Daycare at the pool

Tuesdays are always more busy for me because I have one more kid and usually its more like a Monday but today was very different. The morning started off a little rocky but it got smoothed out. We played outside alot which helped but at nap time only two kids plus the babies were sleeping. Oh well I figured it would be rough but it wasn't. We got to the pool early and the kids had a great time swimming. We played games in the pool where the kids had to face me and I threw out some toys for them to find. It was fun. Kale swam and Lyric played with new kids too. We had a great time and when it was time to get out no one complained or whined or didn't listen. They all had some grapes and water and we packed it up and came back to my house. After a quick change we played outside some more. I think they will all sleep well tonight! It was a great day and I am in a good mood, how nice it is!! Its days like this that make all the bad ones seem like they never happen. Thanks kids for a wonderful Tuesday and thanks for reading. xoxo

Michaels Black Eye

Here is Michaels black eye from wrestling.

Mom & Grandma visit

Grandma and Mom arrived on Tuesday morning which was earlier then they predicted. That night it was like Christmas here. They brought all kinds of goodies. Jade got some earrings from Aunt Gail, Alex got a really cool squirt gun from Aunt Gail and Michael got the perfect t shirt from her as well. They drove my grandpa truck out to give to Michael as it was my grandpa wish for him to have it. I had to keep that a secret for awhile but knew about it when I was out in WA when he passed. It was bitter sweet. My grandpa made a wooden chair for Jade and my grandma painted it for her. I couldn't help but cry because I knew it was one of the last things my grandpa made. My grandma and mom gave me some of my grandpas old things that he kept like his marbles he played with as a kid and some playing cards that were his dads and a hat my grandpa wore fishing as well as out and about, and some photos of him. The hat still smelled like him and I will always cherish everything I got that used to be his. Jade got a jewelry box that was my grandpas mothers. I remember it growing up cause it was with my mom. It plays music and has a key lock on it. They also brought a bike that used to be Michael's and my mom fixed it up with new paint, tires, and a drink holder for Alex. She also brought out a box of toys that used to be Michael's. It was a ton of great stuff. Mom and Grandma made me some new curtains for my bedroom and they are fantastic, Grandma hand sewed them. Last night we had Jayne and Keith come over for dinner. Kato was called to work for some problems and was working for about 19 hours. We got my grandma a birthday cake and celebrated her birthday which is on Tuesday. I got her some puzzles she likes to do and some scratch tickets, she didn't win any money but it was fun. Mom cooked some awesome chicken on the grill and made Aunt Cindy's potatoes. Everything was yummy. We had a great week with my mom and grandma. It was wonderful having them here. Grandma really enjoyed watching the kids play and was amazed at how well the kids behaved. It's always hard to see them go and I wish there was an easier and cheap way to visit more often. Its back to regular routine this week and I hope the weather gets hotter so we can go to the pool. I'll write more later. thanks for reading xoxo

More Cottage Fishing 09

Cottage Fishing 09

Home Sweet Home

We are back from the cottage and we had a great time. Mikey couldn't come up with us so Michael invited his friend Gavin. We like him, he's a good kid. Anyway, the fishing was pretty good this year. We all got a Northern or few and some of us got a bass or two. I was lucky and got two Northerns from the pier. Usually I only get a bass or perch or bluegill. We had some chilly weather up there this year. I don't remember a time in July where I had to wear a sweatshirt and this year I did. It was windy but dry. We went to the candy store up there, its huge! Everything you can imagine from chocolates to taffy to ice cream and jelly beans and fun toy type candy and sour and hot and everything, its overwhelming and you can expect to stay at least an hour. The pie shoppe across the street wasn't open until Friday so no pie for us. We grilled out chicken and burgers, we had pizza one night and went to a restaurant the last night there. We all got steak, except Alex he had a girl cheese (grilled cheese) samich (sandwich) and fries. We rented a pontoon so everyone could go out and fish even Jade. We ended up fishing until 9:00 and just as we pulled into the pier it started raining so we got lucky. After reviewing everything with Kato and discussing the cottage and what it means to us and what it means to the elders we have come to the conclusion that even though it is sad to see it go its probably for the best. We put up for sale signs and even let the realtor and some out of town buyers come in for a showing. We tried to sell it by explaining why the cottage was built north to south and how we have the best fishing spot on the lake and how it is so sturdy cause how it was built and that it has magical powers to melt away your stress and it lets you sleep so well at night. It could sell right away or take some time but anyway it goes it'll be ok. We have always understood why its for sale we just always had a plan in our heads as to what our future together would be like and the cottage was a big part of that plan. We hope that one day we can maybe build our own cottage and bring our kids and grandkids there. I am still holding out for the lottery but I should probably buy a ticket first. Anyway we had alot of fun and enjoyed every second. After we left we went to Green Bay to visit the grandparents and eat some awesome chili at our favorite spot. Michael had some chili and chicken and the rest of us had burgers and chili. It was so yummy. I have a friend who has young kids who only travel far distances with them at night and it wasn't until our trip home that I fully understood why. We would get going then one of the kids has to go big job, then someone had to throw up and then shortly after that one had to pee then another big job and of course ice cream. It took us 7 hours to get home once we left the cottage. It was a long trip but man it felt good to be home. We are now working on getting ready for my mom and grandma, they will be here Tuesday. thanks for reading xoxo

MICHAELS HOME!!!

It is so wonderful to have Michael home again. I missed him alot. He said he had a great time visiting everyone and enjoyed fishing and driving. The great news is that his flight was early!! A new leaf has been turned for him and his traveling luck. He got a little bigger while gone so now he is worried about wrestling and trying to watch what he eats. That is the one thing I hate about wrestling the pressure to gain the pressure to lose, its crap. He loves the sport and I want to support him its just heartbreaking for a parent to watch their kid go through that much pressure. Well today we are going to Noahs Ark. Its a huge waterpark in the Wisconsin Dells area. Alex is one inch shy from being able to ride on most rides so we will have Michael and Mikey hang out with him so Kato and I can go on the bigger rides. Jade is spending her first day away from me and is hanging out with grandma Jayne. I hope she will be good as she didn't sleep well and is struggling with a cold. She was up last night from 2 until after 3 and then woke up and cried for a few minutes at a time throughout the rest of the night. The hardest for me is the first time I am away from my kids for a long time. It gets easier but it tugs at my heart. I don't want to miss anything. They are only this age for such a short time and then you never get it back. I love all my kids so much and don't want to miss anything. Tomorrow we head up North for what will be a bittersweet time at the cottage. I guess there are for sale signs up and a realtor will be stopping in while we are there. It sucks. We broke the news to Michael yesterday and he was really shocked. I am still holding out for the lottery. Well off we go to Noahs Ark, who knows maybe Noah will be there and he could put in a good word to the big guy for us. thanks for reading xoxo

Thursday July 9

So both young kids now have a nasty cough and I am hoping they get better and not worse. We are going on vacation next week and I really want them both to feel good. I hope when Michael comes home he won't be sick too. We are going to pick him up in Milwaukee on Saturday and if you have read prior posts you know what that could mean. Thankfully the weather is supposed to be nice. At least here it is. He is then going to leave the following week for a couple of days to wrestling camp. We are excited to get up to the cottage as it may be the last time. The cottage could sell quick cause if you ask me its in good condition and has a really fantastic lot that gives you a perfect view of the lake and in my opinion has the best fishing spots really close by. Its Katos favorite place in the world and since he was in the Navy he has been to alot of places. July has the best fishing up there too. The Northerns are big and we hope to get some big bass and maybe a muskie. With Jade so little she won't be able to go out on the boat so when she is napping I can go out and hopefully get something photo worthy. As it stands I am the only Katers who has caught a walleye up there. It trumps any northern Kato has caught but he still tries. Alex has been practicing casting into our blow up pool in the backyard. He is getting good but I have a feeling he will be just like his big brother. Every few minutes we would hear Michael say "uh Kato could you help me please" and that means another 10 minutes of getting the snags out or untangling the fishing line. One time we went fishing and I hooked Kato in the head with a hook and because it was a Friday and we had a good movie to watch Kato didn't want to go to the hospital to get it removed so he slept with it in his head until the following day. I felt really bad but it just goes to show I really did catch the "big one" and now he is the best catch I ever caught. Fun times! thanks for reading xoxo

July 8

Last night we went to a Mallards game. It was alot of fun. We had seats along the 3rd base line. Alex had a great time playing in the jumpy duck, in the sand box and climbing on the playground. He ate some nachos and got his own drink, usually him and Dad share. Kato and I had hot dogs and french fries. Keith went with us and he had a huge turkey leg. It was pretty impressive and messy. I am glad we had some baby wipes. Jade enjoyed squash and applesauce. Keith bought the first round and I enjoyed a Mallard Ale on tap, it was yummy and so I drank half for myself and half for Stacey. Sorry Stacey I only had one so I had to share. We didn't stay for the entire game cause Jade needed to eat and was getting tired and Alex was tired too. Its for the best cause the Mallards gave up a home run with runners on 1st and 2nd. I missed how the other 2 runners scored cause I was trying to find Alex and Kato. By the time we left it was 5 to 0 and I am pretty sure the Mallards lost. I would like to go to another game without my young kids so I can enjoy more of the game. Before we left the house I picked some sweet peas from the garden and we all enjoyed snacking on them. They were so good. We didn't get home until late so both kids were sleeping. I go on vacation next week and its going to go too fast. Saturday we pick Michael up at the airport, Sunday we go to Noahs Ark, Monday up to the cottage, and then Michael leaves for wrestling camp on Sunday and back to work Monday and my mom and grandma will be here Tuesday or Wednesday. Summer is flying by. thanks for reading xoxo

Monday and Tuesday

We had a piece of cement that was chipping away and breaking. It was a huge safety hazard cause the kids or even adults could trip on it so we decided on Friday to break it all up and replace the cement. Kato went nuts with the hammers and got all the old cement out. I thought for sure he would be really sore but he seemed ok. He went to Menards and got 400 pounds of cement to fill it in. Since we didn't get back from the lake until late on Sunday he decided to pour it last night. Well 400 pounds wasn't enough so he had to go get more. After about 2 hours of work the cement was done. I wanted to put all our initials in it but settled for just K2. K2 is Kato and Kara. It started about 9 years ago and stuck. Anyway, I got the first K2 in and it looked really bad cause the cement was lumpy and big chunks were forming. So I erased it and redid it. It looked good not to big and not too small just a little K2 in the corner to represent our first home together. As it turns out its the only part of the cement that matches the rest of our driveway. The rest is a lighter color so maybe it was the magic of K2 once again. Well at least that's what I am going to say. Kato still has to put some caulk in the creases but at least now its not a huge ugly broken piece of cement. Alex and I got to taste the first peas of our garden. They were super sweet and really yummy. Today while the kids are outside playing I am going to pick the rest so we can snack on it. We are going to a Mallards game tonight and it should be fun. I hope Jade will be able to hang for the game. She sometimes doesn't like to be held alot she likes to play on the floor and roll around and stretch out. Even at the lake she was happy just laying on blankets on the ground rolling around, scooting about and playing. I woke up yesterday feeling like I got hit by a bus. My muscles were so sore and tight. No matter how much I stretched out they still hurt. Kato thought I was sore from sunburn but when I explained it wasn't sun burn it was wrecking the jet ski at 45 MPH with a 200 pound kid on the back and then having to swim 25 yards in freezing cold water only to climb myself back up on the jet ski that make me hurt. I had to run to Walgreens to pick up some ibuprofen and took both the kids so Kato could work on the cement. While we were there Alex had to go big job cause that's his MO! So in the bathroom he gets his business done and I flush the toilet well the thing was so loud it scared Jade so bad that she screamed bloody murder and the echo in that bathroom made it ten times worse. So after 20 minutes of the screaming she finally calmed down but I was frantic cause I am sore and realizing I still have to go to the Pig for groceries and then get home, unload, cook dinner, feed Jade, clean up and finally go to bed. Tuesdays are always a little more busy cause I have one extra kid but today is especially rough cause I am still sore and have a ton to do before we leave for the game. The kids are being good despite diaper rashes, bug bites, and bad coughs. Lets hope after nap it goes just as smooth. This pic is from the weekend, its most of us minus a few who were MIA durning picture time. thanks for reading xoxo

4th of July Weekend

What an awesome weekend!!! Katos Aunt Jennie and Uncle Runkle rented a house on Lake Michigan and invited the Lambs for a night. We were excited to go and I can't express how thankful we are to Jennie and Dick for a wonderful time. So Friday we got things ready to go cause we knew we wanted to leave early on Saturday to get there ASAP!! We left Saturday around 9:10 and got into Cleveland WI around 12:15. We had a quick bite to eat before getting to the house. Once there it was laughter, kids playing, sand castles, BBQ, fireworks, family and a whole lot of fun. It was so nice to spend time with Uncle Runkles side of the family. We roasted marshmallows and caught up with everyone and we spent some time being thankful for this wonderful holiday. It was a rough night sleep. It was so cold we had Jade and Alex in our bed just to keep them warm. Jade and Alex fought their sleep and it took awhile to get them to bed. Our air mattress that we spent time on Friday fixing a hole and making sure it wouldn't leak, ended up going flat. We were rudely awakened by an obnoxious bird at 4am and again at 5 and finally we got out of bed at 6:15am! Oh well I was ready and excited cause they got jet skis!!! We had to pick them up around 9 and Melissa, Amanda and I decided to ride them back to the house. I tried Yoga for the first time ever with Melissa on the pier and it was a fantastic. I want to get some videos and a mat and keep it going. I am glad I did it cause the jet skis were a work out and without that morning stretch I would probably be worse then I am right now. So the ladies go pick up the jet skis at 9:15am. It was the best time EVER! We planned a grand entrance with a show of our jet skiing skills and ended at the beach in a famous Charlies Angels pose. It was so much fun just hanging out with the girls planning it and laughing and going super fast. Once we got to the beach everyone was watching us and I hope to get some copies of the photos taken cause I know they will be great! I took Alex and Kato for a ride and Alex loved going fast (45MPH) he didn't want to get off. I took Javier out for a ride and told him my plan was to knock him off the back...well he decided to take me with him. We bit it hard and ended up about 20 yards away from the jet ski and had to swim in super cold water. That was the last time I tried to knock someone off cause I was so sore! Everyone loved the jet skis they were a big hit! The Lamb sisters went out and had fun too. We had lunch, did some kayaking, relaxed and enjoyed everyones company before heading for home around 3pm. The kids were so tired they slept the entire way home. There is alot more I can share but its getting late so maybe I will write more about it tomorrow. So a big big big thank you to Aunt Jennie and Uncle Runkle and also Happy Birthday!! Hope you all had a good 4th of July! thanks for reading xoxo

Just a vent

I got a note from Michaels school saying that in order to reserve a calculator for next year we had to send in a form and a check by May 22. So I did right away. The check that was so badly needed in a timely manor before May 22 that I wrote out on May 17th has yet to be cashed. I also got a letter from his wrestling coach saying in order for Michael to go to wrestling camp a check was needed by June 19. So on June 17 we hand delivered a check to the coach at his house as per his request. As of today it has not yet been cashed. Why do people need so much money right away and when they get it do NOTHING!! Don't worry about the burden you put on people when its needed right away with only days notice especially for people who live on a budget cause as long as you get what you need what do you care!! JUST CASH THE FRICKEN CHECKS ALREADY SO I CAN BALANCE MY CHECK BOOKS YOU IDIOTS!!! I like to pay my bills on time and I keep a close eye on how long it takes for the checks to get there and cashed and if they are late getting cashed I call and check up on it. I guess its just another stupid pet peeve I have. thanks for reading this vent. xoxo

Just thinking out loud

I don't understand why on my day off I insist on waking up at the butt crack of dawn and getting out of bed to start my day. For example this morning I was awake at 5:15 to feed the daughter and when I tried to go back to sleep it didn't work. I started thinking about all kinds of things. I thought about the fact that the cottage is on the market and how sad it is to lose Katos most favorite place in the world and I wished and wished that we could win a little bit of the lottery so that we can keep it. I thought about going to lake michigan tomorrow and all the dangers that await my young kids like them falling into the water without life jackets, which is crazy cause I make them wear them or getting bit by a snake or fireworks set our tents on fire. I swear I think of the most awful things that could happen just so I can think about how to avoid them or get out of danger. I thought about driving in the mountains and what would happen if we got stranded...its not even winter and I was thinking about getting stuck in the snow!! I thought about all the things I need to get done before Monday. I thought about my Grandma coming and how I worry about her safety going up and down the stairs into our house and how I could make it easy for her to get in and out of the bathtub. The worst part was I thought about the entire month of July and how it seems summer is over before its even started. I need a switch inserted into my head that I can just turn off so that I can stop worrying, planning, checking off lists in my head. Do you think life would be easier if money wasn't an issue and if your children were guaranteed to be safe and happy? Its nice to think about but believe me it will keep you awake at night or at least in the early morning. Thanks for reading. XOXO