Controlled Chaos

Four summers ago, we made a little leap and purchased our first family boat.  She was not anything fancy.  She certainly was not shiny new.  However, our little Viking ran good and allowed us the opportunity to give it a go boating with four little dudes.  True, we get our fair share of stares as we head out with our crew; however, our kids are at their finest out upon our little vessel. 

Our Viking made the trip up to Silver Lake with us the past two summers.  She proved to be of great value shuttling family members across the lake to the dunes.  She was a good 'ole boat, indeed!  Alas, during our recent trip we found ourselves needing something a little bigger and newer.  We began thinking open bow and dare I say faster?  With that, Eric's search began...

Last Sunday, as a family of six, we made a (wildly loud) eight hour round trip to pick up our new Yamaha Exciter.  We have lovingly named her Controlled Chaos.  Fitting, yes?  Sure enough, we headed out in her the same day! 

Backing her up to head out for the first time...

It did not take long for all of us to quickly fall in love...comfy seats, great storage, easy access in and out, and dare I mention again the speed?!

 

 

The boys have always enjoyed the opportunity to drop anchor and do a little swimming, toss around a ball, and now the ability to JUMP from the platform. 

 

Welcome to the family, Controlled Chaos!  We anticipate an overwhelming amount of family fun with you guiding the way!

Today 6/22/12

Outside my window... the sun is shining and it is considerably cooler than it has been the past couple of days. 

I am thinking...  about various DIY projects.

I am thankful...  that both Eric and I (along with my parents) witnessed Parker's great hit during last night's baseball game. 

In the kitchen... the dishwasher is running and Mama is making hard boiled eggs. 

I am wearing... fleece pants and one of Eric's t-shirts.

I am creating... nada.

I am going... to need strength for our upcoming car ride to our vaca destination.  It is going to be a doozey.   

I am reading... Jennifer Weiner's Then Came You and Ellen's Seriously...I'm Kidding. 

I am hoping... my flowers survive my absence.  Do me proud, Mom!

I am looking forward to... family time in the coming days.

I am learning... that I have a better green thumb than I originally thought (see above). 

Around the house... everyone is sleeping with the exception of Ryder and I. 

I am pondering... if Ryder will ever sleep in.   

A favorite quote for today... "If you think my hands are full, you should see my heart"

One of my favorite things... is watching Hudson run.  His zest for life is unmatchable. 

A few plans for the rest of the week... our last T-ball game is tomorrow morning.  I am proud of how far my team has come (especially one of my own 'Lil Sluggers, Ryder...he ROCKED first base earlier this week and had NO fits).  Garrett is more than ready to move on to Coach Pitch next season.  Beyond that it is packing and preparing for our trip. 

A peek into my day...

Trying to not nibble this little one's face off.  Seriously, some days it is really hard!

Sail Away For Ryder's 4th Birthday

In early May, with only a few weeks to spare before his birthday, Ryder and I agreed on a sailboat theme for his birthday party.  His party came together rather quickly and the afternoon was a great success!

 

Ryder Richard was named for my Papa, Fred Richard and with our recent loss I wanted to include a piece of Papa into the decor.  Papa owned and operated Kelley's Upholstery & Canvas for 55 years and together he and Ryder shared a love for both boats and Lake Erie.  While doing some yard work one afternoon for Grandma, Ryder and I came across a scrap piece of sideboard from a boat Papa had worked on.  I had envisioned a "SS Ryder" sign for Ryder's party decor and our found piece of wood was perfect.  I snapped the board in half with my bare feet (no joke!) to give it a jagged look, whitewashed it, and painted the name of our vessel upon the wood.  Alert the coast guard...the SS Ryder is shipwrecked!

Mommy and the birthday boy

 

Yummy cupcakes!  These super cute sailboat cupcake toppers were easy to make with a little scrapbook paper, sucker sticks, jute, and a hole punch.  I picked up the life ring and netting at Pat Catan's.  The cake stand and wooden tray (made by the hubby) I had on hand.

 

Ryder is a lover of sweet treats!  These Jell-O boats and chocolate covered Rice Krispie treats were a huge hit with the kids.  Sipping punch is always more fun when it is done through a festive straw!

I love to display photos of the boys at their parties.  With a little jute, ribbon, and tiny clothespins my favorite photos of Ryder from the past year were easy to see.  A piece of Papa's backyard is now in our backyard as well.  For years I have found great delight in his lilac bush out back.  Last fall (unknown to me) Papa transplanted a shoot from his own lilac bush for me.  My mom cared for it over the winter and following his passing we planted it in our yard.  The decorative lighthouse was the last item Ryder purchased for Papa (a few days before he passed).  Indeed, Papa's spirit could be found at Ryder's party!

Daddy and the birthday boy...

Make a wish!

 

 

Happy 'lil dude on his new bike Mammy gave him!  Less than a week later the training wheels were OFF and he was keeping up with his older two brothers!

 

 

Needless to say Ryder was pretty excited about the dune buggy we got him.  He has been busily looking for a trailer so he can tow it to the sand dunes this summer on our vacation;)  Clearly he wants to follow in his Daddy's footsteps in that regard!

 

Here is to hoping #4 is a GREAT year for our little Ryder!

Welcome Home....

Early Thursday evening, we returned home from a three night camping trip in Loudonville, Ohio-Mohican Area.  Do you recall our trip there last year? 

Thankfully, most of our trip did not look this...

Indeed, it looked a little more like this...

Stay tuned for a recap of our adventure and lots of photos!

Getting Groovy

We are busily checking items off our Summer To-Do List!  This summer, as a family, we are embracing our need to simply LIVE and be together.  Cleaning, home improvement projects, serious cooking, and blogging have all been placed on the back burner.  We are swimming, game playing, bike riding, ice cream eating, and park going crazies.  Last weekend, with Eric working 5 nights of 12's (cringe), the boys and I happily marked Tie Dye T-shirts off our list.  It was a super fun and messy project we tackled outside.  The end result...check 'em out yourself!

Parker opted for a swirl effect on his shirt...the boys each chose their

desired design, I helped with the rubber bands, and then they

had free reign with the dying process!

Garrett opted for the swirl effect as well, with his center being off center

and lots of green!

Ryder pointed to the bulls eye effect and fully embraced the dying process...holy

puddles of dye!

Hudson put his chubby finger on the sunburst effect...for obvious reasons

he had quite a bit of help when it came time to dye his shirt; however,

his finger prints and hand prints are seen throughout!

 

My groovy gang....

Hello, reality...

We will definitely be repeating this tie dye project in the future.  However, we will allow our shirts to sit longer to achieve darker colors.  After 6 hours the boys were more than ready to see what the end result was!

Our New Family Toy...

...brought to "us" by ME!  If you have been a long time follower of my blog, you may recall reading that my husband L-O-V-E-S toys.  Dirt bikes.  Snowmobiles.  4-Wheelers.  Boats.  Jet Skis.  Vehicles.  Buying, selling, and trading is a hobby to him.  A hobby, that from time to time, is profitable as well (not to worry....I am not talking in an illegal way).  However, our recent "toy" purchase was initiated by yours truly....   

....a 2007, 29 foot Jayco Travel Trailer

Let me start by saying, I enjoy camping.  Exploring, bike riding, campfires, cooking over an open flame, relaxing (if possible), and the ever so popular S'mores!  I consider myself pretty tolerable of public shower rooms with proper foot attire in place.  The younger version of myself has done her fair share of tent camping.  No complaints.  The older version...well, the older version gets a tad bit irritable when her bitties cannot settle for a nap.  Truth be told, I put on my own cranky pants when I am without AC for my nighttime slumber.  A bigger truth?  Six people camping = A LOT of stuff!!!  About a month ago, as I sat writing our packing list for our June 6 days/5 nights camping trip, I cringed.  I sighed.  I looked at our 80's ($250) pop up camper and thought "no way". 

Earlier in the year, Eric and I had agreed our pop up would suffice for our trip.  With pen to paper, I was having conflicting thoughts.  I, promptly, called Eric (at work) and left him a message more or less demanding a newer travel trailer prior to our trip.  With no additional loans outside of our house and his school debt, I was prepared to "fight" if need be.  Thankfully, our biggest battle over my want was how many bunks our trailer should contain.  We, rather peacefully, agreed on a used (in excellent condition) Jayco travel trailer.  

Take a look around... 

   

Last Thursday night, we returned home from our maiden voyage with her (stay tuned for multiple posts on our Silver Lake trip).  She served us well with her ample storage, comfortable sleeping quarters, and microwave to heat up Hudson's milk (who still prefers it warm).  From here on out, it is happy trails for the Lindsay Family once we set up camp.  The actual traveling?  Well, that is an area we need work on! 

Summer...Here We Come!

We are oh so close to having all four kiddos home 24/7 for the summer months!  As of last week, Garrett is a proud graduate of preschool.  After a wonderful three day weekend, Parker has four remaining days of first grade this week.  Our summer promises to be filled with T-ball Games, outside home improvement projects, and endless OT for Eric; however, we are more than ready for some FUN as well!

I saw a simple and colorful summer to-do list over on Pinterest and knew the Lindsay family had to make one of their own!  A few weeks ago, as a family, we sat down and shared ideas for our own list.  Together, we are looking forward to checking activites off our list throughout the summer! 

Superbowl Saturday 2010

On Saturday, the Lake Erie Flag Football League played 11 games in under 8 hours.  Awesome, right?!  Superbowl Saturday was downright cold. Our morning began at 9am with Parker's pre-game practice and my nephew's first game of the day.  Parker's first game followed at 10am.  Both Parker's team and Ashton's team won their first round of games.  Go 49'ers!  Go Vikings!  Enter round two of games...

Going into halftime of the second game, Parker's team was down 14-0.  They made quite the comeback in the second half, scoring 27 points!  Sadly, we lost 28-27 to the Titans.  One darn stinkin' point!  Ironically, we beat the Titans by one lone point earlier in the season. 

Parker, his teammates, and coaches following their second game...

you had a great season boys (and Tiff!!!).

The Titans went on to play the Vikings (my nephew's team) for the 1st-3rd grade division Superbowl title.  The boys played their hearts out with it being a great (and close) game.  In the end, the Vikings won! 

Ashton and his mama, Leslie!  The Vikings had an undefeated season!  WooHoo!

Parker and Ashton were both sad to see the season come to an end.  Frankly, so am I.  Though we started off rocky, I quickly grew to love both practices and games.  Parker is more than eager to play again this Spring.  It would be awesome for Parker and Ashton to be on the same team!  Fingers crossed...

Happy Halloween...

...from our family to yours!

Hudson is 8 months old and this is the first family photo we have of the 6 of us!  I can't help but laugh that we are in costume!  It is by no means the greatest of photos, but we are all in the same frame.  Happy Halloween!  Have a great weekend.  We have a busy one planned!

2010 Monster Mash

I have been wanting to host a Halloween "Kiddo" Party for years.  This year I bit the bullet...called my Sister-in-Law (co-host in crime)...and said "Let's do it!  Let's have a Halloween Party!".  She was more than willing.  Game on!

In an ideal world we would live on a spacious farm with nearby woods.  Our party would include hayrides and not so spooky trails into the wilderness.  There would be a huge bonfire and tales to tell as we sat on bales of hay.  Alas, we live in town and our backyard would have to suffice.

We set out to invite our closest family and family friends.  Our G(hosts) Parker, Garrett, and Ashton (my nephew) were each allowed to invite a handful of friends as well.  With passing showers looming, approximately 50 party goers (including 25 kiddos!) gathered in our backyard.

Eric conveniently had his fire fighter gear at home from his previous day of live fire training.  He looked smokin' hot!  The mustache from Parker's Mario costume MADE his costume, though.  Hudson sporting the mustache...THE funniest photo of the night!

Besides our own set of Mario and Luigi, we had another at the party!  Love this photo of Parker and his buddy!

Garrett and his buddy, the police man.  I fell in love with his 'lil buddy throughout the night!

My Sis-in-Law, Leslie.  She and her 6ft tall self made the perfect witch!

A small sampling of our yummy treats...spider cookies, spiderweb brownies, and spooky eyes.  We kept the food simple...mummy dogs, sloppy joes, chili, chips/pretzels, and carrots with dip.  We washed it down with swamp water.

A small sampling of our decor and goodie bags...

Ryder ate no less than 6 cupcakes throughout the evening.  

As the kiddos arrived we had scratch art ornaments in the shapes of bats, pumpkins, ghosts, and cats for them to transform into works of art.

The kiddos also received a tattoo as they arrived.  Temporary, of course!

Our weaving of a spider web went better than I expected!  The end result was pretty cool!

Frankenstein Relay Race...

The witch says....shake your bootie!  Now hop on one leg (or do the running man...really, that is what it looks like!). 

Ryder sans costume and now sporting Daddy's helmet...

Mummy Wrapping...too much fun!!!!

When all was said and done the rain was kept to a few sprinkles (joy!!!) and the party was a success.  The kiddos went home with goodie bags of pretzels, candy, Halloween stickers, vampire teeth, Halloween Silly Bandz, and other goodies galore.  We sent one little boy home with the beginning of a black eye and minor cut, but it was self inflicted. 

Our boys thanked us for throwing the best party EVER!  I blushed.  The older two boys are already discussing next year's bash; however, Eric and I are still recovering from this year's festivities!  Stop by next year...I am fairly certain this may be an annual event!