Josie's on a vacation far away

We returned Monday night from five days of inside jokes, performing water stunts until they nearly killed us, and watching Lindsay laugh until she cries. You guessed it... the annual Patterson Cousins trip- where showers are optional, but fun is required. We returned to Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota this year, and again Bob and Gretchen (with four month old twins Jacob and Robbie in tow) were our excellent hosts.

With six children all under one roof this trip, life didn't slow down for anything. It stays light a lot longer that far north, so we threw bedtimes to the wind and schedules out the window. It is a lot of fun to watch all the little cousins together (no, I'm not talking about you Bob). Four of the six kids that were there were under two, leaving Jack (8) and Ella (6) heads of baby activities and seeming like teenagers. Everyone had a great time in the controlled chaos, and you know I loved holding those little twin boys. Every time they smiled at me, I swear I felt the earth move.

We loved meeting Bob and Gretchen's fun friends Rick and Kate, who graciously put up with our screaming babies and child like banter; and for some crazy reason returned day after day, night after night for more. The first day I addressed Rick as Rich for at least three solid hours, and he didn't correct me once. I guess he figured it could have been, as Ella says, "Awk-ward!" Once I realized my mistake, I decided to come clean, and then proceeded to purposefully call him Rich for the rest of the trip. He reciprocated by calling my Josie. The nicknames stuck, until Ella announced that she thought his name was Rex. Thus, T-Rex was born. At the end of the weekend I invited Kate and Rick/Rich/T-Rex to Marin's wedding. The reunion is sure to be sweet. We missed Mike, Elizabeth, Drew and Ollie this year, but we were so glad to get to visit with them when they were here in June.

Every year this is a great weekend made up of one part relaxation and two parts hilarity. Late one night as Bob and Gretchen were putting the twins to bed, Jason and Don decided to decorate Bob's yard for Christmas. It seemed a fitting thank you for offering their house up to our mess and destruction for five days. We attended a Sierra Nevada beer tasting one day, survived two tornado warnings (complete with sirens and golf ball size hail), stayed up way too late talking, saw a fireworks show, hit up Lord Fletchers- our favorite waterfront dining spot, and ended many a day with a sunset boat ride. Color me happy; that's the recipe for Josie's perfect long weekend.

Marin rode behind the boat for the first time, and officially earned her sea legs. She and Daddy boarded a raft together and Don pulled them behind his boat at a snail's pace. Marin giggled and waved the whole time. The rest of us left with plenty of scars and bruises, the mark of a truly good time and effort to perform tricks we've never before attempted.

Marin also strung her first two words together on this trip- "my shoes". That girl has a serious love for her footwear, and she's gonna let you know. I'm very proud. She also learned how to say "mine" from two year old Elise, and now everything is "mine (this)" and "mine (that)". She did pretty well with letting me hold the babies, but she did say a few times, "mine mommy". She really loved taking care of Jacob and Robbie- bringing them their bottles and pacis as well as giving them plenty of love and hugs.

Another weekend highlight was getting to see our friend Kelsey and her boyfriend, Andrew. Kelsey is Molly's sister, and since she lives in St. Paul, we invited her out to the boat for the day, and didn't waste any time initiating her to the world of hurt that is being pulled by Don behind his boat at 35 mph on the tube. She and I rode together, as did Andrew and Jason and we all nearly died at various times when we hit a huge bump and flew 3 feet in the air, or when we rolled off the tube and literally bounced off the water, but we laughed the whole time.

In fact, it seemed as though laughing was a theme for the weekend as is always the case. It was another great trip with wonderful Patterson cousins. These trips may only come once a year, but the memories will last a lifetime. (That's what she said.)

Green Lake 2010!

Last weekend we hit the open road once again, for a short trip to Green Lake, Wisconsin.

Our friends, Abby and Jeff, invited Erica, Craig, Jason and me to Abby's parent's amazing lake home for the weekend. Craig said it best when he walked in to the amazingly bright space with huge floor to ceiling doors expanding the wall, over looking the lake, and asked, "Aren't lake homes supposed to have wood paneling?!" There was no wood panelling to be found at this lake home; it was beautiful from top to bottom; corner to corner!

The home was also perfect for the kids. Marin was in her glory, having two boys at her disposal. Kai and CJ are 9 and 10 months respectively, and Marin loved giving them hugs, playing with their toys, and trying to teach Kai how to each a banana (read: she shoved it in his face). The whole main floor was a big open space; perfect for Marin to run around and allow us to keep an eye on her at the same time. Daredevil that she is wanted to walk down every single stair on her own down to the water, and did not want to hold my hand on the dock. Wouldn't you know that she walked right up to the very edge of the dock and pointed to the water and the rocks below as if she were staring at a bed of feathers with a helmet and a safety net. I know I have said it before, but it continues to become clearer and clearer- that girl is truly fearless!

The fresh air must have been good for Marin, Kai and CJ, because they all went to bed without even a moments fuss. And then the six of us parents made a delicious dinner together, popped the cork on a few bottles of wine, and laughed for hours. After dinner, Jason flexed his Eagle Scout skills and we sat around a roaring outdoor fire with the moon and the stars as a backdrop, and listened to the water hit the rocky shore. Erica and I agreed there is little that is more relaxing. Of course, with the banter between boys, two of whom were roommates, the conversation wasn't exactly zen-like, but that was probably most of the reason why we laughed so hard. We commented a few times that the neighbors must have wondered what the commotion was all about. Six grown adults, a cooler full of beer and a baby monitor by a fire... and the words "fart" and "wood" were said more times than I could keep track... now there's the start of a good joke! But hey, we're parents, they are the worst words we can get away with these days- even after the kids are asleep.

The next morning we all made an enormous breakfast-- homemade coffee cake, cinnamon rolls, eggs, pancakes, fruit, bacon, english muffins... our eyes were definitely bigger than our stomachs. Except that I still managed to sample almost everything. Delicious! Who doesn't love a big breakfast?! Marin was thrilled to have the chance to play with CJ and Kai again the next day, and delighted that the occasion supplied pancakes! Jason threw his fishing pole in the water, but proved his fire-making skills to be sharper than his fishing skills.

Abby, Erica and I marveled at the fact that our children will be in the same class someday. That we'll all sit teary-eyed at the same graduations. And afterward, I'll undoubtedly tell the story about the time that Marin gave CJ a bear hug that nearly knocked him over, or when she gave Kai a kiss with her yogurt mouth. They're all sure to roll their eyes and dodge me for the rest of the day. But it's okay. After all, is there really anything better than having the opportunity to make these memories with our children? I say, if there weren't stories to tell for them to roll their eyes at later in life, then maybe we haven't let them run around naked enough.

Thanks Abby and Jeff! We'll be back... as long as it's okay with your neighbors! :)

(Note: All the "good pictures" are Erica's :))

Marin's first trip to the Lake!

Sunday afternoon, my Uncle Reed and Aunt Jeanie hosted the entire Martin clan at their home to celebrate my Grandma Martin's 91st birthday. It was great fun and is always a treat to be all together.

Marin is my Grandma and Grandpa Martin's 5th great grandchild, and it was especially entertaining to see the little children's reactions to her. Skylar, my almost 5 year old goddaughter, wanted to give Marin kisses and was comfortable enough with her to about take her to school for show and tell. When I asked Skylar if she remembered when her 2 year old sister, Jada, was that little she said to me, "Oh, I didn't know Jada then." I had to crack up at this.

Avery and Anthony did very well with her too. Anthony and my cousin Amy taught Marin the name of each of her toes, and Avery was very gentle with her. At the end of the day, Jada was saying goodbye to Marin and when all Marin did was sit there and stare back, Jada pulled her mom aside and said, "She won't say bye to me!" We'll have to work on Marin's manners. :)


What fun and laughter children add to any occasion!