Olympic Fever...

Olympic fever... Wieber fever.... call it what you will... the McIntosh family has it... and we are staying up into the wee hours of the night to watch the games! Gymnastics, of course... but Ally is even loving a lot of the other sports.  She's just really into all of it right now and it's fun to watch her actually care!

I walked into my room yesterday, she was on my bed, watching swimming, screaming "USA! USA!"  It was damn cute.

I had followed the live coverage of the Women's Qualification round... so, I knew the outcome.  I was glad I did too... because I had to prepare myself for Ally's let down.  I knew she was going to be just so upset for Jordyn.  She has complete hero worship for her.  She has decorated her entire door with her pictures... and has drawn out her name in zebra printed duct tape.  She spends countless hours watching Jordyn videos, downloading pictures and reading anything she can get her hands on.

Taylor Swift, eat your heart out....  ;-)  (I'm sure Ally will be back though!)

Ally has announced she intends to go to the Olympics.  She won't be old enough next time... so watch out for Ally McIntosh in the 2020 Olympic Games.  :-)))))))))  She will be seventeen.  Lord help us all.

I spent a lot of the competition trying to explain to her what was happening.... with each routine, I could see Ally's anxiety rise. She was totally freaking out.  Then, at the end... she says "Jordyn is DONE????" The tears were welling up.  OMG.  I explained it al to her... the team compeition, individual event, and how she simply didn't make all around.  (I had to do quite a bit of research myself here so I was prepared for this!!!) I kept her calm. I got her through.

You see, my girl feels things deeply.... and she could sit there and FEEL Jordyn's pain.  Her tears.  She just stared at the TV in shock.  I knew she would feel that way.  She's a deep girl, that one........... I love her to pieces.

We all know Jordyn is going to come out and rock the team event Tuesday......... and as luck would have it.... Monday and Wednesdays are Ally's 8:00 am gymnastics days.... good to know that every other girl will be as tired as she is with this late night coverage!

The Olympics only happen once every four years (well, the summer games anyway)... we will all power through.... and drink lots of coffee.  :-)

Go USA!!!! 

A Special Night Out...

Last Wednesday, after her gymnastics camp at Lumen, I went and picked Ally up for a little dinner out, just her and I. I got her a little gift (a sign that Nicole made), some dark chocolates and a card. There was no reason for this night. It wasn't her birthday. She didn't win any award. It was just because. To show her that I love her any old day. She doesn't have to do or be anything extraordinary. She just has to be her and I love her just like that.

We went to Red Lobster. A fave of hers. She loves shrimp. Loves it. I got crab. She got shrimp. She ate all her meal and half of mine. I had some wine. She had a Shirley Temple.

We talked about everything under the sun. It was awesome. I plan to make it a regular event from here on out. Just me and her. Two girls. No friends. No other family. Just us.

Here's a pic of the sign Nicole made.... It is just perfect. It is what I want my girl to remember, always. Cuz sometimes she forgets. :)

Back to School Shopping - Part One....

Yesterday was a rainy one.... I also found out Gap had everything 30% off online, so I needed to find out what size Ally was a order up the uniform pants and shirts! So, we packed up and headed out to Briarwood.

I am blessed - it appears, for now, both my children like to shop! Even if Luke doesn't love it, he tolerates it. And he does love being at the mall, the California Pizza Kitchen and cookies from Mrs Fields! Make the shopping fun!! :)

Our first stop was shoes at Von Maur. It is our fave place to buy shoes by far. For bigs and littles. The customer service can't be beat and they carry all the trends for the little ones.

Ally helped Luke first. He was so excited. We received a letter from his new teacher, stating while they didn't have to follow the uniform, she did ask that they wear tennis shoes for safety.... So we HAD to get some of course. All Luke has ever really had are Converse. He needs something a little more supportive now that he's a big four year old. ;)

Ally knows all about the Reebok Zigs.... And of course, found some for Luke that she adored and he loved them too. I was skeptical. They were bright. But he put them on and we all knew they were the ones. First try!!!! He didn't take them off all day.

Ally on the other hand, tried some on. Loved then. But then had to try on every other pair in the store to be sure. She gets this from her Aunt Jane. Who after finding the perfect wedding dress still had to try on every dress in the Midwest. :)

She ended up with the first pair. She has actually loved these shoes for a while.

We then went straight to lunch cuz buying shoes really works up an appetite!!!! CPK is my kids fave..... And we are always in good spirits when we are there. Something about that place is happiness for them. Me too! Yummmmm!!!!

We hit up The Children's Place, Gap and Justice after that. My girl has become a girl who knows what she likes. She like the shorts at Children's Place (talking uniform here), Gap's bootcut pant and short sleeve polo - only white this year though, she says she doesn't want to wear red anymore and she will only wear zip up cardigans.... Which I stocked up on from Target last year when they went on clearance. She likes Justice's little white socks with the glittery top and discovered she adores their undies too!! Hahaha!!! We stocked up on all the basics. I feel so good about it!!!!!

She also fell in love with a.... Wait for it.... DRESS that she wants to wear for the first day of school!! A dress. And I love it too. She also says its pretty enough for the Daddy/Daughter Dance.... She just doesn't realize how far away that is. But.... I suppose it's possible! And then, double bonus!!! ;)

We got home in time for Ally to go to gymnastics camp at Lumen. She's been going all week and loving it. Itself I went to a going away party for our manager while Luke got to go to Scott's office for a bit. He so adores going to Daddy's office. And he got to show off those new shoes some more too!!!!

A great day. Loving summer. Getting in the groove. Happiness all around.

A Great Sitter....

I've said it before and I will say it again....

A great babysitter, is worth their weight in gold.... we love you Jen!!!

Chicago!

I went to Chicago this past Saturday.... a quick trip to visit my friend Beth, who's hubby and kids happened to be out of town..... she needed the company!!!!!

I drove in Saturday morning... and we spent the afternoon shopping Southport. A great area to shop off of Michigan Ave. I actually like shopping there BETTER than MI Ave these days. What has happened to me? I enjoy the "neighborhoods" out in the outskirts more than MI Ave...... and Beth is the one who introduced them to me!  Such an amazing city with nooks and crannies all over!!!!!

I scored some awesome items... new jewelry... cropped jeans... and a couple tops.  Love me some Chicago shopping!

We enjoyed conversation and wine... and then our buddy Tony picked us up for a night on the town... some sushi and martinis!!!!!!  Just lovely.... and of course, the obligitory self portrait of silliness.....

Yesterday, Beth and I lounged... kid free for hours.... sipping coffee and talking the day away.  I told her on my way home that there is nothing like a couple days with a best friend and no distractions (kids and husbands!!!). It's the best therapy in the world!!!!!



Hot Air Jubilee.....

This year we went to the Hot Air Jubilee for the very first time! It was awesome. We had a great time with great friends and we will definitely go back next year!!!!!

I had no idea there were all the rides that there were!  Luke loved them all... he is getting so brave and sure of himself!  Ally was off with her friend Caitee most of the time... so I have like zero pictures of her.  Girls.... ;-)

Makes me look forward to the Fall Family Fesitival!  The kids really enjoy these types of activities... and we might as well take advantage of what we have right here in our own back yard!

Safety Fair....

This past Wednesday, we had a Family Safety Fair at work! We didn't go last year because I was out of town. So, this year we wanted to check it out! And Scott's car was on display so he kinda had to be there. ;)

It was at our Parnall location. They said they would have things for the kids to do..... And they really did! It exceeded my expectations!!! And it was all free to us! All the pizza, popcorn, cotton candy, and ice cream we could eat. :). Luke was Lovin' it.

When we got there, the first thing the kids really wanted to do was see my office. So we went inside.... And they quickly realized that was BORING!!!! We headed back out into the heat and the first thing they wanted to do was ride the ponies. It was a day of surprises for us.... As Luke is becoming a fearless little guy. He got right up on the horse and let a perfect stranger take him around. Ally really love it too! They haven't had many experiences such as that!!!

There was a small petting zoo that they enjoyed as well. After that, we joined Daddy for some food!!!! Then, we played some games and got lots of prizes.

They had helicopters the kids could to on (not for rides, just go inside) and then.... The highlight of the day, the bucket truck ride!!! We waited in line in the scorching heat for 20 minutes, and even tho I was certain Luke would bow out at the last minute.... He shocked us all by getting into a bucket with a lineman and soaring high into the sky. I was so proud. :)

Ally an her lineman were up there, just chatting away.... I could see her chatting him up the entire time. He was so great with her. I was amazed by all the volunteers and it was just a wonderful reminder that I work with a great group of people I am proud to call my co-workers. Even those I never interact with daily. Events such as these go a long way for employee morale.

It was a fun, fun day!!!!!!!

(sorry my phone puts the pictures all out of order!!!)

Thankful for the Blog....

For the past week, my phone has been unable to connect to our WIFI at home.  Scott tried all his tricks to no avail.  So last night, he deciced he would need to restore my phone and see if that would do the trick.

He connected it to our Mac..... told it to backup.....

Then, he wiped it clean... and restored it to factory settings.

Then, he went to find the backup and restore it to MY PERSONAL settings.

Guess what?  No backup.

Well, at least not one from yesterday.  Because we have iCloud, the phone backs up all the time to the Cloud. Only problem is... you have to be connected to the internet.... via WIFI and my phone wasn't connecting to WIFI. At all.

The last time it was connected was July 7. So.... my phone is restored to what it looked like on July 7.

Only problem is.... we had a pretty big week and every single picture I took was on my phone from cousin week. No where else. (see aforementioned WIFI issue!!!!) The only pics I have left, anywhere from a week's worth of fun.... are here on my blog.  All I can say is thank God I blogged them! The quality might be crap when I transfer them back to iPhoto and try to print... but I don't care. I don't want to lose those moments with the giraffe.... the goats.... the happiness in Luke's face when he's hugging a goat... Natalie and Ally smiling together... the girls jumping into the pool...... fuzzy or not... I have some images....... and for that I am very happy.  :-)

Thankful for the blog today...........

Adults....

"There's no sense of fun with them, they stick rigidly to schedules and times, they focus on the most unimportant things imaginable, like mortgages and bank statements, when everyone knows that the majority of the time it's the people around them that put smiles on their faces. It's all work and no play.... They lie in bed worrying about car tax and phone bills, babysitters and paint colors. If you can't put magnolia on a wall then there are always a million other colors you can use, if you can't pay your phone bill then just write letters telling them. I'm not playing down the importance of these things, yes you need money for food, yes you need food to survive, but you also need sleep to have energy, to smile to be happy, and to be happy so you can laugh, just so you don't keel over with a heart attack. People forget they have options. And they forget those things don't matter. They should concentrate on what they have and not what they don't have. And by the way, wishing and dreaming doesn't mean concentrating on what you don't have, it's POSITIVE thinking that encourages hoping and believing, not whining and moaning."

Just read this in the book I am reading. Loved it. Had to share. :)

Cousin Week....

Well, we had QUITE the week with our cousins, Natalie and Evan.... And Uncle Mark! We fit a whole lot into a a few days and the kids loved it! I did too... What I am not loving is today. My kids are on another fun detox and punishing me big time because they are tired and cranky and coming off a week of everything being about them.

Back to reality this week. Where only 3/4 of everything is about them. ;)

This past week, we had sleepovers, went to the zoo, the pool, the lake and had countless hours of fun playing together. There were seven kids in total most of the time. It was just craziness. I looked at it as a staycation and that got me through. We went an went but it's not often enough that we get to see Mark and the kids... So it was nice to do just that.

Thursday was the best day. The kids were great at the zoo and pool. Friday night, Ally took a turn as the exhaustion set in and we had a rough night even though we were staying out at the lake.

Sigh. I had one of my "where did I go wrong" crying fits. Sometimes it's just really hard to parent her. I get discouraged.

And today, she's being pretty awful too. We will get through. Doesn't make it any easier in the moment tho. Never does.

Jane did a photo shoot with the kids yesterday. Can't wait to see how the pics turned out. Not an easy task getting seven kids to cooperate. I give her mad props. :)

The week ahead is full of work and fun, but not super busy or crazy. Hope we can have a good one!!!

Summer Sitter....

We are so blessed to have a great sitter this summer!  The fabulous girl who watches my kids each Monday... drives them around, takes them to the pool, out to lunch, you name it.... also likes to spend time with them outside of her normal "paid time."  How awesome is that?????

Yesterday, after watching them all day.... Jen took Ally and some friends to the new Katy Perry movie.... all her idea and her choice.  I love that girl!  Ally just thought it was as cool as can be!  A fun, young college girl beats Mommy sometimes.  ;-) I can't compete and I don't even try!

Luke loves her too. She paints his toes. She plays and plays.  Yesterday, when I walked through the door, he sighed as if to say "you're home too soon Mommy!" 

You have got to love a fun sitter!!!!!!!!!

This week, Scott's brother Mark and his kids are in town all week long. We went right over to my in-laws where he is staying as soon as Ally returned from the movie, because Ally was just giddy to see Natallie! As we were driving down the street and as we passed my in-laws' house, you could see everyone out in the back yard.... Ally instantly screeched "I see Natalie!!!"  I love how excited she gets and is to see her and spend time with her. Evan too!!!  Luke and Evan seemed to be playing well together as well. That always makes me happy.  Luke needs boys in his life.

We are going to try to do some things with all the kids this week.  A little family "staycation!"  Love to see all the cousins playing and happy!

The great summer fun continues!

Pool Days!!!

We had such a great day yesterday and today!!! We spent yesterday at some friends' house who happen to have a gorgeous pool. It was an amazing day of fun and friends. We are so lucky that one of Ally's best fiends has amazing parents that we love to hang out with so much!! It's all you can ask for. Adult time while the kids play! We played the day and the night away... All of us. A great time was had by all!

Today, the heat broke and we felt like we could finally head out to the club and swim!!!! Scott, his brother and dad golfed.... While Becky joined me and the kids for some pool time. It was a really great day!!! We enjoyed a bit too much sun (I an burned!!!) and then, headed to visit some more with Scotts brother who just got to town from Kansas. Lots of good family chats and wine.

A good day all in all... The kids passed out. And now I am on my way to do the same. Work days ahead!!!!!

Wicked!!!!

Yesterday, four amazing moms and four awesome girls headed north to East Lansing and the Wharton Center to see Wicked! It was a great night out for the big and little girls!!

We had dinner out at Bravo at Eastwood before the show. Enjoying cocktails, great food and some delicious deserts!! The girls are fun to hang with at this age. :)

We had eight seats, four behind four. We had the littles sit in front of us, and it was awesome to watch their faces and body language as they watched the show!

Ally absolutely loved it. She said it is her favorite play yet!!! I love that she has already seen four major shows. Mama Mia, Mary Poppins, White Christmas and now Wicked. I love that she adores the theater as much as I do!!!!

Can't wait to take her to NYC!!! She will be amazed by Broadway! A day I truly look forward to!!!!!!!