Cottage Time

We finally made it to the cottage.  First time all summer.  Who knew how fast the summer was going to go!? 

Grandpa is showing the girls an eagle’s nest.

There is a whole lot of Emmerich going on in this picture!

Uncle Bill let Mallory drive the pontoon again!

Auntie Gayle and Max are checking out something in the binoculars.

And we all must be checking out the same thing that Max is looking at.  Maybe that eagle’s nest again.  Not sure.

Ellyn & Mallory!  They could be sisters!

After the pontoon ride we all came back to the river and the kids finally got to get into the water.

The water was so clear and the kids were finding all kind of treasures.  They were super stoked about their 5 clams they found!  We thought about cooking them up or making clam chowder but we couldn’t get anyone to actually commit to eating it.

We thought for sure that Garrett had snuck all 5 clams into his Mom’s van and took them home.  But then Jesse told us he threw them back into the river when no one was looking.

Jesse does this to the kids all. the. time.  The kids will trap all kind of bugs and will be so proud and they will pack that cage full of fresh leaves and then leave it outside and then once the kids are tucked into bed for the night he is out there opening their cages!! 

The last time we stayed at the cottage Grandma drew them a gigantic color picture and Mallory requested another one.

This might have to become a cottage tradition.  Pancakes and custom color pictures!

Passports & Popsicles

In one of our classes we are traveling around the world and they get passports.  That means they needed passport photos so I took some quick photos.

Just for fun I attempted a Melanie photo too.

I took the pictures in the morning and we made our passports in the afternoon and I noticed that the only one wearing the same clothes was the baby!  The other two had changed!! 

They change clothes so many times a day.  It drives me crazy!

So I tried this little trick of hiding their clean clothes in the spare bedroom and letting them run out of clothes. 

They found my secret stash of clean clothes!!!   No joke!!

Pokey Melanie got left here to finish her popsicle all by herself. 

This girl!  She growls at you if attempt to help her with her popsicle like a momma bear!  I just want to push her popsicle up the stick, but nope she doesn’t want any part of that.

So she continues until she gets so far down and she chokes on the stick and then she abandons it and wants nothing to do with it anymore. 

Finding her place in our little family.

All Dressed Up!

Well four of us got dressed up and one of us says, I dress up 5 days a week I am taking the day off. 

Jesse’s secretary got married and we went to the reception and snuck away for a family picture with my good friend (who happens to be neighbors with Jesse’s secretary and was at the wedding too!).  We were walking to a different a location but then spotted an aqua chippy brick building and we found our picture spot!  {Mom lets go here for real family pictures!!}

Max. Can. Not. Take. Decent. Pictures.

I have a friend who has a huge blown up canvas picture of her entire family making silly faces and it is the best picture ever!  She might be onto something and I just need to embrace this wild child of mine and hang them on my wall even though they are not “perfect”. 

These three girls!

Lots of giggles and silliness when they are together!  Max would not get in the picture with them but he is usually right in this silly mix.

Free Time

It was the end of a long day of school and the kids had free time and they were not using it wisely and I was going crazy!  I needed to iron shirts and Melanie was climbing the ironing board!  I was so close to sending an email to Jesse telling him “I vote for a cleaning lady, can I get a second?”  But I didn’t.  He works incredibly hard and never once complains about his duties.  So I with held my complaint and sent the kids outside and grabbed my camera.  Thought a little camera therapy was in order and when was the last time I followed the kids around with a camera documenting them.  Can’t remember.  So off I went.

No lie!  She is a huge apple fan.  Still stealing and eating apples.  Going back up for more.

I was telling her no more apples and to come back down.

Oh and he keeps the boy-ness in my days!  *shaking my head*

They found a grass hopper and were inspecting it.

I love this plant with my flag I stuck in there.

Mallory requested a close up picture of the grasshopper.

Oh guess who is still eating apples.  Miss Muffet.

I thought it would be good to get a picture of all of us.  Since I am with these fools 24 hours a day and have like no pictures to prove that I was really there with them.

One picture and they left.  Except someone wanted to go back up and get more apples.

Sit down little lady!

My view as I was sitting on the deck steps.

Kids are swinging.  They swing all day long!! 

Mallory spots a spider.

Max throws a rock on it.

Melanie grabbed my finger and we went for a walk.

The other two wanted to go on our walk too and we all had to hold hands.

Then I ditched them and went to make supper while they kept playing outside… and that lasted a whole 10 minutes before they were in by me again and Melanie was trying to get more apples.