Grandma and Grandpa in the U.P.

My parents are here visiting!!!!  It's been 18 months since they stepped foot in the U.P.... 18 loooooonnnngg months.    And they almost had to spend their vacation in the Marquette airport.  The kids and I went solo to "the big city" to pick mom and dad up from a late-night flight. Reagan cried a majority of the time, since she is not a good traveller, but we made it safely there, 2 hours away. We decided to get to the hotel early and take advantage of the swimming pool.  It was a little hectic getting our luggage, the baby's blanket, the take-out boxes from dinner, and three squirmy kids into the hotel all by myself (Reagan decided to run into the parking lot sans supervision), so I was a little harried when I locked the car door.  We settled into the hotel, went swimming, and then started getting ready to head to the airport.  That's when I realized that the car keys were NOWHERE to be found.  Not in the purse, not in my pockets, not under the beds, not in the bathroom.  Disappeared.  Vanished.  Without a trace.  I locked the children in the room with strict instructions to let NO ONE in "except Mommy", and went to see if anyone turned some keys in to lost and found.  Uh-uh.  Went out to the car, on the off chance it was unlocked.  Nope.  But then I thought, since I was so frazzled coming in to the hotel, and knowing how scatterbrained I am... I most likely locked them in the car.  Went back to the front desk, asked for advice.  They were unhelpful.  Called the police - the hotel was out of their jurisdiction.  A tow-truck off-hours for lock-out service would be a minimum of $75, and if I arranged a taxi from the airport for my parents, it would be over $50 (WHAT kind of hotel lacks a shuttle to the airport????).  Meanwhile, it's 9:30 pm, the kids are CRAZY, Reagan is screaming because she wants her own crib at home and a bottle of milk,  my parents are at the airport, and I am utterly alone.    I called my nephew Ben, near tears.  His wife (with their only car) wasn't home just yet, but he thought he could pick my parents up.  Calls to my husband and my father in law were fruitful.... the car had insurance that would cover the tow-truck.  I called the insurance company and arranged for just that.  The incredible shrieking toddler?  Well, the coffee pot in the hotel had packets of powdered creamer.  A little water with that in a bottle, she'd never know the difference.  Except that there were also packets of pure SUGAR mixed in with the creamer - a fact I discovered too late.  Reagan loved that bottle, but the girl was bouncing.  off.   the.  walls.  Oh My Goodness.  Finally, by 10:30 pm, I'd done all I could do from my little hotel room, and sat on the bed to wait.  It was then, while taking a breather for the first time since about 6:00, that I had a thought.  "I wonder if the keys fell out of my pockets when I changed into my swimsuit?"  In which case, they would be in the suitcase.  Which is EXACTLY WHERE THEY WERE.  UGH.  I am such an idiot.  My parents arrived shortly thereafter, and the remainder of the night (til close to midnight) was spent trying to get children to sleep.   Reagan was still on her sugar high, and screaming bloody murder when the sugar/creamer ran out.  Finally, at the end of my rope, I asked the front desk for some milk and a pack-n-play, and locked her in the bathroom.  She was out within a literal 5 seconds.  Just wanted her own space.  WHEW!  The rest of the visit had BETTER go smoother than it's start!!!

Photo Shoot

Untitled | Make Your Own Book

Harvest 2010

Does this look like 4 days worth of work?  It should, because it was.  Actually more than that, if you count time spent actually PICKING the blueberries.  Canning is cool, but MAN is it time-consuming.  And when I think of all the effort I'm putting into something I could get for a dollar or so at Walmart.... I shudder.  I'm trying to convince myself of the organic, wholesome goodness of home-made can goods, but I just pray that I don't give anyone botulism.   Anyhoo.....  this is the tally thus far.....
2 jars beet jam
6 jars blueberry jam
8 jars pickled beets
6 jars dill pickles.

I got a pint of blackberries today as well, so I'm thinking blackberry jam will make the list in the near future.

New Video Camera

My awesome mom and dad got us this new video camera, after our old one went for a little "swim" this past month. Thanks so much guys! It's amazing, and I love it! We went to the beach, and I tried it out, so...enjoy!  My sister mentioned watching video of her kids from a few years back and realizing how quickly they've grown.  We don't take NEARLY enough video in this house (as compared to stills, which I go over-board on).  A still picture can't capture the sound of their voice, their mannerisms, the way they move.  As much as I love stills, this camera, and the comments from my sister, are inspiring me to become a much better videographer.  They're only little once, and time goes by FAST.

Soccer

Due to an uncooperative work schedule, and heavy rains, I have missed ALL of the boys' soccer games until tonight's.  They did such a great job!  I was so proud of them... running after the ball,  paying attention to the game instead of twirling around aimlessly in circles like last year.  Quinn even made a goal!  Both boys just played really hard, and have shown enormous improvements over last year.  YEAH maturity! 

A Parade with Grandma LaVerne

Every once in a great while, we can talk another family member into going with us to one of the many weekend parades up here in the U.P.  Grandma LaVerne joined us for the Heritage Parade, and I must admit... we all had a fabulous time!  Oh, and I had to catch Quinn's black eye on film.  Apparently there was a brawl at bedtime last night, and Quinn didn't win. 

Blueberry Picking

Last full day here for our company, and we decided go blueberry picking.  We hauled in 20 pounds in about 40 minutes.  Many hands make light work!  All that harvesting reaped a blueberry cheesecake for dessert.  I LOVE late summer. 

Mineral Museums and Gatorade for Breakfast

Katherine, Jadyn and Scott are still here, and today (after a breakfast of waffles and gatorade...yum!) went to the A.E. Seaman mineral museum.  Rocks are cool.  They just are.

That night, we watched "Underdog".  Reagan, the girl who doesn't watch TV,  giggled and pointed, and was just thoroughly THRILLED about a dog movie.  It was incredibly cute.

Copper Harbor

A little hiking, a little swimming (Lake Superior with whitecaps. UGH!) Just a nice day touring the Keweenaw!