Together.

We set out to make this weekend a complete family weekend - EVERYTHING we did, we did as a family. (I did bust out a bit by myself yesterday - with a family full of boys, taking them to a craft store sounds about as fun as a root canal.) It was really nice.

We loaded up our gear and went to the park on Saturday - we planted ourselves under a tree and just hung out. The weather was spectacular. The boys were very well behaved and fun was had by all. It was definitely needed. (My husband works for GM - life in our area isn't fun AT ALL. It's rather depressing, so a break from work AND beautiful weather was welcomed.)









It was one of those days that our souls craved. Time without phones and computers and technology. Time completely together as a family, laughing, joking and playing.

Here I sit, counting down to the next vacation. 29 days.

Beauty from my beasts :)

(Side note - I rarely call my children by their real names. I have numerous nicknames for them and some may sound odd and not terribly motherly, but hey, that's how we roll around here. So, if you see things like "beasts", please know I call them that with more love than you could ever imagine and they know it!)

My wonderful husband took some vacation time on Friday and took J to play some putt putt. I decided that napping with Henry was far more my speed at the time, so I snoozed for a glorious 2 1/2 hours. After putt putt and during my nap marathon, B and J shopped for these. I received them later Friday afternoon, after Will came home from school.



2 dozen of the prettiest red roses I think I've ever seen.



















A BEAUTIFUL geranium patio pot! (it's sitting in the garage because the weatherman suggested we bring plants inside last night.....stupid Michigan weather.....)


I had the best Mother's Day! An awesome church service started the day and then it was off to buy MORE plants (I bought a lot on Saturday, too!), eat some lunch and then come home to weed the garden and watch my beloved Tigers whoop up on some Indians tail. We ate yummy Chinese take out for dinner and watched AFHV and Extreme Makeover Home Edition as a family. It was truly a fabulous day. For those of you that are mothers, I hope your day was fabulous, too.

Now, please say a little prayer for that geranium patio pot and its contents. I have a black thumb despite my best intentions and I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY want those plants to thrive this summer. I purchased SO. MANY. plants this weekend for pots on our deck, so say a little prayer for those, too. They definitely need it.

Deeeeeeeeeeetroit Basketball

My husband played in a golf tournament a few months ago. His foursome won :) The prize was a suite at the Palace of Auburn Hills to watch the Pistons play.

We went yesterday and had so much fun. We didn't tell the big boys until they were getting dressed - it was like Christmas morning for them :) We stopped for lunch on the way (to save money on the food there because we all know that food in any kind of stadium, venue, etc. is terribly overpriced and not that tasty anyway). We had a great time watching the game (well, the boys/men watched - the women chit chatted for most of the game. I LOVE sports, but basketball is way low on the totem pole for me). The weather was horrible - snow/rain crud and it was COLD. We stopped to eat on the way home and had a yummy dinner at Red Robin. Henry didn't nap at all during the day, but he was such a gem. He was so happy and content - not at all something I expected to see because of the lack of sleep. He was just fabulous :)


My bebes :)




All my men :)




Henry and his mama :)

Our family day trip!

This past Friday, my little crew headed to Frankenmuth, MI to Bronner's - the world's largest Christmas store. It was a nasty, rainy day - PERFECT for a trip to this store. It's one of my favorite places. If you're not in the Christmas spirit after walking through this store, there's a problem. It's open 361 days out of the year - we only go in November/early December because I have no interest in being in the Christmas spirit in June...lol Here are a few shots from our day!





Henry was mesmerized by the lights :)










My yummy baby boy and handsome husband :)


Jake :)


Will :)


Jake listening to a message from Santa


Me and the Hankster in my fabulous Mei Tai from www.meitaibaby.com


Proof that Henry actually smiles :) He doesn't like the flash on the camera - I can get him to smile, but as soon as he sees the flash, he gets the blank look again. I had to hold the camera off to the side, so he couldn't see it.

We had a really nice time up there - Frankenmuth is such a sweet, quaint little town!