Feeding the Ducks

We were going to feed the ducks a week ago.  Then it rained.  So we didn't go.  I've been saving the ends of the bread and freezing them so we have lots of bread..  A certain someone has been begging to go so we packed up our stuff and went today.  B and J really got into it this year and thought it was hilarious to feed them.  And try to catch them.  And not listen and go in the duck-poo pond.  Whatever.  We had fun :)

Pretty girl

All three of my crazy babies

At one point Brecken actually sat in the water.  Gross.  Here they are picking soggy pieces of bread out of the water and throwing them back in.  Double gross.

Pretty little Jojo

Daddy's 30th...

...a week late.  Better late than never.  Eric's 30th was the 23rd.  Our Biggest Loser competition ended the 31st.  Pretty much meant that Eric wasn't going to be getting anything special, food-wise, for his actual birthday.  I normally get him a bunch of donuts or make some cookies for him to bring to work but this year I made cake cookies (over a hundred!) and Buckeye Bark (the same thing as PB balls only bark) for him to bring to work.  Two of Eric's favorite desserts.  They were all gone within 24 hours.  No joke.  Adelyn helped me make all the cookies and after everyone woke up from their nap they had to help sample.

I went all Pioneer Woman and took a cast of characters picture.  3lbs of butter, 14 eggs and 7 cake mixes.  *Note to self::Meijer brand chocolate cake.  Not so good.

My helper monkey.  I think the frosting was good.

All three approved.  Notice the 43298724389723 peaches in the background?!  Yeh that's 4 bushels worth.  2 for me and 2 for Mark and Tiff.  Yikes.

This was our post-Biggest Loser breakfast.  After our final weigh-in we scarfed some cake batter pancakes and sausage links.  Seems logical.

Kool-Aid Play-Doh

Adelyn's been asking and asking for play-doh lately and I haven't had any salt (I, for some odd reason, don't like wasting half a cup of my expensive salt on play-doh) or alum.  We had Daddy pick some up from the store on his way home and promptly made some play-doh.  I saw on Pinterest that you could substitute Kool-Aid packets for food coloring and thought I should give it a try.  What a great idea!  Fun colors and it's not as blasted expensive as food coloring.  Adelyn loved playing with it and Brecken and Joelle loved eating it.

These three are trouble.  But I love them :)

Busted!

Caption of the day:: "Brecken!  Why do you always get me mixed up in your shenanigans!  You know Mommy always catches us!"

Camping Part 3::Poncho's Pond

Adelyn, Brecken, Joelle and I left on Monday to go camping for 5 days with my mom and my sister.  We went to Poncho's Pond in Ludington.  The campground was realllly nice.  The sites were all grass, we had a concrete patio, the bathrooms were awesome, two outdoor pools, one indoor pool, trash service, free internet and cable.  I guess that's what you get when you spend $50 a night.  Yikes.  We had a lot of fun.  Our site was right by the super awesome playground that I have zero pictures of.   The kids slept really well this time.  They woke up at 7 every day, with the exception of the last day when B decided waking at 4 would be great.  He came to sleep with me and then woke for good at 6.  Thanks little buddy.  Thanks.
 
 On the way up.  They hold hands now.  I have been trying forever to get a picture of them doing it.  LOVE.

The first day we went to the outdoor pool and had a blast.

 

 

This boy is a serious fish.  He floats, he doesn't sink.  I semi let go of him without the floaties on and he just stayed right on the top.

Loving the water.

Attempting to walk to Big Sable Lighthouse.  We didn't make it very far.

 During our rainy morning we went to the indoor pool.  Joelle decided that she would try swimming by herself and fell head first in the pool.  I pulled her out by her ankles and she, surprisingly, didn't start screaming.  I think it helped that I didn't (outwardly) freak out.  That girl..  

During the rainy day we went to the Ludington Children's Museum.  I highly recommend it.  A lady told us about it and said it was better than the GR one.  I wasn't going to hold my breath.  It actually was, though.  I think it was geared for a little bit younger aged kids (like mine).  The GR Museum is awesome for Adelyn's age but there isn't a ton for Brecken and Joelle to do.

Joelle milking the cow.  We didn't let Brecken do it because he wouldn't have used his hands...

Jojo checking out the ship

B and J driving the tractor

Watch out now!

She's pretty serious about her shopping.

So is Joelle.  Don't even think about taking her purse.  She's going to be the old lady who won't give up her purse but instead beats the robber with it.  Or makes monster noises in their face.  **Side note::that is not a recurrence of Hand Foot and Mouth by her lips. She thought that eating paint would be a good idea.

B eating the grapes.  I don't think he got the memo they were fake.

Water table

Nana and the twinkies

All three of her grandbabies :)

I thought it was pretty sweet that she blew a bubble with such a huge circle.  She was pretty elated too ;)

                         

Little B sitting by the fire.  All three maintain a safe distance from the fire and loudly proclaim "hot!" when they see it.  Those burgers cooking over the fire are, most definitely, the best burgers I have ever had. 

After our excellent burgers we went hiking at the State Park.

Adelyn sitting in a tree.  You wouldn't believe the things I had to say to get her to happily sit there.  She thought she was going to fall to her death.

We spotted some deer.   They let me get pretty close for a picture but the blasted shutter speed on my camera wouldn't cooperate entirely.  So my pictures are a little blurry.  Such is life when you don't know how to shoot in full manual mode.

Ludington CITY Beach.  We went to the State Park.  The biting flies were sooo bad that we had to leave.  They were horrendous.  The City Beach didn't have any because they don't have any beach grass.  Hooray!

Notice my death grip on B and J?!?!  Yeah.  They didn't want to stay by me for a picture.

Nana and Auntie and the kiddos.  The only way I could get Adelyn to smile was to tell her to shake her bunny tail.

All of us.  Actually a pretty good group picture :)

Thanks for coming with us Nana and Auntie!  We had so much fun :) :)

Maplewood Splash Pad

We ventured to the Maplewood Splash Pad for playgroup.  One question.  Why in the world doesn't it open until 11?!?!  Seems ridiculous to me.  They did have a really nice playground that kept us entertained until then..but still.  A lot of the kids in our group wanted little to nothing to do with the splash pad.  Adelyn actually enjoyed it a bit.  She didn't go to crazy because she hates water in her face but she did more than I thought she would.  I thought Brecken would have loved it but he wanted nothing to do with it.  I knew Joelle would hate it but she hates cold water.  So that pretty much sums up that.

Seriously silly girl.

          Sophia and Loretta sizing it up...                                           ...aandd Sophia decided she hated it.

 

TRAPPED!  "How do we get out?!"

"RUN! Run for you life!"

It was fun but it was a bit of a drive for the kids to not actually get wet and enjoy the actual splash pad.  Such is life.  Maybe in 5 years when we don't have 20 toddlers to chase.  Ha.

Camping Part 2::Hoffmaster

Oh Hoffmaster.  How we have decided not to come back to you.  For a long time.  It was SOO dirty.  Our site was pure dirt.  As soon as the kids stepped outside they were covered in dirt.  Head to toe, clothes included.  It was a REALLY long walk to the beach.  The stroller would only go so far and then we had to walk a ways.  Not so fun when you have 3 toddlers.  We walked it one day, drove to the State Park the next day and brought our beach stuff on our daily hike the last day.  The kids did a lot better sleeping.  With the exception of Brecken.  He has one molar that just doesn't want to break the skin.  It decided to while we were on vacation.  He wasn't to bad.  He just took a while to actually fall asleep and then woke up at 6:30 every day.  The last night I gave him Tylenol and he went right down and didn't wake until 7.  Not sure if it was the lack of sleep from days prior or the Tylenol.  Or both.  Adelyn did great, however, so I'll take what I can get.  We still had lots of fun.  Just won't be going back to Hoffmaster anytime soon ;)

My babies and me at the fireworks

Adelyn holding her sparklers from Nana and Papa.

She liked them.  Until I had her do one in each hand.  One sparked her hand, she threw the lit sparklers in the dry, parched grass and said she was done.  I frantically stomped it out with my flip-flop.

I thought about having Brecken and Joelle hold one.  Then I thought again.

Eric's picture of a firework.  He's rather proud.  What I didn't post was the 150 other pictures he took of the fireworks.

Swimming!

 

Us and some random girl building our own swimming pool.  She was terrified I was going to let B and J destroy it.  No joke.

Angry Mister B and Momma

Adelyn and Momma.  And Brecken's business end.  There wasn't a picture without it in there.

                                                                                                   Brecken was taking his floatie and leaving.                 Jojo and Momma                                                                          He was through with us.

 

B eating.  His plate.  Adelyn texting.

Mi familia.

Banana Smores.  Thank you Pinterest.  They were yummy.

DEFINITELY Brecken approved.  Bananas and sugar.  His two favorite things.

 See?!

When Daddy and Adelyn went to Meijer to buy paper plates (because a certain older male in our house thought that 6 should last a whole camping trip) he bought her a kite.  While B and J napped they went to fly it.

Daddy picked it out all by his self.

How fun..and so cute.

Can't go on vacation without getting ice cream.                          Brecken eating it by his self for the first time.

 

Jojo.  The girl doesn't like sweets but she LOVES her some ice-cream.

                    Adelyn swinging                                            I think he wanted to get out...just a guess, though.

 

Happy Boy!

She could sit in the swing all day.

Going down the slide..weeeeeeeeee!

We are home for a week, then off for a week with Nana and Auntie Rach!  Can't wait.