Summertime Swimming

We were able to go to "maw maw's" house today to swim with the kids. She takes care of several girls just about Gabi's age for the summer in her daycare home, so naturally Gabi LOVES to go and swim in the summer. When I am able to go, I sneak over and take them all out for a swim in the pool and today was the perfect day to do it! In the 90's and sunny! The pool felt wonderful! In between football practices, Tyler comes over as well and he was able to get a rest in, as well as a swim. Thanks maw maw, for the nice get away!! We had a good day!

Blast Off!

Gabi finished her reading qouta for the reading program at the library last week. She was able to put her name in for several different prizes and got a bag full of goodies! A free cone from Dairy Queen, free kids dinner at Old Country Buffet, some coloring pages, and some activity pages to name a few. This is a program I really enjoy each year with my children. Now that the boys are older, they really don't participate, but Gabi has really had fun coloring in her stars for every 10 minutes of reading. It has kept her mind fresh with reading. Great job Gabi!

High School Musical

We were able to go with good friend, Lina and her daughter (and Gabi's best friend), Emma, to the South Bend Civic Theatre to watch a musical - the ever famous and popular High School Musical on yesterday. I was quite impressed with this theatre. The seating was very close to the stage and considering we were in the second row, it made it all the more exciting! I was also impressed with the singers/actresses/actors! They were all local residents and most were from the area high schools (Marian, St. Joe, Penn, Mishawaka to name a few). They all did a GREAT job! They really suited their characters well. Gabi and Emma had a wonderful time. They started in the car...listening to the sound track and singing...getting "pumped up" is what they called it. At the end of the musical and during the song "We're All In This Together," they took all the kids on stage to dance with them. It was very cool and Gabi was more than willing to participate. I definitely have to give this show a 4 1/2 out of 5 stars! Great job {wink}!

Saturday at home?

Yep, we are in town this weekend! It feels so wierd too! We have spent so much time at the campground lately, it just feels odd to be home. It's almost like I don't know what to do with myself! We stayed in town this weekend for a few reasons...one, we have Addison's first birthday party to attend today and tomorrow Gabi and I are scheduled to see High School Musical at the South Bend Civic Theatre with my good friend, Lina and her daughter, Emma. I believe Gabi will be staying over tonight with Emma though, as well, so Gabi certainly has some exciting plans this weekend. Trenton and Tyler both stayed over with their friends last night as well...just "hanging" out as they say. The family is all back together now...Trenton is home from Fargo, I made it back from Indy (conference for work on Wed and Thur) - I was just thinking that Thursday night as I layed in bed. Everyone is safely tucked in their beds under the same roof! There's no better feeling than that!

Happy Birthday, Pam!

Wanted to wish my sister in law, Pam, a VERY happy birthday because she deserves it! If there is one thing to say about Pam, I would say she is the happiest person I know...she is always smiling...sees the good and positive in everything. I remember when I first started dating Ben, let's see, Pam would have been around 8 or 9 years old. She used to adore me...she would always want to hang out with Ben and I when I was over at Ben's house (Ben wasn't fond of this back then), she was like a little sister (and still is)...she'd sit on my lap and she would play with my hair, she'd always want to talk with me. I thought it was so special because I didn't have a little sister. She is not only a great sis but has turned out to be a wonderful mom as well. I certainly know hers is smiling down from Heaven! Please know that we all love you very much and we hope you have a wonderful day!

Team Indiana Info

Here are some sites you can check out information on the Team Indiana trip...it may take a few days to update...
Indiana State Wrestling Association
Wrestling Discussion Board - just look for any subjects containing Fargo, ND or Cadet Nationals.

Freestyle Nationals

Trenton wrestled for Team Indiana in the freestyle tournament today. He is finished with a record of 1-2. Trenton got a rough draw from the get go - Derek Garcia from Washington (the Greco champion!) and lost 1-2 and 2-4. He came back and won his second round to Matthew Reed from New Jersey (9-2 and 7-0 - tech fall). His next draw ended up being Colin Shober from Pennsylvania (Greco runner up Champ!) and unfortunately lost to him as well. That's okay though, Trenton was happy with how he wrestled and I guess his first match with the Greco Champ was a dog fight! Trenton put his whole heart into it and you can tell by the score! We are so very proud of Trenton and glad that he was given this opportunity to wrestle for Team Indiana. Way to go Trenton! I talked to him just a little bit ago and he said, "mom, I'm just ready to come home." It about brought tears to my eyes because we all miss him as well. He did a great job and we will be excited to see him on Thursday. You can check out all the brackets, etc. here. Just click on Cadet Freestyle Nationals in Fargo, ND.

Christmas In July Weekend

We had a great time this past weekend, in fact, it had been planned since the beginning of the year. Since my mom loves Christmas, it was her idea, after coming last year, to camp together during this weekend again. Ben, Tyler, Tyler's friend, Paul, Gabi and I along with my parents, Chad and his family camped at Jellystone (our seasonal) for the weekend. Chad, Amber and kids actually camped there from Wednesday to Sunday so they were there when we got there. On Friday, they moved to the site across from us, which made it more fun and easier to enjoy each other's company. We arrived on Saturday afternoon so after we grabbed a quick bite for lunch, Ben took Tyler and his buddy, Paul, tubing for a little while. Gabi and I took care of getting a golf cart that my parents reserved for the weekend while the boys were gone. Before dinner we played "hillbilly golf" - that game where you throw two golf balls connected by a string onto a 3 prong holder. Similar to cornhole I guess. We also had a great time around the fire - s'more, pizza pudgie pies, strawberry pudgie pies, stories of previous years, and lots of laughs that evening.

Saturday we had a big breakfast...eggs, bacon, sausage, and hash browns to start us off. Gabi, my mom, Amber, Presley and Addison took advantage of the craft hour where the girls made little reindeer ornaments. Later that morning, the campground also had a snowman decorating contest (newspaper crinkles inside a white trash bag) so my mom helped Gabi put one together quickly. No prize for Gabi's...but it was fun to do. We also enjoyed the family "sleigh ride," helped the boys shoot off water balloons (Ben fell in the lake participating), Chad took on Tyler in wrestling, fished and took many rides around the campground on the golf cart. It was a fun filled, yet not too busy of a day. Saturday evening we planned my dad's famous BBQ ribs, grilled asparagus, grilled squash and zucchini and Amber's yummy pasta salad for dinner. We also got a cake for my dad - celebrated a little early but figured it would be fun with all of us together. It was wonderful! That evening we had a cornhole tourney (Ben and Paul beat my mom and I for the championship) and also a poker tournament. My dad ended up winning that one (him and Tyler in finals), a $2.00 buy in so he gave everyone their money back....so like him!

Sunday was our lazy day...had breakfast - biscuits and gravy along with pancakes, and we just kind of sat around while the kids played. Before leaving we stopped at the store to enjoy the ice cream - one of my kids' favorite things to do before going home. It was certainly a fun weekend and may end up being an annual thing for us. Enjoy lots of pics here.

We kept in touch with Trenton...it was the only thing that didn't complete the weekend...we missed him terribly and we think he missed us as well. We said lots of prayers for him though and kept him in our thoughts constantly.

Greco Nationals

We kept in touch with Trenton all weekend. He wrestled on Saturday and ended up going 2-2 for Greco. We think he did a GREAT job and he is happy with how he wrestled (we only ask he do his best and he did). You can check out the brackets etc. here. Just click on Cadet Greco Nationals in Fargo, North Dakota. Freestyle Nationals will begin on Tuesday...you can keep updated on this website also.

Fargo Schedule

Wanted to ask for prayers from everyone for Trenton over the next several days while he is competing on Team Indiana at the FargoDome in Fargo, ND. Please pray for safe travel, his safety while wrestling, for his peace of mind and confidence. Here is the schedule if you prefer to pray during his matches, etc....
Friday, July 20th - Arrives in Fargo, ND
Saturday, July 21st - Weigh ins for Greco 7 am
Saturday, July 21st - Greco Session I 9:30 am- 2:00 pm
Saturday, July 21st - Greco Session II 4:00 pm- 9:00 pm
Sunday, July 22nd - Greco Session III 9:30 am- 11:00 am
Sunday, July 22nd - Greco Finals 2:00 pm- 6:00 pm
Monday, July 23rd - He will have off, please pray for peace of mind for weight control
Tuesday, July 24th - Weigh ins for Freestyle 7 am
Tuesday, July 24th - Freestyle Session I 9:00 am- 2:00 pm
Tuesday, July 24th - Freestyle Session II 5:00 pm- 9:00 pm
Wednesday, July 25th - Freestyle Session III 9:00 am- 1:00 pm
Wednesday, July 25th - Finals 2:30 pm - 6:00 pm
Thursday, July 26th - Arrives home
This is a double elimination tournament and he is going for the chance to be an All - American wrestler. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers! This is it! This is what he has been wanting to do - We wish him the best! We love you Trenton!

Troubles...Gone!

Need I say more?

Tooth Troubles

Gabi has been having some problems with her tooth today, her right lower lateral incisor tooth is loose and the adult tooth is almost fully erupted behind it...I think the baby one is finally ready to be pulled and it hurts her when she chews. She has already prompted me to tell Ben over the phone that he may have to pull it when he gets home. She's a little nervous about that. I am not one that likes to do that sort of thing so Ben has always been the one to go to for tooth pulling. We have already been told that Gabi will have to get braces because her mouth is not big enough for her incoming teeth, hence, the problems with all her loose teeth. The tooth fairy may have to make a trip to our house this evening...

Tale of Two Cities

We went to our campground this weekend to do some relaxing and of course, enjoy the weekend. It was all about volleyball this weekend. Our neighbors (campsite next to us) are from Ohio and they have older children - two girls (one is in college and one is going to be a junior in high school) and one boy (will be a senior I think). Anyways, the two younger ones are usually there each weekend and we have come to find out that they LOVE volleyball. They brought friends and cousins with them this weekend and unfortunately, we only had Tyler. The good thing was our neighbors included Tyler in their activities and with Ben enjoying volleyball as well, it made for a "volleyball tournament weekend." I personally don't like the sand volleyball because I don't like the dirt. I don't mind it every once in a while but Ben could live it if he could. Maybe it makes him feel younger??? ha ha

Anyways, Gabi started enjoying the sport of volleyball as well and Ben is just sure that she is going to play volleyball...we'll see...Gabi has a love of many things so it could go lots of different ways. My parents were also able to come up and bring us some YUMMY buttermilk sugar cookies and chocolate chip cookies from Das Essenhaus. Here are some pics from the weekend on our end of the state.

Then there was Trenton...in Rensselaer for the Team Indiana camp. He kept us very updated by texting and calling. We were concerned at one point because he said he had hurt his knee. I guess it's not too bad but we will keep an eye on it. He was very excited to get Pro Power gear as well as his official Team Indiana wear (he got a sweatshirt, bag, singlets, shorts and t-shirt). Check it out!

Again, I want to thank everyone who sent in money to send Trenton to Fargo for Nationals. A couple of people I would especially like to thank is Aunt Annie and Uncle Jay, Dad R and my parents. Their contributions were fundamental. Thank you!

Couple of Road Trips

I took a couple of road trips this week...the first to Shipshewana Flea Market - LOVE THAT PLACE! Gabi has been saving her allowance money for a pair of heelys (not the real ones like Tyler has - he spent $70 on his!) and Kristy, a friend who cuts our hair told us you could get some "fake" ones for kids at the flea market. Gabi was so excited to hear this so I told her we would go soon. We went on Wednesday. Sure enough, they had them and in just her size! She has been practicing these past few days and she is coming along good on them. You just couldn't beat that for $15!We also picked up a few gifts for Gabi's friend across the street - she was having a birthday party on Thursday - a few charms (they had TONS!) for crocs and a cute little Barbie stationary set. Tyler got a pair of shoes for $12-not sure of the signfiicance, but he liked them, and they were cheap. I was able to get a hummingbird feeder (we saw a couple near my flowers at the campground last week and I made note of getting one), a couple of VERY CUTE wood crafty items for show...one a little birdhouse pick I put in my plant and the other a wood little chair...not sure how I'll decorate it yet, but plan to. Lots of other things caught my eye, but with the chance of us moving...I just didn't want to add to the list of things to take if you catch my drift. I will be going back though...it was a good trip, didn't get to look like I really wanted to - Tyler was antsy, so I'll just have to plan another date.As for the other road trip...Tyler and I drove Trenton and his friend, Caleb down to St. Joseph College in Rensselaer, Indiana yesterday...about a 2 hour drive. It is his camp for Fargo, ND. He will be learning some technique, getting in shape (conditioning) and getting all of his Team Indiana gear. He is SUPER excited about that. Pictures to follow I am sure. Trenton will be leaving next Thursday for Fargo for Nationals. Thanks to all who have chipped in money to send him. It wasn't cheap, but it is definitely worth it. He has accomplished one of his greatest goals...to be on Team Indiana! Tyler and I did stop after getting off the toll road - I treated him to Dairy Queen for going with me...Waffle Treat Blizzard - YUMMY! If you haven't tried it...you have to! One of my favorites right now!

Off to the campground for the weekend...need some R & R.

Angels Are Singing!

Just had to share this...
Gabi was sitting on my lap last Saturday by the campfire, before bed...it was just her and I. Ben had gone to the showers and we were waiting for him to come back and take over his "job" of holding his baby by the fire before bedtime. Anyways, as she was looking up into the sky she asked, "mommy, how do you ask Jesus in your heart?" The conversation went on with her explaining to me that they learned about it as a group at Prairie Camp and the counselors asked for kids who wanted to ask Jesus into their hearts. They would pray with them and help them. Gabi said she was a little shy and decided she wanted to do it at home. My heart melted. How exciting! I sat there and tried to explain the best way I knew how, to a 7 year old little girl, how to say a prayer asking Jesus to come into her heart. We even prayed together. I also explained it didn't stop there, that there was lots to do after making a home for Him in her heart. We talked about how to live the way Jesus wanted us to. I feel so very blessed to have helped Gabi that evening...I'm so glad that Gabi's name is written in the book of Life! The Angels are definitely singing.

License Funny

Last week on vacation, Gabi was studying Ben's driver's license when she piped up and said, "daddy, why did they put 'hair blonde' when you don't have any hair?" Ben chuckled and said, "they put that on there when daddy had hair, they can't put 'bald' for the color." How observant Gabi is!

Vacation

We spent our vacation this year at the campground just relaxing and visiting some of the area attractions in Angola. Chad and his family actually camped Monday to Friday. We decided to go Monday evening and came home last night (Sunday). Here is a rundown of what we did...

Tuesday...store to pick up odds and ends we forgot, the boys went fishing

Wednesday...Dad R, Jeff, Pam and Bren all came to visit - played some volleyball, cornhole and visited the splashpad - had a great 4th of July dinner, later Ben, the kids and I went to watch fireworks in Angola

Thursday...Visited the Fun Spot in Angola, Ben took the boys and Chad fishing for walleye later in the evening

Friday...Tubing on Lake James!

Saturday...Waterslides and Go Karts (Rapid Raceway) in Angola

Sunday...Washed down camper and awning...packed up to go home

Not a whole lot of action - enjoyed the R & R, in fact, the boys told us (after their trip to Iowa) that they didn't want to do anything but SIT because they were tired. They got on a new kick of Pokemon (yes, it has made it's comeback) and Trenton bought a Nintendo DS with his first paycheck to play it on. Family, food, fun and relaxation - made for a GREAT VACATION! Check out LOTS of pictures here.

PS...Bosco Sticks - the greatest snack at Yogi! Alongside their ice cream, of course.

Happy Birthday, Mackenzy

Wanted to wish my niece, Mackenzy a VERY happy 8th birthday today! She is in Texas and we miss her lots! Gabi absolutely LOVES when she comes to visit because they are so close in age and they have so much fun playing together. We all hope you had a great birthday and we send our love to you all today and every day.

3rd Place, Iowa Nationals

Just heard from the boys. They are watching the final match between Georgia and Pennsylvania to see who gets first place. Our team ended up with third at Iowa Team Nationals. To prove the competition, both Georgia and Pennsylvania's teams were made up of all State High School placers! Trenton said Georgia's worst kid placed 5th at Georgia High School State Finals!!!! Our team was just our high school team...it wasn't made up of the best of Indiana (somewhat like Fargo, ND). We were a little worried about Tyler, being an upcoming freshman, his weight (he went 119 but they were allowed 3 lbs. extra), and having some older, more mature and more experienced wrestlers, not to mention this is the second time he has wrestled since coming off a broken ankle. He did mention that he wrestled one kid with a full beard and tattoos! Yikes! Needless to say, they did real well and we are glad for the opportunity to face some great competition nationally. Tyler's record was 3-5 and Trenton's was 5-5. We are proud! Tyler is done now, at least until his season this coming school year. As for Trenton, next stop, Camp for Fargo, North Dakota! Exciting!!!
*** Just heard that Pennsylvania won first place, Georgia took second.

Gabi Time

We had a FANTASTIC weekend. While the boys are away in Iowa wrestling (be back tomorrow), we decided to have some "Gabi time" and go to the closest zoo that houses manatees, which just happen to be Gabi's ABSOLUTE FAVORITE ANIMAL. It all started when she was about 2 years old, she got a book about manatees and wanted to read it all the time. We vacationed in Florida when she was 3 and of course, Sea World had the manatees. She was in awe! Last year we were able to charter someone to actually take us and let us swim with manatees in the Crystal River, their natural habitat. It was AWESOME. Our kids enjoyed that time the most out of the whole vacation. So, every chance we get to see or hear about manatees, we do it...for Gabi. The sad thing is I didn't even know what they were either until Gabi learned of them. I am glad she took an interest in them.
Anyways, Friday evening Ben, Gabi and I went to Das Essenhaus to eat. FUN! After eating the family style dinner and pie, we took a carriage ride. Saturday morning we took off for the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium at 5:30 am. After stopping for breakfast at Bob Evans we arrived at the zoo around 10:30 am. I was amazed at the size of the zoo. They are even adding an amusement park and water park to it in the next couple of years. A beautiful zoo indeed. Lots of animals and things to do...train ride, pony ride, carousel, feed the Lorikeets, etc. Our favorite stops were of course, the manatees, the river otters, the gorillas, the Lorikeets and the Eagles. We knew we made a good choice in coming just by seeing Gabi's reaction to seeing the manatees again. We visited the entire zoo in about 4 1/2 hours. Ben and I realized just out of shape we were when we were finished. Our legs were sore and we were tired. Gabi was just beginning though! We stayed at the Hampton Inn, checked in and decided to go for dinner. Since I have never been to Joe's Crab Shack, Ben insisted we go. Can you say YUMMY! I had a crabcake sandwich and it was awesome! Gabi had some play time (at playground) and we decided to check out Ohio State (see the Horseshoe stadium). We got there just in time...they were having a party there and some ladies were manning the gates beforehand. They let us go in and sneak a peek at the stadium. VERY COOL! Afterwards we were back off to the hotel. We were all exhausted at that point. We were in bed and asleep by 9pm and slept in till 8 am! Breakfast at the hotel and off for home. We had a good time and I know Gabi certainly enjoyed it!