213:366 - Clams and the Ice Cream Truck

Beckett has devoted the majority of his time in the lake searching for fresh water clams. The life jacket, goggles and net are constant staples in his "wardrobe". I am shocked that the kid hasn't grown gills!


After a full day of swimming, we suddenly heard the familiar sound of an ice cream truck. An ice cream truck at the lake?  Yes. Some of the kids ran to the truck to greet the driver (whom had stopped to take a quick dip in the lake) and promptly busied themselves choosing the perfect icy treat.

212:366 - The floatilla

Another beautiful day up north with a lot of time with cousins. By the end of the day when we were all ready to dive into my mom's killer lazagna, we were completely water logged and pruned. Adults and kids alike took turns on various floating objects. By the end of the day we had great floatillas of floating toys. (Pictured below: my nephew Tyler on ski tube, my brother Mark on pool float, Zoe in the kayak, Beckett and I on the styrofoam paddle board.)

211:366 - A tale of two lakes

We woke up this morning to another gorgeous morning on Lake Michigan.  My brother Matt and his family checked into the house they rented on Elk Lake - the exact same house we rented for years before my parents found a place up here. It also happened to be the house where Rodger asked my parents if he could marry me :) My brother Todd and Rodger did their own mini triathalon today with a run and bike culminating in a swim in Elk Lake and a few tired knuckle bumps.  After another full day of swimming - this time in both lakes - Beckett was content with some one on one time and a walk on the beach with Grandpa.

210:366 - Prepping for the journey

B is a funny dude. While his sister and cousins jump into Lake Michigan with no hesitation, Beckett has to prep for the journey: he must have his cousin's old swimsuit (with the pockets turned inside out) , a swim shirt, his life jacket, Keens and, of course his goggles. Once he heard there were small fish to be caught, he added a bucket and net to his attire. What a dude.

209:366 - Lake House Fun

Nothing like hanging out with your cousins at your Grandma and Grandpa's place! Both kids have been having a blast playing in the lake with their cousins Emma and Ethan. With uncles arriving in intervals, the kids decided to spend hours today decorating every door in the house with welcoming signs. Breaks were only taken for more swimming, more digging on the beach and more of grandma's zucchini bread!

208:366 - All packed up

This morning started early in a frenzy of packing for some time at the lake. I felt like the Hungry Little Caterpillar working his way through everything in sight as I packed up: 1 kayak, 1 bike, 2 innertubes, 3 life jackets, 4 pairs of Keens, 5 shirts per kid, 6 bathing suits....you get the idea.  I was tired before we even began the journey!

207:366 - Chop job

Rodger's been jonesing to chop the tail off his new bike so today, after measuring at least three times, he went for it! Let the sparks fly!!

206:366 - Trouble

Oh my. This gorgeous girl is going to be trouble in the coming years. So innocent. And, so mischievous. And, I love her madly. 


(And, if you're wondering, it was face painting day at camp.)

205:366 - 100 miles

When I hit my 100 miles on my running goal, I decided to treat myself to some new shoes. I love them and, strangely enough, seem to have a lot of purple and blue running attire??? Go figure.

204:366 - Remnants of the day

Wet suits drying on the line after a day of water play with awesome friends in the morning and swimming at the pool in the afternoon.  There is probably some ice cream dripped on at least one of those suits if you look closely.

203:366 - Shower time

Ever since the dude has started putting his head under water at the pool with his goggles, he has gotten over the fear of water on his face. As a result, we have moved on from baths to showers. He could stay in there all night, drawing people and monsters (people with one eye) and letters on the steamed up glass. The expressions on his face are priceless.

202:366 - Deconstructionist

Day three of the box fort.  Beckett is now busy deconstructing the giant box with a tiny pair or scissors and rebuilding using rolls and rolls of scotch tape. I remember loving scotch tape too so how could I possibly deny him?

201:366 - Luau!

Luau night at the kids' school / camp tonight. Kids had fun playing games with friends, having faces painted and eating more sweets that normally "approved" by mom and dad!

200:366 - Box fort

You know the old adage about the kid will inevitably like the box better than what came in it? Well, I got a big box from Crate & Barrel today - no idea why it took that much packaging but I'll save that for another post / rant. Beckett (who always sees potential) just wanted the box. And so begins the box fort. This is Day One.

199:366 - Self portrait

Well, kind of a self portrait. I needed a new head shot for a few reasons. Zoe is still interested in occasionally playing photog. So, I set up the camera, and with minimal instruction, she snapped my next head shot. I think she might have the same photo "itch" her mom has!

198:366 - The secret

Recently, Zoe decided to pass on a number of books from her book shelf to her brother. As she piled up the ones to go to him "on loan" she discovered her old favorites. I came around the corner to a foyer litered with books with two kids in the middle and Zoe reading to her little brother. When she leaned in to tell him a secret (likely, the secret was "ignore mom, she has her camera out again") I snapped a sweet shot of the two of them.

197:366 - Summer Time

Zoe pulled out her Crocs paint and decorated her shoes for summer.  The splatter effect was pretty old school - very cool!

196:366 - Gentlemen, start your engines

Perseverance paid off.  After cleaning and polishing his new bike, Rodger spent the last few days and nights painstakingly trying to figure out how to get the bike started (it hadn't been run in over two years and Ducatis are known to be testy Italian bikes). Finally, he got the chance to go for his first ride. Unfortunately, the giant helmet is blocking the ENORMOUS grin on his face!

195:366 - Double Bubble

The photography forum that my close friend Krisanne turned me on to holds a photo scavenger hunt every July. To make this clear: I do not want to do the hunt myself; but for the last few Julys, I have LOVED helping her get the images she needs to complete her list. Zoe has joined the fun and we take one day in July to "hunt" with Krisanne.  This year's list included a photo of someone blowing a bubble bigger than their head.  Finding the right gum was part of the fun! Krisanne blew us all away (ha ha) when she blew one.  But Zoe's bubble was equally as impressive and the giggling during the clean up was a riot!

194:366 - Another batch

Another batch of popsicles in the Zoku tonight and B was a happy dude!

193:366 - Potential

Years ago, Rodger and I both bought motorcycles. Having grown up around bikes, they didn't scare me. Having had a father in the insurance business, bikes scared the crap out of him! He knew the bike he wanted but just couldn't bring himself to buy it the first time around. Finally, after years of "wanting" and trying to cajole a close friend into selling us his, Rodger ended up with his dream bike: a Ducati 900 Monster. It's been stored in a barn, is covered with dust and needs some loving but all he saw,  as we got ready to load it up, was potential.

192:366 - Blueberry season!

Let the picking begin! These kids pick every fruit known to man and tonight's "pick" was blueberries!  The race was on to see who could fill up their bucket first and which technique proved the most lucrative. Zoe mastered tossing berries and catching them in her mouth and the dudes were content to wander on their own. Another berry, please!

191:366 - Popsicles

Uncle Mark sent us the coolest popsicle maker last summer - all you need to do is freeze the base, put in the sticks, pour in the juice and voila! Popsicles in 10 minutes!  We are having fun coming up with new flavors and new designs as we layer the juices. After they're frozen, it's off to taste test them under "Zoe's tree" in the backyard.

190:366 - The smile

I know the focus is soft, the crop is too tight and the background is dark but...this is a "real" smile and I think she's gorgeous. 

189:366 - Perfect start to the day

We were invited to spend the morning with wonderful friends of ours whom have access to a private beach on the lake.  What a treat!  It was the perfect way to begin our day and let all six kids run wild!

188:366 - Ah, summer....

Summer. A time for slower mornings, AM swims in the lake and donut breakfasts on the beach.

187:366 - Creativity with the letter "B"

Discovery and creativity. Beckett has been very fixated on drawing his b's and t's. He is not yet interested in any of the other letters in his name! Today's big "a ha" came when he realized he could turn his backwards Bs into butterflies...

186:366 - Fourth of July

Another blazing hot day with temps into the high 90s. No rain in sight. And, fire! So, after a day at the pool, the kids had a blast running around the backyard dodging smoke bombs and seemed content as dad doled out the sparklers...

185:366 - Fire

And the fascination with fire(works) begins... 

184:366 - Thirsty?

This makes me laugh. I can clearly remember, as a child, playing in the sprinklers with my brothers, drinking from garden hoses and filling up the plastic garbage cans and pretending they were our own mini pools (ish!) before tipping them over and creating a yard tsunami. Beckett's love of the water continues to grow with each passing day of summer.

183:366 - Heading out

We woke early to pack up camp and avoid the early heat of the day.  We also all wanted (and needed) showers - BADLY. Kids were troopers. Zoe helped get all of our belongings together to pack up.  Beckett still stopped to find every bit of moss, every "blower" (dandelion), and every cool blade of grass, but the continued novelty of the Camelbak kept him on the Lighthouse Trail as we made out way back to the car to head home.