Guess who turned 99?!?!?!

My great-grandma (dad's grandma and kid's great-great-grandma) turned 99 on Friday. She lives in a nursing home in Brighton. She has severe dementia, but was having a good day, so it was a lot of fun. She seemed really happy and I'm glad so many of us were able to come celebrate! 

The funniest thing that Hunter said was, "Great-great grandma turns 99, then 100, and then she'll be dead!" I told him not to tell her that and she could live longer, but it was pretty funny when he said that, like it was matter of fact! 

My dad on the left, great grandma, Kim and Kurt (Kurt is my dad's first cousin)

Baby Tyler, Connie, and Joe.

Nick and Hunter. We ate in the cafeteria area at her place, since she can't really be taken out. We had lasagna, mac and cheese, salad, etc...and cake! 

Tyler is Hunter/Jack's cousin...he's about 1.5 years old. 

My mom and sister

My Aunt Rhonda (my dad's sister) and her newest grandson, Blake. Tyler and Blake's mom and dad were at the Tiger's game, but their aunt Connie and Rhonda/Joe brought the kids. It's pretty cool that we have five generations, but my great-grandma's sons were not there :( Her son, my grandma Ron, lives in FL. We are hoping to fly down to see him in July for his 80th birthday. 

Great-Grandma with Hunter and I. Hunter was really good about talking to her and wishing her a happy birthday. 

Jack has no pants on...he spilled a whole cup of chocolate milk on them right when we got there, so we had to take them off for the rest of the evening. I guess even at this age bringing spare clothes would not be a bad idea! 

She's smiling and happy!!

My cousin Connie was entertaining the boys while I tried to rock baby Blake--he was pretty fussy! 

99th birthday cake...wow, I hope I live that long, although not sure I want to if my mind is not there. 

She couldn't really blow out the cake, so Hunter and Jack gladly offered to help :)

Helping great-great grandma blow out her candles!! 

I remember when I was a kid, she lived in FL and was in great shape. We used to play some type of rummy game with pennies and we always enjoyed seeing her. We'd go to FL in our family motor home to see my grandpa, his wife, and Marie. When she couldn't take care of herself anymore, we moved her up to MI so we could help take care of her. My mom is her primary caregiver (even though it's my dad's grandma)...I wish I could see her more, but it's hard to take the kids there b/c it's boring for them. And some days she just doesn't have a clue as to who I am or what is going on. It's kind of sad to see all the ladies there b/c I feel like they are waiting to die. I know they are well taken care of, but it's just not a great way to live :( At least she has a lot of family close and probably has more visitors than a lot of other residents. 

Happy 99th Birthday Great-Grandma!!!

Zoo with the kids and Gammy Dori

I'm finally going to catch up on some posts...it's about time! 

A few weeks ago Nick's mom (aka Gammy Dori) came to visit. She stayed two nights and we took the kids to the zoo one of the days. Saturday morning she watched Jack for us so Nick could take Hunter to basketball b/c I had to go to an event in Flint for a few hours. We had fun! Of course my camera battery died as soon as we got to the zoo, but she sent me some pictures. 

Jack watching the seals under water

 Hunter and Gammy walking and holding hands...so cute

 We took the train ride and Jack was yelling "choo choo" the whole time! 

 Momma and her baby elephant...Last year I went to the zoo when the baby was only a few weeks old, so now she is about a year old

 This was with my cell phone....Hunter wanted to sit with Gammy so Jack and I sat behind them :)

 We went on the carousal too, which the kids loved! 

Thanks again for coming Gammy!! 

1 cent fun and a few other random things...

Jack and I went to Meijer on Wednesday night. I had to get a few items to make a dish for the following day. He was so good throughout the store (a sucker sure helps), so we rode the horse on the way out. He was SO excited!!!

This is so much fun mommy!!

This is my FAVORITE. Sooooo cute.

The few other random things...

1) My great-grandma Marie turns 99 today. How awesome? We are going to see her tonight. Hunter said this morning, "My great-great grandma is 99. Next year she'll be 100 and then she'll be dead". I guess he thinks everyone dies at 100.

2) Jack got his first bloody nose yesterday. Hunter has never had one (except for when he picks it too much). Jack, Hunter and Nick were rough housing and Jack dove onto a chair in the family room and smashed his face into the side of it. He was pretty upset and there was blood all over the place which probably scared him more. He was wiggling away to try and go back to playing before I could even stop all the blood, so he's a tough cookie :)

3) Nick and I are going to Washington DC in about two weeks. No kids and I'm thrilled. I've never been there and can't wait. I am more excited to spend time alone with Nick, go out to eat, and just sleep...we could do that anywhere, but I am also somewhat looking forward to seeing DC. It's for a work conference for Nick, but it's more of a reward trip, so he doesn't have to do much, if any, work or classes.

That's it for now...have a great weekend!!

One of the many reasons I love my husband

Hunter is in a mood today. He was good at church school, but since he got in the car afterwards, it's like he took a crazy pill. It's been nonstop and I'm at my wits end. A good example was in the car on the way home from Costco, he was kicking my seat as hard as he could, screaming at the top of his lungs, and swinging his hat around. I took his hat away at first and he cried hysterically. It made him even more mad and all the threatening I did would not make him stop kicking my seat. I lost my temper and he was not phased...ahhhhhhhhhhhh. I was honestly dreading the time between 3:30pm-8:30pm. After quiet time Nick suggested that he take Hunter to see a movie to get him out of the house. I said, "that could be a huge mistake. why do you want to do that?" His response..."To save you from this." How sweet. I just told him I fell more in love with him today after this kind gesture. I owe him BIG TIME.

Hunter's visit to the dentist

Some of our close friends moved back to Michigan last summer. Jacque is a dentist and I am so happy that we can switch to her practice. I am a skeptic of dentists b/c of some past experiences I've had. For example, when I was prego with Hunter, this guy in South Lyon said I needed like five cavities and then when I went somewhere else, they said I didn't need any. Had I believed this guy, I would have five unnecessary cavities and would have been out like $1,200 (we don't have dental insurance). Then my last dentist told me I needed a cavity. After spending $350 on that, on the way out, they said really I needed a crown on that tooth for $950. Why didn't they stop when they discovered I really needed a crown? And I could have just paid the $950? I don't get it. It has just been one thing after another. I know they need to make a living, but I just feel like things get done when they shouldn't b/c the patients don't know any better. I know I can trust my friend, so this makes me happy! Anyway, Hunter had an appt for a cleaning on Monday, so we went there. He was so good!

The hygienist cleaned his teeth...he couldn't wait to see Dr. Jacque!
He got to wear the cool sunglasses to block the bright light :)

They said he was so sweet and well behaved (yay, for once). I love moments like that when he makes me proud...they are few and far between these days, so I'll take what I can get. He just acted like such a big boy! Thanks Jacque!!!

Mommy's helper...and tantrums

I have a lot to catch up on, but I've been so busy. I think I say that every time I go to do a post these days. I want to keep this blog up to date, but it's hard right now. Work is crazy all the time and by the time the kiddos are in bed, I just want to clean up and hang out a little before going to bed! Or like tonight, I won't get home until 10:30pm and then I just go straight to bed. Anyway, Jack INSISTED on vacuuming the other day. Nick and Hunter were at Costco and I was cleaning up for our Easter dinner guests, so I pulled out the vacuum after Jack woke up from his nap. He wanted to do it all and would not let me help. Finally I convinced him to get his child vacuum so I could finish up. See pictures below. He is a determined little guy these days and knows what he wants. Speaking of, the kid throws tantrums. It's so annoying. Hunter never threw tantrums and Jack just does it all the time when he doesn't get his way. At first I thought it was funny, but now I get annoyed and have to walk away from him. I actually got him on video the other night when he refused to get in his car seat...I'll post it tomorrow b/c it's funny. I actually couldn't video the best part which was me wrestling him in the seat and strapping him in while he screamed bloody murder...I got the part after where he's still screaming before I turned on Elmo to calm him down. Too funny. I hope CPS doesn't show up on my doorstep b/c there were lots of people in the parking lot staring at me!!!

He's darn sweet when he's helping and NOT throwing a tantrum! Don't you love the two kid chairs in the middle of the room? They come and go b/c they fight a lot over who sits in which one.

Jack takes his job very seriously.

Have a good day!!!

Poor Baby

Jack has not been himself for several days now. Just fussy, not sleeping as well as usual, not eating much, etc. He's had a runny nose, so I just thought he caught something from Hunter who has had a cough and raspy voice for a while. We have a hard time dealing with Jack when he's like this b/c we're not used to it...normally he's a very easy child compared to my other child. Julie, our nanny, said Jack had a very rough day on Tuesday. When I got home from work, Jack was just beside himself and I decided to take him to the dr before the long holiday weekend. We went to the walk-in clinic and turns out he had a fever of 101 and an ear infection. I felt so badly b/c he really didn't feel like he had a fever and I just wish I would have taken him in sooner. They gave him some motrin right there in the office to help with the fever and the yummy pink medicine for his ear infection. We got going on the meds last night and he was better today. Still not back to his normal self, but better. I hate to see my poor baby like this and I'm glad he's on the mend. I am praying for a good night sleep tonight. We've had a rough week or so with him sleeping in general, so I need to catch up :)

Sunday we went to Hudson Mills for this Easter event...we went with Connie, Heather, Tyler, Blake, and another family of 5 who live down the street. Jack was pretty fussy and when it came time to leave he had a complete meltdown in the parking lot. It was a disaster! Above is Jack on the way home...so sad!
Here is Jack at the doctor's office last night. He got a huge popsicle and he still looked so pathetic. The nurses and doctor all loved him. They said they'd never seen a child be so good when they had to get the wax out of his ears. They had to flush it out so they could see if he had an ear infection.

All dogs go to heaven

Our dog, Chopper, was our "practice baby". We loved him so much when we first brought him home...took tons of pictures, cuddled, threw him a birthday party, and treated him so well. Over the years, things have changed, especially for me. When we had kids, the dog took a backseat. Now he pretty much drives me insane. He's jealous and will stand over you (to exert his dominance) or get right in your face, or sit on you, etc. I really can't stand it and can't stand that Nick won't discipline him AT ALL. I still am civil to the dog, but I don't have much patience. Thankfully, Nick still loves the dog. They spoon in bed at night and they cuddle together more than Nick and I do. No joke. Literally there have been times I'm getting a back rub by Nick, the dog comes over, he stops rubbing my back and starts petting the dog. WTF.

Anyway, on to the real point of this post. My mom got a boxer 11 years ago. She had one when she first got married and she cried on her honeymoon b/c she missed her dog (I think she told me that). My dad was probably jealous of the dog and therefore, she never had another boxer, until Bailey came along. She LOVES this dog SO much. My mom would do anything for her dog. When Bailey's back legs became paralyzed about a year ago, she got the dog a fancy cart to ride around in, a wheelchair, a strap thing to hold her back end up with, etc. She put carpet runners down throughout her whole house and the driveway. She drove Bailey to the vet in Ann Arbor at least once a week for acupuncture. Only the best for Bailey. Nick used to joke before we were married that Bailey had a better life than him. Except for it really might be true, so it wasn't really even supposed to be a joke. Well, my mom and dad had to put Bailey to sleep yesterday. Her front legs weren't working well and it had just become too much. Accidents in the house, barely moving, hard on my mom, couldn't leave her alone, etc. It was also my grandpa's birthday yesterday (he passed in 2000), and he LOVED boxers, so the date was intentional to an extent. I am feeling heartbroken for my parents. I know how devastated my mom is. She was crying every day for weeks leading up to this and told me that yesterday was literally the worst day of her entire life. They will not be getting another dog...They do have partial custody of Emily's boxer, so that will help a little, but of course it's not the same. Please pray for my mom b/c she really is having a tough time...and I'm sure my dad is too, but he doesn't really show it. All 4 of us went over to my parent's on Saturday night to see Bailey one last time...it was really sad :(

In Grand Haven with my parents...they were staying on their boat. They would go for walks pulling Bailey in her cart. It looks like a pack and play on wheels! What a life!!

Well, I told my mom that Bailey was in a better place and I'm sure my grandpa would take good care of her. She gave Bailey the best life anyone could ever give a dog. Bailey went to work everyday with my mom, so she was very rarely left alone--and if she was, lights and the tv were left on for her...my sister does the same thing...crazy if you ask me, but whatever. I could go on a lot longer about how spoiled rotten Bailey was, but I won't. Anyway, mom and dad, I'm sorry that you are having to go through this and hope you have fun in FL.

County Farm Park

Last week I met up with Hillary and her two kids at the park. Another MOPS mom, Kate, and her daughter came too, but didn't stay for long, therefore, no pictures of them. I haven't been to this park in a while and it's changed...for the better. The only problem is the large play structure is meant for bigger kids, yet of course the little kids want to play on it...it made us a little nervous, but no one got hurt :)

Hillary's daughter, Gabby....she is SO adorable!!!

Jackson and Jack barely played together. This is about as close as they got. That's how it always goes when us moms want to hang out and the kids are running in opposite directions!

My cutie pie! This is mid-March and it's 80 degrees...shorts and short sleeves---so unbelievable!!

I thought these were cool...they provided shade too which was niceThe Parks & Recreation dept is doing really well financially so they were able to expand and update many parks recently. I do the retirement plan for the county, so clients tell me that basically the Parks area has millions to spend updating things, buying land to turn into parks, etc. It's pretty neat to have a job where you spend the county's money to design more parks. I've read that there are around 150 parks in Ann Arbor...how cool is that? Some are just nature trail areas, some have playgrounds, etc. What a great place to raise kids!!

Gammy Dori visit :)

Nick's mom and step dad go to Texas for the winter, so they always like to come visit and see the kids when they return (and they make us look SO pale!!)...

This is one happy Gammy getting to see her favorite grandsons...haha...her only grandsons.
Hunter was excited to see her too!

Jack...my adorable boy, who has turned into a terrible two officially (I'm crying as I type).

We tried to get several pictures, but guess who wasn't cooperating? The kid with his tongue out. I tell him someone will cut it off if he keeps sticking it out and then he won't be able to talk. Most kids might get scared. He walks up to me, sticks it out, and says "get the scissors". This kid is too smart for me. I can't win.

Goofing around with Jack :)

We are glad they made it back safely...Gammy is coming back in a few weeks to hang out with me for the day when Hunter is on spring break. We hope to go to the zoo if it's nice!