Two Boys in a Tub

The boys absolutely love the tub in the master bath.

Perfect Fall Weekend

We had a great fall weekend.On Saturday morning, we went to a local cider mill/apple orchard.  We had cider and donuts (Alex had to have a homemade one since some of the donuts there had peanuts) and went apple picking.  Then the kids got to go in the giant pumpkin bounce house.  Then we went to Phil's office to pick up the last of his personal items because he starts at his new position at Stryker on Monday.  After grabbing lunch we went home for naps.  After the kids woke up, Will rode his bike around the driveway for quite a while.  He has mastered it!  The video below shows the first day he rode with some footage from Friday night.  Then we decided to bring one of our TVs outside to watch some football and started the fire pit.  We played soccer and t-ball in the yard and enjoyed the rest of the evening.  We kept the fire pit going through halftime of the Michigan game and then moved inside. 

On Sunday, we went back to the nature center.  Will was excited to go and even Alex walked around saying Nature Center... hike.  We did some of the same trails as last week and then added on a short new one at the end.  The leaves were starting to change color and it was very pretty. 

Look.... no training wheels!

Fun in the Forest

Despite the fact that it was overcast and a little drizzly, we decided to check out the Kalamazoo Nature Center. By the time we got there, it had started to rain but once we were in the woods we didn't feel much. The boys really enjoyed the hike and we probably went close to 2 miles. Alex walked most of the way - we picked him up on the steep hills. We went to several scenic overlooks and got to see the Kalamazoo River Valley. Part of the trail was next to a small stream which we followed (under some train tracks) to the Kalamazoo River. By the time we were done, it was raining harder and we decided to stop for pizza on the way home.

On the trail

Overlook of Kalamazoo River Valley

Kalamazoo River

Stryker Company Picnic

Today was the Stryker company picnic. This was our first time attending since Phil typically didn't want to drive down to Kalamazoo on the weekends. We had so much fun! They had rented out a local park and anticipated 2000-3000 people to attend. They had so much stuff for the kids to do: face painting, pony & camel rides, bounce houses, carnival games, etc. as well as a nice spread for lunch. We spent a few hours there and ran into some of our neighbors that also work at Stryker. Both kids are napping well!

Mini Ferris Wheel

Waiting for the bounce house

Cotton Candy!

Cotton Candy!

Pony Ride

Petting Zoo

Week with Alex

Last week, William got to go up north with Grandpa to visit Aunt Mara and Uncle Ken. He had a lot of fun on the boat, at Lake Michigan, roasting hotdogs on a campfire, and going for walks in the woods. While he was gone, Alex and I had fun back in Kalamazoo. We took a few nice walks to "Frog Pond" to visit the frogs and fish and to throw in rocks. We spent a nice hour at the greenhouse up the road playing with their fountains and checking out their fish pond. We also did some fun art projects. It was nice to have the one on one time with Alex. But he was so happy to see his brother when he got home. He immediately ran up and gave him a big hug. It was very sweet. I think William missed him a little, too! 

On Saturday, we took a family bike ride to the 12th Street playground which is about a 3 mile ride.  The boys looked cute in their Michigan jerseys and were mistaken for twins... Then we went to a neighborhood cookout where they spent 4 hours running around with a bunch of kids ranging from 7 weeks to 10 years.  They both slept in on Sunday which was nice since we stayed up late to watch the game.

Getting ready to go north

Happy Artist

At the greenhouse with mom

Fun times at Frog Pond

Go Blue!

First Day of Preschool

Today was Will's first day of preschool. He was pretty excited in the morning, although, it was probably due to the fact that class was only 1 hour today and mom and dad got to go with him... Will picked out his outfit today: an orange t-shirt and a hoodie with bright orange zipper and inner lining. He actually posed nicely for his back to school photo. 

We had fun with William at orientation. His teacher was very nice and he has a full class of 12 students. We went around the room to the various stations and completed different activities. We also found his coat hook, mailbox, and the bathrooms. We were able to sign up to volunteer at the Halloween party and were assigned a day to bring in a snack. We also learned they are going on a field trip in October to a farm which should be a lot of fun.

 Hopefully William enjoys day 2 when he has to stay by himself.

Happy Labor Day!

We had a whirlwind weekend. On Friday morning, the boys and I went to Grand Rapids and Phil and Andrew drove to East Lansing and then Detroit. Grandma and Grandpa watched Alex while Will and I went out on a back to school date. We went out to lunch and then did some shopping. He was a perfect gentleman at lunch and seemed to enjoy shopping. He kept telling everyone we were back to school shopping and seemed pretty proud of himself. He didn't need any school supplies but we did pick up some flashcards and chapter books at Barnes and Noble. Then we went to Macy's and he picked out a few things. At Gap Kids, he found an orange sweater that he loved and insisted on going into the dressing room to try it on. 

On Saturday morning, William stayed home with Grandpa and Alex, Grandma and I went down to the new indoor market and  farmers' market.  It was very cool.  I was able to pick up 20 lbs of tomatoes and supplies for pesto.

On Saturday afternoon, we went to our friend Charlie's birthday party.  They had pony rides, a petting zoo, and a pinata.  And a small bounce house.  The boys had a lot of fun!  Then we went back to Grandma and Grandpa's to watch the end of the Michigan game... Go Blue!

On Sunday morning, we drove to Grand Ledge to meet up with Grann.  William went back to Detroit with her and Alex and I went home.  Will and Grann had so much fun at Java Gym and going out to dinner.  

On Monday, Phil, William and Grann went to Ann Arbor to visit Aunt Maran and Allie.  They had fun walking around campus.  Alex and I went to our neighborhood "Back to School Breakfast" which was one block over from our house.  They had coffee/juice/donuts and... a firetruck!  Alex spent about an hour climbing and exploring the truck.  We met quite a few people on the block and were invited to their street potluck tomorrow night.  The boys got home mid afternoon and we took a nice walk after dinner to one of the ponds we discovered with a lot of frogs and fish.  

It was a great Labor Day weekend!  Will has one night at home and then he is heading up to the cottage with Grandpa!

Back to School Lunch

He insisted on going into a dressing room

Go Blue!

Alex's First Pony Ride

Cowboy Will

Pinata!

Tomato Sauce and Pesto Day

Small Boy and a Big Truck

Game Face

Boys and Their Rocks

Visit from Uncle Andrew

We had our annual visit from Uncle Andrew last week. The boys and I drove to Grand Rapids on Tuesday to visit with Grandma and Grandpa and to pick up Andrew at the airport. Then we drove back to Kalamazoo in time to get the grill warmed up while we waited for Phil to get home from work. On Wednesday, Phil had to go into work in the morning so Uncle Andrew got to spend some quality time with the boys - jumping on the trampoline, listening to Jeff Kagen, and just being silly. Then we met Phil for lunch at the Bell's Brewery. We were able to sit outside and the boys were able to run around in the outdoor garden and patio. Then Alex and I went home for his nap and the big boys went mini golfing. We grilled again for dinner and played Frisbee outside. On Thursday, we went for a walk around the neighborhood and then Phil and Andrew went to downtown Kalamazoo to walk around a bit. We did more playing outside before calling it a night. On Friday, we said "Goodbye until next year" and they went to East Lansing to walk around and play disc golf. On Sunday, they made their annual pilgrimage to the Ren Fest. Andrew's visit is a great start to the Labor Day weekend every year. The boys are already looking forward to next time.

Garden/Patio at the Bell's Brewery

Play Time

Family Photo

Family Photo

Go Blue!

Lunch at Bell's