Dear Abby (age 7)

My dear sweet Abby –

I can hardly believe you are seven today!  Seven years ago today I was snuggling you tight in my arms thinking how our whole lives had changed in the matter of a few hours.  You were tiny and perfect and all together ours and we knew that we were about to embark on the grandest of adventures – parenting!  Well, now, seven years later I can honestly say that while we’ve learned a lot, and you’ve taught us a lot, we still have lots and lots to learn!  You were a sweet baby, a great sleeper and overall easy peasy!  As you grew into toddlerhood and started to share your own little personality we learned that you are so much like me in many many ways.  We tease you that you will probably never been an endurance athlete (don’t worry, I won’t either) and that you are the slowest poke (it’s true…you are the queen of dawdling) but you are also so kind and so thoughtful.  You want so much for us to praise you and be proud of you.  You work hard and you are so so smart!  You are going into second grade in just a few short days and you are already reading at the third grade level, you are a great speller (I was NOT), you are a rule follower and you have a very kind heart.  You are sensitive and aware of how your actions or actions of others affect people and of all the things I hope for you, I hope most of all that you continue to be KIND.   Above all else, be kind.

Favorite Toy: You’ve always gravitated towards art stuff.  A few years ago you told me you wanted to be an artist when you grow up and when you were little, I even had a hashtag for you, #artistabby.  You are really good at following directions, so things like Kiwi crates and pearler bead patterns are always a hit for you.  But, you also always remember what Bubby told you one Thanksgiving: “There are no rules in art”!  You are good at painting and getting much better at coloring….though, you are still pretty messy at coloring.  I think you get bored! 

BUT… I can’t have a category called “Favorite Toy” without mentioning what is, without a doubt, your favorite toy – your owls.  You still sleep with them every night and you still take them in the car just about anywhere we go.  They travel with us on vacations and they are right next to you at night when you sit down to watch a little TV before bed.  They have been, and still are your most favorite toy!

Favorite Food: You, my dear, are a creature of habit!!  You know what you like and I’m finding after writing these now for a few years that not a whole lot changes year to year for you.  Your favorite food is hands down, buttered noodles.  You also like cereal, chicken nuggets, Daddy Mac and Cheese (Velveta…yuck!), and SPAGHETIOS!  Actually, now that I remembered that I almost feel like I should swap that in as your favorite food.  It is a toss-up, that’s for sure.  You will literally eat an entire can all by yourself (Mom award for feeding you food from a can…eye roll!).  But, you also like lots of healthy things too.  You drink lots of milk, much more than your sister does.  And you like strawberries, apples and raspberries the best…and canned peaches.  YUCK!  HAHA!  More canned foods for the win around here.  In first grade you learned a lot about eating healthy foods and what that means and it’s helped you get a little better about trying new things.  About two years ago I put my foot down that I wasn’t cooking kid meals in addition to the main meals Daddy and I were eating and it was a struggle early on, and I would NOT consider us totally over the fight, but I do think we’re over the hump on that whole thing and while you might not actually like what we’re having as a family, you know that you have to eat it.  The rule is if you don’t finish your dinner, you don’t get a treat and that has been working pretty well for us.  Though, we DID have to add in a 30 minute timer because, man can you dawdle.  One hour plus meals are a REAL thing around here and I’m over it!

Favorite Color: Easy, blue.  It’s been blue since you were like 2.  It’s not changed!

Bears/Packers:  Another one that hasn’t changed over the years.  You know that I like the Packers and Daddy like the Bears and you are the ultimate politician when you say “sometimes I like the Bears and sometimes I like the Packers”.  HA!  I think someday you’ll pick one and stick to it!  Or…maybe you’ll be into college football more?  We’re taking you and Hazel to the Wisconsin/Purdue game in late November.  I have a feeling Daddy is going to have you decked out in Purdue gear…much to Grandma and Papa’s dismay.  

Favorite TV show:  Like your sister, you don’t often get to pick what you watch on TV.  It’s just whatever’s on between 6:30-7:30 pm BUT….when you DO get to pick you’ve been watching a show called Tot’s on Disney Junior.

Some firsts this year:

·        Learning to ride a bike – It’s true!  You DO know how to do it….but you are totally against doing it for some reason.  You’ve convinced yourself you can only ride in the grass and only on totally flat ground.  Getting you to practice is a total fight and it causes a lot of whining and near tears so Daddy and I have decided that as some point you are going to WANT to ride and you’ll have the courage to try it then…but for now we’re going to stop asking and stop pushing you to do it.  You can!  I’ve seen you…but it has to be your choice and for that we’re going to just wait it out.

·         Losing a tooth – First grade (and 6) brought your first loose teeth and your first visit from the tooth fairy.  The first tooth to go was a bottom front one, and then a second bottom front one right around Christmas.  You lost your first top front tooth right before Memorial Day and just like that, we’re going into 7 with three big teeth coming in and many more to follow!

·         Swimming without a life jacket – You actually started swimming without a life jacket when you were 6, last summer at the Outer Banks, but I’d say that it wasn’t until this summer that you really came into the intendance of swimming without it.  This summer you swim in the pool without it almost 100% but when we’re in deeper waters where there is more going on (like the lake) you still like the comfort of having it on and knowing you are good to go.  And…for that I am thankful! 

·         Sleepovers – Yep, first grade brought our first ever sleepovers with friends.  Of course you’ve been having sleepovers with us or with grandparent’s all over the country since you were born…but this year was your first time having a sleepover at a friend’s house (with parents I didn’t know!).  A big first for you and for me!  We’ve hosted sleepovers here now and you’ve been to Amelia’s house a handful of times this school year.  I love that you are getting to have this time to grow your friendships and explore a little more freedom.  I do NOT love how grumpy you are when you come home!  We have a pretty strict 7:30 bedtime in our household and most times we uphold that.  I have a feeling when you are at sleepovers its MUCH later and you are still getting up at your normal time meaning we do NOT get the best of you when you come home later in the day!  But, hopefully we’ll grow into that skill too.

·         Summer Camp – This summer we tried out summer camp for 1 week each month.  The Huntley Park District offers a great day camp and I thought you would LOVE having a few weeks where you were stuck with the “babies” at Brenda’s….a place where you could hang out with kids your age and swim and have activities and even field trips.  But, you just didn’t seem to LOVE it.  It’s not that you disliked it, not at all, but when I asked if you wanted to go for your third and final week you told me you’d rather go to Brenda’s with Hazel.  On the one hand, I’m so happy that you enjoy it there and that you like playing with your sister…on the other,  I thought you’d really enjoy some big kid time and I was looking to push you out of your comfort zone a little.  Much like bike riding though, you’ll tell me when you’re ready….and I’ll wait until then!

Favorite Outfit:  Unlike your sister, you just really do NOT care about clothes.  Every single morning I ask you if you want me to pick or if you want to pick and every single morning you have me do it.  So, I’ll enjoy that while it lasts and keep picking things that make me happy.  Like your Resist Like Ruth shirt, or your Harry Potter t-shirt.   I love you in little rompers and you are adorable in dresses!

Fears: Well, right now I’d say your biggest fear can be broadly categorized as trying new things.  It’s not that you won’t try, but you aren’t adventurous and you like to know what to expect.  Like bike riding for example….you can do it…you just don’t have the confidence to want to try it on your own.  You are timid and shy but you are SO smart and your little brain is going a mile a minute!

Favorite Movie:  I think your favorite movie might be the Nightmare Before Christmas….how strange!!  Daddy picked it up for you guys last fall at Walmart for like $5 and it’s often one of the first ones you grab when it’s your turn to pick a movie.  Other favorites include the live version of Beauty and the Beast and Trolls.  

A sweet story about you:  Since you get off the bus before I grab Hazel from daycare it means that we have some time each day in the car by ourselves.  Sometimes we use it to do homework, like spelling or reading and sometimes, when we're all caught up (or like now, in the summer...when we don't have homework) we just talk!  Little girl, it's turning into one of my favorite parts of the day with you.  Recently you started asking me "Mommy, what should we talk about?" and sweet girl, I hope you ask me this forever and ever.  I usually say "I don't know, what do you want to talk about" and then you usually tell me about your day or about a kid you interacted with or you ask me questions about something you don't understand.  I hope we keep having these little chats for the rest of your life!  I'm always here to listen sweet girl.

Height/Weight:  You are just short of 47 inches and you weigh 41 lbs.  Your 5 point harness car seat will fit you until you are 65 lbs which, at this rate will be just in time for you to start driving! HA!

1 Family x 12 (August)

Because sometimes we're just too cute to pick just one!  Of course...having a real photographer doesn't hurt our chances of getting a good one.

Lumberjack Competition

Last summer when we were at Country Thunder and debating if we wanted to attend again in 2019 Chris mentioned that he'd always wanted to go to the Lumberjack Competition in Hayward Wisconsin and it was always the same weekend as Country Thunder.  Now, having spent the majority of my childhood summers in and near Hayward I was surprised to find out that this existed...and I'd never been!  So, that's when the planning began.  Of course, you never have to twist our arms to go on vacation - especially to northern Wisconsin.

The girls and I left a day early with my parents and Ruby and I've never been so thankful for the work from home life!  I worked the entire drive up - until I lost cell service - and then I finished off the day at the Loon Salon on a call with the UK and Canada (and a beer on the table next to me!).  Leaving a day earlier meant that I got to spend an entire day at the lake with my parents and Aunt Peggy before the rest of the crew arrived.  I knew I'd feel torn staying at a house on another lake and not spending enough time at Trapper so I'm so glad we made it work to go up a day early.  We played cribbage and Yhatzee....my mom and Peggy did a treasure hunt for the girls and we just relaxed and settled into a vacation schedule. 

On Wednesday afternoon Ryan, Chris/Brenna/Rowan and Sarah/Dan all arrived and we checked into the VRBO house we'd rented on Nelson/Spider Lake.  The house we found was perfect for us and we rented a pontoon for 2 days so that we could explore the lake and get the most out of our time there!

Thursday we set aside to visit Hayward and attend the Lumberjack Competition.  Chris/Brenna and Sarah/Dan actually bought 3 day tickets to the event but I had my doubts about how much the kids would like it so we just went for the one day.  It turned out it was Family Day and they were celebrating Smokey Bear's 75th Birthday.  So, they had lots of things for the kids to do and overall I think they enjoyed it.  Now that we've been once we sure know what we'd do differently next time.  Like - don't show up until like 5 or 6 pm!  While there are SOME things going on before that, the main show really doesn't start until the evening meaning we had LOTS of time to kill that day. 

I didn't end up with a lot of pictures from this trip - my phone randomly started acting up and completely shut down for 2 days.  I'm glad it started working again, but I feel like I missed some stuff along the way for sure!

Friday we had a boat day planned so my parents came over to spend the afternoon/evening with us.  We took the boat out and explored, did puzzles, smoked brisket, ate too much, drank too much and generally just relaxed and enjoyed the amazing weather we'd landed on!  It was mid 80's during the days and low 60's at night.  The sun was out and it only rained one time on Saturday afternoon (it missed us at Trapper lake!).

Finally on Saturday Ryan and the girls and I spent the day at Trapper while the rest of the group hung out at home and went back to Lumberjack for the finale.  As always, Ryan had a project - helping to install an electric outlet for campers at the lake.  But probably my favorite part of the day was when we took the kids fishing at they actually caught fish!  We'd tried a few other times during the trip and didn't have any luck.  But, thanks to a stop at the Loon Salon to grab night-crawlers and the adults hooking fish for the kids to reel in, we finally got some fish on the hooks and into the boats.  Though, I think the girls favorite part was Uncle Joe's 4 wiener dogs!

Up North is such a nostalgic place for me.  I have so many memories of my own summers up there - I always leave wishing we could have had just one or two more days.  I think we may try to carve out a full week up there next year!

7th Annual Cousin's Camping

7 years running and the weather on Cuzzies Camping always seems to surprise us.  We've had everything from extreme heat (6 years ago it was SUPER HOT like this year) to snow and just about every temperature in between.  You guys sure are troopers to continue to put up with us touring you around the Midwest in search of new and interesting places to camp.  This year was Devil's Lake and even though it was near 100 degrees when we did our 3 mile, 2 hour hike, the views were amazing and the hike was worth it!

Even Hiker Hazel and Abby stuck with us and hiked the entire way.  This year we've really made huge strides in the hiking department.  We no longer carry them in the backpacks and even Abby was excited to explore (well, I should clarify, she was excited at the beginning, far less so at the end!).

And, after our long hot hike it seemed like a terrific idea to load up our chairs and a cooler and head to the beach.  That is, it was a great idea for the 15 minutes we were there before the downpour!  But, we made the most of it and laughed the entire way home.  

All in all, another great trip in the books.  We always look forward to Cuzzies Camping each year.  Our group changes a little each year (some years we've had nearly 20 people) and as more new babies are being added it's going to grow even more.  We're already planning for next year's trip...and potentially Cuzzies Upgraded 2020 (in which we ditch the campers and tents for an all inclusive beach resort in Feb).  We'll see!

That time Hazel cut her own hair.....

Well friends, we've come to the end of an era.  The era in which I successfully raised two daughters for seven years without anyone cutting their own hair.  I suppose on some level it was bound to happen, but it didn't make me any happier about it, let me tell you!  So we'll start with a before picture (above).  This is Hazel, just a few short days before she got a hold of some scissors in her room.  Insert Duh...Duh...Duh music now....

Ryan and I just sat down from dinner when Hazel came down from her room with her Barbie saying, "Look how pretty I am...I cut my hair".  No joke guys...my fork dropped to my plate.  "Wait what?"

 Yep, that's right, that's two huge snips out of her hair.  At two different lengths.  Not to mention that she also cut her Barbie's hair.  I wasn't up there to see, but I imagine it went something like "I wonder what would happen if I cut my Barbie's hair?"  Which lead to "That looks nice, I should do it to mine too".  Insert eye roll!

When I asked her where her hair was she told me it was upstairs in her garbage can...I suppose at least she had the good sense to not make me clean up a mess on top of it!  Long story short, I was not please.  Ryan was a little more "kids will be kids" about it than I was....I fumed about it for awhile and then decided to grab a beer and deal with it the next day.

I was torn about taking her to a salon.  On the one hand I was furious at her for cutting her own hair...she knows better.  And I didn't want her to get to do a new, fun (and fancy) thing because she was naughty!  We don't get rewards when we do naughty things!  On the other hand, I have been TRYING to get her hair long enough to get back in a pony for YEARS.  It's always in her face and always tangled and messy.  I didn't want her looking crazy and I wanted a fix for my own personal sanity.  So...to the salon we went...

Little turd!  I'm pretty happy with the result.  They added some bangs in the front and a little bit of layers on the one side to help make it look intentional.  At the end of the day it looks fine.  I know that this too shall pass and it'll be grown out before I know it.  But, in that moment, I was not a pleased Mommy!

I write this blog so that we can look back on our family and read about our ups and our downs.  So that we can remember all these little moments that make up our life stories but also tend to get lost in the cracks.

Hazel's 4th Birthday Party

I can hardly believe that my little tiny Hazel is a four year old!!  And maybe it's just something about second kids...or maybe it's just Hazel, but this little girl sure is in a hurry to grow up!  As soon as we told her she should start saying she's four when people ask "how old are you" she immediately started answering "I'm six".  This kid!  She went from "I'm free and a half" to "I'm six" in just one day!

Hazel's birthday is on June 29th meaning it's so close to the 4th of July that we are often gone vacationing when it's her birthday.  We did a big first birthday party for her but her second birthday we were Up North and her third we were at KL so....this year it was time to do it up big and throw this sweet little girl a real summer birthday party of her own!

Every birthday since Abby turned one, Ellyn had a custom cupcake made for the girls from a bakery in Geneva.  Erin and Dan now carry on the tradition and it's honestly one of my favorite parts about the kids birthdays.  We always talk about some ideas for the cupcakes but I'm always just as surprised as the kids are when I finally see them.  This year Hazel had this sweet unicorn cupcake with a special candle and purple frosting (because purple is her favorite color, of course). 

We've been SO lucky with weather every time we've thrown one of this summer birthday parties.  I'm sure I've jinxed it for the next one, but somehow we always get sunny, albeit HOT, days that are perfect for the pool, perfect for outdoor activities (like the bounce house) and perfect for celebrating our little girls!

Thank yo to everyone who made the drive out to help celebrate our sweet little Hazel Frances.  She's still talking about her special day and how much fun she had and how special she felt.  She (and we!) felt the love that day! 

1 Family x 12 (July)

Happy Birthday USA - from the McGrath's.