Eleanor's birthday continues

How many cakes can a 5 year old have for her birthday???  Never enough if your name is Eleanor and you LOVE chocolate cake!  Aunt Denise and Uncle Hans hosted a birthday party for Eleanor this past weekend at their new lake cottage on Waldron Lake.  We were ALL so sick the week before and going into Eleanor's birthday and Easter.  Grandpa Schmitt had came to babysit since Adam and I were both working full time to cover Spring Break.  We felt awful when (OF ALL WEEKS) we get the death flu.  Left poor Grandpa with 3 sick kids and infected him with our germs.  What an amazing guy.  We were so appreciative and SO sorry that we brought him into our germy mess!  Well... back to the cottage... it looks AMAZING, but of course... I did not get any pictures to put on here.  They just moved in furniture last weekend.  I see a lot of good moments to come at Waldron!

Posing at the end of the dock with their cousins.  Eliza just turned 9 months.  Eleanor and Mahri are inseparable these days when we get together.

Hans dug around the trees to save them from being choked out by the earth moved during construction.  It made awesome bunkers for the kids to play in.  Big holes and sandy dirt... perfect!

I absolutely LOVE this picture that Adam took.  I can see this is a frame.  He went down to fish with my Dad and Uncle Tony.  The kids all have poles with the rubber thing on the end instead of the hook, and they were so excited to "wet a line".  He says it was not as much fun as it looks.  3 kids standing on a sea wall, flinging poles around, tangling lines, needing help...  Yeah, I think I lucked out with my alone time at the campfire!

After they came back from their fishing adventures, we took a walk to "turtle land" as Denise was calling it.  They are on Eagle Island, so there is a lot of wetland/nature preserve surrounding their point.  The creek beside the road was filled with turtles sunning themselves on logs, much to the kids' delight!  Thomas was showing me a flower.  I feel like the luckiest woman alive these days.  These boys try to out do each other with the flowers and sweet  words they tell me.  I can't go outside with them without a handful of dandelions in my hand!  They fill my heart up!  Just the other day the Y teacher came up as we were leaving with a colored sheet.  I oohed and ahhed and asked Thomas if he did it.  He had the sweetest pause and started to shake his head no, then I saw his eyes light up. He said, "It is for you, Mommy!"  Sweet smile and all.  Then Will chimes in loudly, "No, Thomas!  I made that for you Mommy!"  Sweet smile from him.  It made me laugh.  Poor Thomas didn't want to not have something to give me too.  I am a lucky lady!