Not working?

We highlighted Catie's hair this week, so she could look like her idol, Hannah Montana (from Disney TV). Here is she, holding a pic of Hannah. We did pretty good, huh?

As I ran back looking through the posts of July, I realize why I am so tired! Take off work and rest???? Well, even though I have not been "working", just keeping up with this family is work!

I have spent more family time this month than ever in my life and it has been WONDERFUL. We began the month with Dave, Maryann, Steve and Elizabeth, which leaves me wondering why we don't do it more often. By the 9th we were into full scale birthday week with Cat, Tate and then Nick. Lots of parties.

By the end of the month, I am actually school shopping, since Catie can't wait. It's ok, since I am getting in on early bargains. Andy is off to camp this week and needed stuff and college classes do start in August for Mike.

Hopefully, August will bring more summer rest as we head north for a week at a cottage on the lake. I am ready for that rest!

Busy KID Week!

You will see pictures here on our busy week between a visit with Nick and Cam, a trip to the Skate Park and Catie's adventure at Vacation Bible School.

Catie and Nick had a great time at the Skate Park, although they were humbled by the older kids who were unbelievable on their skateboards. They climbed into the "bowl" and began to skate around, Catie pretty carefully after her recent fall. She is still covered in Band-Aids!

Nick got new Heelies for his birthday and I told him I hope his Dad isn't ready to clobber me if he is soon sporting scraped knees and Band Aids. Of course, he had no fear and was ready to take right off.

We got to see Cam and of course, he had that ready smile of his, which I couldn't resist. Catie also posed in her costume for Vacation Bible School. Their theme was SonForce Kids, based on the Mission Impossible Theme and they all dressed like spies. We had fun hunting through the dollar store for the right gear. She looked great!

A New Life

It took a very long time for me to give in an accept the fact that I should not be working. The pain has been gaining on me for the past 2 years. However, it always seemed as if the right thing to do was to get up and get to work.

One day I was talking to a friend about the fact that God certainly seemed to be sending me more than I could handle lately. He asked me if I thought God was trying to tell me something. I thought about that comment a lot over for days.

On the Monday after I returned from vacation I was aching so badly by noon that I could not believe the difference from the previous week when I was resting. Catie was calling every hour and as my patience wore thin, it hit me. I could no longer deny what God and my doctors were telling me. I needed to be at home.

In the past few weeks I have experienced a metamorphosis of sorts. I woke on Monday mornings longing to put on a suit and head to work. Instead, I poured the first cup of coffee and headed instead to Vacation Bible school with Catie. I got to see the smile on her face as she made new friends and take pictures of the kids. I could no longer stand on my feet for hours and run the kitchen, but I could snap the photos and help the mentally challenged child to find his room.

Catie took a bad fall on her Heelies and scraped up what seems like every part of her body. I feel good every time I am here to inspect those cuts, clean and re-bandage her. It feels like love, because it is.

I have had the time to take rides with Andy and hear a lot of things I would not have heard. (I also convinced him to let me dye his hair back to normal, thank God.) I have had time with Michael to talk about college and life in general, in between his job and band rehearsals, because I am home.

Cat and Tate have kept me company and I got to teach him silly things like making big loud noises when we kiss or how to push his train. I figured out that "Toe Toe" meant that he wanted Blues Clues on TV by sitting with him and watching it with him until I heard the puppy make the same sound as "Toe Toe". We spent a week working on that one!

I was able to be here for Nicholas on his birthday, help Catie plan her Kool Aid stand and encourage her through some difficult pre-teen moments. For the first time in years, I wasn't too tired to join Joe for dinner and a movie on a Friday night. That alone seemed like a miracle since I usually head right for the couch to ease the pain and refuse all invitations.

Tonight, Nicholas put an ice cube down the back of my shirt and last night Tate squirted me with the hose, laughing in delight. A month ago I wouldn't have been laughing as I was just too crabby from being in pain. Those little boys make me laugh a lot now.

Our house is the neighborhood hangout and in addition to my own kids, I have had some great conversations with the various boys that seem to nearly live at my house. They are some great kids.

I won't lie. I very much miss heading off to work. However, I have found that there were a lot of very important things that I was missing and didn't even know it.

ANOTHER July Birthday.....Nicholas!

July is a big month for birthdays in the family and we celebrated the 3rd one tonight when Nick arrived just in time for his favorite birthday dinner.....Shepherd's Pie! (Joe groaned, but ate it anyway). Of course, we finished off with cake and ice cream and tonight a was Harry Potter cake with 4 different ice cream flavors.

Nick had wanted Heelies for a long time and you can see his reaction when he opened them.


Nick is 11 now and wanted to light his own candles. He learned the HARD way that you light the ones in the front BEFORE the back when the flames got too hot on his fingers and Papa helped finish.

Nick got some new Action Figures from Aunt Cat and Tate who joined us for a birthday dinner. Grandma Bustamonte sent a Nick some money and I promised him a shopping trip tomorrow to complete the birthday loot. After cake and ice cream, Nick headed out with Andy to learn to roll on the new Heelies, followed by trapoline jumping and dip in the pool. He and Catie finally wound down by 11pm when we insisted that bedtime had long since passed.

Good thing we have no more birthdays till September when we start the next round of Cameron, Joe and Andy (wonder why the clusters?), as I am almost sick of cake!

PARTY!

It was time to PARTY and no one can have more fun than a bunch of Chins! Cat had planned an afternoon at Birchfield Park for Saturday, but threats of rain caused us to postpone until today. Tate loved the balloons on Saturday and has been enjoying his birthday all week.

We arrived at the park and found it was beautiful and filled with wildlife. Tate enjoyed an afternoon swim and then decided that he didn't want his clothes back on. Aaaahh, the beauty of being 2 years old and loving to be naked! He decided to RUN from Cat to avoid pants.... Speaking of the wildlife, in the middle of the party a very LARGE deer came running through, quite close to us. Catie and Alexis had to be stopped from chasing the big Goose, that we were sure was about to turn around and attack. Catie had already injured herself on her "heelies" and had to be bandaged from knees to shoulders. Luckily, that was the only casualty of the day, although Tate and Daniel were quite daring on the jungle jim. Thanks to Uncle Andy for swing pushing and scooping children off the playground.

We enjoyed barbq chicken (or Baak/Baak as Tate calls it), and Tate's very favorite chocolate chip cookies. The kids were much more interested in playing on the playground and running through the park.

By 6pm Mr. Tate was ready for night-night after a great day in the park!

Happy Birthday Tate!

On July 11, Tate turned 2 years old. It seems like just yesterday that Joe and I were racing toward St. Louis for the birth of our grandson, when we got the phone call with the baby crying in the background.....we were stuck in a traffic jam in Chicago.

Those 2 years went so quickly! We didn't get to spend as much time as we would like with him, but due to the misfortune of Paul's deployment, we have been enjoying him these past couple of months. We understand his language (for the most part) and yesterday I figured out that "Toe, Toe!" means he wants to watch Blues Clues.

His actual birthday was a bit on the quiet side with our gift of a Thomas the Train and a morning of watching him play. Party is on Saturday at the park, with all his cousins and uncles. Pictures will be forthcoming, of course.

Happy Birthday Cat!

The cupcakes were glowing and everyone was singing, except Tate, who was watching his favorite Disney show and not willing to leave for cupcakes. Catie and I had the best time of all....we shopped all day!

Catie knew she wanted to buy Cat the cupcake tower and had planned it for weeks. It was at Michael's, which meant I had a good excuse for another Michael's trip. That is worth at least 2 hours! We headed out at 11am and just made it home in time to deliver the groceries so that Joe could cook Cat's requested chicken stir fry. (yech, but it WAS HER birthday).

Sunday in Ann Arbor

Cat wanted to visit Ann Arbor for her birthday treat. Actually tomororrow is her birthday and we will have Chinese food, per her request. Today, more specifically she wanted to go to Zingermann's Deli to eat. We left home, after Tate's nap at 2pm and soon entered the most interesting deli I have ever visited. SO much food in SO little space!

The food was great, although people are lined out the door waiting for a sandwich, but it was worth the wait. The atmosphere makes it an experience, with the outdoor tables, kids play area and 2 restaurants side by side serving some really good food. Tate and Catie enjoyed the day, complete with helium balloons for the kids.

We then moved on to Trader Joe's a specialty grocery store. The prices were unbelievable(reasonable) , considering the foods that they carried.

Let's see, Joe and I came home with bread, gourmet butter, bruschetta spread, sweet potato chips, Trail mix, candied almonds, shrimp, oatmeal/cranberry cookies, jelly beans, organic oranges, gum, fresh ground French roast coffee, organic soap and shampoo, vitamins....well, you get the idea!

I began ripping bags open on the way home. Could not wait to sample some of the good stuff we bought. When Catie asked, "What's for dinner?" I just looked at Joe and we both groaned.

GREAT 4th of July!

4th of July is the traditional Uncle Dave and Aunt Maryann holiday (in addition to Thanksgiving). UD did not disappoint the kids who were waiting for the BIGboom (see above). AMA made her famous pasta, fruit and cucumber salads...mmmmm, too bad Andy left one on the counter all night during a midnight snack!

Then there was the BOAT! The adults enjoyed an evening cruise with a few beverages and Jimmy Buffet playing away as the fireworks went off in the distance. THAT was a great 4th of July memory.




The next day UD took the kids for the wild ride and turned them loose on the jet ski while Maryann and I relaxed at home in the air conditioning with all our scrapbook paraphanalia. Great pages WERE created. Of course, we ate and ate and ate....

Those 2 men CAN cook and Maryann and I really do not mind sitting all weekend with our scrapbook stuff, while they feed us!

Maryann and Elizaeth decided to teach Catie to play softball. This is not a skill that I can pass on to my dear granddaughter. She loved it so much that she can't wait for Spring to sign up, especially after watching Elizabeth (the pro) play a game on Thursday night. Steve hung out, watching the world go by and providing the support (i.e. running to the store for more coffee, taking out the mounds of trash and pop cans). Josie and Rocky went along for the ride and Buddy the BIG Lab was extremely tolerant of the little ones running around HIS house.

Back on the home front, Mike and Cathy took care of the rest of the "farm". Paco apparently gave Cat a few days of hell. He growled at her repeatedly, even with food. At one point she had to get a blanket and drop it OVER him in order to pick him up without getting bitten!!!! Her quote, "I HATE THAT DOG SO MUCH!!"

All in all, we had a good 3 days of relaxation that was much needed, thanks to the Alberts, who do know how to run a great luxury hotel! Great company, food and all the boat rides you want!

Good Weekend!

Poor Tate! Cat bought a new bed for her use while here, intending to give it to Tate for his "Big Boy Bed". He is brave and not afraid of anything, so he was determined to climb on that BIG bed. After watching what he went through (we were laughing pretty hard) Cat decided to return the bed. By that time, Andy had tried it out and now I have to buy the bed! Back to the store, Cat!

After church and one of Joe's Sunday breakfasts (homemade waffles...mmmm) we all had the same idea....DO NOTHING! What a great Sunday concept! The boys adjourned to their rooms and computers for an afternoon of gaming, Catie went off to play with a girlfriend and Joe went to the pool.

Now some would think he was working as he began his pool cleaning process. We know different. He loves that ritual. Every night after work, get the hose, fool with the filter, vac the pool. Then the final moment...sit on the deck and fall asleep to the sound of the water. The miracle is that nobody bothers him! He can disappear out there and no kid will come close because they might have to work.

Cat, Tate, Catie and Mike O went off to the DAM Festival again for a bit while I fooled around organizing my scrapbook stuff. Then I decided the floor should be scrubbed in the basement. Now with my health issues, I cannot do it, so Michael was elected. Since he didn't get up for church he was already in the doghouse, so he didn't even argue. However he did show me a novel way to scrub the floor....
SITTING ON A CHAIR!

The DAM Festival

The only Eaton Rapids on Earth is what the signs coming into town say. Now, in addition to that claim to fame, the town now claims, "The Dam Festival". The kids LOVE it....they must say it 100 times a day. "Are we going to the damn festival?" Then they giggle at being allowed to swear.

Joe, Andy, Catie and I attended the opening last night and listened to music along the river. Catie was selling cold drinks for the Wrestling Club, dragging a cooler through the crowd to help send Andy to camp, while Andy lounged and listened to tunes. She played with the kids, got chased by a boy with a spider and had a generally good time.

Today, Cat, Tate and I attended the Arts & Crafts show, ate ice cream in the re-created Miller's Dairy ice cream parlor and just hung out at the DAM Festival. The fun runs through the 4th and Eaton Rapids can probably claim the only DAM Festival on earth too!