his first parade

one of the reasons we wanted to make sure we got to sandy pines the night before the 4th was so that we could take ledger to see the parade in the morning.  its a sandy pines tradition, a bunch of people decorate their golf carts (or kids deck out their bikes) for the parade, the local fire department brings their fire engine, and a few other fun sights to see, and they all drive around the main street of the park and throw candy.  its pretty low key, but the kids love it- and ledger was no different!  this was his first parade, and boy did he have a great time!  his eyes were as big as saucers as everyone drove by, waiving and throwing candy.  we had brought a bag for him to collect it all in, and he had so much fun picking up the pieces and collecting as much candy as he could!  he would comment, saying how he saw different things, decorative stars, a dog on a cart, or let us know that he had seen a truck (saying it as only he can...).  we let him have a couple pieces of candy when the parade was over, but the rest we will have to space out over the next couple days- we certainly don't want to deal with that kind of sugar rush all in one go- yikes!
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boo boo

either i'm a glutton for punishment, or i really love my wife, because we did the tent thing again this time at sandy pines during our stay...  papa had gotten us a new air mattress, this time one that was queen sized so we could actually sleep under the same covers!
anyway, as we were setting up the tent in the empty part of the lot right next to the garage.  ledger got a bit excited about watching the tent building and must have wanted a better view, because he climbed up the one foot tall mason stone wall papa had built by the garage.  he was having a blast walking up and down the top of the wall- right up until he fell off it anyway!  he scrapped up his leg pretty good.  nothing serious, just some scratches.  one of the scratches down by his ankle was bleeding a little bit, so we took him in, cleaned it up, and put a band-aid on it.  this was absolutely thrilling for ledger!  he wasnt bothered at all by the scrape, in fact when he fell off he got right back up saying 'i ok!'  this was ledger's first band-aid, so he was loving it.  at first he was a little concerned because he didn't understand what it was that we were doing, but he soon figured it out and for the rest of the weekend loved to show off his 'bandage'!

green little boy

with the 4th of july upon us, we headed up again to enjoy the festivities at sandy pines.  the 4th fell on a friday this year, so we headed up thursday so we wouldn't miss any of the fun.  we got up there (after a short bout of car sickness) and gave big hugs to mema and papa, who were thrilled as always to see us (and by us, i mean ledger).  once we were all settled in, we had a little while until dinner was going to be ready, so ledger and i went on a short little walk down the road.
when ever we are at sandy pines and we take ledger for a cart ride, he always spots these little 'children at play' signs, they are in the shape of a person, usually holding a red flag or something.  every time he sees one he says 'look! it's a little boy!' (which he says in some sort of strange accent that we have no idea where it came from!..)  well, the neighbor a few lots down got one recently, so i figured i'd walk him down to it so he can meet this little boy that he keeps talking about!  he was very excited about it and walked around it petting it on the head.  'little boy!  i found it, little boy!'.

boat power

we have a pontoon boat to tool around on the lake.  all the neighbors have boats too, but for some reason they put these big motors on them even though there is a 'no wake' policy on the lake.  figuring there's no need for power, we opted instead for an electric motor that is strong enough to get us around the lake easily and doesn't create a wake.  its perfect: we never have to worry about breaking the rules, it does a great job of getting us around, and we never have to worry about filling it with gas!  the bother though is that it needs to be plugged in to recharge the batteries after every time out.  that means that there has to be a cord cutting across the backyard to the dock all the time.  this isnt too much of a bother except when its time to mow the lawn!  well, we figured out a great solution: bury the cord!  we had been talking about it for a year or two, so we finally did something about it.  david and i went and got an industrial strength cord, some pipes, and all the rest of the stuff we needed to make it waterproof.  that meant all that was left was digging up the lawn!  that sounds easy enough, so i got everything ready and took a shovel to the grass, digging out a path for the corded pipe, bringing all the way to the dock.  it turned out to be pretty easy and now we dont have to worry about chopping up the cord when we mow the lawn- not bad!
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time out

for a while now we have been doing the 'time out' thing with ledger.  ever since he turned two he's been able to understand what it means to get a time out.  we had a pack-and-play type crib set up in the dining room corner where we would bring him when he was being naughty.  we have a two minute timer that we start when he is put in it.  oh boy, does he hate it!  when we put him in there he would whine and scream and cry!  i guess that let us know that it was working, right?  well, now he's getting old enough to take responsibility for himself.  when he's being bad he knows it, sometimes when we reprimand him he asks us 'i get timeout?', so clearly he understands the idea.  well, with that level of understanding, he should also be able to be responsible for his behavior during time outs.  that means its time to put away the pack-and-play and just give him a time out chair.  he's been doing very well with it, he actually stays in the chair when he has been put in it!  i'm so proud of him!  well, i'm not very happy that he needs to be put in the chair, but i'm impressed that he stays there.  oh, conflicting emotions...

the reading couch

in our dining room we have a 'reading corner' for ledger.  its got a couple of bookshelves and a couch for reading.  he spends most of his time in the living room, you know, where the tv and all his toys are, but lately he's been loving going over to the 'reading couch'!  we have been trying to instill in our boy the fun of books, and it seems to be working.  he loves to pull out a book or two and have us read it to him.  though we have hundreds of books, he always seems to go for the ones with a robot in them.  hmm... we always ask him questions about each page.  'whats this?', 'what color is that?', 'how many are there?'  and he always does so good at answering us!  he's gotten more and more interested in the books, maybe because now he can answer our questions much better, or maybe because of the fun and silly voices we add to the characters, but either way, we love to sit on the reading couch with him and watch him learn!

dive in!

can you believe it- june is almost over and i still haven't gone swimming off the boat!  we as a family decided to correct that.  we got our suits on and grabbed some towels (and sun screen), and made our way to the boat.  ledger had only ridden in the boat so far this summer, so when we told him that he was going to go swimming he was thrilled!  we put on his life jacket and rode out to the middle of the lake, the whole way he was squirming and wanting to go swimming.  finally we put down the anchor and told him it was time to get in the water.  he couldn't wait!  david and mom hopped in first, then i lowered ledger down to them.  he was so excited!  diana and i jumped in soon after and all had a blast in the water.  we passed ledger around, giving him a chance to swim with all of us.  it was funny, he kept gettin annoyed that we wanted to hold him- he was ready to head off on his own!  now, keep in mind, he has no idea how to swim; but don't think for a minute that would stop him!  i would hold on to the back strap of his floaties and let him go to town.  he hardly noticed that i was still holding on to him, so he was all set.  he actually did a great job for his first time out, he was paddling his hands and kicking his feet like a real swimmer!  we are planning on getting him in swimming lessons this summer, but from what i saw, it looks like he will be a very fast learner!
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the lake effect

i was busy working in the front yard and garage when diana came to find me.  she said that mom was playing with ledger in the lake and i could come and check it out.  it was the first time ledger had been in the lake this summer and it was so cute to see!  mom had him on the steps, life jacket on, playing in the shallow water.  he was loving it, kicking his feet around and splashing!  'i in the water, daddy!' he said when i came around back to check out the scene.  he was having a blast!  i asked him if he wanted to walk around in the shallow water, but he was not at all interested- there was seaweed!  we tried to calm him, telling him the seaweed wasn't so bad, but he didn't fall for it.  we even tried to tell him that seaweed is just 'water grass', but he wasn't buying it.  oh well, he was having fun with grandma just playing on the steps!  maybe next time we can convince him to explore further...

upgrade

david had an old laptop sitting around his office and offered it to diana if she would like it.  of course she would!  she was thrilled to have a laptop of her own.  she gave up on using mine years ago (granted, i should have given up on mine years ago too- i think its from the paleolithic age...).  it was fun to use, but super slow.  david offered to bring it in to have it cleaned up so that it might go faster.  we brought it in and were told that they couldn't do much to get it going faster- it was just really old!  diana was disappointed, but david had another idea in mind: how about he just get her a new one?  um, ok!  david has been working on getting his new business off the ground and wants diana to help him with it, and in order to do that she will need a good computer, so he figured he might as well make sure she has one.  diana wasnt about to tell him no, that's for sure!  well, he ordered it for her and when it came she opened it.  she was like a child on christmas morning!  its really fast and its got a touch screen!  she has been having a blast playing with it ever since!  along with loading her music on it and picking the perfect background for it, she has also been familiarizing herself with all the programs she will need to help with the business.  she's ready for the challenges ahead, able to figure out all the programs to help out.  thanks again david for the new computer- she totally loves it!  ...oh, and she's ready to work!

castle clearance

the other day ledger and i were wondering the isles of meijer.  this is not an uncommon thing; whenever there is grocery shopping to do, i always volunteer.  for some reason i really love grocery shopping, especially now that i've got a partner in crime- ledger!  the two of us will head out to aldi or meijer at the drop of a hat, we love it!  its gotten to the point that when i tell ledger that he needs to put his shoes on because we are going somewhere, he will ask 'aldi? m store?'  (we call meijer 'm store'.  if you want to know why you will need to ask papa...)  well, this particular afternoon we headed to the m store to pick up a few things.  before we start filling the cart with food, we usually like to stroll down to the other end of the store and maybe take a quick look at the toy isles...  well, this time we found something pretty amazing.  we happened across an amazing deal, a whole castle play set for only 8 bucks!  i knew we couldn't pass up a deal like that, so i picked it up for him.  granted, he has more than enough toys already, but for 8 bucks?  well, it really would be foolish not to, right?  we got home and opened it up.  it was pretty cool, if i may say so myself.  it had a bunch of extra stuff to go with it: a knight, his horse, a catapult, a treasure chest, and a few other fun bits to spark his imagination.  this boy was so thrilled that he could hardly contain himself!  that castle kept his interest for a good hour or more!  the next morning it was the first thing he said when he woke up- 'castle?'
what a great find!  sometimes it pays to walk past the clearance section in the toy isle, that's for sure!

baking creamer

the other night diana and i were cleaning up the kitchen and we came across her mom's coffee creamer.  it was mint chocolate flavored.  i hadn't ever seen that before, so i popped open the container and took a whiff of it- it smelled really yummy!  as diana and i were talking is said 'you know, this would be really great for baking something, just use this instead of milk!'  diana thought about it for a minute and said, 'your right, lets do it!'  so we pulled out a brownie mix we had in the cupboard and had an impromptu baking session!  we gave the creamer a try, replacing it with the milk in the recipe, and put everything together, popped it in the oven, and waited.  when it was done we pulled it out, let it cool, and then gave it a try.  would the minty part be lost in the ingredients or would it shine through?  turns out, the mint was strong enough to be noticeable!  it wasn't very strong, just a hint- which made the brownies all the more delicious!  especially at 11:00 at night!  so, here's a little word of advice next time you bake: replace the milk with a flavored coffee creamer- its amazing!

ledger's lawn care services

one of my parents friends at sandy pines works at a company that makes leaf blowers.  while we were out there he stopped by and dropped off a special gift for ledger: his own leaf blower!  apparently the company also makes a novelty toy blower- so he gave us one!  my mom always pulls out her little battery powered leaf blower to get rid of all the leaves and pine needles off their deck and ledger always loves to watch her as she does it.  he has always been enthralled with the blower, and now he had a little leaf blower of his own!  it even has a switch that turns it on and it makes blower noises and has a tiny little fan in it that blows a little.  ledger was so thrilled, when mema got hers out, he would follow behind her blowing the leaves while she did!  what a fun toy for him to play with- helping out with the cleaning!
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the pines

you know, its summer- we should take advantage!  me thinks a quick visit up to sandy pines is in order!  it had only been a couple weeks since our last visit, and a couple more till our next, but who cares, we love to go up to the lake anyway.  we had a chance to see the kids and ledger got to play with his cousins, which he always loves!  it goes without saying that he was thrilled to spend even more time with his beloved mema and papa!  one of the highlights for him was going with mema to the pool and splash pad for the first time this year.  diana and i stopped by to see them for a minute and he was loving it!  its always a treat to spend a weekend at the pines!
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at rest

ledger usually goes down for his nap around 12:00 or 12:30.  he usually sleeps soundly till about 2:30 or 3:00, but lately he's been sleeping a lot longer- some times he will even stay down till after 4:00!  now that sounds like a good long nap!  well, one of the days he was sleeping a bit longer than usual i went in there.  we had something to do for the evening, so it was time to get him up and start getting ready.  i walked in there with him still sound asleep- at that little guy melted my heart!  just to sit and watch him sleeping, it reminds you just how much of a gift it is to be a parent!  and that cute little guy was just so precious, i wanted to eat him up!  look at those strange little adorable feet!  what a treasure!
its during these quiet times that the reality of being a father really hits me.  its such a great responsibility, but its also such an honor to be given the opportunity to be accountable for another human life, to raise him, to instill in him as much wisdom and understanding as we can.  he is truly a blessing, even if he wakes up cranky...!
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dad's day

its father's day, so diana, ledger, and i headed over to celebrate with her father!  its always fun to go over to dad's place and spend some time with him.  ledger especially loves it because dad has some really fun play sets for him in the yard!  as soon as we pull up poco is on the defense, barking away.  once we call out to him and he realizes who it is, the barks turn to yelps of joy!  when we get in the yard he goes nuts, running back and forth, excited to be picked up and cuddled by his dear meem!  ledger ran up to grandpa, gave him a hug, then asked him 'swing?'.  he then proceeded to spend the next hour going back and forth on that thing!  eventually we gathered around the table for lunch.  barbara and james stopped by as well, so dad had his whole family to celebrate with him!  we stayed for a few hours, but eventually had to head home so ledger could get something resembling a nap...  by the end of the day i called papa to tell him i loved him, and we got to let david know how much we appreciate him too!- so many dads, so little time!
i know, i'm a dad too, but my father's day gift is still to come... and i eagerly await it! (i don't mean to ruin the suspense, but its a whole day of going to the movie theater and seeing as many movies as i possibly can in one day!  last year i saw six!)
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a little (more) off the top

it seems like diana has a new look every week, changing hair colors and styles, but i've looked about the same ever since we met.  granted, i've grown out my beard in the winter, but thats not all that big of a chance considering i always have facial hair.  well, now that its summer, diana convinced me to take the plunge- to shave off all my hair!  well, not all of it, but to let her use the clippers on all my hair, cutting it all short.  i was a little hesitant, knowing how little hair i still have left, i was nervous to get rid of those precious few!  in a moment of daring i said, 'ok, do it!'  and off it came!  it is taking a bit to get used to, but i must admit, it's starting to grow on me.  diana loves it, so i guess its here to stay... maybe...

fun with james and auntie

a while ago diana's friends had made plans to celebrate a few birthdays together by having everyone go out together.  in preparation, we lined up a babysitting for the evening: auntie barbara!  she was thrilled, and asked if she could just have him stay over there for the night.  um, ok!  it just so happened that she and james had an open house for james' brother that afternoon, so they invited us over with ledger, and then diana and i would take off from there.  it was great to drop by the party, it was at james' house, so we got a chance to meet his mom, dad, brother, and a few other extended family members who where there to celebrate the college graduation.  they even had a play set in their backyard- ledger was all over that!  james even played along with him, which they both loved!  when we headed out, i'm not even sure ledger noticed, he was having so much fun!
unfortunately the plans for the evening fell through, but we didn't let that stop us, we still had a great time, going out for dinner at red lobster and having a blast just the two of us!

steak and shop

diana and i had a few errands to run, so we strapped some shoes on our little boy, and headed out!  diana had it in mind to try out a craft idea or two, so our first stop was the craft store.  she went and got what she needed while ledger and i wandered around messing around with the different knickknacks, trying our best not to break any of them...  we even got to make a quick stop at the used movie store- my favorite!  after a few more pit stops, we stopped at steak and shake for lunch.  diana and i always enjoy their food (and especially their prices).  they even had a great menu for ledger.  the best part though, was the really fun kid's kit they have!  it had two little tiny crayons, something to draw on, a fun car that you can put together, stickers, and one of their cool paper hats!  ledger had a blast playing with all of it!  it was more than enough to keep him busy until the food came- what more can you ask for?  after a fun filled day of being out and about, diana got a text from barbara saying that she was home.  so, we decided to drop by and spend a little time with ledger's auntie!
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more yard work!

with the weather being so nice, it was time to get back out there in the yard and do some of the projects we had been talking about all winter!  first on the list was clearing out the side of the front yard, getting rid of all the underbrush and finishing up the brick edging that had been started years ago.  we still had the pile of bricks just hanging out behind the garage, so i brought them over and tried to figure out the best way to get it into shape.  first, i got in there with a clipper and pruned everything back, then i set up the bricks in a shape that worked well with the landscaping (and was easy to mow around!).  after digging and burying the bricks, i was able to use up the last of our mulch and make it look as good as possible!
check out the final results here.

a beautiful life

every once in a while i realize how lucky i am.  i think back to my life six or seven years ago and think about what i was up to.  it was pretty sad.  i would get home from work and just sit in front of the tv all night all by myself.  i had no real social life and no prospects of that really changing either.  i remember visiting my family one weekend, talking with my parents, when papa said 'you know, you won't find anyone by just sitting in you living room.'  hmm.  he was right, as much as i hoped, there wasn't really any chance of having a better life if i just sat there and let it pass me by.
not too much later, i happened to find someone, and wouldn't ya know it, she didn't just show up in my living room, i actually had to go out and find her!  turns out it wasn't just someone, it was the love of my life!  i'm so glad i found her- and she was willing to give me a chance!  we had a great first date, and afterwards i gave her a call and she was willing to go on a second date- i must admit i'm still surprised and thrilled that she was able to put up with me and my lame jokes for more than just that first meeting!  but, lo and behold, she was willing to do much more than put up with me, she was willing to marry me and spend the rest of her life with me!  every day i see this beautiful, wondrous, glamorous, thoughtful, generous, funny, creative, gorgeous woman and think- man, i really won the lotto, huh?  and she puts up with my lame jokes?
yeah, my life is pretty sweet.
(seriously though, she's super hot- way out of my league.  but don't tell her, ok?)
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i, robot

for his birthday, ledger got a whole mess of wind-up toys from his aunt barbara and james.  he's recently become obsessed with them, wanting to take them down and play with them several times a day.  his favorite, by far, is the robot.  you wind it up and it dances- he loves it!  everyday lately when its book time, he always picks the books with robots in them.  its becoming apparent that he has a bit of a robot obsession!  he loves talking like a robot too, his latest phrase is 'robot. want. cake.'  its so hilarious and cute!  he talks like a robot and moves around in jilted motions like he's a robot!  so one morning i thought i'd take it to the next level and let him be what he wants to be.  i looked around and found a box that was about the right size, cut out holes for his arms and head, and told him that if he put it on he could pretend to be a robot!  he was all for it!  so he put it on and ran around saying 'i. robot! i. robot!  robot. want. cake!'
good try, buddy, but you're still not getting any cake- no matter how cute of a robot you are!

wash and ledge

as ledger is getting older, we are trying to have him participate in the daily chores around the house.  this includes cleaning up his toys, throwing things in the trash or recycle bin, and even helping out with laundry!  what i do is set him up on top of the dryer, open up the washer, and hand him clothes to put in there.  well, thats how it started anyway, now he's gotten so comfortable with it that i stand on the other side of the laundry basket and toss a shirt or shorts or towel over to him, he catches it and throws it in the washer.  i give him one and ask 'ready for the next one?' and he says 'more!' so i toss over a pair of pants, 'more!' and i throw socks at him, 'more!' and a towel covers his head.  he's giggling the whole time!  once the washer is full, i ask him 'whats next?'  'soap!', so he pulls the laundry detergent off the shelf and hands it to me.  i pour out the liquid and dump it in.  he sees me pour it in and says 'i do it, daddy!'  one time i made the mistake of letting him- and detergent was all over the place!  now i just let him put the cap back on and put the soap back on the shelf.  we close the top and then he gets to do his favorite part: press the button to start the washer!
i figure its good to teach him early to do his part with the house work- and we sure have a blast doing it!

camping?.. in a tent?!?

whenever we come to see my family at sandy pines, its always a big hassle to figure out our schedule.  see, we usually sleep at my parent's house and then come out each morning.  this can be challenging with trying to maintain ledger's sleeping schedule (when we don't, he can get pretty grumpy and crabby) because he goes to bed at 8:00.  that means that we would have to leave sandy pines by 7:30 to get him home.  then when we put him to bed diana and i just sit there for the rest of the night with nothing to do.  as a way of solving this problem, we asked my sister and tim if we could borrow their tent so we could just stay the night out at the pines.
this means that we were going to spend the night camping in a tent in the lot next to my parents.  now, the reason this is a big deal is because i am not much of an 'outdoorsman'.  those who know me would admit that this is an extreme understatement...  diana was all for it, but it took me a bit more convincing, but eventually i relented and agreed to it.  after papa's party, he and i set up the tent.  once we figured out what it was supposed to look like, it was pretty easy to get it set up, it only took us about twenty minutes.  then we tried to make it as uncamping like as possible: we put air mattresses in there, a nightstand, a lamp, a fan, and papa even finished it off by putting a welcome mat in front of the door!  alright, this is sounding a little better, i guess i can give it a try.  and all would have gone well if it hadn't been so cold!  that night it got into the low 40's and i was not at all prepared for that!  because of the air mattresses we had, two singles, diana and i had to sleep on separate mattresses.  i had only found one sleeping bag, which diana got, so that left me with a sheet and two thin lap blankets!  at one point i woke up in the middle of the night shivering and had to keep myself from crying because i was freezing and camping.  it was the latter one that most broke my soul.  eventually, around 6:00 am, i finally gave up and headed in the trailer, desperate for anything that could provide me heat- i couldn't bare it any longer!  ledger was soon up, so i got him and tried to warm myself as best i could with whatever towels or clothing i could find.  i almost died that night, i'm pretty sure.
*please note, some of this post may have been over dramatized for effect...*
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papa at 60

guess who's 60?  this weekend papa hit that major milestone!  in celebration, my mom invited all their sandy pines friends over for a big shindig.  we even had balloons and decorations!  we had a great time, everyone was pestering papa about being an old man, and we got to enjoy a delicious grill-out and spread!  as the afternoon wore on, all the little ones started to get a little stir crazy and wanted to run around!  we pulled out a few toys and balls for them to play with and we had a great time watching them all interact with each other, the older ones helping out the smaller ones, and all us adults just laughing and enjoying them play.  of course, the conversations between my parents and their friends were all about comparing and bragging about which grand kid was the best (i didn't catch all the details, but i'm sure ledger was the clear winner...).  by the end of the evening everyone had a great time, we all got the chance to celebrate papa's birthday, and everyone went home with full bellies.  what more can you ask for, huh?
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six year engagement

every year we go up to sandy pines for memorial day weekend.  diana and i have been doing this for the past six years.  i for one, have very strong memories of that first memorial weekend...  it was on that saturday that diana and i went for a cart ride, walked a little into the woods to find a great view of the lake, and i asked her if she maybe wanted to marry me.  thankfully she said yes!  every year since then we head on over to our special spot and remember that day and how much things have changed since then!  fortunately she hasn't ever said she should have made a different decision... yet...

a golf pro in training

papa's favorite hobby is definitely golfing- he's been obsessed for years!  growing up i would go with him from time to time, but unfortunately the golfing bug just didn't bite me.  to be honest, i think the last time i went golfing was with papa and tim when he and jill got married.  yikes!  even though it never stuck with me, papa knows it worth trying on the next generation!  a few years ago he got a junior set of clubs for jackson to play with.  he grew out of them, but papa kept the little golf clubs around knowing there might be another chance to pass along his love for the game.  this weekend was his opportunity to introduce ledger to golf for the first time!  we pulled out the little clubs and a golf ball and played around with them together.  papa was thrilled to show ledge all about it, and ledger just really loved hitting that ball around!

summer starts

this memorial day weekend has a lot of meaning for my family: its the beginning of the sandy pines season, its the anniversary of diana and my engagement, and its papa's birthday!  we didn't want to miss the fun out at the pines, so we trekked up to grand rapids and joined the family fun.  one of my favorite parts of the start of summer at sandy pines is the flea market, so we made sure to get there in time to wander the flea!  last time we had been there we were pushing a stroller, so it was pretty cool to go this time with a boy who was old enough to walk through on his own!  we picked up a few things while we were there and had a great time.  with papa's birthday ahead, we didn't dally for too long- we had work to do!
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dishwasher blues

when it comes to woodworking and fix-it stuff, i do pretty well.  but when ever there is water involved?  well, that's a whole different thing all together!  my dad always had the policy that if something's broke, you fix it.  unless that broken thing involves water- then you call the plumber!  there is a lot of truth to that, when it comes to working with pipes and water, it can be really tough.  but, being the cheap dutchman that i am, i wasn't about to spend money on a plumber!
ever since the garbage disposal had been replaced we have been having trouble with our dishwasher.  the last time we ran it the whole thing overflowed and soaked the floor!  it was getting old anyway, so david went out and purchased a new one.  i unhooked the old one and got ready to put in the new one.  i felt pretty confident with my plum knowledge, so i figured i'd give it a try.  about a half hour into the process of hooking up the new dishwasher and getting all the pipes ready to go, i came upon a strange realization: this dishwasher didn't even have an electric plug!  what?  turns out the new dishwasher is supposed to hook right into the electrical grid of the house.  huh?  all it had was bare wires at the bottom that were supposed to hook into some mysterious electrical plan that didn't exist.  i'm pretty sure they just do that so you have to pay extra so that the company will come in and install it for a huge fee.  sorry guys, you aren't getting my money!  so we picked up a cord assembly, connected it, and put the thing it myself!  ha- that'll show ya!  and it all would have gone according to plan if it hadn't been for that pesky garbage disposal!  turns out, the person who installed it hadn't removed the rubber plug for the dishwasher fixture.  we didn't actually need a new dishwasher in the first place- the only reason there was flooding is because the person who did the garbage disposal messed up!  argh!  well, we had words with the company that did it and they ended up reimbursing us for part of the cost of the dishwasher.  it still sucks that we had to replace it for no reason, but at least they were willing to admit that they had made a mistake.
see, this is why i don't hire somebody else to do the job!

mothers day dinner

to celebrate mothers day we went over to my grandma's place.  she lives in a retirement community, so we met up with her and jay at the restaurant in the complex.  my uncle ted and aunt joni soon joined us for lunch together to celebrate.  we had a lot of fun, grandma and jay were thrilled to see ledger- and he always loves seeing his grandma-great!
one of the funniest things from the weekend was when grandma pulled out a little container and handed it over to ledger.  i opened it up a little bit and then let him open it the rest of the way.  not really sure what to expect, we just watched as he opened it up.  the lid came off and inside- a plastic spider!  the look of shock and fear on my boy's face sent us laughing for minutes!  'spider! icky!'  and he threw it back to grandma-great!  we spend the rest of the weekend laughing about that one!  grandma felt a little bad about it when she saw his reaction, saying that it was meant for papa or me, but ledger's reaction was so priceless that it would have been wasted on anyone else!

wood, work, and walls

my dad has a job that keeps him in the office, but he's a handy fix-it man at heart- and boy, is he good at it!  i have very fond memories of him fixing and building different things around the house.  growing up, i was always his handy tool helper- trying to anticipate what he might need next, grabbing the right tool, holding the wood when he cuts it.  you know, all the handy man type of stuff!  over the years he has taught me by example how to fix, build, and create so many things!  well, i got to do that job once again this weekend, and watch him pass along his 'do it yourself' wisdom to jackson!  we headed out to sandy pines to build a garage.  a year or so ago there was a big storm and a tree fell on the pole and canvas cart cover that they had always had.  with the hard winter we had this year, the snow that came down had finally done that covering in.  it was time to replace it, so papa decided to go all out and build a full on garage in its place.  we spend the afternoon putting up the walls that he had built, securing them in place and building the supports and plywood on the walls of the garage.  by the end of the day we had turned a simple wooden foundation into a four walled building!  ah, the satisfaction with seeing what we had accomplished!  papa has certainly instilled in me the importance of a job well done!  and its so cool to see him pass that along to jackson. i cant wait for ledger to be old enough to step into that role of helper- like father, like son!  i just hope that i will be even half as good at this stuff as papa so i can be such a good role-model to my boy!
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avery's soccer game

for mothers day, diana and i took ledger up to spend the weekend with my mom.  we headed up friday night, too late to do much of anything other than put ledge to bed and play a little game of cards!  papa asked if i would be able to help him a bit with a project out at sandy pines, and mom said that jill and the kids were going to be busy all saturday morning with different soccer and softball games, so we made plans to go and join them for one of them.  ave's soccer game was early enough in the morning that we could go and cheer her on before heading out to work at the pines.  ledger had never seen a soccer game before, so he thought it was pretty need.  for a couple minutes at least, then he wanted to run around!  jackson was there too with a soccer ball, so ledger was all about kicking it around with him (which mostly just entailed him trying to kick it and then running around for five minutes!).  while we were watching the game i mentioned to jackson what papa and i were going to work on, he didn't have anything else for the day, so we made plans to have jill drop him off so he could help us!  oh, that's right, the soccer game- aves did a great job, staying focused and going after the ball.  she may have done a fantastic job, actually, but i was too busy playing around with ledge and jackson to know for sure...
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