HAPPY FALL YALL

Fall is here and with that comes plenty of trips to the cider mill. My mom and I decided to take the little ones for our first visit of the year. The weather was perfect and it wasn't very crowded since we went in the middle of the day.

The best part of the cider mill is of course the donuts and cider. Yummy!!!My little monster gobbled his right up.

Everything was fine until the bees arrived. Since we didn't feel like going to the ER today we left a little early.On the way home we stopped and got some sweet corn and cucumbers for tonight.

All of the way home,Grandma and Jimmy were singing "If your happy and you know it" and Lanie was not having any part of it. Jimmy kept singing louder and louder and Lanie just put here hands over here ears so she didn't have to listen. I guess she wasn't happy and she knew it. The little ones had a great time and it was nice for them to have there own special time without their older siblings.

TWISTED BALOONS

If you don't know what this is...you've got a very sick mind. IT'S A SWORD!!!!! Kaiden got it from a fair and it has since deflated just enough to make it look like SOMETHING else. Lanie brought this balloon into my house this morning and Jim and I about died. There she is hugging and waving it all around. I told Julie "Well, she just made the blog today".

Mr PEPSI ROBOT

Give my boy a job do do and he goes full steam ahead with it. Jimmy loves to put the pop on the fridge after we go grocery shopping. It is HIS job and he does it very well. His reward is playing with the boxes when he is finished. Today he when became a Pepsi robot with a robot voice. I just hope he doesn't get a paper cut walking-ouch.

THE WHEELS ARE OFF!!!!!

The Training wheels are off for good now!! For awhile now, Jen has been trying to figure out the whole bike with no training wheels thing. If mostly consisted of Jim holding the back of the bike and Jen falling off, pouting and being mad at herself for not being able to get it.Today, she made the plan to try it again. She was going to do it her way. She ran in grabbed all of her pads and helmet and tried her hardest not to fall. At first it wasn't going so well with her only making one turn of the wheels, but a a few moments, she quickly got the hang of it. First it was one house then one and a half then two and three. Soon, she was turning around in the driveway without even realizing it.

She was so proud if herself and her new accomplishment. When Jim got home she wanted to play a little trick on him, so she told him " Daddy, I've been trying all day and I just can't get it-watch". She got on her bike and peddled down the street. He was so shocked and she had the biggest grin on her face the entire time.

The next stop is to the bike store to get the kick stand for her bike. Jim had promised to get her one once she had the training wheels off for good. I think she will be picking out the most colorful one in the store.

At Lowe's they hold a children's workshop every other Saturday. They provide kits like build your own birdhouse or wooded cars. This week it was build your own drum. The instructor handed each of the kids a apron with their name on it and a hammer. Every week when they complete a project, they will earn a badge to but on their apron. They had a blast making something of their very own all (almost) by themselves, and Jim and I got the pleasure of hearing the drums through the store and the entire way home. THANK YOU LOWE'S!!! And how can you pass up an opportunity to climb up onto a lawn mower? Jimmy told us that he wanted one for his birthday, and I fully believe that. Next week - build your own firetrucks.


These pictures are completely out of order, but I refuse to try to do this again. Sorry.

PARIS IN THE SUMMER

This summer they ( I don't know who) built this ginormous tower right by our house. Shortly after that we were driving down Groesbeck Hwy and Jenna screamed " There's Paris!! I can't believe we live right by Paris". I guess she thinks it looks like the Eiffel Tower. I have tried telling her that it was just a tower and that Paris is very far away, but she is sure that I am wrong. So, if Sarah Palin can believe she can see Russia from her backyard, who am I to tell Jenna she can't see Paris from hers .

BACK TO SCHOOL

The summer is officially over and its now time for school. The house has been filled with excitement for weeks!!!! Jimmy is going to preschool and couldn't be happier to go meet some new friends. His teachers names are Mrs. Faller and Miss Adrienne. He is going to the same preschool that Jen had gone to.

Jenevive is going into 1st grade this year. Her teacher is Mrs Boesl and she is great!!! Jen has been waiting to be in her class since the end of last school year.

Could this kid look any happier to go on his first school bus ride ? This is what he was truly waiting for. The only problem was that his pickup time was at 7:30 am. His school doesn't start until 8:30 so he's going to be on the bus for an hour each morning just to go 4 blocks away. I don't think that bothers him much.

I felt like following in my car after him, but I didn't. I waited 55 minutes and went up to the school to watch him get off the bus. Did you expect anything different to happen? So since I had some free time to myself, I went to the grocery store and Post Office, came home and was completely bored. They each only had a half day of school and both were tired when I picked them up. Hopefully I can get Jimmy on a better sleep schedule now.

LAST DAYS OF SUMMER

Sunday we headed out to Stoney Creek with Jim's cousin Jay and his family.The boys made the plans and Jim translated that to be going to Stoney Creek to feed ducks and geese and playing in a park. The real plans were to go to the beach, so of course I had no bathing suit for any of us, but I did have a soccer ball, baseball bats and balls, Frisbees- all park stuff.

After a brief pouting episode with Jenna over not having a suit, she quickly got over it and became a little fish in the water. Briann and Jenna hung out together playing in the sand.

All of the kids got along so nice and it was a nice break for the parents.

Jimmy and JJ were only born a few days apart from each other and became buddies in no time at all. They shared a quick snack in between playing. We had a great day at the beach and after Jay and Cheryl had us back to their house for a bbq. It ended up being one of the most relaxed days of summer.

An Interview With A Three Year Old

What is your favorite color ? Blue

What is your favorite food ? Cereal

What is your favorite toy ? Cars and Thomas the Train

What is your favorite thing to drink ? Pink milk

What is your favorite TV show? Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

What do you want to be when you grow up ? Spiderman

Who are your best friends? Cody, Ryan, Tyler Daddy and Mama

If you had $100 what would you buy ? A drink

An Interview With A Six Year Old

What is your Favorite color ? Pink

What is your favorite food? Tacos

What is your favorite toy ? Polly Pockets and Make-Up

What is your favorite thing to drink ? Pink Lemonade

What is your favorite TV show ? Hannah Montana

What would you like to be when you grow up ? A veterinarian

Who are your best friends ? Angel, Morgan and Lanie

If you had $100 what would you buy ? Toys, stuffed animals and a dog.

RANCH AND......

For lurch the kids had chicken fingers with ranch, grapes and little Oreo cookies. My kids are Very picky eaters, but they will eat anything as long as it is on a stick or dipped in ranch dressing. So, when all of the chicken fingers are gone and you still have some dressing left what do you do ??? (Aunt Becci and Aunt Bobbie this one is for you-grab your nearest garbage can.) You dip your grapes in it!!!!

And you also dip your Oreo cookies in it. Barf!!! My kids will not eat a simple cheeseburger or french fries, but they will dip Oreos and grapes in ranch and eat it as if it were the best thing on earth. Go figure. I'm not sure how much it was that it tasted good to Jimmy or that he just liked the fact that he was gagging us all out.

TOADS, TURTLES AND SNAKES

This year for Jen's 6th birthday we had her party at the Sterling Heights Nature Center. I could not do one more Pump It Up party. This ended up being one of the best parties she had.

The party coordinator was great!! There were tons of activities we could pick for the party. Jen chose an animal demonstration, a game and a nature hike. The first part of the party the coordinator had all of the kids sit on a huge stuffed snake as she brought out toads, turtles and snakes for the kids. All of the kids were able to hold and play with the animals and they also learned a few new things about each of them.

My brave little girl stood right up when it was her turn to hold a snake. She was fine until it started to crawl up her back and into her shirt. I love the look on her face in this picture.

And Jimmy was just as happy to hold the snake. He laughed when it started to go between his legs. If you ask him if he held the snake, the first thing he says is "It went down there". Almost all of the kids held it and only Aunt Julie and Uncle Scott were the only adults who touched it.

I stressed over this cake for the month before. I wasn't sure how it would turn out, but in the end I was very happy with it. All of the animals were made out of fondant and the snakes were gummy animals I had found.

Jen blowing out her candles and making a wish which I am sure had something to do with taking some kind of animal home for a pet.

The last thing we did was go on a short nature hike looking at different leaves and trees. On the way we saw a mother deer and her two little babies only a short distance away. This party was so much fun and all of the kids really enjoyed doing something a little different.