Our Visit With The Schmitz'

Kianna and Trace with Aunt Traci

Fishing with Uncle Todd

Trace caught a fish

Kaylee's fish

Kianna and Brittany fishing

We spent a couple of days with Todd, Traci, and Brittany in Bloomington on our way to St. Louis. As usual, we had a fantastic time. The kids had a blast hiking for geodes and salamanders in their woods. They also had a great time fishing and playing in the peddle boats. All the kids caught fish, but Trace caught the most. All he had to do was drop his line into the water and a fish would latch on. He caught about ten. We also made some yummy Smore's. In addition, we got to meet Brittany's boyfriend, Brian, and his son, Branton. We had a wonderful weekend with family. The only thing that could have made it better was to have gotten to spend time with Broderick too, but he is in Tempe, AZ for the summer...

Trevor's Fishing Trip

Trevor got invited to join a couple of his friends, Ashley and Kerry, on a charter fishing trip in Ludington, MI this weekend. Their salmon fishing extravaganza began at 4:00 AM on Saturday and by 9:00 AM they had caught their quota of five fish each. They were only guaranteed one fish each, so they were pretty happy with their catch. Thankfully the fish were beheaded and deboned prior to being packaged. Trevor was home by dinner time with 35 lb worth of salmon fillets. You can guess what we had for dinner that night and again tonight. Yummy!!!

Gaskill's Visit

We encouraged my dad and Sue and my oldest brother, Dave, and sister-in-law, Darla, to make our house their stopping point on their way to Washington D.C. They took us up on our offer and arrived yesterday afternoon, leaving early this morning. It was Dave and Darla's first time in Adrian, so Trevor and Kaylee gave them a tour of The Centre and LCS. Other than that, we spent the evening eating, swimming, and visiting. We had a great visit!!!!

Wenzel's Visit

Our good friends, Sally and Ryan, and their three girls; Brooke, Krista, and Makenna came to visit us this weekend. The kids had a great time playing together and were even able to have sleepovers. We enjoyed lots of pool time, as the weather was excellent. We hired a brave sitter who was willing to take on our six kids, so the adults could spend an evening in Ann Arbor together. We did a little shopping, enjoyed some Thai food, and watched one of the dumbest movies I have seen, Midnight Sunrise. Regardless, of the movie, we had a fun night out and a great weekend together. Thanks for coming to visit us!!!!

Art Camp

Kaylee spent each morning this week at The Centre's Art Camp. She currently wants to be an art teacher when she grows up, so she thoroughly enjoyed this experience. Each day had a different theme, as follows:

• Mosaic glass- She was able to decorate two glass pieces with mosaic tiles. The instructor then baked them and returned them later in the week. They turned out nicely!
• Painting- She painted two flowers and had her work framed.
• Photography- Kaylee borrowed our camera for the morning and practiced taking pictures. The main thing she learned was that in order to make your pictures more interesting your subject should be off center. I guess I learned something too!
• Drawing- This was her favorite day, mostly because Trevor was her teacher. He was able to dust off his drawing skills and spend the day teaching kids the basics of drawing. He had a blast doing it and Kaylee loved learning it. She was especially excited about her new pencils, erasers and sketch book she was able to take home. Trevor managed to get Kianna a set too...
• Graphic Design- She created a picture on the computer and the day ended with an art show.

Trace's Date with Daddy

"Boys only, no girls allowed" that is what Trace likes to say about his date with Daddy. Trace and Trevor had a blast together. They went out to dinner at Outback Steak House and shopping to pick out a new bike and helmet for Trace. The reason for this date night, other than father/son bonding time, was as a reward for Trace. He earned his new bike by waking up dry five mornings in a row. He has been potty trained for over a year, but was still wearing diapers to bed until he decided a couple of weeks ago that he wanted to start wearing underwear to bed. We are proud to announce that we are now a completely diaper-free household. Way to go Trace!!!!

One Bad Day

Yesterday was not a good day. However, I will begin by telling you that we are extremely blessed. Let me start at the beginning. We made it home safely and unloaded the van. After the van was unpacked, I went to pull the car into the garage, however, it wouldn't start. I called Trevor outside to help me and he jumped it. It started and I drove it around the block to make sure everything was okay. It appeared to be, so I shut it off. I then tried to start it again and it wouldn't start. He jumped it again and the same thing happened. 


In the morning, we called the Ford dealership here in town to see if they carry Honda batteries. They didn't have any in stock so it would take a few days. Trevor jumped my car again prior to leaving for work and I drove 45 minutes to Jackson, MI to the nearest Honda Dealership. They checked out the van and the guy said he had never seen a battery in such bad shape. The acid had leaked out and corroded the wire. They had the battery in stock but would have to order the wire, which he could have by the following day. The bad news was that he told me my van is not safe to drive and that he is surprised that we made it all the way to Jackson. He said it could die at any moment, so we called Trevor and he came and got us. I am very thankful to God that this didn't happen until we got back from Iowa safely in our driveway and that we have remained safe while driving it. Also, we had gotten a new battery a few years ago and so it is still under warranty and we won't have any charges. 


As if all that isn't frustrating enough, Snuggles is having issues. We decided to leave Snuggles at home with Trevor while we went to Iowa to give the two of them time to bond. Snuggles has issues with men and does not go to Trevor unless he has to, which is irritating. Our dog trainer said the best thing for the two of them would be to spend a week together, so we took this opportunity to give them some bonding time. The time together did seem to help until Snuggles began pooping in his kennel. The first night was understandable because it was the 4th of July and he was scared of all the fireworks going off around him. However, it has continued to happen again and again. In fact, I came home to a kennel full of poop. Trevor hadn't seen it because it had been covered up by the towel inside his kennel. I came home and gave Snuggles a bath and Trevor cleaned out his kennel yet again. The trouble continued when Snuggles began pooping on our carpet. We first found it in Kianna's room at bedtime. We got that cleaned up and then later found more poop in Kianna's room and also in the hallway upstairs. He also woke up covered in poop the following morning. Snuggles was on our list...


I took Snuggles to the vet the next day and discovered that he has stress related colitis. We were told this is a medical condition and not a behavioral issue. Basically Snuggles was so stressed out by our leaving him alone with Trevor and by the noises associated with the 4th of July that he made himself sick. The poor dog had to get two shots, a steroid and a pain killer, along with some antibiotics. We are relieved that there is a reason for the problems he has been having, but it also confirms that our dog is a mental case!

Our Week In Iowa

Kids enjoying the froggy pool and their new Star Wars water guns

I completed my first 8k race

Our pretty fruit pizza

Kids with Grandma Sue and Grandpa Wayne

4th of July fun with Bryker

Look the sadistic look on Grandma Becki's face...

Check out our super cool nails

Here's a close up

Old playgroup at the splash pad

Fun with cousins at Backbone State Park

The past three summers I have taken the kids back to Iowa for a week and each time we have had a blast. Thankfully this trip was no different.

The highlights of our week include:

• Taking the kids to the Amana Colonies for the first time- We ate at the Colony Inn with Grandma GG, Grandma Jacque and Aliyah. The kids loved the whole experience. They enjoyed seeing the old buildings and hearing about how the people used to share everything and live without money. They also enjoyed eating our meal family style. They are used to me just handing them a plate of food, so being able to pass the dishes around the table and serve themselves was pretty exciting. Next time we go, we will have to make sure and go when the cute little shops are open so we can explore a bit. 
• Fishing with Grandpa John, Aliyah, and Aunt Bree- My kids were ecstatic to go fishing. They have been wanting to go fishing for quite some time. However, neither Trevor or I enjoy fishing so they were kind of out of luck until Grandpa John agreed to take them. They each caught one fish and had a great time despite the extreme heat. Thanks Grandpa John!
• Swimming with Aliyah and Grandma Jacque in Uncle Jimmy's pool several times.
• Girls Night Out with my friends is always fun- I so appreciate having friends who can understand the ups and downs of parenting and encourage each other along the journey.
• Getting a massage with Becki- Thanks for the early birthday present!
• Walking with my mom in the mornings- Keep it going Mom!
• Working out at the YMCA with my dad, just like old times.
• Playing at the splash pad with our old playgroup- It is always good to see old friends. 
• Running my first 8K with Stacie and Patrick-You should have seen my sister's face when she found out I beat her time by one second after she slowed down at least 3 times to let me catch up to her. Priceless!!!!
• Spending time with family on the Fourth of July- The kids had a blast swimming with Bryker in his little pool and running through the sprinkler. The ribs, sweet corn, and ice cream pie were a highlight as well. The evening was spent with my mom's side. We enjoyed continuing our tradition of decorating our nails with Aliyah, Aunt Bree, and Rylan. Bree is quite talented at making stars and stripes on such little nails. We also had a great time watching fireworks downtown and doing sparklers with cousins.
• Game Night with Grandma Becki and Aunt Sam- Kaylee was so excited to be able to join me and the other adults in our game night. We had a blast playing Farkle and Pictionary (card version). Kaylee did an awesome job keeping up with all of us adults. We laughed a ton. Grandma Becki made her famous buster bar dessert, which was an added bonus!
• Spending lots of time with Grandma Sue and Grandpa Wayne- We stayed at their house this week, so had lots of time with them. The kids enjoyed playing in their froggy pool, going on walks with Grandma Sue, playing with their new squirt guns, playing "Sorry" with Grandpa Wayne, and movie night to name a few things.
• Backbone State Park- The kids frequently ask Trevor and I to tell them stories about when we were little and several of my stories revolve around Backbone State Park. I decided to take them there while we were back home. I planned a picnic and invited my dad's side of the family to help us make some new memories. My brother, Dave and sister-in-law, Darla came. My niece, Melissa and her family came. My nephew, Scott and his family came. My uncle Rod and cousin, Jada came along with my dad and Sue. There were 19 of us total. We had a great time visiting and playing together. I was super excited to let the kids play in the stream and as expected they thoroughly enjoyed it. Our trip to the lake was not quite as nostalgic. Unfortunately, that did not live up to my memories. The lake smelled like poop and there were brown things floating all over the top of it. I decided it was goose poop due to the smell, but wasn't sure. It was disgusting nonetheless. We ended our visit with a boat ride and ice cream. It was a fun day!
• Getting back home- Daddy spent the week back in Adrian working and trying to get a few things done around the house, while enjoying the peace and quiet. He had the pool all ready for us. The kids had a great time playing outside with Daddy once we got home. It feels good to be together again!!!