Dexter Days

a few of my knitting projects

2009-01-28T22:00:00.001-05:00

The sweather I knit Aaron

A purse I knit for Aaron's teacher

I knit the skirt

I knit the tank top

super warm felted mittens

2009-01-28T21:35:00.008-05:00

Emily happy to be camping.

In June, Aaron finished kindergarten. He did great. We also camped a bit. Since school was out we decided to travel with Myles when he had to go to Ohio for work. We went to the COSI museum and the Columbus Zoo. It was a really, really cool zoo. I guess Jack Hanna lent his expertise to designing it.

Kids at the zoo.

In July we kept the kids busy! They had swim lessons, we went to the waterpark a couple times, we made lots of trips to the beach, they went to VBS at our church, AND they went to their first sleepover. That was a big deal. They both went to a friend’s house together and had a blast! I was more nervous than they were. I barley slept that night! I stayed awake waiting for the phone to ring, thinking they wouldn’t be able to sleep away from home! They slept great!!

In August we went blueberry picking and more camping. Aaron attended his first summer camp, and really liked it. He wasn’t to go back again. We also had a jont birthday party at our house for both kids. I can’t believe they are 4 and 6! Where has the time gone??

In September Emily started 4 year old preschool. She goes 3 days a week from 9-3. It was hard for the first couple of week, since it is such a long day. But she loves the school and the teachers and is doing great. We decided to pull Aaron from his school and enroll him in year round school. It is still in our district, but not at his “home” school. The schedule is generally 45 days on 15 off. They go the exact amount of days as a traditional schedule, but they go longer into the summer and have more frequent breaks. I’m really happy with out decision. Also, in September Myles travelled to Belgium again for his yearly visit. And again with the start of school, Emily ballet and both kids church choir started again.

The first day of school.

In October we went camping in Frankenmuth at Jellystone Park. What a great place for families! The weekend was packed with stuff for the kids to do. I think it may have been their favorite camping place to date. I took a knitting class and continue to knit regularly. Aaron started Cub Scouts, and it’s a good time for Aaron and Myles to spend together doing “boy-ly”(Emily’s word) stuff together.

In November Myles and both kids were asked to be in our church’s Christmas play and rehearsals started. The kids were basically set decoration, but Myles had a singing part and did beautifully. So much so, that he was asked to join the church choir! We also travelled to Tennessee for Thanksgiving to see my brother, sister in law and baby niece. It was a very nice trip and we had fun. We got to spend a day in Nashville, which was nice. I also went with my sister in law shopping the day after Thanksgiving. It was good to hang out with her, but man I will NEVER go shopping on Black Friday again. There are some crazies out there!

December was a bit of a crazy month. Myles went to the eye doctor and the dentist , just as the year was closing. We found out that one of the re4ason Aaron had been so distracted in school was that the poor boy could hardly see! So he got some fancy new Spiderman glasses. And his reading and attention was improved, imagine that! We had the kids baptized at our church and had a very nice luncheon afterwards. I was involved in my first-ever car accident. I was rear-ended as I waited at a red light. And just my luck, I was hit by an uninsured driver. Emily was in the car with me, but she was totally fine. Thank God for good car seats. Her reaction verbatim was “Wow, that was loud….can I have a TicTac?” That’s my girl! I did go to the ER to get my head checked, lol. I had a pretty bad headache for about 4 days, but all is good.

Aaron's new glasses in our Xmas card pic

Wow- January 2009 already! I cannot believe it. Swim started up again for both kids and they are little fish! I finished the sweater that I knit for Aaron. If I do say so myself, I think it’s gorgeous. I’m very proud of it. Myles travelled some more, which had tapered off during the holidays, but I think it’s going to rev up again soon. We made out first camping reservations for Traverse City in June. We can’t wait to go! We got the Expedition fixed from the accident and had a rental for a week and a half. Not to fun. But we got it bad and it looks great. Now we need to explore the Oakland County Court System. Not looking forward to that.

Ok, I think that is it. Thanks for checking our blog and please leave a comment for us!!

1st Dance Recitial

2008-05-11T20:00:00.002-04:00

Emily getting ready
This is all the girls just before they went on stage

Aaron gave her flowers at the intermission

Mary Ellen made the trip out to see her

Emily won most improved dancer in her age group. She got announced up on stage and got a certificate. We are so very proud of her, and she loves dance, especially now that she's done it on a stage with a ton of people cheering for her. She is a bit of a ham.

I know it looks like everything has been about Emily lately, and it kinda has the past 2 weeks but Aaron has a couple big things coming up, and I'll be sure to post about them too.

Emily's face

2008-05-11T19:56:00.001-04:00

She fell down on the sidewalk, landed on her face and then it got infected. This is what it looked like.

April pics

2008-05-08T13:01:00.004-04:00

4/14 trip to the Kensington Farm Center
4/15 1st trip of the year to the Zoo
4/20 singing at church un the children's choir, they both love it!!
4/20, my brother got Aaron and actual army uniform. It's exactly like David's but smaller. It has his name sewn on, and all of the correct patches. We usually have to fight him to get him to take it off!
4/14 my mom's club took a field trip to the Milford Bakery. The kids got to dip a donut in frosting and sprinkles. It was a HUGE hit!

5/2 Emily fell on the sidewalk the night before Dan's wedding. This is what it looked like on Friday morning. More pics to come...........................
Lovely isn't it??
4/22 Emily asked if she could take a nap outside, I said sure, never thinking she would actually fall asleep. Well, she did, for 2 hours!!

5/2 Dan and Meredith's wedding

30 is the new......

2008-04-07T10:38:00.004-04:00

I'm not really sure, but I did have fun celebrating my big milestone birthday, with much thanks to my hubby.
My birthday weekend was an exciting one. First off, on Thursday 3/28, my sister in law went into labor and gave birth to Myles' and my first ever niece!! Rosslyn Cecillia May. BabyRosie, as she is called in our house. Unfortunately, David (my brother, and the baby-daddy) didn't make it home until a few days after she was born. But he is home now, safe and sound for a little while.
On Saturday, I got my hair did, (it's very ironic I think, that I rarely get my hair done) and then we had a few couples over for dinner and games. It was a lot of fun. Oh, and I had a beautiful cake, and a group of people sing me "Happy Birthday", LOL I think it's been years, since I had a group singing to me.

On Sunday 3/30- the "actual" day, I had to take Emily to get her dance pics taken and my dad and Myles took Aaron to church so he could participate in the children;s bell choir. Then we all met up and my dad took us out to lunch( my mom was on TN with My sis in law, Lisa and the new baby).
This past week, we mostly just enjoyed the weather. The furnace has been turned off, although I;m sure that's temporary. Lots of playing outside and bike riding.
Myles didn't want a fuss over his birthday 4/6, so we didn't make one. He's not a big fan of his birthday. We did a bunch of yard work and cleaned out the garage. Also started some spring cleaning inside the house.

Today, 4/7 Emily is home sick to day, I think she's got a spring cold and maybe some allergies thrown in. I've got laundry drying outside on the line, and a sparkling clean kitchen. Life is good.

A month's worth of pics, all at once

2008-03-27T14:24:00.013-04:00

2/10 Ginger got a crate, because she chewed a brand new set of knitting needles one night while we slept. She seems to really love it, and we kind of wish we would have gotten her one sooner. She really is a den animal.2/10 I decided that I wanted to start veggie from seed this year, but being me I didn't read the instructions. After I planed them, I read that they shouldn't be planted until 30-60 days before the last frost. Uh-oh
2/15 Aaron saved up his allowance money to buy a Darth Vader costume. He's very proud of it, and very excited that he bought it with his own money.

3/3 The seedlings grew so well that they needed to be re-potted already. They are off to a wonderful start. Tomatoes, basil, squash, and green beans.

3/5 Aaron asked for green eggs and ham for breakfast. Of course I obliged, but the kids didn't think they were all that tasty.

3/11 I organised a fundraiser for our local Senior Center, and this was taken that night. We raised over $700 for them.3/22 Dying Easter eggs

Very colorful eggs this year
3/23 Easter morning

Emily got a bike and she was/is thrilled about it! She's getting good, but still can't turn while riding it yet.

3/24 I knit Emily a bag to carry her babies around in. She LOVES her babies (little stuffed animals) and she always wants to take them with her. It's a circular bag, so they can peek their heads out, lol.

2008-03-15T14:43:00.001-04:00

HowManyOfMe.com

There are
9
people with my name
in the U.S.A.

How many have your name?

Allowance

2008-02-15T15:54:00.002-05:00

Ok, we started the kids on an allowance at the beginning of the year. We've taken quite a bit of flak about it, mostly that they are too young, and we expect too much from them. This is the article I was shown and where we got the idea from, and I've got to say, I really like how it's turned out.

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/CollegeAndFamily/RaiseKids/
ShouldYourKidsGetAnAllowance.aspx

No new pics........:(

2008-02-06T08:28:00.001-05:00

Well, I don't have any pics at all this week, I'm going to post anyways.
Last week we took 9 huge bags to the Salvation Army. I am not a fan of clutter and I'm trying really hard to get rid of the kids clothes as they out-grow them. I have a few outfits saved that are special, but the majority of them are outta here! And I have a big bin that is going to the resale shop.
Myles was gone from Monday through Thursday. On Friday night, when he got to see the kids, he took them to open swim at the Y. Double bonus of him getting to spend time with them , and I got an empty, quiet house!
Saturday was family running around day. Myles got 2 new tires, I went to Target, and then we all went to the mall.
This week is more low key. Myles is home all week! But then he has 2 trips almost back to back.
Talk to you all soon!!!!

Lots of pics...

2008-01-30T20:41:00.001-05:00

Just a couple of notes about what's been going on with us, or more importantly, with the kids.
Aaron has grown over 2 inches in just a couple of months. Emily is growing, too, but not quite as fast right now. Both kids are still swimming, and Emily just got promoted into a new class. I took the kids to McDonald's with a friend and her son for lunch, and guess what Aaron had?? He started with a cheeseburger, and then 4 chicken nuggets, and then 4 more, and then 4 more, and then finished 2 of his friend nuggets. For a grand total of a cheeseburger, fries, milk, and 14 chicken nuggets!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Even the people behind the counter were cracking up. That little dude can pack it in when he's growing, I guess. It was incredible to watch. Needless to say, he got his Mickey D's fill for about 2 month, we won't be going back anytime soon, LOL. Myles is traveling a ton, and I'm still knitting whenever I can.

The west-side Dexters at our house after Christmas
Smiley Jim

This is a soap sack I knit for Mary Ellen
Playing in the snow with his new fort builder
14 inches of snow! Dec 15ish
I know, I know, I'm a terrible person, but it's SO damn funny!!!! (it's a booboo)
Bike riding on a January day, I think it was almost 50* that day
A snapshot of our calendar, I'm still amazed how busy we can be. Myles will be traveling every week for the next 4 or 5 weeks.

Happy Holidays!

2007-12-20T13:08:00.000-05:00

Well, as always, it's been busy, but this probably be my last post before Christmas, so I wanted to tell everyone (all 4 people who read this, anyways!) Merry Christmas!!

Week of December 9th

Myles was travelling for work, the kids had dance and swim lessons, I finished the Christmas shopping, I had my annual Book Club dinner at the Melting Pot, and I took the kids to see Santa at the mall.

I also finished some knitting. Hats for Myles and Emily.

Week of December 16

We started the week with 10 inches of snow!! It was fun. We shoveled, played, threw snowballs, all the usual 1st snowfall stuff. The kids even got a day off school. Emily had a Christmas Program at school. It was very cute. Short, but cute. Aaron also had a party that I was able to attend for a while. That was fun, too. His teacher is great. She is excellent at keeping an orderly classroom. She's very much like me, in the fact that she likes to have things organized, and to be prepared.

It's almost Christmas!!!

2007-12-04T17:07:00.000-05:00

Emily got to be in the Milford Holiday Parade with her dance class. It was really cold, but she loved it.
I knit this baby hat for Baby Rosie (David and Lisa's baby-to-be) It was my 1st baby hat, and my first time doing stripes. I think it looks great, and I made it with a silk yarn, so it's super soft.
Socks that I made for Emily, but they were too small, so I gave them to Lisa for Baby Rosie
Baby booties. They were harder than I thought they'd be. I made these out of Bamboo yarn. It's actually yarn made out of 80% bamboo. It's naturally anti-bacterial.
The day we put the tree up and decorated the house with Christmas decorations. I really like black & white pictures, so I did one with the kids.
A gingerbread Christmas tree. The kids and I made this (from a kit) the other day. It was a lot of fun. Every day the kids ask me when they can eat it. I told them they could eat it on Christmas Day, after we open Santa's presents. I think it won't taste all that good, but hey, whatever floats their boats!!

Catch-Up

2007-11-19T12:55:00.000-05:00

Sorry!! Things have been hectic as usual, and we're all adjusting. As you know, I like to plan everything down to the last detail, and I'm having to learn how to go with the flow more.

Since I haven't blogged in forever, I'm going to play catch-up.

The first weekend in October we had our Halloween Outing for our camping club. It's always a good time, especially for the kids.

It was so warm that weekend, that the kids played on a inflatable waterslide that someone had set up.

Next was the Zoo Boo. We've been for the last couple of years and really love it. People kept asking if Emily was an anteater, really, who dresses like an anteater for Halloween??!! She was a horse.

Then, the days after the Zoo Boo, I got really sick. I got the flu and stayed sick for a full week. I was in bed for days! Myles had to take some time off work. Then, when I finally git better, the whole family got their flu shot for the year! lol So, now I'm really set.

Then came the real Halloween.

I gotta say, the time change really messed us up this year. Trick or Treating n the daylight is weird. But the kids loved it! Emily took forever1 At every house she said "trick or treat, thank you, have a happy Halloween!" At EVERY house! It took her forever, but it was really cute.

NOVEMBER

There was a Harvest Fest fundraiser st Aaron's school.

There were games, and a cake walk, and an archery game, a bouncy house, pony rides, lunch, and a game of "Are you smarter than a 5th Grader?", which was really fun to watch.

Aaron started gymnastics this month, and while he isn't really good, by any standards, he is really enthusiastic about it. I think we'll continue it, even though he lacks any talent whatsoever, lol!

Aaron also had an asthma flare that led to yet another double ear infection. Poor kid. I also have a conference with his Kindergarten teacher. He is doing well, and he is very close to reading on his own. His phonetic spelling in pretty on target.

Emily is still doing dance,and she started her first non-parent assisted swim class. She also is doing well. She is gaining confidence in the water every week.

As a family, we joined a church recently. Myles and I took a new membership class and will be welcomed into the church officially just before Christmas. I'm very glad to have found a very good m"church family" for us. I have really missed being a part of a church.

Last week, I took the kids to the circus at the Palace. Wow. I haven't been in years, adn I forgot how great it is. I couldn't really get any good pictures, but here are some elephants and the kids once the circus was over. They loved it, and I would love to take them back.

Lastly, I have been knitting my butt off, and loving it! Here is a scarf I recently finished for Aaron's teacher. It's wool and mohair, and it is beautiful. Very soft. I'm hoping to take pics of every project I finish. I'd like to be able to catalog my work.

Pics....

2007-10-02T23:41:00.000-04:00

Lots of Pictures!

2007-09-14T14:18:00.000-04:00

I'll come back later and post captions and stories, but I wanted to get these up now. I took quite a few pics this week, and I wanted to share them. I will have more of this coming weekend, too, and I will share those also.

See, I really am trying....

2007-09-07T19:32:00.000-04:00

to be better at this.

This was a short week, but a busy one. Both kids started school this week, and it was firsts for them. 1st elementary and 1st preschool.

Aaron had a 1/2 day on Tuesday that I had to attend with him.

In front of his school on the first day. We are so proud of him, we could burst! Wasn't he just a peanut, like a minute ago??

He really liked it. We got to go on a scavenger hunt around the school, he got a snack, and we did some activities together. It was fun. After that. we went to lunch together. Aaron told me how much he likes hanging out with me, just the two of us. Isn't that just the cutest??

Wednesday we went to the beach, since it was beautiful outside, no one had school, and I have a feeling that we won't have too many great days left.

Aaron had a ball burying his legs in the sand, and then telling me we had to go to the hospital to get him new ones.

Ok, Thursday, the big day. Dun, dun, dun.....
Aaron got to take the bus to school. Honestly, he was SO excited, he was vibrating. So, as the parent of a kindergarten-er, I have to be at the bus stop for them to pick him up and drop him off. More on that in a sec. So, he gets on the bus, all smiling, ready to go to school. As the bus pulls away with my baby in it, I start to cry. Well, not so much cry and bawl my eyes out! My baby was on that bus. And it drove away without me!!! Ok, so I cried for a couple of minutes, and then got my OTHER baby ready for preschool.

Aaron getting on the bus

Emily, (she doesn't want to be Emma anymore, I was recently informed) did really good. It really helped that she was there all the time last year, getting Aaron. She is really comfortable, and that is great.

Emily at her preschool

Ok, remember about a parent meeting the bus everyday? Well, that really bothered me. I mean, really, why do I need to meet the bus twice a day?? What a waste of time. So, at 4:15, I go and meet the bus, and it comes down the street, stops and all the kids get off. Well, all the kids except mine. Yep, he didn't get off the bus. So the bus driver sees me standing there and Says "what's his name?" I tell him, he shouts towards the back of the bus, no answer. So, I was thinking, great he's still at school. So, the bus driver gets up and starts checking name tags. All the kindergartners have them, with their name, teacher's name, and the mode of transportation they use to get to school. Which, I now feel, is genius! So, the driver finds Aaron, apparently minutes away from the land of drools and dreams, and tells him this is his bus stop. So Aaron staggers like a drunk off the bus. Needless to say, I don't think waiting for the bus everyday is so stupid anymore!!! LOL So, even after that, Aaron loves school and can't wait to buy his lunch.
Fun times.

Getting off the bus, slightly woozily.

Ok, this weekend we're just hanging out. No big plans. Yard work and house work.

Parties, Power Outages, and More!!

2007-08-28T08:01:00.000-04:00

Emma had dance classes this week. She LOVED it! I even signed her up for next year. It's beginner's ballet. I'm sure you're all going to be hearing about it later in the year, when I invite everyone to her 1st recital!

Aaron had his first "friends" birthday party at Chuck E Chesse. I was worried it was going to be a chaotic mess, but it went well. Of course Emma was there too. It ended up being 11 kids. It was nice that so many could make it.

We also has relatively major power loss this weekend. Friday at about 5pm the huge storm blew through and caused the tornado sirens to go off in Milford. I guess one touched down in Oakland County and Livingston County. As the rain was coming down, our laundry room flooded because the storm drain couldn't keep up with the downpour of water. At about 5:45, the power flickered a few times and went out. Myles got home about 7, and the storm stopped. We drove around town, to get Myles dinner and to see how much of the town was without power. All of Milford was out, from M-59 to GM Road and Milford Rd. We went to bed and at about 1am, there was huge sparking and a HUGE boom in the backyard. The transformer in the back corner of our yard blew up and caught a tree on fire. Myles never even woke up! We had police and firefighters in the yard within minutes. The houses across the street now had power but we didn't.
So.......DTE kept saying it would be until Sunday afternoon until we got power back. Sunday, while the kids and I were at the Farmer's market, Myles called me to say that the power line in the back had fell and was arching and spitting all over, and touching the fence. Then it hit a tree and exploded it. So, the fire dept was here again. And DTE this time. The line was fixed and we got power back Sunday afternoon.
We had an interesting weekend, huh???

This week, both kids went for their well checks at the doctor. Both are doing well and are healthy. Emma actually cried because she DIDN'T need a shot. That girl is a trip sometimes. Aaron is due for a pretty huge growth spurt very soon, so the doctor suggested I wait to get him school clothes. I totally agree and haven't done any shopping for him yet.

Aaron's new elementary school (I can't get used to that!) has an open house this week, that we'll be going to , as does Emma's preschool. Then this weekend, we're off camping.

Gave a good week, everyone!!!

Emma's ballet

Emma got pink highlights for her birthday
She likes 'em

Chuck E Cheese partyCake for breakfast on her birthday
Pink highlights for Emma, blue gel for Aaron
Aaron's breakfast cake. With no electricity.

Quickie

2007-08-19T19:59:00.000-04:00

Ok, I only have time for a short run-down, so here it is:
Aaron has Safety Camp for 2 weeks. They taught him all the stuff I had already taught him. Stranger danger, what to do if there is a fire, how to call 911, don't pet strange dogs, etc. He had fun. We went to Milford Memories, the beach, the near-by Catholic Fest, and the Howell Melon Fest

The beach
Face painting at the Catholic Fair
Kids craft tent at Milford Memories
Watching the Melon Fest parade in Howell

Myles tried to give Emma a "Flock of Seagulls" hairdo

Wow!

2007-08-07T13:01:00.000-04:00

Where has the summer gone?? I can't believe that the kids are almost 3 and 5! I'm in shock!

Ok, here's what's been going on with us lately.

July 13 the kids and I went to the zoo with some friends. We got out membership renewed, and we are set for another year.

On the train

I LOVE this picture

Sunday July 15- Myles had a golf lesson. I had bought him a gift certificate for Father's Day. He loved it. I hope that he'll hit the driving range more often. We also steam cleaned the carpets.

Tuesday July 17- We went to the zoo again with Eva, Emeric, and their daughter Lucie, visiting from France.

Monday July 23- Myles had the day iff and we spent it with Eva, Emeric and Lucie again. We went to the waterpark in Waterford. It was a blast. They have a huge wave pool and an area for smaller kids with slides and sprayers. We were there until 3 and then we came back here to let the kids nap, and then we all helped get dinner ready.

Tuesday July 24- Ok I've got a weird story for you----Aaron's right ear was really swollen, red and bumpy. So I called the doctor and they wanted to see him, the same day. SO, I took him in, and the doctor looked at his ear and said that we had "retained bug parts in his ear" EEEWWW Basically, Aaron had a sore or bug bite on his ear, and then another bug landed in the same spot. Then Aaron, swatted at the bug, and some bug "parts" stayed on the sore. Then, his body formed a scab over those body parts. Isn't that the grossest thing ever???? So the doctor scraped his ear and prescribed an antibiotic for 10 days. I guess he could have gotten pretty sick from it. He's totally fine now, but I call that ear his "bug butt ear".

Before the doctor

Friday July 27-29 We went camping with Eva and her family.

Sunday July 29- Myles was supposed to leave from camping and go to Ohio for work, and I was going to stay at the campground for another day. Well, on Sunday evening, we went to start his car and it wouldn't stay stared. So after a while of trying, we left that car there, packed up took the kids and me home, and then he left for Ohio. So, I had to call a tow truck on Monday and get the car taken care of. Needless to say, I was without a car most of the week. We got it squared away, and now the car is fixed, $500 later. We picked it up almost a week later on Friday, August 3rd. Kind of a bummer to be without a car for a while, but we survived.

Saturday August 4- We left camping early and headed home. On the way we stopped at a local Farmer's Market. We got fresh eggs, salad greens, cukes, and green beans. Yummy. We got home unpacked,and immediately left for the beach. It was a beautiful day. We came home, everybody took a nap, had dinner, and then we went to a fair. It was fun. The kids played games and went on a bouncer, and got their faces painted.

4th of July

2007-07-15T21:13:00.000-04:00

We got to go camping almost the whole week of the 4th. It was really nice to spent a lot of time together as a family. With Myles travelling for work so often, those times are far between nowadays. We went to the beach, had a seafood fest, and just hung out.
When we got home, I decided to clean the house from top to bottom. I mean everything. Walls, windows, baseboards, you name it, I cleaned it. Then, Myles was in Ohio for a few days. I killed time with the kids by going to the mall, hitting some garage sales (Aaron LOVES going to garage sales!), and going to open swim at the YMCA. Last Friday 7/13, I took Ginger(our dog) in to get shaved. Then I met a friend at the Detroit Zoo. I love that place! We were there for almost 5 hours! We had a TON of fun, but man, were we tired. On Saturday 7/14, Myles and I had a date night. We went to dinner and did some clothes shopping for ourselves. We didn't buy a thing for the kids. Which is pretty amazing, I think. The kids always seem to have more clothes than us. Sunday, we worked on the house. We're in the middle of a landscaping project in the backyard, so Myles worked on that for a while, and I am slowing scrubbing and scraping our back steps down so I can eventually I can paint them. Then on Sunday evening Myles steam-cleaned our carpets. Both of our kids have pretty severe allergies, and Aaron has asthma, so we try really hard to clean the carpets 2 time a year. Replacing all of the upstairs with hard wood was the best thing we've done for their allergies. Next week is another crazy week, but I'll try to get on here and post a little bit and add some pics from last week.

I love summertime!!

2007-06-27T12:12:00.000-04:00

Summer is so great! And I love seeing it again through my kid's eyes. Everything is so new and fun and wonderful. They truly are the light of my life, and I wouldn't trade my life for anything!!!

Thurs June 14- We went to Spicier's Orchard for strawberry picking. Man, there were a TON of ripe ones. We were only there for 30 minutes, and we managed to pick over 5 pounds!

Sharing a cider slushie at the orchard

Fri June 15- We watched a friend's dog for the weekend. The kids really had a good time with her. I think Ginger liked it, too.

Sat June 16- Weeding the garden. Sounds like fun, huh? Wanna come over and help? Well, it needed to get done. I had a hair appt in the afternoon, and I got about 7 inches cut off. My hair had been too long for too long. That evening we got a sitter and I had a date with my hubby!! We went and saw Ocean's 13 and went to dinner. It was SOOOOO nice to be out, just the 2 of us. We need to do that more often.

Sun June 17- My friend Lisa came over so I could cut her hair, and we just hung out. Easy, breezy day. Myles left to go to Ohio for a couple of days.

Mon June 18- Emma had her 1st allergist appt today. Aaron got to go to a friend's house and spend the day at the local spray park. Emma got the back full of shots, and surprise, surprise, she has lots of outdoor allergies. I knew it was coming, between Myles' allergies and Aaron's, there's a clear family history. Emma also had her 1st dance class today. So cute!

Tues June 19- Rained a lot. Aaron had swim class. He's still good. Learning form, when to breathe to the side and timing that up with the stroking arm.

Wed June 20- My sister-in-law came over for the day. We all went to lunch, did a little running around and then I cut and colored her hair. Very cute, if I do say so myself ;)

Thurs June 21- Kensington Farm has lessons on Thursdays, so we went. Very cool. This week was horses. We got 1 crafts, a snack, got to pet the horse, and a story. Then we stayed and had a picnic lunch, until it started to rain on us! Then we ran to the car. Aaron had swim lessons again in the afternoon.

Fri June 22-Did some running around. Myles was in town working at GM for the day, so we met him downtown for lunch. It doesn't happen very often, so it's really great when we can do that. My sister-in-law came over again and watched the kids while we played our monthly card game with friends.

Sat June 23- Howell Balloon Fest. Awesome! We saw a dog performance, skydivers, kite tricks, a carnival. It was cool. The kids loved it, and then slept like logs the whole way home!!

Sun June 24- We went to my Aunt Mary's house to mooch her pool. We ended up staying all day. It was beautiful outside, 85* and clear as a bell. So we spent a few hours in the pool, lounging. When we left, we brought my cousin Avery, who's 10, home with us to stay the night. Aaron loves him to death.

Aaron and Avery were wrestling, and Emma was brushing his hair. LOL

oopps!

2007-06-13T11:25:00.000-04:00

I didn't take any pictures last week, so I guess this will be a short post!
Not too much went on last week, some running around and then we left for camping on Thursday. Myles was in Ohio Wednesday and Thursday, so he met me and the kids up there on Thursday night. This was our camping club's monthly outing weekend, and we were the hosts! Our first time flying solo. We had fun. Saturday morning I made a killer breakfast casserole. It was really good. I even made copies of the recipe to hand out, it was that good. Then we had a trailer scavenger hunt. That was too short, but fun, too. Then we did hot dogs, hamburgers, and sausage for dinner, with everyone bringing a dish to pass. Good eats all weekend. The weather was wonderous. The guys went to play golf and the ladies were reading books in the sun. Sunday was my parents 30 year anniversary. They are going on a cruise to Alaska next week to celebrate.
That's about it. The kids are running around in the sun everyday and getting very brown, even through all the sunscreen I seem to be constantly applying. Aaron is slightly lost now that school is out though. I've been having him to workbooks, so he feels slightly more grounded. That boy is a slave to a schedule!
This weekend we are staying home and doing work around the house. Today I am cleaning everything in sight. Especially the fun stuff, like the doors, polishing furniture and walls. I still need to plant a veggie garden! I've never, ever been this late. Myles has some work to do to the garden before I can get to it, so I think that's on his plan for this weekend.
Ok, so this wasn't a short post....lol
I'll take pictures this week, I promise.

Growing Up Fast!

2007-06-04T15:28:00.000-04:00

Aaron's last day of school

Aaron's favorite teacher, Ms. Terri. She's moving this summer and won't be back next year, She's great! We will miss her.

Having ice cream in town, near camping. They are very good sharers.

Two engineers putting together our new camping BBQ.

Enjoying the fire before bedtime.

Last weekend (6/1-6/3) we went to the campground. It was an off weekend, so it was almost empty, just the way we like it. Beautiful weather.

This week, I have to get ready to host a camping outing next weekend. So I have a lot of lists and shopping to do. Myles will be in Ohio for a couple of days, so he'll be meeting me at the campground later in the week.

I've been trying to plan our summer with lessons for the kids, vacations, and family coming in from out of town. It's crazy. My sister-in-law will be here for a couple of weeks in June, Eva and Emeric will be here for a couple of weeks in July, dance lessons for Emma, swim and Safety Camp for Aaron, and the summer's gone!! And I told Aaron he could have a b-day party this year. I'm momentarily overwhelmed!! lol At least I know we'll be busy and have fun this summer. I know that my in-laws want to go camping with us again this summer, too. I think our next free weekend is the first week in August!

Vacation time....

2007-05-30T16:45:00.000-04:00

Well, it's been a few weeks again since I last posted. Lots has happened, so I'll just get to it.

Before we went on our Traverse City vacation, we went to the annual Milford Fire station Pancake Breakfast. I think this is our 3rd or 4th year going. The kids love it and the breakfast isn't bad either. We got there right at 8am, and left for TC right from there.

Sunday

Monday

collecting sea shells

I LOVE how well they sleep. Aren't they the cutest??

Sunset from the condo's balcony

The ducks we illegally feed every year

We also went to go see Shrek the Third while we were there. We headed home on Wednesday.

Thursday 5/24, I had a quick doctors appt, so that's all we did that day, well, Target too, but that doesn't count! LOL

Then, Friday Aaron went to school and when I picked him up at 11:30, we left for camping. It rained Friday and Saturday, but Sunday and Monday were nice. I love being at the campground. It's so relaxing for all of us. And being outside all day feels so good.

This week has just flown by. It's been beautiful outside. I set up a sprinkler in the backyard for the kids.

They also helped me weed in the backyard.

Aaron had a Field Day at school today and tomorrow is "graduation" day. I'll post pics of that later in the week. I'm really trying to take pics every week and post them, but sometime I forget.

I'll do more later......too much to do, too little time. That's my new motto.

2007-05-15T13:35:00.000-04:00

Emma's cool, with my sunglasses
Family portrait

Aren't they cute?

This is my favorite pic, I think.

I had to help Emma walk down the asile.

David's best friend Anthony, who is in the Navy

Being cheesy.

Emma in the play tent in our backyard.

Spring Has Sprung!!

2007-05-07T08:35:00.000-04:00

It is finally beautiful weather.
ok, quick recap of the last, last week:
I am walking at Kensington a few times a week. I think it will help me on training for the 5K. Aaron had "Graduation" pictures taken at school. He's graduating from preschool. Kinds cheesy, but cute. I'll post some pics when I get them back. Still swimming like crazy, and the kids are lovin' it! I got a spray tan on Saturday for Lisa's shower, and I loved it. I'm doing it again before the wedding. Myles worked really hard on readying the gardens. He sifted soil and removed a ton of rocks. I think this is the year that we do a lot of work to the backyard.
Recap of last week:
More walking, running around, doing lots of hair this week, Myles was home early a couple of days, Aaron had a bike-a-thon at school, which was a lot of fun for him. And this weekend, I planted a bunch of annuals. This is the earliest I have ever planted, but the weather is SO nice, I couldn't wait. I only did 4 flats, so I still have a bunch to do, but it was so nice to play in the dirt again. Myles was working on the gardens again, as well as fixing the water nozzle to the house. Saturday we went for a walk and the went to the Farm at Kensington. We saw a pig in labor, so we said we would come back every day until she delivered. We came back early Sunday morning and there were 11 piglets! They were born during the night. Aaron got to milk a cow, and we saw all the babies at the farm (and there area LOT right now) have breakfast. I love the farm, it's so cool every time!
I'll post pictures later, but now I've got to get Aaron to school.

My kids are fish!!

2007-04-22T20:16:00.000-04:00

I think I failed to mention that Myles was in Belgium for work for the second week of April. He had fun, but spent a lot of time in a conference learning new software that we will soon be teaching to clients.

Myles at the home office of LMS in Belgium

I've been taking the kids to the YMCA to go swimming 2 or 3 times a wee, on top of their swim lessons. So they've been getting really good. Last week, Aaron graduated to the "big" kids class, in the big pool. He'll probably be one of the youngest kids in there, but I'm pretty sure he's ready for it.

Emma got a hair cut. She's not a long hair type of girl. It took some getting used to, mostly for Myles and me, but it's much better this way.

New haircut

I've been getting the kids outfits for David and Lisa's wedding. It's coming up really quick. This weekend, it was gorgeous outside! We spent all and Saturday and Sunday in the backyard. Myles is working on a project, re-seeding in spots and moving some paver stones.

Hopefully, next week will be calm.

Have a good week!!!!!

The Bro is getting Hitched!

2007-04-16T15:47:00.000-04:00

Well, the countdown has begun. My brother will be getting married in less than a month. Myles and I got them the plane tickets for their honeymoon to Vegas. They are getting married at the same place that I did, my parent's house! The kids will be flower girl and ring bearer, sorta, so I can't wait to see them all dressed up. I'm sure I'll take a million pictures, so you'll be seeeing them, too.

Where to start......

2007-04-12T07:47:00.000-04:00

Whew, it's been a while, huh? On to the round-up.

We went to Frankenmuth for Easter. Always a blast. The kids loved it!

We left around lunchtime on Friday and went shopping in the Riverfront Shoppes. The popcorn place is there. Aaron's favorite. They have a gazillion flavors of popcorn. We got a big tub. Yummy. Then we checked into the hotel, The Bavarian Inn, and immediately went to the pool. After a couple of pruney hours we got out and headed to dinner. But first, I talked Myles into going for a hose-drawn carriage ride. Big mistake. Not that is wasn't fun, but the kids were very tired. So much so, that they slept for the whole ride. It was an expensive nap. Then walked around town for a little while, hit the Cheese Haus, my favorite, and then went back to the hotel to....can you guess??? Go swimming. We kept the kids up a little late, but, they loved it. Are you seeing a theme?? They are very happy chillin' right now.

Sleeping kids in the carriage

The Cheese Haus

On Saturday the kids got up bright and early, so early, in fact, we had to wait for the restaurant to open for breakfast. Then, wait for it............we went swimming! LOL Pizza, which was surprisingly good, then a rest, then more of the pool. Then, we went to the Bavarian Inn for some candy making and some sopft pretzel making. SO much fun. Then we went to Zehnder's for dinner. Much better food than the Bavarian Inn. Chicken. Mmmmmm.

Pretzel making

Sunday, we waited for another restaurant to open, lol, and then went for a quick swim, packed up and headed home. Then at 2, we went to Mystic Creek Golf Course for an Easter Brunch. We saw my friend Jill and her fam, since I stole the idea from her, I wasn't too surprised. We had fun. Then lots of laundry and chillin at the homestead.

Monday Myles left for Belgium. He'll be gone until Saturday.

Have a good week! Believe it or not, I told the kids I'd take them to the pool today!! I think I'm raising fish!

More to come.....

2007-04-03T08:39:00.000-04:00

I'll detail the week later, but I wanted to get some pics up now.

Crocuses are up!

Cool dude on his scooter.

Emma's ready for spring. I love those dimples.

Whoo, Hoo, Baby

2007-03-23T17:55:00.000-04:00

Well, I learned something new this week. Scarlet fever is a strep throat gone too long without medication. All this time I thought scarlet fever was a completely different illness...

On to our week:
Monday 3/19
Aaron went to school, but I picked him up early, I didn't let him stay through lunch. He was feeling better, but I didn't want to wear him out. In the evening, at Aaron's school, was Dad's Night. So Myles and Aaron went, and had a blast. They had snacks and made a kite. I'll update the post with pictures, once I get them downloaded. Very cute!

Tuesday 3/20
Emma wasn't feeling so hot, and she was still getting a fever at night, hence not sleeping too well, so we skipped swimming.

Wednesday 3/21
Emma was up again all night with a very high fever again. So, I called the pediatrician and took her in right after I took Aaron to school. Since today was day 5 of the high fever every night (usually a fever of 102*-104*), the doctor wanted a urine sample and blood work. She wouldn't pee, so I took the sample cup home. He did tell me she had a double ear infection and probably strep, although he didn't culture her. When she finally did pee, for the first time that day, around 1pm, I got Aaron from school at 2:30, took the sample in and got the blood work done at the clinic. That was horrible. She was so dehydrated, that it took them 45 minutes to find a vein. When they got the needle in, the vein collapsed. So, they had to go to the other arm, since they hadn't gotten enough blood. The doctor called me back and told me to take Emma to the hospital because he was so dehydrated, she needed an IV to get her a jump start. So.....I meet up with Myles and transfer Aaron to him, and take Emma to the local ER. It is 6:30pm when we check in. We got a room right away and they wanted a urine sample. Okey dokey, got one. Then they told me they wouldn't giver her an IV because she wasn't vomiting. They did, however tell me that there were keytones in her urine, meaning she was dehydrated. DUH!! That's why we were there. So after 4 hours of arguing and a dose of tylenol and 4 oz of pedilyte, we left. What a complete waste of time!!!! So she finally got to bed a little later than 10:30pm

Thursday 2/22
The pediatrician called in the morning and I relayed what had happened. He was irate. Which made me feel better, to know that we were mistreated, and that I hadn't blown it out of proportion. He said to push the fluids, and that he would call back around 5pm, and that if she hadn't gone pee 3 times by then, it would be off to the hospital that our doctors office is affiliated with. Luckily, she had, so we were good. Thank goodness she likes blue Gatorade! We also got her started on antibiotic to clear out her infections.

Friday 3/23
4 doses of antibiotics later and a lot of Gatorade, and she's a new girl!! She looks and feels a lot better. Although, she is sleeping a lot! But the doctor called again this morning, and said that is to be expected, her little body is doing a lot of fighting right now. So, we will head off to bed early tonight and take it easy this weekend.

Sick Days...

2007-03-18T12:08:00.000-04:00

Emma's sick, watching tv

Aaron's busted lip

Monday 3/12

Aaron went to school, Emma and I went to the YMCA. I'm looking into summer camps for the kids. I would like to get them both in camps this year. After we picked Aaron up from school, it was so nice outside that we played out in the yard for quite a while. Well, they played and I read a book. I made a really good dinner of oven-fried chicken. One of Myles' favorites.

Tuesday 3/13

Both kids have swim class. After that it was another nice day, so we went downtown and ate at an outside table at the local deli cafe. The kids liked it. PB &J watching the cars drive past. After nap, everybody naps on swimming days, we went to the new outdoor mall in Brighton. Then we came home and played outside some more. Aaron really loves his scooter. It's like a razor for toddlers.

Wednesday 3/14

Myles left for an overnight trip to Ohio. Aaron had school and Emma has her gym tots class. Just stayed at home, not doing too much today. Our sitter came over in the evening, so I could go to my Book Club, since Myles was gone. I got home, and Aaron was up all night. He had a 104.1* fever, that went slightly down after Motrin. He was in my bed most of the night.

Thursday 3/15

Aaron was really sick, I was up at 4am giving him a dose of Motrin, deciding if we were going to the ER, or waiting until morning. I called Myles in his hotel, and we decided to wait until his peds office opened and I called at 8am. They told me to come in at 8:50. So we left, Aaron still in his jammies. Turns out he had a really bad virus. So, no meds, just lots of rest and fluids.

Friday 3/16

Aaron stayed home from school because of the 24 hour fever rule. But he was looking and feeling really good! We just hung out, I cleaned a bit and we played. In the evening, I went out and got my hair done. I really like it. I can't believe it's getting so long.

Saturday 3/17

Decided to go and finally get a matching set of luggage. I saw some on a JC Penny's flyer, so I took the kids to look. I picked out a really nice 3 piece set that was 50% off. Gotta love a good deal. After that, we went home and the kids rested. Then the whole family went to Red Robin for lunch. Then, guess what......Emma started to feel bad. She kept saying her tummy hurt. So, we went home to rest some more.

Sunday 3/18

I had bought some contact paper to replace what we have lining out shelves and drawers. Myles decided that since the kids weren't feeling that good, and we couldn't go anywhere, he would start that project. I cleaned out the oven and the oven racks. Neither job is fun, but they both needed to be done. I know that Aaron is well enough to go to school tomorrow, but I think Emma will need another day or two of rest. We'll see what next week brings....................

Keepin' Busy

2007-03-12T13:20:00.000-04:00

Monday 3/5

Myles left early this morning. Took Aaron to school, worked out, and met a friend at the mall. Then got Aaron, went to Costco (possibly my favorite store :))

Tuesday 3/4

Swimming lessons for both kids. Emma's class is first and is a parent to class. Aaron was awesome at waiting for his turn on the bench. I though he would have an issue with patience, but he was great! Emma and Aaron are both really good swimmers. Emma uses a "bubble" floaty-thing, but she will swim all by herself with it on. And Aaron swims with goggles on, and just takes off. I'm really proud of how good they both are. We're definitely keeping up with this for a while. After that, we had TONS of running around to do. And we topped the day off by having dinner at Applebee's.

Wednesday 3/7

SNOW!! We got a few inches(4ish) overnight. Thank goodness for the snowblower. That's' the only way the driveway will get cleared if Myles is gone. School day. I forgot that Emma has a gymnastics class today, so we missed it. Oops! I highlighted a friends hair from my moms club. It turned out really good, if I do say so myself.

Thursday 3/8

The kids had a blast today! We went to Ikea first thing in the morning, I usually go every time Myles goes out of town, it takes a while to get there and then it takes a while to shop, so it's a good way to have a mini field trip for the kids. And they love the play area there. And hey, I can ALWAYS find something I can buy at Ikea. Then we went to Trader Joe's, also a favorite of the kids. Aaron loves the kids-sized shopping carts they have. He likes being my helper. THEN, after a quick nap for Emma, we went to the mall. Can you tell I like to keep as busy as possible when Myles is out of town?? After that, Aaron's friends came over for a bit while their parents had a meeting at church.

Friday 3/9

Short school day 9:30-11:30, so nothing much going on. Myles got home around 8. The kids were so excited. After Myles handed out his travelling presents, it took quite a while to settle the kids down to get to sleep. They were so happy to have Daddy home again!

Saturday 3/10

We decided that we would take the kids to the pool. I wanted to show Myles how good they've gotten and it was a good way to have fun family time. We were there are 2 hours!! It was so much fun. I might try to go every weekend. Then is was Family Movie Night. We watched Eight Below. It's a really cute Disney movie.

Sunday 3/11

A beautiful day!!! It was so nice outside. We went out to lunch and then the kids played outside while Myles and I cleaned out my car. It needed it! We decided that Aaron really needs a new bike. He has a toddler bike that he has really out-grown. So we all went to Target to look, and they didn't have any! So, I'm on the look-out this week. The original plan was to wait until his birthday, but now we see that he really needs on sooner rather than later.

This week...

2007-03-04T08:51:00.000-05:00

Tuesday 2/27
Not much going on, just waited an obscene amount of time for the cable guy to show up and swap out our dvr box. Why are utility men always late?? Then some grocery shopping. I went with both kids, which is a rarity these days. But we had fun.
Wednesday 2/28
Dad's b-day. Dad called to give me flight info (my 'rents went to see my bro graduate basic training in Georgia), and he forgot it was his birthday!
After I dropped Aaron off at school, Emma had her gym tots class. She has taken them before, but this was the first class this session. She LOVES it! She gets to run around and play with other kids. She burns off tons of energy.
Thursday 3/1
Went to Novi to do some running around and went to Chuck E Cheese. The kids were alone in there for almost 45 minutes before another kids showed up. I liked it too. We played lots of games and got lots of tickets. The kids chose a necklace and bracelet set, and a tattoo and car as their prizes. While they were sleeping off the after effects, I cleaned the kitchen from top to bottom. Even the walls. Starting spring cleaning a bit early.
Friday 3/2
My brother graduates from Basic Training today! I'm very proud of him. So now he's offically in the army. Or as Aaron says "an Army Guy".
School day. Emma and I went to Brighton to go shopping at the new mini-mall. I love it there. Then I went to the teacher store to get some workbooks for Aaron to use this summer. I really want him ready for Kindergarten.
Saturday 3/3
So exciting!! Aaron had Kindergarten round-up this morning! He saw the classroom and met the teachers and principal, AND took a bus ride all the way downtown. It was really great. I cried. I can't believe he's big enough to go to kindergarten! He was just s little guy in premie clothes a few weeks ago, it seems. Then we went out to lunch to celebrate. He is so excited to go to school and ride the bus. He can't wait until he birthday (school will start the week after his b-day).
We had a small poker game at our house with 2 other couples. We had a blast. After Texas Hold 'Em, we learned how to play 6 person Euchre. It took a minutes to figure out, but it was fun, too!
Sunday 3/4
A nothing day. Sometimes those are the best. Stay in jammies and do laundry and watch movies. Myles leaves tomorrow, so we are just hanging out.

2007-02-26T13:28:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm finally joining this century and will try to blog on a regular basis to keep family and friends updated with our day-to-day goings on.
This week, I started my training for the 5K I want to run in the fall. I have 6 months, so I hope I can keep focused and keep at it.
Myles is still loving his new, well not so new anymore, job, and travelling a lot. He actually leaves again on Monday for a trip.
Aaron is still loving school and doing quite well at it, I think. Now they are working on letter sounds, and he is having fum with that. He also is still in swimming lessons, and getting better every session. His kindergarten round-up is this weekend, He's going to be ecstatic!
Emma is now completely potty-trained!! I am so happy. I gave away our last package of diapers! Myles and I are very excited. Emma is already looking forward to going to preschool. I know she'll love it.
I hope I'll be updating this soon, so stop on by again and see!