From Bad, To Worse, To We Should Have Just Stayed Home

We have had horrible luck when it comes to snowmobiling over our last several trips.  Our last attempt was different.  Our good friends the Wonders invited us to his parents house near Cadillac the last weekend in February.  Everything was in order and came together perfectly.  Nate, the boys, and I headed out Saturday to hit the trails.  We were off to a whopping 2 mile or so start when Nate stop at a stop sign and gets off his machine and proceeds to open the side covers.  Now mind you he had just put $800 into the sled in preparation for this trip.  He concludes that the brake had seized up.  He got the necessary parts cooled off and tried to get it to free up, but didn't have any luck.  He decides we should ride back to the trailer and take it to a shop not far from where we are to have them look at it.  On the very short trip back it got very hot, to the point  of starting a small fire!!  Before Nate could get the fire out it melted the oil jug and before loosing all its oil.  Well so much for a quick look at the shop down the road.  So now the plan is to just pack it up and unfortunately call it quits.  Nate then proceeds to start the sled.  He grabs the handle and gives it a good jerk and well the handle is in his hand no longer connected to the rest of the rope.  This had also gotten hot to the point of melting.  So now we have to push and pull with all our might to get the sled onto the trailer.  We finally succeeded.  After our hard work we were able to enjoy a messy meal of chicken wings at one of our favorite places, Clam Lake Brewery!  Back home the trip just continued to get worse.  We had taken Chester to the kennel where we always took Winston.  He was fine on Monday, but Tuesday he came down with a horrible case of diarrhea.  Of course this was also my birthday, so we decided to go to out anyway.  Of course we came home to a mess!!!  Wednesday ended up being a snow day and Nate did not work, so he stayed home with the kids and I went into work.  I get a call from Nate that now Chester is throwing up.  So again we keep and eye on him and he is getting worse and worse.  After talking to the breeder it was determined that we should take him to get looked at for a possible blockage.  Of course it is now 6:00 p.m. so this means a trip to an emergency clinic.  So $429.00 later it was determined that he did not have a blockage.  They did give him an injection to help with the throwing up.  He had 1 more day of diarrhea and then was on the mend.  So needless to say this ended up being an expensive weekend for us!!

Birthdays Galore!!

It was most recently my turn for a birthday.  Like Nate I turned 39.  Nate and I will be enjoying this  last year before the big 4-0 together!!  We enjoyed a tasty dinner at the Grand River Brewery.  Unfortunately this birthday will also be remembered for coming home to a mess from Chester.  He had come down with a horrible case of diarrhea during the day (thank goodness Nate was home!) no further details needed!  One more birthday in March (Chester) and then we get a break until July. 

Another Season Completed

Lelands travel basketball season came to a close at the end of February.  The boys had a great season.  They went into the last tournament undefeated, but all good things must come to an end.  The last tournament they went 1 and 2.  Leland again gained lots of experience and continues to be a great defensive player!

Snow Day Science

Another snow day meant we could do a few science experiments.  The first experiment involved ivory soap.  We talked about why it floats, but other soaps sink.  Then we put it in the microwave to see what would happen.  The second experiment involved walking on eggs.  The kids were pretty surprised they could actually walk on eggs.  They really wanted me to do it, but I chickened out, no pun intended!!

Happy "39th" Daryl!!

Nate turned 39 on February 4th.  He is trying to remind himself to enjoy this last year before the big 4-0!  We have a standing request in our house when there is cake, everyone wants the center piece.  Nate being the jokester that he is decided he would beat everyone to the center piece and he ate it for breakfast the morning of his birthday!

Meet You At The Drag Strip

Sutton decided upon a Hot Wheels theme for his party this year.  This was another fun party to plan.  The party was complete with guess how many cars, ring toss, car/spoon relays, blowing a car with a straw, car launching, finding the golden car, and plenty of Hot Wheels track racing.  He is already planning his party for next year:  a movie theme.