3..2..1..BLASTOFF!

Jacob is with us 4 weeks out of the summer. He has made a few friends in the neighborhood, which is nice. I told him if he gets bored I will find something for him to do. :) Jake and his buddy Nick have recently taken an interest in these little rockets. You can buy kits to assemble, paint, etc. My dad used to do this when we were younger, however, we were mostly just spectators. The rockets HAD to have an elaborate, and perfect paint job you know. I think it was more for the big kids now that I look back. Anyway, Jacob sets off his rocket in the field across from us.

The setup.

Doesn't he look happy that I made him pose with his rocket? :)

And it's OFF! The quad is the chase vehicle. They have had to search for rockets in the field. They come down with a parachute, but can still be hard to find.

Strawberry Picking

Alright, so after Addie's haircut, I decided to try picking strawberries, with a one year old. I DO NOT recommend this however, as we had to stop after a very nice berry was squished between little fingers. I was able to pick about 1/2 quart, just enough for a little snack for the both of us. They were SO YUMMY and sweet, I didn't even have to dip them in sugar like I normally do. :) I still want to get some more this year and make a pie, but I'm not sure I will have the chance, without a helper that is. They were worth it though.

The loot.

Enjoying the fruit of our labor.

Yummy....Addison LOVES fruit!!

Addie's First Haircut

I'm not sure she really NEEDED to have her hair cut yet, but I wanted to do it so that maybe her hair would grow in thicker, longer, and more lucious than mine ever did. :) We just got it trimmed up a bit, and now I kind of miss her shaggy little baby bangs. She is such a BIG GIRL!

Before...ready with SNACKS.

Ummm...what's going on here?

Mommy let me have all the snacks I wanted.

TA DA!! Pretty new haircut.

Addie's First Zoo Trip

I took a day off of work and was able to take Addison to the Saginaw Zoo with the Berry's. We were so glad to have their company. Addie just LOVES animals...maybe a little hesitant with the larger ones though. It was a beautiful day, and we got our membership so we can make many more trips. It is the perfect size zoo for little ones. I'm hoping to make a trip to the Detroit Zoo this summer also.

Cedar Point

Dean took Jacob and Jake's cousin Joe to Cedar Point the last two days. Anyone who knows Dean, knows he doesn't go anywhere without his Blackberry. So, yesterday he kept sending me pictures of them standing in line and RIDING the coasters. I know...my husbands a dork. :)

Riding the Maverick.

Waiting in line for the Dragster.

Inverted I believe...looking at the background.

Loon's Baseball Game

Instead of having a Christmas party at work this year, we all gathered for an SVSU ITS Loon's game. We were in a pavilion with food and cover from the rain, but there was also a nice grassy area, which was great for the kids. If you live in the area, this is a nice family outing. The lawn seats are great if you have kids, they can run around, and are pretty inexpensive. They also have a play area, and fire pits at the statium. I think we will be going back.

This is proof that we were actually at a baseball game. With little ones, you don't get to really watch the game, but we had fun.

Lou E. the loon...Addie was facinated by him, even though she looks scared.

Addie & big brother Jacob.

These two were buddies for the night. This is my friend's son Cole.

Cotton candy for the first time....YUMMY! Which Cole gave her.

Family picture.

Addie & Mommy.

Caramel Corn Crunch

I have made this twice recently and it went over very well, as is in the past. So, I thought it was worth sharing.

7 cups popped popcorn(1 bag microwave popcorn)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup margarine or butter
3 tbsp light corn syrup
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 cup m&m's and/or 1 cup peanuts

Remove all unpopped kernels from popped corn. Place popcorn in a greased 17x12x2" baking pan. Keep popcorn warm in a 300 degree oven while making caramel mixture.

Butter the sides of a heavy 1 1/2-quart saucepan. In the saucepan combine brown sugar, margarine/butter, and corn syrup. Cook over medium heat to boiling, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to dissolve sugar. This should take 7-10 minutes. Avoid splashing mixture on sides of pan. Carefully clip candy thermometer to side of pan.

Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, till thermometer registers 255 degrees, hard-ball stage(this should take about 4 minutes). The mixture should boil at a moderate, steady rate over entire surface.

Remove saucepan from heat; remove candy thermometer from saucepan. Add baking soda and vanilla; stir till ombined(caramel will change in color and consistency). Pour caramel mixture over the popcorn; stir gently to coat. Bake in a 300 degree oven for 10 minutes; stir gently. Bake for 5 minutes more.

Turn popcorn mixture onto a large piece of foil. Cool completely. Break popcorn mixture into small pieces. Stir in m&m's and peanuts. Store in a tightly covered container. Makes 9 cups.


Note: I usually stir the mixture in the oven more than once, just to make sure it is coated evenly.

Enjoy!

Addison's FIRST Birthday!!

My baby girl turned ONE on May 30th, so we celebrated PRINCESS style...because that's what she is you know. Addison is such a joy to have in our lives and we can't image it without her. We love you SO MUCH Addie. Here are some pics of the fun festivities.

Memorial Day Weekend

I know I'm a few weeks behind on posting this, but I'm trying to catch up on my blogging. Many of you have already seen these on my FB, but I do have a few readers who aren't on FB, so PLEASE be patient with me.

We had a very busy weekend. Dean had to work part of the weekend, so it was just Addie and I. We visited with my aunt Val in Gaylord, went to my cousin's open house, went golfing with my dad, celebrated my dad's 60th birthday, went to the park, and stopped to play with the animals at my uncle's on the way home!

Update on my Dad

My parents stopped by before going back home tonight. My dad is doing very well post surgery. He said it isn't as bad as he thought it would be. He is still on pretty good pain meds. though. They removed all lymph nodes under his right arm, a large portion of skin on his back, and most recently found nodules on his left shoulder which they also removed. He has a drain under his arm for fluid that they have to empty a few times a day, which will stay in for about 2-3 weeks. A nurse will go to his house to change his dressings on Saturday morning. He will be going back to Ann Arbor to talk to the team of doctors about the possibility of having surgery to remove his lymph nodes under his left arm also. I think because of the nodules they removed, which they are pretty sure were also cancerous, tests will confirm. They are considering him cancer free as of right now. He looks good, and is moving around better than I expected. Addison gave him a gentle hug, it was so cute. Thanks again to all of you that have been praying for all of us.

Please Pray

My dad is having surgery this morning. Please pray for him and my mom today, and the doctors who are performing the surgery. He was diagnosed a few weeks ago with stage 3 melanoma. He is having all of his lymph nodes under his right arm removed, along with a large part of skin on his back, where the cancer originated. He is having surgery at U of M, Ann Arbor. It is an outpatient surgery, which will take a few hours, and then after a short recovery time, he will be released today. They live in Cheboygan and are planning on making the trip back tonight(while he is still pretty drugged up). He will have a drain under his arm for a few weeks, and then after he is pretty much healed from surgery, they will talk about maybe starting him on Interferon. It's a drug to help boost your imune system and fight off anymore cancer.

Praise: My dad's CT scan came back with no signs of the cancer spreading to other areas of his body, including any major organs. So according to the doctors, this is completely curable. However, he will have to watch VERY closely from now on for any signs of skin changes. AND use LOTS of sunscreen, and try to limit sun exposure from 10-4. I told him he will have to start moonlight golfing. :)

I will try to post an update tonight or tomorrow after I hear how everything went and how he is doing.