The Ellison Family

4th of July

2009-07-05T18:30:00.000-07:00

We spent the 4th of July at the cottage. As usual it was a great time. The weather could have been warmer but we had a great time anyway. Friday we went to garage sales. Sat. were all the festivities with the Boat parade, Poker run, and Fireworks. Then Sunday we tubed and swam. The kids had a blast and Cameron survived. He loves to sleep on the boat and Pat got him a life jacket as you can see.

Father's Day at Tiger Stadium

2009-07-01T20:39:00.000-07:00

On Father's Day Pat, the boys, and Pat's cousin Joe headed over to Detroit for a Tiger's game. This was the first game for the boys and they had a blast. They sat 6 rows up by the bull pen and were able to see all the pitchers (which are their favorites). These pictures of Verlander are not zoomed in this is how close the boys were to him and they LOVED IT!!!

Cameron's Baptism

2009-07-01T20:30:00.000-07:00

Cameron Kyle Ellison was Baptized on June 20, 2009 at Our Lady of Consolation Church. His godparents are Uncle Michael and Megan's cousin Jaymee. We are so blessed to be able to welcome Cameron into the Catholic Church and have so many friends and family there to celebrate it with us. One of the most special gifts was that Deacon Jim Hessler baptized Cameron. Deacon Jim is a longtime family friend and pretty much Megan's second dad growing up.

Cameron screamed the entire baptism but survived and made it through the party. It will be a baptism to remember.

May God Bless you always Cameron Kyle Ellison.

Cameron Kyle

2009-05-16T15:40:00.000-07:00

Cameron Kyle Ellison came into this world on Mother's Day 5-10-09 at 5:22 am. He weighed
7 lbs. 2 oz. and was 19 in. long. On Saturday 5-9 I thought maybe my water was leaking, but Pat was up north at his Grandma's house for a Mother's Day party so I figured I would wait until he got home to call the doctor if the problem continued. Pat finally came home about 6:00 and I had already spoke to the doctor who said I needed to head to the hospital to get it checked.

As usual with all my kids deliveries there is some kind of problem that happens. With Cameron's birth Pat was very, very sick with the cold/flu. So I had him stay home and sleep until I knew exactly what was going on. My mom and sister took me to the hospital and the test of course showed that my water was leaking. I was then immediately started on Pitosin since I was not having contractions. That was at about 10:30. My dad brought Pat to the hospital about 12:00 and nothing had really started. By 3:00 labor had started. I thought, well this is fine I can tolerate this. I guess I was in for a surprise with baby #4 because within 2 hours I could not stand the pain for another second. The nurse gave me Staydol (since I have never had an epidural with any of the other kids I figured I could tough this one out.) The Staydol helped me through, I never would have imagined 30 mins. later Cameron would be here.

The entire pregnancy I joked that he was going to just "fall out" and he literally did. I have one contractions that I told the nurse I felt like I was going to need to push and then the next contractions he was on his way out. The doctor did not even have her gloves all the way on and the nurse was delivering him on the bed. It was crazy.

Cameron is the most wonderful gift to our family and even though Pat and I thought we were content with the three kids we already have. We could not imagine our life without him. He already fits in perfectly and we are so blessed with this little guy.

Go Karts & Mini Golf

2009-05-16T15:10:00.000-07:00

On Pat's birthday Pat and our brother in law Michael took the kids to AJ's since the weather was gorgeous and I needed to get Pat out of the house to get the party ready. The kids had a blast playing Mini Golf, riding Go Karts and playing arcade games.

My sister and I met them and were able to watch a few Go Kart races. The best part was watching Patrick crash at the end of the race, his brake was locked up and he smashed into a tire. It was too funny.

The Money Pit

2009-04-26T05:22:00.000-07:00

The one thing I wish for is that we could have one visit to the cottage that does not involve a massive construction project.

Saturday morning Pat went into the bathroom and when he flushed the toilet all the water came up through the shower. Oh great, is all we could say. Pat spent most of the morning trying to fix the problem by plunging. Then he went down to the crawl space to find a much bigger problem than we could imagine.

This winter we had a pipe freeze and flooded our entire crawl space. This ruined our water softener, water heater, and furnace. We thought this problem was fixed, but apparently it is not. There were several leaking pipes that also were frozen and cracked and the pipes from the bathroom are so plugged from many years of hard water and rust. We had a plumber come out last night and he started working on the project, but as every project around this cottage there is never a "small" project. He will be back this morning to hopefully finish. It is pretty difficult with 4 kids, 3 adults and a dog to not have water. What a mess.

Goodbye for now Grandpa

2009-04-26T05:09:00.000-07:00

Tuesday night while I was at work I received a phone call from my mother-in-law that told me Pat's Grandpa Ellison passed away. Grandpa Ellison was 80 years old and has been battling Parkinson's disease and strokes for many years. We miss him dearly but are so blessed to know he is now without pain and suffering.

What can I say about him, he was one of the funniest men I have ever known. Even in his last few weeks at the nursing home he had many jokes and stories to tell the kids. Maybe they weren't always the most appropriate for kids but they were funny.

As I sat at the funeral yesterday I realized I knew Harry Ellison as my grandpa just as long in my life as I knew my own grandpa. Grandpa Ellison loved to spend time with his family and grand kids and great grand kids. We loved to have him come visit at the cottage and take him out on the boat to go fishing. He loved nature and parties and he enjoy doing everything with a cold beer in his hand. Grandma Ellison could always count on Pat to sneak grandpa a few beers even when he wasn't supposed to be drinking but grandpa loved it, so Pat couldn't say no.

It is hard to watch your husband lose a man that he admired so greatly, but I know that Grandpa is with each of us now and we will see him again someday.

Pat Turned 30!!!!!

2009-04-22T16:04:00.000-07:00

Pat turned 30 last weekend on April 18. I threw him a surprise party and I actually pulled it off. I am horrible with surprises so Pat was shocked that I did it. The weather was gorgeous and we had a great turn out of friends and family.

I am huge and pregnant (35 weeks) so by then end of the night I think I may have felt worse than those that were drinking. We had a bon fire, tons of food, and lots of drinks.

I lost my camera so I am waiting to steal pictures from my sister when she gets a chance to send them to me. So for now I was able to steal this from a friend of mine.

I can't believe we were only 16 when we started dating, 30 seemed like forever when we were that age. Pat and I have been through so much together and I could not ask for a better father for my kids and husband for myself.

I am glad you enjoyed your party you deserved it, you work so hard for the kids and I are always there for us when we need you to be. We love you very much.

Funny Story

2009-04-01T15:27:00.000-07:00

So, I just had to share this funny story. Today My sister-in-law Liz and I went to run some errands together. She wanted to go to the hair supply store so I told her I would take her but I had a doc. appointment at 11:30, so she would have to some with me. When we got there I told her she could come in with me, it was just a tummy measuring heartbeat listening appointment so I didn't care. She just had to promise not to tell anyone how bad my belly looks :).

I wasn't going to see my regular doctor today and I have never met this doctor. Right when she walked in I could tell she had a funny look on her face and she kept asking us questions, like we were both the "mommies". We just busted out laughing and clarified that we were sister-in-laws.

I felt so bad for the doctor, she felt bad. Today it is more common so she probably didn't want to be rude if we were a couple. But it was so funny. All day we have been laughing about it.

Official Decision

2009-03-29T12:32:00.000-07:00

So Pat and I have finally officially decided on the baby's name. The only way I could get Pat to discuss a baby name is that I had to promise not to tell anyone the name we choose until he is born. Pat wants some suprise to this little man's birth and I can understand and respect that.

So I will tell you we have decided on a name, I just can't tell you yet. The kids don't know either so you can't try to bribe it out of them. It does make me feel better because now Pat and I have something to call him when we talk to him.

I did put up a fun poll that you can vote and tell us what name you think we chose. Have fun!!

Wrestling Season

2009-03-27T10:24:00.000-07:00

The boys had a great wrestling season. They placed 1st - 4th every week. Some weeks were harder than others but all in all they did great. Unfortunately last week at Regionals they did not feel very well so they did not wrestle their best and they did not place. So we are not going to State finals this year. It is the first year since Patrick was 5 that both of them have not qualified. They were pretty bummed along with Pat and I cause we love hanging out with friends and watching all the kids wrestle.

That's ok though we are also very glad to be done and have our weekends back. We have a lot to do to get ready for the baby still and the boys start baseball in about 3 weeks. Then Mara will be starting gymnastics to help her with her competitive cheer next year. All of this along with a newborn at some point. I am suprised I haven't had to check myself into a hospital with padded rooms yet.

The house has been getting a lot of work done to it. We remodled Mara's room (Paint, flooring, bedding, window treatments) and we are remodleing the family room downstairs (paint and carpet). Then we will be repainting the entire upstairs kitchen and living room as well as bathroom. This is what Pat has to get done before the baby comes. I know he loves this nesting phase. Hopefully he can get it done. We have a list of projects for this summer. A new deck, landscaping, and moving the hair salon to the basement along with a bathroom downstairs. We would like to get these done so when this wonderful economy gets better (someday) we will be ready to sell the house. Let's see if it happens. We are growing out of this house way too fast, but it is just not the time for us to sell, buy yes, but not sell.

Well, housework is calling and I need to get to all of that. Hope everyone enjoys the beautiful weather and we can't wait until summer and the cottage at our house.

Baby Belly

2009-03-12T10:28:00.000-07:00

Here is my belly at 6 1/2 months!!!

Everything has been going very well. This little guy is growing and very active. We are all looking very forward to meeting him. Right now my house is in chaos because we are trying to rearrange and make room for this little surprise.

Hopefully in the next few weeks I will post all the changes we have done to the house. In the meantime I just need to try to relax and not go too crazy and hope Pat gets everything done in time for the babies arrival.

Where have we been??

2009-01-07T17:30:00.000-08:00

I know, I am horrible at updating this. I have been so busy with the kids, Holidays and I just have not felt like myself with this whole pregnancy.

Well first things first. Dec. 30 Pat and I took the kids to our ultrasound and we found out we are having another little boy. Yeah!! Connor's exact reaction was "Yes, we won!" The boys could not have been happier, but Mara is still adjusting to the idea of another little brother. I am sure she will be fine and will become a second mother to this little guy someday. We have no ideas for names, Pat and I are horrible at agreeing on names, so my guess is he will not have a name until he is born. I have received some little "blue clothes" and even bought a few things myself. I have forgotten how small they are. I have had three ultrasounds so far and everything looks very good. This little guy is growing and starting to really kick. It is so fun to feel a baby inside of me again, especially since I didn't think this would ever happen.

I have started to have Braxton Hicks contractions which I had with the other three starting about 5 months, so I guess I am right on schedule. My doctor just wants to keep a close watch on them and make sure they are not causing pre term labor. We are not too concerned but it's one of those better safe then sorry things.

The other kids had a great Christmas and Santa was very good to them. I guess they must have been pretty good this year. It was a very busy holiday season with lots of family in town and parties to attend. We are still trying to recover.

The boys have started wrestling and have their first tournament this weekend. Mara does not have any extra curricular activities going on currently besides socializing with friends.

Pat and i are just trying to stay sane with all of the chaos around us but we have been doing this for awhile I am sure we will be fine.

We have a wonderful 2009 to look forward to and can't wait to keep everyone posted on the wonderful Ellison news to come this year.

What has been going on?

2008-11-04T06:26:00.000-08:00

Well, not a lot of changes in the Ellison household lately. I am just starting my second trimester and I have heard the heartbeat, which was very surreal since I didn't think that would ever happen again. I have an very extensive genetic test set up for Nov. 18 which I will be having a 2 hour ultrasound, blood work, and some other tests done. Due to Mara's medical history and my family history Pat and I chose to make sure we are prepared for anything. I will update when that is all done.

Patrick has finished his first season of football, which he absolutley loved. He played quarterback, offensive end and safety. Which meant we saw him play quite a bit which was fun. Mara also finished cheerleading which she loved. Mara was born to be a cheerleader I think. She will be taking gymnastics through the winter since , I can't believe I am going to say this, she will be on the middle school team next year.

The boys start wrestling next week, which means our life will be over until about April. That is ok though, we have great friends and the boys love it. It should be a fun year, since Connor will be wrestling with the older boys group now and Patrick will be at the top of his weight and age group. I will try to keep these weekly stats updated.

Halloween 2008

2008-11-04T06:20:00.001-08:00

What a great Halloween!! We had Darth Vader, a Jailbird, and The Joker. These are pictures from after trick or treating so as you can see the kids were wiped out. We went to the Taylor's house had pizza and Pat and Bryan took the kids out while Trisha and I stayed back and passed out candy. This was the first year Mara got to go around the neighborhood with her friends. She thought she was very cool, little did she know dad was trailing behind keeping an eye on things :).

OMG!!!!!!

2008-09-21T08:27:00.000-07:00

Well that was our reaction. Pat and I found out this week that we are expecting baby number 4!!
The kids are so excited and Pat and I are excited but a bit in shock still. I am due in May and we have a lot of work, we have no baby supplies anymore, or even a house ready for a baby.

What a wonderful blessing and we know that this baby will have three older siblings ready to spoil it to death.

I will keep everyone posted on the progress and as soon as we find out what we are having. I know that Mara wants a girl and the boys want a bouy (big suprise). We will have to find out because there is no way they will all be able to wait until MAy to find out.

Stayed tune for monthly updates!!!

Congrats Mr. & Mrs. van Akkeren

2008-04-08T17:21:00.001-07:00

Well I finally have a Brother-In-Law on my side of the family!! My sister Molly married Michael van Akkerren on March 29, 2008. It was a beautiful ceremony reception and day all around. The wedding was at Our Lady of Consolation and the reception was down at the Amway Grand Plaza. They did an amazing job, planning and organizing, there was not one glitch in the day. Well maybe just the flu outbreak among the guests. Guess that is the risk you take getting married during cold and flu season.

Michael had many family members from Holland travel here for the wedding. We were so glad to meet them and I am sure they had a wonderful time as well.

Michael is not a fireman, but apparently they do not have fire trucks in Holland so the Dutch boys are always so facinated with them. Michael's friend Jan and my brother went to Rockford Fire Department and asked them to make a stop after the wedding to surprise Michael. It was very cute.

Again, I want to say congrats to Molly and Michael and we love you both!!

Connor's Long Lost Father

2008-01-29T17:36:00.000-08:00

Ok, this one was a bit hard to explain. It was so funny at my cousin, Jaymee's wedding a couple of weeks ago Connor was the ring bearer and everyone was giving us a hard time, because he looked more like the best man than Pat. I swear I had just met the best man at the rehearsal I have never seen or met him before ;) . It was very cute though, because Jack (my cousin) and Steve (the groom) got Connor to start calling Matt (the best man) "Dad" all weekend.

Wrestling Season has Officially Begun!

2008-01-27T15:45:00.000-08:00

It is officially that time of year again, when Pat and I lose our life to the sport of wrestling that the boys love so much. It really is fun and we and the boys have a bunch of great friends from it. I don't have any pictures yet, just video and I can't put that on here due to insane amount of yelling on my part. Yes, I am a bit loud but never out of control :). Two weeks ago the boys wrestled at Chippewa Hills and Connor took 1st and Patrick took 3rd. That was a fun day, since Connor had to wrestle a girl. His first year he wrestled a girl and she choked him pretty bad, so he swore he would never wrestle a girl again. He actually forfeited a few matches because of that too. So he wrestled this girl and she started to choke him, they stopped the match and Pat thought for sure Connor was going to be done. Instead he looked at Pat and said, " I am going to go and kick her butt dad, she can't choke me." and sure enough Pat said he had never wrestled as tough. It was hilarious.

Then we took last week off due to my cousin's wedding. Today they went to Byron Center and had a tough day, but both held their own and wrestled very tough. Patrick took 3rd and Connor took 4th.

The boys are having a blast and they keep improving every week so that is always cool to see. So I will try to keep this updated and next week, I promise I will get some good "action shots".

Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Parker

2008-01-21T17:26:00.000-08:00

Saturday Jan. 19 we went to Lansing to celebrate my little cousin's wedding. We had a blast, Jaymee chose an amazing guy and we are so happy to welcome him to our family.
The day was freezing, and yes we took a couple of outside photos (which we all survived) .
I was the Matron of honor, and as you can see in one photo I was doing double cell phone duty well holding on to my itinerary, I was a pro :). Jaymee was a very organized bride which made things easier and a bit more stressful also. :)
As you may have read our great grandma passed away a couple of weeks before the wedding and Jaymee had a beautiful tribute to her since G.G. kept saying even up until the day before she passed, "Jaymee promised me she would get me to her wedding, even if she has to push me in a wheelchair." As Jaymee promised she got G.G. to the wedding and there was not a dry eye int the place when we said a special prayer. It was beautiful.
Jaymee was a gorgeous bride and Steve of course and very handsome groom. I of course thought the ring bearer may haven stolen the show with his looks though. I guess I am a little bias, since it was Connor. I didn't get any of him unfortunately yet. He did great as usual, he is becoming a professional. By the time my sister's wedding comes in March he may directing the whole show.
But all in all the day was wonderful, beautiful, fun, and of course very romantic. Congratulations Jaymee and Steve, We Love You!!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from our family to yours!!!

2008-01-09T17:53:00.000-08:00

Well sorry this is so belated. It has been a crazy month in our family. About 2 weeks before Christmas Megan started a new job (full time) and this was a huge adjustment for the whole family, since she hasn't worked full time in 10 years. She is really loving it though.

Then came Christmas. Of course the battery to the camera was dead Christmas morning and we didn't get any presents shots. We spent Christmas Eve at home with Megan's family and the kid's (and mom & dad) got a Nintendo Wii from Grandma and Grandpa. Which was the big hit, of course. The kids voluntarily went to bed about 9:00 (which NEVER happens except Christmas Eve.) Santa came about 12:00 and Pat and I had just fallen back to sleep when we were woken up by Patrick and Connor to open presents. I thought I felt like I had just fallen asleep and something didn't seem right, so I rolled over and saw that it was 1:00 AM and about died. We of course were mean and made them crawl in bed with us and go back to sleep which only lasted until 7:00. They were very happy with their gifts from Santa, Mara got a cell phone and Mp3 player. Patrick got a huge Hot Wheels track that takes up most of his room and a "real" dart board that he can play with dad. Connor got a "real" skate board like Ryan Sheklar and spy gear.
So I guess all in all they were good kids this year.
After presents we headed over to Megan's mom and dad's for the Scott family Christmas and then to Pat's mom and dad's for the Ellison Christmas. The kids received ski passes from Grandma Carol and Grandpa Larry this year, which have been a blast.
As you can tell we had busy but wonderful Christmas and are very fortunate and blessed to be able to have spent it with our families.

Then came New Year's which all together was very uneventful. Megan's Great- Grandma was very ill and she was traveling back and forth to Lansing to be with her and the family. New Year's we all went to the cottage and relaxed, played Guitar Hero and Wii sports with Grandma Carol and Grandpa Larry. No one made it to midnight though, which is very unlike us. We love New Years. We spent a couple of days at the cottage and on New Year's day we lost our Great grandma (to Pat and Megan) and Great - Great Grandma (to the kids). Grandma G.G. (as we called her) was 91 years old and an amazing woman. Even when her body was shutting down and she had barely any pulse or blood pressure her mind was so sharp it was unbelivable. She lived an amazing life and was a very lucky women to be able to know and watch grow 5 generations of her family. We love you G.G. and we miss you dearly.

Well, sorry for no exciting pictures and just a lot of rambling, but here is a bit of an update on our crazy life. Next week starts the fun wrestling season. Check back for fun updates on the boys and their wrestling tournaments.

Patrick is 8!!!!!

2007-12-12T11:46:00.001-08:00

Patrick is 8 years old today. HOLY COW!!! Where does the time go? He is such a fun, lovable, big hearted little man. We are so lucky to have him in our lives. Patrick is our child with the BIG heart. He will do anything for anyone and always is the first to take care of someone hurt. Unless he is the one hurting Connor ;).

Pat and I can not believe it has been 8 years since God has blessed us with him and we look forward to watching him grow and seeing the plan God has in store for our little guy.

We hope you have a wonderful birthday and we love you buddy!!!

Winter

2007-12-01T12:43:00.001-08:00

Winter is finally here. The kids our loving it. This weekend we have some friends staying with us and the kids have been outside as much as they can tolerate the cold. They get all bundled up (including Trixie) and head outside. Then come in for hot chocolate and to get warm until the next trip out. Last night I let them go out after dark. we turned on the flood light in the back and they had a blast. They stayed out until about 8:00 when I made them come in. My kids love to be outside and play as much as possible whatever the weather. Next weekend we are going to start skiing. Pat is getting out the equipment and resetting the kids skies to fit this year. More pictures of that to come. We can't wait.

Connor's Kitchen

2007-11-22T17:20:00.001-08:00

I just thought this was a cute picture. Connor got this kitchen set for his birthday last year and always loves cooking up great "plastic" meals for Pat and I. The kitchen was open tonight with "Thanksgiving left-overs" as Connor said. So he made us some turkey sandwiches, potatoes, and his favorite pumpkin pie. Thanks Connor, daddy and I always love your wonderful food creations.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

2007-11-22T16:58:00.001-08:00

Well, we had a great Thanksgiving. We went over to my Aunt Ann & Uncle Kyle's house in Marne. Most of the Scott family was able to make it, except for the Chicago group. We had a ton of food (as usual) and played "Scene It", "Trivia Pursuit" and as always watched the Lions. It is always nice to be able to get together with family and just relax and eat. We all have so much to be thankful for and are a very blessed family. I hope everyone else had a lovely day and enjoy this wonderful holiday season.

Happy 10th Anniversary Pat!!!

2007-10-17T14:45:00.000-07:00

Happy 10th Anniversary Pat!!! Tomorrow October 18 is our 10 year anniversary. Holy Crap!!! That means we have been together for almost 12 years now. We were barely 16 when we started dating, we were such babies. I think back to when we were engaged and everyone thought we were crazy. Many people I am sure didn't even think we would make it this long. But we knew what was right and knew how we felt and you can't put an age on love, I guess.

Now three kids later and many stressful, blessed, and wonderful moments we have shared, we are still together and still very much in love. Pat you are an amazing husband, father, and friend and I can't wait to spend many more years with you. I could live without hunting season though ;).

*by the way sorry for the picture, but the camera charger is missing and I haven't been able to get any new pictures downloaded.

First Day of School

2007-09-04T12:35:00.000-07:00

Well it's official they are all in school full time. This is a big year of changes for our family, not only is Connor starting Kindergarten (and mom will not have any kids home :)) but the kids are going to public school. They have been at Our Lady of Consolation for the past 5 years. Pat and I needed to make the decision to transfer Mara, due to her health and learning issues so we decided to transfer the boys also. So not only are they at a public school, they don't have to wear uniforms, and they get to ride the bus. I have drove them everyday to and from school always. They were so excited, and a bit nervous, but were really looking forward to a great year.

They all got to school and after a few tears (okay, so I cried) everything was fine. Yesterday I was cleaning and trying to finish laundry and my wonderful husband asked me why I was cleaning yesterday. He said, "You have waited 10 years to be at home alone, why don't you clean tomorrow." I of course responded with, "Exactly, I have waited 10 years and I am not spending my first day cleaning." So I went and got coffee with my grandma and we went a did a little shopping. It was wonderful.

I am SO proud of my brother!!!

2007-08-15T19:14:00.001-07:00

I am so proud of my brother. He moved to Chicago a few years ago to pursue his acting and music dreams. He never was really the guy to sit in an office and have someone tell him what to do, as many of you who know him would agree.

Since he has been in Chicago he has built his career and has now started an awesome band. I have not been able to hear them live, but look forward to that in September. I have heard many of Kevin's songs through the years and he really is a very talented kid. Keep up the great work guys and don't forget to always dream big, and great things will happen.

I wish Kevin and all the guys in Action Finger the best and can wait to meet you all and hear the great music in September.

Connor says "ROCK AND ROLL, UNCLE KEVIN!!!!!"
check them out at www.myspace.com/actionfinger

Wabasis Lake

2007-08-02T13:22:00.001-07:00

We had another fun day filled with sun, water, and ice cream. My mom and I met The Walsh's out at Wabasis Lake and took the kids swimming, had lunch and on our way home went for ice cream. It was a blast and the kids and I always have fun with our friends. Can't wait until next time.

A visit to the Taylor's Cottage

2007-08-02T13:14:00.000-07:00

We went to visit our friends The Taylor family at their cottage yesterday. With the 90+ degree heat it was wonderful. Connor and Grant are "best buddies" as they say so they always have a great time. They are trouble in the making trust me (look at those smiles). Landon of course is just so cute we could just eat him up. He is a blast and watches everything the big boys do.

We had so much fun and always enjoy time spent with the Taylor's. Thanks for letting us visit.

Connor at his best :)

2007-07-29T17:59:00.001-07:00

Well I needed to post this, it is Connor at his best. We love him dearly, but he sure does test every ounce of patience that Pat and I have. He is ALWAYS one step ahead of us and is way too smart for his own good. We do love bedtime :)

A visit from the Ellison's

2007-07-29T17:51:00.001-07:00

Pat's oldest brother Brad and his wife Carie and their kids came to the cottage to visit us this weekend. The kids had a fishing contest to see who could catch the biggest Bluegill and Patrick won. Hunter our nephew took second. Then we took the kids to get ice cream. They had a blast and we loved having them visit.

Enjoying our Summer!!!!

2007-07-29T14:08:00.001-07:00

We have been spending every weekend at the cottage and love it. The summer has been beautiful and the kids have been turning into little fish. The are all swimming, tubing, and even skiing (Patrick is the only one to get up yet). Even Trixie learned to surf. She loves the water, and the fish :). The boys go fishing with Dad every morning and once in awhile Mara and I will join them. I usually just bring a book though, my attention span for fishing is way too short. They get so excited about their catches and I am even noticing the "fishing tales" are starting with the little guys.

We have one of the apartments ready to rent and have had eight check- ins already this summer. It is going well and we hope to have all three ready to rent next summer. Two will be ready for ice fisherman and snowmobile riders this winter. Hope every one's summer is going well and unfortunately only one month left until school starts.

Fun Weekend!!!

2007-06-17T20:34:00.000-07:00

I am really bummed, I was not able to take any pictures of Mara's Epilepsy walk. My camera battery was dead and I think I left the charger up north (of course!). Anyway, the walk went very well. Mara raised close to $300 all by herself and the entire walk raised more than $16,000 for the epilepsy foundation. We had a lot of family join us and we thank everyone who, walked, donated, and just sent us prayers and encouragment through everything.

I on the other hand am a bit bummed, there were different raffle prizes (which I never win) but Pat and the kids usually have pretty good luck. No luck for any of us, but my niece, who is 9 won a free night at the Amway Hotel and our cousin's girlfriend won a gift certificate to Target. Which is always a plus.

We had a great time and Mara is already planning for next year.

Pictures on the Boat

2007-06-11T20:21:00.000-07:00

Just for fun some pictures of the kids on the boat. Mara and Patrick love to go out to the sand bar, but Connor doesn't like to have to stop fishing so they can swim.

Our "Little Catcher"

2007-06-10T20:09:00.001-07:00

I just thought this picture was too cute. This is Patrick being the catcher at his baseball game. It cracks me up that they have the kids wear all of that gear. Half the time they can't even see the ball and fall over trying to catch. It is very cute though.

The Cottage

2007-06-10T18:52:00.001-07:00

Well it is summer again and we are THRILLED!!! We try to spend as much time as possible at our cottage on Chippewa Lake. It is so much fun and relaxing, now that all the work is done.

Connor is our little "fisherman". All he does is fish from the minute he wakes up until he goes to bed, and I am not joking at all. Patrick is the dare devil of the three and our little "fish" he loves the water and will try any water sport there is. Last summer at 6 years old he learned to ski and this year he wants to master knee boarding. Mara just likes to relax and work on her tan. She has all her sunscreens planned for different amounts of tans. They all enjoy the ice cream / candy store next door to us. we have been making them do work to earn money, but sometimes the adults just want to sneak over for a little ice cream, so we grab a kid to make ourselves feel better.

Well there will be many more posts for the summer and we can't wait. Maybe I can even get some of Pat and I skiing, but I am not sure if I trust Pat or Wade to pull me skiing yet :).

Summer Stroll for Epilepsy

2007-06-04T19:42:00.000-07:00

So, I saw Kate had a blog and I wanted to be cool like her and start one too. I don't have our camera at home right now, so I have to use old pictures.
As many of you know Mara was recently diagnosed with epilepsy. She has had a pretty tough year with all of her health concerns, but things are going very well and we are very confident in our doctors and their staff that she will be able to live a normal and happy life.
Mara and our family decided in order to help us and many other families struggling with this illness we wanted to wok together to raise money and build a team for the Epilepsy Foundation of Michigan. We would love for everyone who is able, to walk with us on June 16th in Grand Rapids to join us. If you are not able to join us for the walk and would like to donate money please feel free to let us know. We would love any donation even in the form of prayers.
Thank you to everyone who has been a support to us through out this long year.

I will get our camera home this weekend and add new pictures of all of the kids. Enjoy our new blog!!!