Bounce Houses and Hayrides and Bumblee Trains

On Saturday, we went to Grand Rapids for the weekend. Grandma and Grandpa took the boys for the night so we could go downtown to enjoy Art Prize. The boys got to go to Koetsiers for all their fall activities. They jumped in the bounce houses, went for a hay ride, played in the corn box, collected pumpkins, and enjoyed popcorn and apples.

Fun at the Detroit Zoo

Last Thursday, Kristen and the boys drove to Detroit for the night. Beth was in town with her two girls and we had plans to meet up with them on Friday morning. Unfortunately, Grann was out of town but we were able to stay the night at her place. We stopped in Northville on the way down for haircuts and fun at Fort Griswold. On Friday morning, we met Beth at the zoo. All four kids were very well behaved and seemed to enjoy the zoo. Alex was probably the most "into" the animals. We got to see the seals and the polar bears which was very cool.

Making themselves right at home at Grann's

Will, Olivia, Polar Bear, and Alex

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