the place

soon we will be embarking on that glorious l-o-n-g road trip to michigan.  i heart michigan.  i really do.  if i didn’t…there is no way i would continue to endure the process of getting there and getting back in a car with my two, young, spirited boys.  thankfully, this time we’ll be at the cottage longer – making the travel seem even more worth it.  more beach time.  more swimming.  more sand castles.  more trips to town.  more flowers, fruits & veggies at the farmer’s market.  more sports in the yard.  more naps in the hammock.  more walks.  more reading.  more blueberry picking.  more fireworks.  more wine tasting.  more captain sundae.  more dates.  (less falling boards.)

more happy.  more fun.  more memories.

the cottage has been in the family ever since my grandma was a little girl...five generations have had the opportunity to make their own memories there.  memories as kids…teenagers…young adults…newlyweds…parents…grandparents…great-grandparents.  shared memories and memories uniquely each our own.

for me…

• it’s the place where a complete town (with roads and pretend stores, banks and drive-thru restaurants) was built through the woods for us to navigate on our big wheell
• it’s the place of make-believe and pretending to be charlie’s angels
• it’s the place of my one and only tree house
• it’s the place where i could swing on a tire swing and fly over the dune
• it’s the place where i had neighbor friends to swim and jump on a trampoline with on sunny days (and play tour guide with through our “historic home tours” on rainy days)
• it’s the place where i would play “shoe store” and “jewelry store” with my great-granny
• it’s the place where i would pick rhubarb with my granny and great-granny – and reap the rewards of them cooking it
• it’s the place of polish cooking – zrazy (bacon rolled in round steak held together with a toothpick and served with gravy) & mizeria (cucumber & sour cream salad)
• it’s the place where my height from age one through my teens is recorded on a board
• it’s the place of fourth of july sparklers
• it’s the place where my mom and granny gave me my first perm
• it’s the place where i could sleep until noon
• it’s the place of back-flips and cartwheels down the dune
• it’s the place where i learned to love the game of scrabble
• it’s the place of my first “real” kiss
• it’s the place of many good times with friends
• it’s the place where i learned to change a car tire
• it’s the place of many stairs to the beach; of sunburns and splinters
• it’s the place with the best sound of waves crashing ashore
• it’s the place i love most to stare into space…counting the stars and making wishes
• it’s the place where damon proposed
•  it’s the place i will forever love

one of my greatest hopes is that my boys are making the cottage “their” place too.  storing away their own special and unique memories of our times there; keeping them safe and secure in a place they can forever find them throughout their life.

i am pretty sure i’m succeeding.  throughout last winter drew would express his longing for the “comfy bed at the cottage” and asked “when can we go to the cottage again?” over and over.  i know he loves ice cream from captain sundae…riding his bike down the long driveway…playing endless games of baseball…his annual trip to the theatre (‘how I became a pirate” this year!)…corndogs in saugatuck…and jumping the waves at the beach.   and, i quite am sure there’s other favorite things only he knows.  as for leo…i am so excited to see what he enjoys most while at the cottage (aside from snacks).  i have a feeling we’re going to be filling many a buckets full of sand, getting plenty wet in the lake…and riding his new bike up and down that long driveway over and over.

sometimes i wish we lived closer to the cottage…so we could be there whenever we wanted - soaking in the sun and the love.  and other times, i wonder/hope being so far away is what helps make the cottage extra special for my boys.  regardless…the cottage is a place that i never take for granted…a place i feel extremely blessed to be a part of.  and even more blessed to share.

so, we’ll soon be off to claim our little slice of the 3,000 miles of lake michigan shoreline (shoreline with some of the softest sugar sand beaches in the world!) - to make some more memories with family and friends that will last a lifetime.

until next time…enjoy your place…wherever it may be and with whomever you share it with!

a fine suitor

last night i went on a date…with my four year old.  i was surprised…and honored…when he asked me on this date. driving the boys home from school one day, from the backseat i heard:

“mom, want to go on a date with me?  like we used to do when you’d pick me up from school and we’d go out to eat at a restaurant.  want to go next thursday?”

“yes! i sure do drew!”

last summer…before leo was with us…on some of damon’s golf nights i would pick up drew from school and tell him just he and i were going on a dinner date.  seems like a long time ago.  so long that, quite honestly, i had forgotten about those good times with my drew-man.  i am so grateful drew has kept those memories; and even more grateful that he had the confidence to ask me for another date.  wouldn’t it be great if he and i can keep dating for years to come? (or, at least until he’s a teenager and has a real girlfriend)

it’s easy to get all wrapped up in all things leo these days…i mean really, the little dude is quickly approaching two, and seems to need quite a bit of attention and is doing lots of things for the first time (like stringing two and three words together, sitting on the potty, constantly going up and down and up and down the stairs, and copying everything his big brother does).  But, drew’s been experiencing a lot of firsts too lately that seem to have gotten pushed under the rug.  i feel bad about that.  until now.

on may 9^th drew started soccer.  his first “real” team with real coaches, real equipment (aka: uniform), real practices, and real games. 

real team/real coaches/real equipment/real games = a real happy drew. 

drew is a fast, scoring machine player that likes to cover the entire field to prevent goals as well as make goals!!  coaches and other parents have used the words competitive, determined, and passionate to describe drew on the field.  i can’t disagree.  but I would also use the words focused, supportive, proud, and happy.  (the same words i would use to describe how i feel towards and about my little athlete!)

working his way to the goal

on may 24^th drew graduated from pre-school…or pre-k as it’s been called in our house.  it is hard to believe that drew will be starting kindergarten in just over two months!  but, when i really stop and look at him these days…i do so in such amazement.  he’s physically grown so much in the past six months - he actually is starting to look like a real kindergartener…long legs, an extending neck, a face of a boy, not a toddler (cute & not so cute facial expressions and all).  he continues to dazzle us with his grasp of math concepts and interest and excitement in starting to recognize words and read.  and, he is constantly presenting us with great ideas (“i’ve got a great idea!! we should….ok?…isn’t that a great idea?!?”)  we are so proud of the big boy he’s becoming!

drew and his best friend

but that’s not all drew has been up to over the past month! drew has also:

• finished swim lessons for the season and now displays an enormous amount of confidence and skill in the water! cannot wait to see him in lake michigan over the fourth
• bought his first ring for a girl...a very pretty rubber butterfly ring (multicolored with a yellow band) that, the first time he saw it, pointed it out to me saying “i’m going to ask “sally” to marry me with that ring”…and then asked if he could buy it when it was still there the next time we were at the place.  he gave it to “sally” wednesday night.  he was so excited.  so proud.  so giddy.  so in love?!?!
• picked out his kindergarten backpack and lunch bag – sharks!  we are looking forward to filing up the backpack with all those school supplies.
• climbed to the top of the highest rope playscape at the new playground…something that i am pretty sure took a lot of moxie on his part.  it was an impressive feat. another proud moment all the way around.
• bonded more with his little brother…sharing more toys, making silly faces and sharing belly laughs in the backseat, appreciating more of the things leo does for him, and giving leo more “pats” on the back.  it really is magical to see drew and leo really become brothers…and friends.  

drew is growing up.  fast.  i am trying really hard to treasure each and every moment.  (and take advantage of and soak in each any every date (official or not) i get with my drew-man.) and, I truly look forward watching my little athlete take in all the experiences and adventures ahead of him as he enjoys this summer and heads off to kindergarten in the fall!

until next time…go on a date…with your kid…with your spouse…just go…and enjoy the time you have together!

puppy love

leo loves puppies.
small puppies.
big puppies.
real puppies.
stuffed animal puppies.

he cannot get enough of the real kind.  he walks right up to any and every dog he meets - even a big great dane (oh how i wish i had gotten a picture of that!) - taking whatever slobbery kisses he can get after he oh so gently pets, hugs, cuddles his newfound friend.  and then squeals with delight...running around in circles with a huge grin on this face with his hands waving in the air...until he realizes the dog is still there and goes back for more petting, cuddling, and slobbery kisses.

leo loves stuffed animal puppies too.

when leo came home, a co-worker visited and brought leo the cutest little stuffed animal puppy. he came dressed in an orange puppy pumpkin costume that, to this day, leo refuses to allow off the puppy's body.  (we've tried many times...only to hear "shirt! shirt!! on!!") so, it appears, this cute little puppy is always going to wear a pumpkin costume - no matter the season or holiday.  the puppy is nameless at the moment...but i have a feeling he'll forever be known as pumpkin.

we live near a cabela's.  always a fun (free) place to explore on a cold and or rainy day.  on a recent trip, leo spotted a cute little stuffed puppy...so i gave it to him to hold onto and entertain himself until we got to the tent area to play around.  i really thought we'd be able to leave the puppy at the "campsite".  no such luck.  that trip to calbela's was not free.  leo loves that puppy!!  and, i honestly think he loves that "pumpkin" has a playmate even more. (there's lots of "woof!" "woof!" playing going on in the 5 o'clock & 6 o'clock hours in this house these days).

leo just loves this new puppy so much.  so much so that the other morning...when he was repeatedly asking to go downstairs to eat breakfast snack before 7 o'clock (yep, my boy loves to eat. he often has a "snack" before breakfast)...he insisted the new puppy come with him.  (i am sure you can imagine what that sounded like).

guess somebody other than leo was hungry! 

making sure this cereal is the real deal before...

...giving the puppy his breakfast snack!

this puppy needs a name too. what do you think? cheerio?!?

*no thoughts, inklings, dreams, or wishes for a real puppy to join our household anytime soon.  doing so would definitely put me over the edge.  i love dogs. now is just not the time.*

lessons learned

what i learned on my memorial day vacation
by sue krekelberg
age 37

1. when traveling 10+ hours by car with two boys under the age of five, bring lots of snacks, take time to play soccer at rest stops and utilize the portable dvd player (not matter how much you're against it)

2. no matter how hard you try, you will never NEVER be able to maintain your children's nap/sleep schedule; nor can you contain their excitement and enthusiasm for being somewhere super-duper fun and exciting...both are things that can/do make toddlers and pre-schoolers highly sensitive, emotional, and 100% unpredictable - you just gotta cut them some slack (and yourself) and sometimes just ignore the whining and screaming and crying and go with the flow

3. always...always...take the time to goof off with your kid - and once in awhile capture it all on 'film' (even if it's just with the camera on your phone).

4. never question the opportunity for a date night...leave as quickly as you can - do not pass go, do not collect $200 and do not say you'll close the garage door on your way out

5. avoid big, heavy, falling 4x4 boards at all costs...or you'll end up with an egg the size of a racquetball on your forehead, weeks worth of totally disgusting black(purple/green/yellow) eyes and a swollen face and the missed opportunity of a much needed date night ('cause the trip to urgent care & the pharmacy for codeine & anti-nausea medicine surely does not count as a 'date')

gross, gross, gross - and it spread to the other eye and down my cheek. how dare it!

6. no matter where you are in the united states on memorial day, even if you have a black eye, seek out a parade and honor all those who have served our country...i appreciate each and every service man and woman regardless of where they served, but boy did my eyes swell with tears of pride and gratitude when the korean war servicemen rode and walked by this year.

7. always remember to bring your camera and video flip cam (especially when it's leo's first time to the family cottage)...but in case you just happen to leave them at home on the kitchen island and have a complete meltdown and fit about it when you realize it after 10+ hours on the road with two little dudes, apologize to husband for said fit and be thankful for family and friends that become your personal photographers for the weekend

big huge THANK YOU to the Melville family for coming up to spend a rainy day with us at the cottage, bringing the most amazing chocolates, candy, and fudge, and taking some absolutely wonderful pictures (better sideways than not at all.  sorry, i tried and tried to fix 'em - guess i'm rusty at this blog posting thing!)

thank you. thank you.  we love you guys!!!

until next time...which i promise will NOT be another month away