Day 1 UP Trip

On Saturday I drove my kids and my parents up to Sault Ste Marie. I never ever drive on road trips but with Tyler unable to join us on our trip (he had to go to High Adventure Camp with his Scouts) and it being my car, I did it! I drove the entire trip and I am quite proud of myself. I even drove over the Mackinac Bridge which is quite scary. The outside lanes are scary because, well you are right by the edge. And the inside lanes are scary because they are metal grid that moves. Then there's the fact that it's just super long. But we survived, so go me!

When we arrived in Sault Ste Marie we stopped at a park to stretch our legs and eat. Unfortunately when we got out of the car we realized it was FREEZING- I was wishing we had packed warmer jackets. We were all shivering as we ate our PBJ's and played on the playground. The one perk of that outing is that we saw a really cool freighter boat.

Our next stop was the Soo Locks. The Soo Locks is a water elevator for boats. It helps boats travels from the high waters of Lake Superior to the lower Greater Lakes. We got to watch it in action with a boat that was on a tour. If you look at the water behind Steven you can see how low the water is. They then shut the gates on both sides and slowly fill up the water. If you look at the second pic of Steven you can see how high the water has gotten. Once it was that high they opened the gate on the higher water side and the boat sailed out.

It is a long process to fill the Locks up with water and the kids were not entertained so it was kind of rough going- lots of wiggly, noisy, whiny kids- but I thought it was cool to see. When we left they had a big freighter in the locks behind where the tour boat was (it took awhile for the freighter to get in there because the fit for the boats is tight). I knew the kids wouldn't last through another one so we headed to a tiny museum nearby. In the museum was this creepy stature that looked VERY real.

When we left the tiny museum the freighter had already gotten lower. I should've taken before and after pictures of it because it was really cool.

After the Soo Locks we checked into our hotel and got situated. Then we went on another adventure to the Point Iroquois Light House. I just love light houses! This one was super cool and the grounds and beach around it just beautiful. We were able to climb to the top of the Light House Tower. Penny was super fussy and I didn't want to climb curvy, steep steps while holding her so I let my mom go with Steven and Lucy first (Ben was too scared). Well, Steven ended up getting scared too and didn't make it to the top but Lucy was super brave and had no problem getting to the top. She even went to the top again with me (while Grams and Poppy watched the screamy/fussy Penny). I made sure to include a pic of the fussy Penny because that is the reality of trips with little ones. Also, I am usually not that scared of heights but for some reason (maybe that the steps were metal grids that you could see through?) this light house really got me nervous and my legs were so shaky so I don't blame my boys for getting scared.

After our Light House adventure we decided to make a stop at a scenic outlook. Unfortunately the road to the scenic outlook was terrifying. It became a one land road with a steep cliff on the side. I was soooo terrified of another car coming the opposite direction but thankfully none did, a blessing. The view was beautiful and we didn't have any cars coming from the opposite direction on the way back either.

Driving back to the hotel my phone lost signal and we had to rely on instinct to get us there instead of Google Maps- we made it! It was a very stressful experience though! I decided all that stress meant we needed a nice quiet night. I bought TV Dinners and we rotted our brains watching Cable TV. I almost went a bit crazy that night when the girls decided they wanted to play instead of sleep. I ended up having Penny sleep on my bed so they would stop goofing around. Thankfully that worked because I really needed some quiet time!

Poppy & Grams Visit

The morning before Poppy and Grams arrived Steven had a Cub Scout Bike Hike. They met at a park so while he was out riding, the rest of us played at the park. We were joined by some friends and so it was good times. The sweet girl in the middle is so good with my kids, she's the younger sister of our current babysitter. I think when our babysitter graduates next year that her younger sister will be a great replacement. 

Steven had a great time on the Bike Hike, I was told he was a super fast rider. The Bike Hike/Playground made for a great distraction but the rest of the day seemed to drag by in anticipation for Grams & Poppy's arrival. The kids were constantly asking how long until they arrived. When we finally headed off to get them, we hit really bad traffic which made the wait even more brutal but at last we made it to the airport and all was right in the Hatch home.

Or at least it was right for a bit. Penny came down with a fever which made her super cranky and was not a very great welcome for Grams and Poppy. Still we needed to explore Michigan with them here so the next day we headed to Kensington Farm, sick Penny and all. When we got to Kensington we discovered that they had Clydesdale's on display for the day. This made Penny feel better because she loves "neighs". It was even more fun to discover a horse with the exact name and age as our neighbor. Also fun, watching them wash down the horses and whiten the horse's legs.  

We also played in the play are at the farm. Notice Lucy showing off her new fidget spinner that Grams and Poppy got her (and all my other kidlings). Somehow we made it through the school year without the boys wanting one but when school came to an end they suddenly wanted to get one (like every other kid) so Grams and Poppy made their day and got them all one.

That night we went to "World Famous" Guernsey Farms Dairy for dinner. This was a must go for Poppy. Unfortunately he ended up not getting ice cream with his meal, he got a milkshake instead. Lame. The kids actually were so well behaved that I got a compliment on how good they did. It is always nice when I get those rare compliments.

The next day I went and said a final goodbye to my friend, Elizabeth. She has officially moved to North Carolina. I might have to go visit her some time, she has been such a good friend to me.

That afternoon we went to the Farmer's Market and they were giving out free popsicles- totally made the kids' day. Also fun is that Lucy and my mom, without planning it, wore matching shirts. I tried to get a pic of just them but Ben had to sneak in and photo bomb it. That is kind of becoming his M.O. these days. He and Steven are definitely opposites. Steven rarely takes pics but Ben will be in every pic he can and will constantly ask me to take his pic places.

Apparently eating a Popsicle is super exhausting (especially when you are still not feeling well) so Penny passed out shortly after we got home. 

On Friday we hit up the bakery and the kids got some cookies. After getting sugared up (which seemed to be a theme throughout Grams and Poppy's trip), we walked to the park. Steven, Benny and Lucy spent lots of time on the swings and Penny spent most of the time climbing and sliding.

The rest of the day was spent getting ready for our trip that we were heading out on the next day.

Summer Days

We celebrated Father's Day last Sunday by showering Tyler with homemade cards, a Minecraft  shirt and the Lego Batman movie. At church for Primary we made a handout with things that the kids said about their fathers, and we gave them Pop Rocks candy (because our Pops rock, right?). They were also spoiled at church with a giant feast provided by the women in the Ward. After church Tyler got a steak dinner (that he had to cook himself because I never cook it right) and then we watched Lego Batman together. Here's Tyler proudly sporting his new Minecraft shirt:

This week I feel like summer really started. We started our morning routine: 2 workbook pages, 20 minutes of reading, clean up toys, and screen time. Then in the afternoon it's writing, another clean up and their second half of screen time. It seems to work really well in breaking up the day, especially on days when we have nothing going on. 

Early on in the week Ben bumped into Lucy and lost his wiggly front tooth. He ran out of his room totally devastated saying that Lucy knocked out his tooth but when we reminded him that the Tooth Fairy was going to come, he calmed down and gave us some cute Jack-O-Lantern smiles:

This week we watched some boys that just moved into Milford and are in our Ward. The kids are excited to have some new boys to hang out with. We took them to the Bakery because all new people must be taken there, it's tradition! 

When we did our Walmart run for the week, the boys pooled their money together to buy the game Life. It was such a great investment because it has given them hours of entertainment and it doesn't cause much fighting. On Thursday we went to the Farmer's Market with Tina and Maizie and afterwards they kids played Life with Maizie. 

Saturday the weather was lovely so I felt like we needed to get out and enjoy it. The kids voted that we go to the Zoo. I had a feeling it was going to be super packed but they would not be dissuaded so we went. It was packed as predicted and parking was a nightmare but we still had a good time, because seriously, weather perfection! 

School Ends, Greenfield Village, Strawberries

On Tuesday Ben was supposed to walk with his class to Central Park for a picnic but the weather was forecasting rain so they cancelled the field trip. In the end it didn't rain but it was so stinking hot that I am glad they cancelled. That would've been a hard walk for first graders in that heat. Instead the kids had a long recess and then we had a picnic in the classroom. The kids got nice red cheeks from recess and then had fun eating in their classroom. I think Ben was less excited about me being there and more excited about having his sisters there. 

On Wednesday, the last day of school, I helped host Steven's party. After his teacher handed out candy awards (he got the Jolly Rancher award for being happy to learn) we played Minute-to-Win-it Games. The first three went really well and were fun to watch them do- putting fruit loops on a pipe cleaner with one hand, getting an Oreo from forehead into mouth and stacking red cups. The last 2 were a disaster, the kids hardly listened to directions and basically just went crazy. The one they were supposed to knock over cups using the air from in a balloon. Instead they just whacked cups down with filled up balloon. The other they were supposed to move cups- one at a time- from desk to floor without using hands. Instead they just knocked all the cups off their desk with their head. It was seriously chaotic but the kids had fun so I guess that's all that matters.

After the crazy games the school day was basically over so I had the kids get one last pic with their teacher and then we headed out to start our summer vacation.

Steven with Mrs. Boyd and Ben with Mrs. Rupp:

After school we began our summer vacation by throwing water balloons and playing in the sprinklers with the neighbors. When the kids were done with that me & Stefanie basically sat on the porch and chatted while the kids played (sometimes outside, sometimes in her house). It was honestly a great start to summer vacation but unfortunately as soon as they were done playing with the neighbors, the boys were fighting like crazy. They have been fighting since and so I am feeling like this is going to be a really rough summer. Wish me luck!

That night we went and saw a house that is literally my dream house. It was old but still in good condition and still so charming- it was brick, it had big rooms for the kids to share, it had a great sized dining room AND a breakfast nook, it had a partially finished basement with a bathroom, it had a grassy fenced in yard and it was located close to Fenton's downtown. We made an offer on it ($190,000- they were asking $185,000) and we didn't get it. I knew it was such a long shot but it still broke my heart. House hunting is rough- especially in these super competitive times.

Wednesday night Ben had his first sleepover with non family. He slept over at our neighbor's house with Beck. Stefanie said he did so good and was super polite. I love having neighbors that are such good friends!

Thursday I went to the dentist with all 4 kids. They took an impression of my teeth for the mouth guard I'm getting. I had the kids watch some shows on my phone and they did super good- all the staff at the dentist's office were impressed with them. I was feeling so good about myself (like I am such a great mom= look how great my kids are) and then we went to the library. When we were checking out books the kids were CrAzy! They were running around and being super naughty. It was a nice slice of humble pie for me- I really did NOT want to eat that humble pie.

Friday I watched Beck for my neighbors (they had to work and summer camp doesn't start until next week). I figured I would go crazy with all 5 kids in the house so I decided to take them to Greenfield Village. At first I was really regretting my decision- it was warm, the kids were whiny and they had consumed most of the snacks 10 minutes after arriving. Thankfully when we got to the place where they blow glass the kids did a total turn around in behavior. They watched the glass being turned into a vase for like 20 minutes- they were so intrigued! Then after that they got to turn the Railroad Turn Table: 

Then we ate lunch and went to the play area. The play area has a machine that randomly squirts out water and they all got soaking wet. I wasn't happy about them getting their socks and shoes wet but I was happy that the water helped cool them down.

After playing for a LONG time I decided it was time to leave so we got our traditional candy sticks and headed home. It a good outing after all!

That night the Brandley's asked us to pick strawberries with them and after a long day at Greenfield Village, I was tempted to cancel on them, but I am glad I didn't. It was such a nice time! The kids had fun helping- even if they weren't super great at finding strawberries that were ready. 

While we were waiting for the tractor to come back, the kids had fun climbing trees and I had fun feeding the Brandley's little girl strawberries so that she would love me,  ha ha! It was seriously a nice way to spend a summer night!

To end our busy week, the boys had their final soccer games today. Ben had 2- his team lost the first but won the second so they ended the season on a high note. Steven just had one and they won theirs too so they also ended on a high note. In between games we hit the library for their celebration of the start of the summer reading program. The kids had fun learning how to twist balloons into dogs and swords, doing crafts and getting Creepers and Cupcakes painted on them.

Ice Cream, Bicycle Rodeo, Splash Pad

This week...

Monday I got a new found determination to teach Lucy her alphabet. I am embarrassed to admit that my determination only made it through to Tuesday. But we had a strong 2 days :) I used old DVD covers as dry erase boards- a genius idea I found on Pinterest. We worked on the letters ABC and on writing her name. Lucy was very proud of her Queen Lucy drawing and writing:

Also on Monday we went and saw another house that was for sale. There was a lot we loved about the land but the house was lacking in space for us. Afterwards we decided to check out downtown Fenton since a lot of the houses we are looking at are in Fenton. We hit up an ice cream shop there. It was a cute town and the ice cream definitely hit the spot for the kids. 

 On Tuesday I had yet another dentist appointment. This time they cleaned my teeth and it was super painful. I felt like they massacred my gums :(. I had both the girls with me for this unpleasant experience and thankfully they were both well behaved (watching shows on Netflix helps). I am having second thoughts about that dentist though. After the cleaning I told him that my bite felt off with the new crown and he said to schedule a time to come in and fix it. He apparently had a lunch break that couldn't wait. It annoys me that I have to go another week with an uncomfortable bite because he needed to go have his lunch break. Seriously if I can do a cleaning with my two littles, you can procrastinate your lunch break by 5 minutes. He also told me I had to get a mouth guard and was kind of rude about it, like who cares if that's not financially feasible. Urgh.

Tuesday night we had the Cub Scout Bicycle Rodeo. I went with the boys and the girls stayed home with Tyler (he had the YM at our house for mutual that night). A police officer came and I learned that I am basically doing everything wrong in terms of bike safety for my kids. My poor children have a super unsafe mom. Afterwards they got to do lots of fun activities on their bike that help them be better bike riders. The boys had a good time. 

Wednesday I subbed at the boys school and it wasn't too bad for being so close to the end of the school year. The morning went really well. They did get chatty in the afternoon but a recess helped break up that challenge so I survived. Probably my last sub job of the year. We shall see if I keep subbing next year- depends on how adding pick up and drop offs of Lucy changes things. 

Thursday I put together a park play date. I had 4 other ladies and their kids attend so I call that a pretty good turn out. I love when we meet kids at the park because then my girls play with them and are entertained and I can sit back and chat with friends. It was a good morning!

Friday I met my new visiting teachers. One is new to the Ward and she was born and raised in India (she has been living in America for the past 3 years). It was interesting to hear her stories. Also, her telling me that her first plane ride here was with her 6 month twin girls and the flight lasted 18 hours made me feel ridiculous about my complaints about our 4 and half hour flights to AZ and back. Can't even imagine 18 hours in a plane with babies! Sounds like the stuff of nightmares.

Saturday I got asked to play the piano at another baptism. This time they were having it in the chapel and I had to accompany a musical number so that made me extra nervous. Somehow I accompanied all the songs without goofing up too badly and now I am relieved that's over.

Saturday afternoon, we met my friend Elizabeth and her kids at a Splash Park in Farmington Hills. It was her birthday and her husband was out of town so we had some pizza and brownies to celebrate. The kids were silly and after complaining how hot they were during soccer, they complained that it was too cold to get wet at the Splash Park. Oh well, they may not have lasted long at the Splash Pad but they did have lots of fun on the playground that was there. Some pictures of me and Elizabeth and her kids:

Memorial Day & Things

Monday was Memorial Day. We went to the parade in Milford. Our sweet neighbors saved spots for us which was great because by the time we got there the streets were lined with people. It was a warm day but there was a cool breeze that kept us from roasting. There was no candy (because- a lady told us- this is a solemn affair) but they did pass out flags. The girls loved the flags and were super cute waving to all the people in the parade. They enjoyed most of the parade but near the end there were just a bunch of plain old jeeps that were very slow. After about the 20th jeep the kids were done so we left the parade early and went home. Apparently we missed some cool military vehicles at the end but that's ok, they weren't worth seeing with whiny kids.

The parade was the extent of our Memorial Day fun. I miss having family to BBQ with. I did do a Target run- sans kid- with my neighbor that afternoon but the rest of our day was uneventful.

Tuesday I had a ladies Dr check up with the girls- that's always awkward with them watching on but such is mom life. Afterwards we met some friends for a picnic in the park. It was nice to be invited. I feel like lately, I don't really belong in any of the groups/cliques in our Ward. I am not athletic enough for the marathon group and I have too many kids for the young mom group. *sigh* Anyways, I may have scared them off with my picky, non-organic eating kids but it was still a nice time. Surprisingly warm though- I wore black pants and pretty quickly regretted it. I am not as heat tough as I used to be!

Wednesday after Penny's speech playgroup, we took a walk to the bakery and discovered a window with Pepa Pig made out of post-it-notes. The girls were absolutely thrilled and insisted on taking a picture with it.

Thursday afternoon I had a last minute sub job. It was for a fourth grade class that I have had before and loved. This time they were completely nuts. It was a rough afternoon but I survived. Mostly they were just super distractable and noisy. I am thinking all the kids are suffering from the end of the school year disease. 

Friday we went to the farm in Kensington with my friend, Elizabeth. Lucy had fun pretending to be a chicken and peck at her friends, ha ha! It was perfect weather for a farm day and it was fun seeing the cute piglets there.

Saturday was busy. We had soccer games in the morning and afternoon. It was a warm day and it we roasted in the sun during them and girls whined a lot. It wasn't so great. Ben lost his game this time 1-6. Steven tied 1-1. After the soccer game Steven went to a birthday party where he got to see "Captain Underpants". It was a book first- a book full of lots of potty humor so definitely a favorite of Steven.

That night I had the party for my friend Elizabeth, who is moving to North Carolina next month. We held it at the Ormond's house but I basically took care of all the planning and carrying out of it. It turned out really nice in all its simplicity- good amount of people came, food was yummy, weather that evening was perfect. I am sad that she's moving. She has been such a good friend to me and I am going to miss her.

To end with a funny- Lucy made up a song that goes like this "Why do you like me? Why do you hate me?" Only I told her I didn't like the "hate" part so she changed it to "Why do you like me? Why do you laugh at me?" And then she ends it by shouting "Rock N Roll! Rock N Roll!" It's pretty silly!