Sunday, August 17, 2014

Summer Fireflies

This is it folks.
Monday it is back to work for me.
My children are exactly one summer older.

My summer memories are like fireflies.  When I was little I would run around the yard barefoot trying to capture as many fireflies as I could in a jar so that they could bring me light.

My Summer Fireflies



Fourth of July Float



DayCation


Leader of the Jungle Clan


(he shot this photo himself in hopes it will be his album cover)

Yogi Love


Training


TEACCH 
(more to come soon)


Freedom School
and
Potty Training Graduate



Thug Life...
is what happens when you've been on the chocolate milk too long




Party Time w/ Friends




Goodies








Why do they even make banana flavored?
No one eats those.


The very first time 
on the 
Water Slide!






whoooo!  hooooo!
1 of 45 times that day.


Age 2 going on Stubborn....
a very CUTE stubborn.


Summer Evenings



Seedlings from the Library


TMNT


Cowabunga!
I love pizza!


~Glitter and Glam Party~

Fire Pit Smores
Happy Birthday Darren!



We will miss you summer.



Monday, August 11, 2014

Intervention (Pool Addition)


Welcome to Intervention Pool Edition

If you are making these mistakes. PLEASE seek help immediately.





 1.   Bathing Suit Intervention:  I believe in wearing what makes you feel good, but not wearing what makes young adolescent boys feel good.  Bathing Suit Shopping means TRY ON THE BATHING SUIT And LOOK IN THE MIRROR.  Please accommodate your bottom and top.  There is more crack going down at the pool than Breaking Bad.  It is not necessary.  Say no to excess.  Say yes to class.

2. Water Gun Intervention: Put. The. Gun. Down.  Water guns are fun.  Water guns are refreshing.  Water guns are not meant to be shot in the face of an 80 year old women at close range.  Teach your children some etiquette.  Don't allow your children to pump a water toy that shoots hard streams of water 75 ft. away at people. I don't want to play The Bourne Identity water version.   Trust me when I say it is no fun holding floats in one hand, a timid two year old in the other, and suddenly feeling a hard icy cold stream of water directly in your ear. 



3. Teenage Intervention:  Dear pack of teenagers, don’t play tackle football in the shallow end with babies, toddlers, and young children (like, duh....that is totally what the shallow end is for anyway).  Do you not see that you just pushed a set of two year olds under the water while you were flirting with each other?

4. Cig Intervention:  Is life so stressful at the pool you must you smoke a pack of cigarettes on the side? 
We have enough trouble battling our cancer in the form of sun only, thank you much.



5. Childcare Intervention:  Dear Parents, I know that pool side with non-swimmers can be very boring, and your so close to completing your final level of Candy Crush.  HOWEVER, you may need an intervention if your child cannot swim (or even if they can) and you are not watching them.  Water is not a babysitter and neither are the 100 children dunking each other.  Please pay attention.  I get heart palpitations watching some of those children struggle out there.

6.  Stealing Intervention:  Sharing is good.  Stealing is bad.  I have actually had to walk over to a parent's beach bag and pull out shovels, balls, and goggles that belong to MY children, while the parents just look at me not saying a word.  'Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers' does not apply to floating pool items. We even had a beach towel picked up.  No. Unacceptable.  Say NO to picking up things that don't belong to you for keeps.



7.  Shaving Intervention: Shave. Just Shave.  All parts.  Shave.  Men I am talking to you too!  Summer sweater is not in fashion mid- summer.

8. Skinny Intervention:  If you haven't given birth to at least 8 children...don't sit beside me.  Don't strut in front of me.  Be skinny, just don't BE skinny near me.



9.  Float Intervention:  Do you really need a float that can seat 50? in a pool where you can barely turn around? No you do NOT!  There is NO room. 

10.  PDA Intervention:   If I wanted to watch hot scenes I would choose a movie via Cinemax on Demand.  Imagine tossing the Teenage Mutant Ninja turtle beach ball around when you ram into two people, making out, so intertwined you don't know whose arms and legs belong to who or if they are even yours!?!   How romantic is chlorine anyway?   A good rule of thumb:  Don't wrap your legs around anyone but a lifeguard saving your life in a pool.  

It is up to you.
You must take the first step.
Get help today.
Pool Intervention.

Sunday, August 10, 2014

Day 'Cation'

The Sechrist Family Luck is a little something we joke about in the family.

The Sechrist Family Luck would be...

... getting a bad cold that drains your energy the same day the dishwasher mysteriously starts leaking around your feet.... and now you have to clean it up and figure out what is happening.

...scheduling Carlee's professional pictures months in advance and having to cancel the appointment because the day before she wiped out and completely bruised her face looking like an NHL player. 

...or the time I paid to do Connor's memory page in the yearbook (against Darren's wishes) and his head is half cut out and name misspelled.  I was kindly refunded the money, and it was a total accident.  Still, I wonder if Connor will want to know why I wanted to put ostriches in the yearbook for his picture.

His toothless smile still made it!

...there are the times we decide to risk it to go out to eat in public and the restaurant is out of sweet tea and bread, then the waitress is busting 10 tables at once, and the children have decided to reenact a scene from Wild Animals Caught on Tape

It is not terrible, horrible luck, and it only crops up now and again.  It is just enough to be a little expensive and quite annoying... sometimes funny.  


When Darren surprised the family with a few days away, our Sechrist Family Luck kicked in big time.

1.  We loaded all children, luggage, sunscreen, and snacks in the van... and then the van would not start.  Darren tried everything and it just wouldn't start. 
2.  We didn't let that stop us.  We took the little car, and the luggage, and the children, and the sunscreen, and the snacks, and then dropped the van off at the shop.  However, when we checked into the hotel they did not have our reservation....
3.  ... and I threw away our email confirmation...
4.  ...because Darren wrote it down on a tiny slip of paper and put it in my bag.  I didn't know what it was so I threw it away.
5.  We waited nearly an hour for our room while the very rude hostess pretended we were inconveniencing them.  Even though I expressed my distaste to the manager on duty, it did not seem to move them.
6.  It wasn't until I decided to let the kids go wild in the lobby... did we get a room immediately. 

So.. this is how our Day'Cation' started out.
The Sechrist Family Luck.

I was very worried it was downhill from this point, but you will be happy to know we had a wonderful few days as a family.  
We were able to shake off the "luck".
(I won't tell you about the inches of water in the basement when we got back...no.  I will leave that story off.)






Connor absolutely LOVES a hotel.  
That is the vacation for him.  
We enjoy watching him in a hotel because he gets so excited.
It is like Christmas for him.



First, we have to try out the gym equipment (and later the rainfall shower).



Then, we have to get room service.


Then, we have to go up and down, up and down, up and down...
in the elevator.

For some reason, Carlee liked to sit very close to the doors when we entered the elevator. 
(Not an inconvenience at all for people getting IN the elevator at all.)


Next, we test drive the indoor and outdoor pool.

This is the "MOM LOOK AT THE INDOOR POOL" moment  while I was at the front desk being treated like a hillbilly.


Somehow Carlee took over the bed, 

and I got the floor.


Then there was the ice machine, the escalator, and more hotel fun.


We had a very fun filled day at the water park!
Connor rode three BIG slides with his dad.
Carlee loved, loved Happy Harbor!




I was able to get a float by myself!  
I pulled the old 'oops, sorry honey I slipped' while Darren floated away with the two kids.  
bahaaaaa -my best villain laugh





Connor looks like he is being attacked by a Granddaddy Long Legs.




What a GREAT Day'Cation'!
We are so Blessed.