The Boone Family

We woke up this year on the fourth of July without much of a set plan for the day.  This was not like us so we were quickly looking for a new place to explore.  There are quite a few lakes with public beaches close by so we decided to load up the kids and head to Portage Lake.  We had been to this lake earlier this year when the weather was summerlike in early April and were looking forward to heading back.  The park has a great play structure for the kids, which was hot enough to fry an egg on so we bypassed it this time.  Once the boys saw the water on the horizon they took off in a full out sprint to jump in.  We snagged one of the last picnic tables, dropped off our load, and quickly ran into the water.  The temperature has been in the low 100's so the water was like bath water.  Bath water is great because I am a sissy when it comes to cold water so I was so happy I could jump in with the boys.  Bob and I talked about how great being at ...

This was a weekend Bob and I have been looking forward to for quite sometime.  One of my best friend teachers from Cleveland was getting married.  Bob and I were both lucky enough to be in the wedding party.   This meant that our schedule for the weekend was a little jam packed so we decided it would be best if the boys spent the weekend with my parents.  This would be their first sleepover ever away from both Bob and I at the same time.  My mom was very excited about this, however I was anxious about how much of a handful the boys can be.  She was up for the challenge, so on Friday she met us in Sandusky to pick up the boys.  They were so excited to see her that they had no idea Bob and I had left.  I on the other hand, was a mess.  My stomach was full of knots.  Not because I don't think that she can handle it but because of the guilt.  I feel like those boys are our responsibility and we do not want them to be a burden to others....

This last week has been crazy...I was working over 40 hrs, Landon was coughin his head off, Bob was not feeling well, I had minor surgery on my ear, etc.  We were in desperate need of a relaxation weekend!  If you know me then you know that never really happens but we really do try.  On Saturday we got up and went garage saling.  The first sale that we walked up to had a Thomas the Train toddler bed for sale. I just looked at Bob and knew that he was not going home without it.  I was trying to be the practical one because we really don't need another toddler bed but sleeping in a character bed when you are young is probably at the top of every kids to do list.  Carter is now sleeping in Thomas and Landon is sleeping in the fire truck bed which means that the crib is not being used.  It is so strange to see it all packed away...until the next time.   After we went to the garage sales we went out to Degroots U-pick Strawberry Field.  It is just...

This weekend we drove to visit my cousin and her family who live in PA. We left on Friday and drove to almost the border of Ohio.  Our friends, The Goffs, who live in Kent came to visit us at the hotel.  Christine is 6 days away from delivering their first baby girl!  It was so great to see them with their utter excitement for what changes life awaits for them.  We got up on Saturday morning and drove into Pittsburgh to the Children's Museum.  If you are ever in that area and have kids...this is a must place to visit.  They have so much to offer children of all ages.  We began in the art studio where the boys painted, molded clay, explored plaster, and created paper.  Carter was very much into the painting while Landon loved playing in the plaster.  There are four floors in this place.  We loved it.  They have a water exploration floor with water sprayers, water tables, and boat creating.  Then they had a floor geared specifi...

A while back I came across an advertisement about A Day with Thomas the Train on TV.  I thought it would be great to do with the boys.  I did some research and saw that they did it here in Michigan at Greenfield Village and also in Cleveland.  We decided to head to Cleveland to do it so we could also take advantage of seeing some friends.  We decided not to mention anything regarding the event until the day of because I know Carter would have been asking questions about it all the time. Check out their matching Thomas shirts! Do they look excited? When we pulled into the parking lot, we watched the train come by and Thomas was at the front.  Carter kept saying over and over, "Mommy, that's Thomas on the front." It was a beautiful day for this event.  They have tents set up all over each with a different activity.  They had a gift shop, temporary tattoo tent, a tent where you could watch Thomas movies, a train table tent, ...

We spent the weekend with family down in my hometown.  My sister, her husband, and baby Adelyn came up also.  Nothing makes me more happy than to spend time with family!   The boys helped Paw Paw plant flowers for Maw Maw.   We enjoyed the sunshine as the boys played at the park.   We also had a BBQ with my cousins.  We laugh at how fast our families are growing!  We went from having only one small child at the gatherings to having 6 more in 2 years.  Spending time with a loving family is the best mother's day gift I could ask for!  Just as icing on the cake...Bob washed, scrubbed, vacuumed,etc out my car too!