Happenings at the Barton's

Just a few shots of my nightly battle with my toddler...We are almost to our birthday!! Dec 13th Riley will turn 1 !! LOL

1. "Riley, get out from under that tree!"
2. she barks at the bulb
3. " No biting the bulbs and lights on the tree"
4. The bulb falls- she looks at it like "what is that doing here? wasn't me!!"
5. Then she hides from Mom

STINKER!!

Wrestling has begun. Tomorrow night we head to Stockbridge- first meet. Koda will wrestle JV at 215#. I cannot beleive that! He weighs 191 just 2 over the class below the 215#. Yep, we are hiding the pudding and snack cakes from Mr. Wrestler now! This will keep us busy into February!!

The other 2 boys- school, daily grind, band, and socializing of course - 6th grade camp coming up and Steve decided he does not want to go- we decided not to force the issue.

Christmas is fast approaching.....very little shopping done here. Must get busy!! :-) Is everyone done shopping? Have anything yet? Have lists from the boys...kind of.

Heading over to catch up on blogs.....

Jake and his new glasses....he loves the new look, can you tell?
Koda with the new wrestling haircut and his new sexy specs. He actully likes them and being able to see.

Steve II- his 2nd pair- and a litle stronger now.
Riley is donning her new attire as well- but she is being held tightly therefore you cannot see it. Grandma- she LOVES IT!! She stands waiting for it to be put on her then prances through the house and yard - but she does NOT want it off. **Grandma made her a fleece shawl that will keep my 'no undercoat' puppy warm in Michigan!!
Crazy week at work. Dad got blood tests back that all show the levels are now back to normal. YEAH and we have not heard from the CT scan yet. Beginning to lean towards a reaction to the cortisone shot they gave him in his knee the day before the fevers started ?? (he needs a new knee soon- however he is joining the snowbirds in SC come Feb and he does not want to be down then= so maybe afterwards? he is a MAN and he will do it when HE wants to! LOL
Happy Thanksgiving to you all. When I count my blessings, I count each of you TWICE.
Thanks for reading!

old mother (Barton) Hubbard's freezer..........

..........remains BARE! I sent 3 hunters out and no one saw a deer, until they were on their way in after dark driving back to camp....and a 6pt crossed in front of them. ugh. boo hoo.
No poker winners either- but they had fun.

Dad goes tomorrow for a CT scan of his abdomen....he seems to be feeling better but NOT good. Keep ya'll posted.

Rushed back home today and worked 3 hours already....so off I go to unpack and rest a little before a crazy week. Half the office staff is off this week so it should be FUN!

TTFN :-)

Goodbye Boys

My boys have left for deer camp- Wednesday afternoon they set off- just Steve II and I home- and he asked me " Mom, have you ever gone to deer camp?" whcih begins my post...
Yes, I have been to deer camp BUT never overnight!! and when dark falls I am eagerly waiting to go......

10 reasons that I do not go to deer camp

1. It is cold- inside and out!!
2. No electricty - in the past they offered me the generator- no thanks then I can see what is out there lurking
3. No running water - hello ? No shower for 4 days? ICK
4. Scary wild animals lurk in the dark -cougars, bear, coyote, and more! ( I have proof)
5. No plans to go slave over the other men too
6. miles from civilization
7. 10x the # of burping and farting men - no thanks.
8. I can't play poker
9. Sitting for hours in a tree or blind just watching and waiting-I would be thinking and making lists and miss the shot for sure...give me idle time I make to - do lists or remember this! lists
10. An outhouse in the dark? need I say more?

But on the other hand, I am envious and would love to .......1. be in the woods to take pics 2. listen to nature 3. enjoy campfires 4. have to snuggle with my honey to stay warm 5. get to see the wild life up close 6. see my boys in action ready for the hunt 7. be there to see them drag in their first kill 8. Laugh out loud with all their stories .........so would I ever go? YES

A 4 pt and a 5 pt were taken so far from guys at camp but not by my group. Hoping today will be THEIR day!

Steve II and I are heading north to check in on Grandpa (my dad) and deep clean his house. (he has been very sick for 2+ weeks and they still cannot figure out what it is? fevers, sweats, lost 12 lbs, no energy, high white count, high glucose and liver enzymes) More blood tests today, CT scan and dr appt Monday!! ugh.

Have a great weekend hope your hunters are lucky!!

This one is for you Mom!!

Make a slide show, scrapbook or ecard

our weekend

Deer camp in the Manistee National Forrest near Rothbury, MI. I love this place- although I would never have the desire to stay all night!! I love the fact that my family has been hunting there together for years and now my boys are all old enough to join the fun!!



My boys all went to deer camp to get it cleaned up and ready for opening day!!




My Dad, Steve and Jake



The neighbor's camper .





My boys will all be leaving me on Nov 13th and heading for camp. Steve II is too young this year but he is going to hang out with Grandpa. I will go up on the weekend to my dad's and hope to hear about all the BIG deer they are taking.

This is from my weekend with the girls in Spring Lake.....we had FUN! Pages and cards and even a little something for my cubicle at work....and loads of laughs and fun! I even slept in until 830 one morning- that may be a record!!

Happy Halloween!!

Hope everyone had a safe and yummy halloween!

Cory, Steve and Jake
Koda
Riley's tshirt
Witchy POO

Witchy poo

Crazy chic seeking fun CCC weekend......hooray this weekend is over and we are that much closer to my getaway!!
All in all a weekend that desired more positives, however NO MORE WHINING HERE!
We got the roof tore off on Friday and I woke to my VERY OWN Niagra falls in my kitchen at 422AM! The rain did not go away until sometime Sat afternoon!! It was hit and miss all day!! Steve and I ran to Home Depot to buy another big tarp - and covered it up! However, today is a NEW DAY!! The rain stopped- we started over this morning and they have made great progress!! +300.00 m ore than we had planned in supplies and repairs....UGH!
HOORAY, tomorrow it should be in even better shape!
Need to still go get 'gumpies'. (Jake's old term for pumpkins when he was small) Tomorrow after eye appts they are heading to Ive's. Hoping to get them carved tomorrow night too!!
More fun pics to come.

My adorable witchy poo!!

end of the season.....

Parkside Eagles 7th Grade Football!!

The best record since 1994- 5 wins and 1 loss.

Glad to be done with football...however, just in time to start hunting and wrestling!!

just a note*feeling better today

NO more !

Flu Shots for this chic!!I have taken one every year for the past 5 years and always been fine. Until THIS YEAR! Monday night I was very restless, felt warm - but the dr seems to think I am sliding into my change which could explain my night! Woke on Tuesday feeling BEAT and kind of warm again....went to work (had to gear up with BIG GIRL panties as I really felt crummy!!) Got to work and I felt worse and worse....my arm was swollen, HOT and I was now COVERED with hives head to toe!! Took 2 Benadryl. The nurse that gave it to me sent me to my dr.... YEP! allergic now to the flu shot...what part who knows. The dr gave me a steroid pack to fill and take if the symptoms continued. After work...just laid around and as the evening progressed my bronchials started feeling a burning like the beginning of Bronchitis and my voice went. BUT no trouble breathing YET. Called the dr....he said take 2 more Benadryl NOW and IF I started to feel short of breath at all....go straight to ER and fill & start the steroid in the morning!

Feeling like CRAP this morning....going to go in and try to do a half day....Jake's last game tonight too! and a dinner afterwards!! HELP! Going to go fill the steroids and get started....

Asking myself....what's so bad about the flu? I think I would trade this for that!

GREAT NEWS! and sad news and ....

My great news to share...my Dad went back to the dr on Wed- expecting to plan the date, time etc to start radiation. They were doing frequent blood tests since the surgery and the last appt they were seeing a little climb in the PSA counts again....long story short....the counts have stayed within the norm range for 3+ mos and they have classified him as cancer free now. No treatments necessary at this time....just monthly blood work and no appts until after the holidays!! HOORAY! Talked to him again this morning and he had me tearful....joyful tears! He said he did not relaize how much the diagnosis had played on his everyday moods and feeling well UNTIL yesterday after the news, a busy day going all day long - he plopped in his E Z chair and he still felt good? Then he mentioned what a great restful night's sleep he got in!! Thanks to all for the prayers and kind words....they got us through!!

Sad news....my mom has left for her sunny beaches, warm weather and suntanned toes getaway!! She left early this year as they are going to a race in TX- huge Nascar fans!! Happy that she has earned the ability to do these winter getaways after years of hard work raising three kids as a single mom and working full time, but she is MY MOM and I MISS HER!!

More bummer news....no Cedar Point this weekend with the Hamlin's. Weather looks very uncertain so we cancelled the trip. No sense spending $350 on tix to walk around in the rain!! Both families made a Plan B just in case and the Barton's are heading to Muskegon to watch our favorite IHL (Muskegon Fury) team play hockey. It is the season opener- free tshirts to the first 500 in the door and autgraphs after the game. Boys are excited!!
Hamlin's are headed to Crystal Mountain!

Great news! Just 2 more weeks until the Crazy Croppin Chics weekend long crop! I am READY for a getaway but no pages planned or organized!! LOL Thinking about some pages and cards....maybe my Christmas cards? We'll see. Beyond the croppin....I just love the laughs, the friends, and having someone wait on me and cook all my meals!!

Last weeks game pics - great game !

Busy weekend...Koda bow hunted for the first time alone on Sat- he had 2 deer came in under his tree stand - he was ready but they stayed behind a branch and he was unable to get a shot- but he was stoked and ready to go again this week!!
This weekend was Mom's farewell dinner. We drove up today for dinner at Logan's Steakhouse. We have gone there many times with a big group and had great service. This afternoon the service was ok by the wait staff but the kitchen messed up royally. They kept sending a couple plates out at a time- we all ate in shifts. A group of 13 of us but by the time I got my plate my sister in law sitting beside me was done? Needless to say- we ate for free. Their mgr came over , apologized and told us the bill was on them ! That was a big bill. Good food. Great visit with Mom....always too short- now she is leaving this week for TX! Not to come home again until April! :-(

Took the kids to get Halloween masks on Sat afternoon...they cracked me up so much in there....I was crying!! I will post pics soon. Jake hates the movie, Childs Play- Chucky doll movie? Steve put the mask on and Jake took off....he would not come near us...then Steve started chasing him....on my. We had fun.

Cooler damper weather expected this week....hoping for a nice weekend....Big CP trip planned this coming weekend.

a day at the spa

A day at the Puppy Day Spa (groomer) was a FUN experience this time for Riley! We changed groomers - the last one was a terrible experience for ALL OF US!!
We actually ALL approved of the cut this time and the boys LOVED her bandana!! No bows or foo foo just a SWEEEET bandana. LOL

Road trip

Tonight our 7th grade team traveled to Ionia and played their 8th grade B team-

and

WON 16-12 !!

Way to go boys!

I missed the game, but all of my boys traveled and met my mom who traveled 1 1/2 hrs to catch a game before she heads south.

Love you Grandma- thank you!!

Thank you Steve for catching a few shots for me.....

Off to bed...late night....

Sunday = Funday

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VOTE! VOTE! Which one do you like best?
We drove out to the Waterloo area yesterday and took these with my digital and the tripod. We had loads of fun and I think we got a few nice pics!! If you ask Jake he will tell you that we took about 500 - just a little exaggeration but we had FUN!
What do you think....share, please!

Jake's Marching Band Debut

What a busy week...Here is a video I did on my camera for all of you that missed Jake's first marching band performance. Can you find him?

(He is the last trombone player looking from L to R.)

I think he is finding that doing both football and marching band to be a bit much. He was very tired last night....he had been on the go since 545am! School, then football pratice until 430pm, home to shower-eat and get dressed, then to Withington Stadium at 6pm for practice before the game, we finally were home at 930pm.

BEWARE!

Completely chaotic week ahead!!
(actually a continuation of last week!)

• football
• orthodontist
• marching band
• choosing instruments for elementary band
• work!! working loads of XTRA hours
• meal planning for all the chaos

Had a great weekend- although our boys did not shoot a deer. :-( Jake never saw one...Koda saw a doe with 2 fawns and could not shoot her! He was with my cousin Marshall who eventually talked Koda into thinking about a shot....and just then they all took off. Run Momma , Run! :-) I was so proud to know that beneath the teenage hard surface there is still a tenderhearted young man that listens to his heart!!

Had a great visit with family! Sure do miss them all living so far away. Somedays I ask myself why I moved in here ... then I smile and see all my men!! But I sure do miss my family!!

Hope everyone has a great week.

JILL and KRISTIN - did you get the crop invite for Oct 6th? Had not heard from either of you.

First game of the season

and they fought hard in the end....however were defeated by Battle Creek Lakeview. :-(

Not the best pics....Steve did take a few though. I think I need a better camera from Santa....LOL hint hint

Jake DID get to play lat night - the last quarter he was in on two plays. He says a dude bigger than him knocked him on his 'toosh' the first time- THE NEXT time he went in he said he got a much better stance and knocked him down....he felt GOOD! It was great to hear him tell it....isn;t that the best part of youth sports? listening to them do the play by play!! Love it.

*Jake had been sick and the coach had told him that he would nto be allowed to play as he missed practice and school one day and another day he had a jammed locker with his football pants inside.

Happy Thursday everyone - lunch date with beth!! Now there is my fuel for the dreaded Thursday before heading north for yuouth hunt....my brain has been zooming all morning already making lists!!

many signs of fall

OH my the many signs of fall are appearing!!

• sick kids!! ALL 3 and the BIG ONE 2 w/ ear infections, 1 w/ sinisitis, 1 w/ a sinus headache


• vibrant red, yellow, orange leaves on the sidewalk and yard


• football is in full swing


• youth hunt weekend is this week - bag a buck boys! pleeeease


• weekend trips north have become fewer


• homework every night


• need sweatshirts for the bus in the morning


• Riley hesitates to go out to do her business in the morning - it's cold Yorkie's do not have an undercoat - so she has been burrowing under the blankets at night


• Mom is planning her winter getaway - dinner is Oct 14th

Other happenings in our life....my Dad's cancer counts are on the rise again even though he had the surgery. Which means he starts radiation soon.

I picked up my sexy specs today! Now I AM OLD! Dr. Buseth said I should wear them for reading, crafting and driving for now.

Please do not laugh TOO HARD!

Riley will soon be going to have her surgery- her friend FLO finally left! WOO HOO- now that was nothing I want to go through again!

Happy belated 31st Birthday, Jill. so sorry I missed the day!

just a few updates

The future Kid Rock - he thinks or Hank Jr!! He loves his new guitar from G & G - 15th bday! He also takes guitar class this year as an elective class.....and he is getting pretty darn good, if I say so myself!! LOL

a fish eye view of the girls from our weekend...we had a lot of fun!! The craft fair was fun too@




























Riley's Halloween Hat! She looks very sad here don't you think? She tolerates it long enough for us to snap a pic then it comes off!! LOL Jake found it among the costumes at Meijer when we were all grocery shopping yesterday and he thought it would be a cool way to get her to dress up- so now we are putting it on her daily trying to get her used to it! LOL




















Big busy week ahead! Jake's first football game this Wed in Battle Creek.
Youth hunt is this coming weekend....Jake and Koda are hunting up in Shelby- my old stomping grounds. they will hunt with Steve and my cousin, Stephanie's hubby, Marshall on their 15 acres!! Koda hunted the same spot last year- and it was warm out- they saw turkeys and squirrels. :-( Hoping they will get a shot this year. I think Marshall is more excited than my boys....he cannot wait! Steve II and I will go up also...but planning to stay Friday night with my dad then go to visit on Sat evening- back to my dad's Sunday for his bday dinner.
Should have my sexy new specs this week !! Interesting to see how different life is without the strain!! LOL

Have a happy week.

“You may be deceived if you trust too much, but you will live in torment if you don't trust enough.”
“There’s plenty of days when I’m like ‘Oh God, why?’ But that’s just life. It’s every job, not just mine. Every moment is not perfect. But it’s definitely more good times than bad.” —Beyoncé, singer/actress