday wish was to go camping with Grandma and Grandpa. #nailedit




Sleeping bag birthday gift, received just before their 12:00 bedtime! Lord where has our parenting decision making gone? We are lost souls that have been paying the price ever since! Sweet Jesus, please take this cup from us!


My heart may in fact burst!

Friday, July 15, 2016

He is My Person and I Know Him and I Love Him

It has been ten years, 3.650 days of marriage to my very own Ricky Ricardo. Listen, I took that quiz and the results are final my TV husband is clearly Ricky Ricardo! So just get over it, man! 





10 years though, seems so LONG, and yet so not. In 10 years things are both comfortable and exciting, familiar and unknown, but goodness, things are still magic!




In this past decade we have studied one another and learned each other and found that we still like each other! I know the sound of his ankles cracking with every step in the morning, I know he will drink straight from the faucet EVERY.TIME, I know he will not call a bowl of ice cream finished until he has curled his little finger around the entire inner circumference only to lick up the minuscule remnants in some sort of grand finale. 



I know that EVERYDAY he will finagle his schedule to optimize time with his family. I know the amount of creamer to put in his coffee and he knows mine, I know that mayonnaise is to be used in sparse amounts, and that ham is considered superior to turkey. 



He pain-painstakingly taught me how to cook. This is not a joke, I was a dismal mess in this department, the kitchen was my kryptonite!  Now he knows that pigs shall fly before I let him close to my new grill, well outside of assembling it for me... But let us be true to ourselves... I could have assembled it myself, for I build robots, but he just really likes to be helpful, so I let him... #sacrifices


I know he needs to say words and lots of them, he knows I have few words and like it that way. He knows that during his daily unloading of words (some may call them conversations) that I will only hear 60% and only remember 30% of what he says. 
This sort of word intentionality training clearly needs more than 10 years. 



He has taught me that jam is better than jelly, that homemade is the only way to go and that pies trump cake most every-time. He has brought me to the dark side of spicy foods and back again. I have taught him that all Little Debby snack cakes are not from the pits of Hades, that a nutty bar or a raspberry zinger every once in awhile are good for the soul and not the demise of society as a whole.


I have learned that he is incapable of passing roadside trash without scoping out the possibilities. I know which things will be in my garage as I pass them first on my way to work knowing that when he passes them He. Will. Stop.


I knew then and I know now that I married the exact right man for me. He is my person and I know him and love him!


PS: This baby girl has begged and begged me for a LONG time to get my wedding dress out and try it on. I surprised her other day and let her try it on. This was both fun and scary. She looks FAR TOO GROWN UP! But at the same time I can not stop looking at these pictures. Ladies you should try this, your girl will LOVE it and thank you for the chance to look as pretty as you!