Fall Traditions

Autumn is the best. No doubt about it. I love the cooler weather, the traditions, and the delicious food. We went to Schwallier's Country Basket for the fourth year in a row. It just keeps getting better. The kids love petting the animals, the slide is as slippery as ever, and the kids can never get enough of the cider and donuts. We got both apples and pumpkins from Schwallier's this year. I love the pop of color the pumpkins add to the front porch alongside the bright yellow mums.

This year Andrew was a bit wary of the animals. He walked right into the goat pen but then proceeded to yell, "No thank you!" to the animals. Paul helped him overcome his fears to pet the bunnies and feed the goats. Vince and Kate especially loved the hay bales. Vince was brave enough to jump down two tiers in one go! Kate said her favorite part was choosing pumpkins. She walked all over the patch searching for the right one. Now it's time to enjoy the "fruits" of our labor.

Exterior Paint Update!

We have been here for 3.5 years. Last year I really wanted to paint the house but there just wasn't time for it. Instead we painted all of the trim white. It added a lot of contrast around the windows. We also painted the garage door but never got around to the service door. doh!

This year I really wanted to take the transformation all the way. Being 7 months pregnant meant I couldn't tackle the project myself. Instead, we hired painters to make our dreams come true. While they painted the siding Acier Gray (SW) and the trim and gutters white, Paul and I tackled the service and front doors. We had to completely strip the front doors. Talk about a pain in the butt! It took 3 rounds of citristrip, 2 days of painting, and a headache trying to attach the new door hardware. We ended up being doorless for THREE days and without a door handle for much longer than I care to admit.
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BUT now it's done and I couldn't love it more. I am so pleased with how it turned out.

Andrew's Second Birthday!

Drewbie is TWOBIE! How he managed to grow up to fast is beyond me. This kid is a riot. He loves to give us the cheesiest grins, yells at the top of his lungs if he doesn't get his way, follows his siblings around like a puppy dog, adores bike rides with Dad, gives the best squeezes, cuddles with any blanket he can find, gives Mommy the sloppiest kisses, dances like a wild man, and still takes the best 2-3 hour naps. He is either the family favorite or the world's worst kid. He gives out hugs freely but isn't afraid to whack you in the head if you don't comply with his wishes. Definitely a sour patch kid but all of the happy the oozes out of him makes it all worth it.

First Day of First Grade

Vincent- Six years old
School: South Elementary
Year: First Grade
Teacher: Miss Pike (first year teacher!)

Vince couldn't have been more ready to go back to school. He is such a social kid and he needed to get back to being with peers each day. Kate was going to do formal preschool but I decided it was just too much to handle all of the pick up/drop off times with a new baby. Instead she and I have been doing our own little preschool and I love it more than I would have guessed. She definitely misses out on the social aspect, but I love the personal time we get to spend together as we review various curriculum and then have fun with art projects and baking. Drew tags along with whatever we do. I am surprised by how big and capable he is getting. These kids are growing up at an alarming rate!

John Ball Zoo

It's no secret that I'm a thrifty lady. I like to save my pennies but that doesn't mean I want to miss out on all the fun. Grand Rapids has been so good to me on this account. We can always find subsidized activities through the Fredrick Meijer family, the DeVos family, Amway, and more. This Summer we hit the jackpot with kids day at the John Ball Zoo.

I felt like a total champ taking the kids out on my own. I rely heavily on Paul but I'm in this sweet stage where the kids are pretty responsible and Andrew only has one nap a day. So I braved the city on my own and it was a great adventure. The kids were a bit spooked by the howler monkeys, they got a great view of the Tiger's walking around their enclosure, the playground was a total hit, and we enjoyed lots of complimentary snacks and prizes throughout the zoo. I was prepared for a total let down since I'm accustomed to the Toledo Zoo... but I've come to find out that a zoo is a zoo and it's just fun to be outside and see animals with the people I love the most.

Magical Mackinac Island on Kate's 4th Birthday

When you move to Michigan you start to hear about Mackinac Island. It is this magical little place that transports you through time. You hop on a ferry boat to get there and once you arrive you won't find any vehicles. There are horses, carriage rides, bikes aplenty, but NO motor cars. The main street is lined with hotels, fudge shops, souvenirs, and the hustle and bustle of foot traffic. While Main Street was super cute, we much preferred the back half of the island.

We took a two hour bike ride around the entire island. The high lights were throwing rocks into the water near British Landing, Arch Rock, Kate peeing in the woods, and picking wildflowers. Vince got a real kick out of riding a tandem bike with me.

ON the Island we enjoyed playing and eating ice cream at the Grand Hotel. Kate also chose to get three flavors of fudge to celebrate her birthday: blueberry, mint, and caramel. Incredibly delicious but also incredibly painful. It only took a few bites to get a belly ache! We wanted to go on a carriage ride but it just never worked out. Instead we saw the Governor's Home, military buildings from the war of 1812, and a beautiful old church. After all the site seeing we let the kids be kids and concluded our time on the island by playing at the school playground.

Following the ferry ride back to the mainland, we found a restaurant that served pasties-- a traditional food that miners would eat. The kids stuck with Mac & Cheese but Paul and I liked trying something new. While at the restaurant we took time to open presents and sing to Kate. She is such a smart four year old. She is reading like champ, rides a bike like there's nothing to be afraid of, gives me all the cuddles, loves to "chat" while she takes ALL DAY eating her meals, cares for baby dolls while simultaneously destroying stuff with her big brother, hums so loud that she misses half of what we say, has the brightest eyes you've ever seen, and has a heart of gold. She loved her magical birthday on Mackinac Island.

It's a GIRL

On Friday, June 22 the five of us filed into the ultrasound room and waited eagerly to ensure this baby was healthy and to discover the gender. I felt a wave of relief and excitement as the technician revealed that we would indeed have another daughter coming to our family this November. 

The anticipation of waiting 20 weeks to know my child's gender has been excruciating. Thankfully the other three littles have been keeping me occupied. I'm not sure whether Paul and I will choose to add any more children to our family after baby #4 so I was especially hopefully to have another girl. From the beginning of this pregnancy I had the feeling that this little one was a girl. Vince was the only one who guessed it would be a boy this time. He was open to the idea of a sister though, stating, "If we have a sister we will have 3 boys and 3 girls," and that just made sense in his head.

Kate has been referring to my growing bump as "Baby Sister" ever since she found out I was pregnant. I continually reminded her that it could be a baby brother... but she remained confident that it was a girl. 

Drew, of course, has no idea what's going on. 

I cannot wait to swaddle, rock, and love on this baby girl. She is going to be adored by many.

 

Vince's Golden Birthday (#6)

Happy Golden Birthday to my Golden Boy!

Vince is SIX years old! He has been so excited for this birthday because he turned six on May 6th. We celebrated with all things golden. Golden vanilla ice cream, gold candles, decor, wrapping paper, and treats. His favorite gift was the transformer Megatron. He also loves his razor scooter, costumes, legos, and books. To make it extra special, Paul and I created a scavenger hunt for Vince to find each of his toys. It was amusing to watch the wheels in his head turning until he figured out the hiding locations. 

How would I describe my Golden Boy? He is playful, social, a gifted reader, stubborn, loving, and ...did I already say playful? He lives to play with friends, ride bikes, and make believe. He hates to play alone and will beg for friends or family to play with him. He took a reading test in Kindergarten which placed his average reading level at that of a 2nd grader in their 6 month of school. He can read above that level but his comprehension begins to decrease after that point. We enjoy reading Secrets of Droon and the Magic Tree House together. Although he has difficulty keeping his hands to himself, Vincent is a wonderful big brother. He always keeps an eye out for Drew and he often helps Kate as she learns to read. We love our Vincey Boy!