Another Day at the Playground

 The weather has been so wonderful these last couple days.  We had to bike to the park and enjoy it.  Of course, ever creative Christian couldn't just go down slides like a normal kid, he made up a game of how to go up them on his back, legs first, and do it faster than anyone else.  Then he spent the rest of his time climbing everything in sight again.  Peter's favorite way to slide is head first on his belly.  He laughed every time he went down.  I made sure to grab his legs at the bottom to keep him from careening off into the dirt.  He cried when I said it was time to go and put him back into the bike carrier.  He had a great time.

5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed....

 ....One fell off and bumped his head!  So it happened for Peter today.  I was sitting with him on my bed while talking on the phone.  I was only on the phone for a minute trying to arrange a ride to church for an elderly woman in our congregation when he laid down and rolled.  I saw he was rolling precariously close to the edge of the bed, but he went just out of  reach and with half my mind occupied on the phone call and one hand on the phone, I missed grabbing him by a fraction of a second.  Down he went, face first, onto the floor.  He made no attempt to stop his fall with his hands and his nose and lips took the full impact.  I felt absolutely terrible.  He screamed for over 30 minutes straight.  I tried to help him, but he fought every attempt I made at applying ice or wiping blood.  So I just held him and sung to him and tried to distract him from the pain.  His poor little nose and upper lip swelled up and he looked so beat up.  I worried he wasn't going to be able to eat or drink for the rest of the day.  Babies heal so fast, though.  Within a couple hours his nose returned to normal and although his lip remained swollen, it didn't seem to bother him anymore.  He drank his evening bottle without any noticeable trouble.  Such a relief.  Benjamin told me later that when he heard the thud and then the crying, he came out of his room to see what was wrong, but the moment he saw the blood streaming down Peter's face, he just retreated to his room, put on his headphones, and tried to ignore it.  Definitely not going to be a doctor!

Once he'd stopped crying and started to perk up, we decided to take his mind off everything and head to the park.  He had a wonderful time at the playground.  He made a little friend there and the two of them played with the toy cars they had both brought and dug around in the wood chips together.  Christian climbed everything in sight and swung on the swings.  It was a wonderful breezy, cool summer day.  I was so happy to see Peter interacting with another child and doing well with him.  The boy's mother said Covid has been really hard on her son and she worries that he has so little interaction with others that he suffers a lot of loneliness and isolation.  We were both happy our children had a chance to get out a bit and make some new friends.  Thank goodness Gov. Whitmer hasn't shut down the playgrounds!

Peter is Starting to Walk!

 It's finally happening - Peter's learning to walk.  Kelly has been so determined to get him to start learning that every time he had a break from work he came upstairs and walked around the living room with him.  He'd sing and march and make a big game of it and I guess it worked!  After two days I noticed Peter standing up, balancing, not holding onto anything for a few seconds.  I decided to see if he'd walk on his own.

Since then, he's done it a handful of times more, back and forth between two people for a few steps at a time.  I've also seen him trying to stand-up and balance on his own more.  When I praise him, he gets a huge grin on his face.  He seems to really enjoy practicing and enjoys the sense of accomplishment.  We'll see where he goes from here.

Today I was going stir-crazy again.  It had rained all day long and since all indoor places are closed, I was ready to lose my mind.  I spontaneously declared it a beach day when I saw the rain let up a little.  I got everyone, even Benjamin, into the car and off we went.  Anyone else would have thought we were crazy to go to the beach on such a rainy day with more storms in the forecast for later.  However, the storms had caused marching band to cancel and so Benjamin was around and there won't be many chances like that again.  I couldn't miss this opportunity and my kids never mind swimming on rainy, cloudy days.  They love having the lake all to themselves.  Just like last time, just as we were driving out to the lake, the storm seemed to move in the opposite direction, and by the time we got to the beach, the storm was completely gone.  The heat and humidity from the storm and the emerging sun combined to make it perfect beach weather.  We all had a wonderful time on our "private" beach.

Peter enjoyed our beach tent at first while he had a snack and watched the others swim.  Then he and I joined them on the lake for the rest of the afternoon.  He enjoyed playing in the sand too.  Unfortunately he got an itchy eye and kept wiping his face with his dirty hands, as you can see.

For some reason he often lifts one foot like this and stays in this position for a while.  I think it's so funny and cute.

He wanted to play with the extra goggles and snorkels. These were his favorite.

Lousy picture of the kids in the lake, but it's the only one I got. Oh well.

The Latest Backyard Obsession

 All throughout these Covid months, we've been playing various games in the backyard.  We seem to have a favorite that lasts for days and then disappears completely as a new one takes the forefront.  This week's favorite is Can Slam (sometimes called Kan Jam).  It was Benjamin who suggested we play it.  I was really happy he wanted to do something outside with us for a change.  We have been having a blast.

The funny thing is, whenever I play it with Christian, he always finds some way to change the game and make it crazier.  Today his idea was to put the can on his head, have me throw the frisbee, and see if he could get the can off and dodge the flying frisbee in time.  I found that if my aim was good, he was unable to avoid it.

                    

However, my aim with a frisbee isn't stellar and on those tosses where I would have missed him anyway, he was able to throw the can off and "dodge" in time and feel like he was accomplished at this skill.  I have to admit that my favorite times were when he didn't dodge in time.  It was just so funny in a kind of twisted way.  He and I both had a lot of fun playing this strange version. 

                    

Peter just loved playing in the grass with us.  All his climbing has made him strong.  We have a large rock laying near the trampoline (for no good reason other than we don't know where else to put it) and at one point I heard him grunting.  I looked over and he was kneeling by it and trying to pick it up.  I didn't think he'd succeed, but once again he surprised me.  He hefted it into his lap and proudly grinned at me.  Then he plopped it down and did it again and again, each time looking to see if I noticed.  He's a strong kid.  I'm excited to work out with him when he's older.

 He also continues to use a spoon like a champ.  It definitely takes a long time because he just dips rather than scoops, but I love seeing him learning and he loves the independence.  I've tried to guide his hand in a scooping motion a couple times, but he shrieks hysterically and won't let me help him.  That's not a battle I'm going to fight.  He'll figure it out eventually.

                        

Marching Band Begins

Today was the first day of marching band camp. Well... what used to be marching band camp. Pre-covid, the whole band would go to a big scout ranch and spend the week playing music, hanging out and getting to know one another before school and the football season started.  Now, they meet for 3 hours in the evening outdoors, in groups of no more than 5-10, everyone 6 ft. apart, wearing masks, getting their temperature checked every hour by a licensed nurse, using hand sanitizer every 30 minutes, and going home alone - no carpooling!  All so that they can practice songs they will never play before a game because football has been cancelled.  Covid life sucks.  Benjamin tried to remain positive, though, and he's been really good about practicing and doing his best.  He wanted to play the drums like he did last year, but no 9th graders were allowed drums so he got cymbals.  He's so rhythmically talented, though, that he's perfect for this loud, shrill instrument.  He can keep on beat perfectly.  Watching the drumline perform is so fun.  They really get into it.  They dance around and rock to the music.  They really look like they're having a great time.  I wasn't allowed to get close enough for a picture of the practice, so I made Benjamin get them out at home.  He hated it, but gave me a wonderful, fake smile anyway. :)

Peter Loves...

Peter's personality is really developing and every day it's getting more and more fun to hang out with him.  Overall, I'd say he's a peaceful, loving, happy kid.  He's quick to laugh, loves to cuddle, and is easily entertained.  He has also really shown some things to be favorites at the moment.  His first love is climbing.  He has really surprised me with his climbing ability lately!  He still isn't walking, but he's climbing all over the place!  I was getting some things out of the fridge when I heard him squealing.  I turned around to see him hanging by toes and finger tips to the edge of his high chair.  I rushed over and put my arms out to catch him when he fell, but he never fell!  He managed to pull himself up and climb in.  Once he realized that, he did it again and again.  He's also figured out how to climb onto the kitchen table, our outside picnic table, and the large beanbag in the living room.  The couches are still tricky for him, but I'm sure it won't be long.  He's also discovered that if he pushes my step ladder up to something, he can climb from there.  I have had to collapse it when not in use because he's gotten on the counter top, the end tables in the living room, and the piano.  Most often, he loves to push it over to the fish tank and watch the frogs and the fish.  He helps me feed them every morning as part of our morning routine.  He holds the lid of the food container and then screws it back on when we're done.

                        

                        

Peter also loves cars.  He plays with cars all day long.  He makes the most adorable little engine sounds while he's playing.  He especially loves real cars, though.  If a car drives by while we're outside, he makes sure to point it out to me.  Every. Time.  I am not allowed to ignore it.  He loves trash day and loves to watch the big trash trucks come by.  He also loves to be allowed to play around in our car.  Put him in the car, close the doors, and he'll climb around and play for an hour or more if you let him. It worked wonderfully for when we were packing and unpacking the van for our vacation.  (No, I never leave him in the car unsupervised.  Don't call CPS.) 

                    

Peter also loves music.  If he hears it over the loudspeakers at the grocery store or on a phone or computer, he'll start to do a little dance.  He'll wave his arms excitedly and wiggle.  It's adorable.  He loves to play on the piano and he loves to drum on the guitar and listen to the vibrations.  He also loves to bang spoons on bowls and pots and make music that way.  We do that a lot - sit in the kitchen and bang out rhythms.  It's a lot of fun.

He loves animals too.  His favorite things to look at in books are animals and cars.  I've focused on trying to teach him a few very distinct animals first - elephant, tiger, giraffe.  Every time we read, I make sure to point those out specifically and talk to him about them.  Then I've asked him "can you find the elephant?  Point to the elephant."  When he can't I take his hand and point for him and then praise him.  I'm trying to gauge what words he's learning and where he's at developmentally.  Today I asked him to point to the elephant and he studied the page and then pointed to the elephant with a triumphant little "found it" kind of squeal.  It was so cute.  I was so pleased he finally got it.  I decided to ask, "Can you find the giraffe?"  He studied again and then pointed to the giraffe with the same excited sound.  It was so fun.  It's amazing all that he's learning.

Raising babies is so hard and I can never say I love this age but I have really enjoyed watching him emerge as a person and develop so much every day.  Today at dinner he used a spoon for the first time.  He had grabbed the cover of a popsicle and was dunking it into his food and then licking it off.  When I saw that, I realized he was ready.  I grabbed a baby spoon and handed it to him.  He happily fed himself the remainder of his yogurt by dunking the spoon and licking it off.  He was so pleased with himself. 

Especially now with Covid restricting where we can go and what we can do, the days home with Peter often feel long.  He needs so much attention and it's a lot of monotony and repetition.  Some days I wish so much I didn't have to do this all over again.  When I see growth moments like that, though, or when he snuggles up to me and puts his head on my chest and relaxes into me, I melt, and I'm so glad I have him in my life.  What a blessing it is to have another child and get to do this one more time.

                    

                    

The Project Is Complete

 Benjamin did his Eagle Scout project today.  He built a sandbox for a preschool that serves low income kids.  It was a lot of preparation, planning, and coordination, but it turned out great.  We're very proud of him...and us, because let's be honest, it wouldn't have happened without us. :)

The original sandbox.  Not really appropriate for a class of 30 kids.

Leveling the ground

Panorama of the area and mound of sand that will go in the box

Placing a weed stop layer first

Laying the sides of the box

Loading up the sand into wheelbarrows to be brought to the box.  It had to be delivered by dump truck because buying it by the bag was too expensive.  The truck was unable to dump it directly into the box, so we did it this way.

Dumping it into the box

Lots and lots of wheelbarrows full

Putting the wood chips up and around the box to cover up the weed stop layer

Working all day in masks in the hot sun was lousy

Everyone worked so hard, though.  It was wonderful to see.

Finished product!  So proud.  It looks amazing.

Made custom tarp to cover it when not in use

I can't believe the project we've been planning for so long is finally done.  A friend of ours heard that the school needed a sandbox a year ago and it was so perfect because we'd been needing to find an eagle project.  The friend knew that and contacted me.  Benjamin was originally going to complete it over spring break but then Covid came and the world shut down and everything was put on hold.  I'm so glad we were able to get it done before the school started again.

I think the project was really good for Benjamin.  It wasn't too big of a project, but it forced him out of his comfort zone a lot.  He had to talk to adults in various capacities - coordinate with the school administrators, get permission from the scout leaders, etc.  He had to make phone calls to businesses.  He had to place orders, get signatures, make detailed plans, figure costs and sizes, raise funds, etc.  He did a can/bottle drive to earn the money for the supplies and raised $550.  He also got Home Depot to sell him the wood for 50% off.  He got the sand delivered in bulk which cut his cost by 75%.  I know a lot of these things were stressful for him and he often confided in me that just thinking about some of the things he had to do made his stomach sick, but he did it.  He didn't give up.  I was really impressed with how many of his troop came too.  I expected no one to show up, but we got 13 kids there helping to dig and haul sand in the hot sun on a Friday morning.  Gotta love scouts.  He spent the week prior to today in the driveway every day assembling the box sides, drilling, sanding, painting, preparing the tarp, etc.  He directed the whole project today.  He confided that it was hard to remember everyone's names when he needed to assign them something.  He's never been good at names, but he got it done and he handled it well.  He was polite and thanked everyone multiple times for coming and helping.  I was proud of him.

I'm amazed we made it. I thought many times during his years in scouts that he'd never get his eagle, but I'm very happy he did.  I love to see him accomplish hard things.  I hope it gives him the confidence to keep pushing in other areas.  He's so strong and smart, he can do anything, but he's also got a lazy streak and I hate it when he lets that part of him win, like when he failed his online German class last week because he never contacted his teacher or got in his assignments.  I hope this experience teaches him that hard work pays off.

A Much Needed Vacation

 These past two weeks we've been up north.  Michigan is an absolutely amazing state with endless places to visit.  The more time I spend here the more places get added to my "must see" list.  I'll never be able to visit them all.  This summer has been really hard thanks to the pandemic and everything we'd planned to do was cancelled - visits with family, trip to the Palmyra pageant in NY, cruise to Alaska, scout camps, etc.  It left all of us down in the dumps.  So I decided we had to do something.  A socially distanced, airplane/cruise ship free something.  Thank goodness Michigan is gorgeous.  I found two AirBnB rentals on lakes just a couple hours from home that were absolutely perfect.  One was close to Ludington at Gunn Lake and one was close to Traverse City at Fife Lake.  Well, I actually found a different one first, but the owners cancelled on us two weeks before our trip for a reason they refused to disclose, so we found the Gunn Lake one last-minute, but it worked out great anyway.   Both areas were remote, small, and largely private.  We had a wonderful time kayaking, swimming, hiking in the woods, riding bikes, motorcylcing, playing games, etc.  We even spent some time exploring the old cemetary in Fife Lake and googling the names on the grave stones.  We found some really interesting stories.  It was a lot of fun.  Leaving was hard.  We'd really enjoyed ourselves.  Kelly even started looking into buying our own place at Fife Lake, but hasn't found a suitable place yet.

The view from our porch in the first cabin.  Here Benjamin is trying out the mini kayak that came with the place.  I had tried it earlier and capsized in the middle of the lake when a pontoon boat came by.  I'd had to swim with my arm over the boat all the way back to shore.  Benjamin decided to play it safe and stay close to land.

We went to Lake Michigan on a cloudy, windy day and had the place all to ourselves.  The kids loved it.  

Gunn Lake had a roped off swimming area on the other side from our cabin.  We often kayaked over there and swam around and jumped off the diving platform out in the water.

Christian had some good dives and also some pretty epic belly-flops.

This is pretty much the only pic I got of motorcycling - the first unloading off the truck.  It's a cute one, though.  Kelly and I are both awful at remembering to take pictures.

Peter isn't a fan of cold lake water, so this was how he was happiest in the lake.  I'd sit in the tube and he'd hang over so he could play with the water but not be in it.  If he was in it, he'd cry.  It worked out really well like this though.  I could take him all around and the kids could swim with us and Peter loved watching them.

We went on several hikes in the woods.  We found hunter's towers, lots of different plants and animals, and mostly just enjoyed being in the fresh, cool air.  Peter loved it too.

We took lots of bike rides.  Our favorite were the "rails to trails" rides.  These are where they have torn out old rail lines and paved them as bike paths.  20+ miles of perfectly smooth, mostly flat or slightly sloping paths through beautiful scenery and wooded areas.  They are amazing.  Bella loved them the most.  She never wanted to stop.  She and Kelly ended up going another 20 miles more than the rest of us.  With Peter in the carrier, I could never go too far before he'd had enough.  He loves the ride, but he has his limits.

More Lake Michigan on another day.

We had dinner one night at the park by the Ludington Lighthouse and took a sunset walk out to it. 

We celebrated Peter's birthday at Gunn Lake so I wanted to take my last monthly photo.  He never makes it easy.  The paper cloud was thrown into the water and he really didn't want to sit but with Christian's help we got some marginally good shots.

This one is my favorite if only the cloud were turned correctly to say "1 year."

Love this little cuddly moment Christian and Peter were having during snack time in the cabin at Fife Lake.  So adorable.

We kayaked at Torch Lake and went out to the sandbar in the lake.  The water there is incredible and I love how fun the sandbar is to play on.  I only wish there had been fewer people that day.  The picture doesn't show it, but it was painfully crowded with large pontoon boats.  We didn't stay too long.

We ended up playing by the dock for a while and having more fun there than at the sandbar!  

We visited Sleeping Bear Dunes again.  I always enjoy it there, but never as much as I hope I will.  For some reason it's just not the amazing place it's always described to be, but the boys and I had fun.  I kept wanting to walk farther and farther to try to get to Lake Michigan, but in the end we gave up.  It was just too far. Kelly and Bella didn't feel like climbing so they stayed down at the car in the shade with Peter and I didn't want to make them wait so long.

There's a bike trail that runs along the dunes and into Glen Haven and Glen Arbor areas.  It's beautiful and we had a lot of fun riding through there.  If AirBnBs there weren't $400/night, that would be my next destination. 

Benjamin thought it would be fun to bury Peter.  Peter didn't agree.

There's a little ice cream shop next to Fife Lake.  No day of swimming was ever complete without a trip to get ice cream.

The cabin at Fife Lake has a corn hole game in the garage.  We played nearly every night and Peter espcially loved climbing on the boards.  

Bella decided it would be funny to try to hit my phone with the bean bag rather than get it in the hole.  Her aim was spot on.  Famous last shot before impact.

All in all, it was a wonderful vacation.  I'm so glad we went.  I only wish we could have stayed longer.