MINK FAMILY

11 Years Later

2012-01-21T22:53:00.002-05:00

How did this baby turn into:

This baby?
Ok, so she's not a "baby" anymore.
Tom took this picture of Isabel and me on the morning of her 11th birthday last week. When I saw it, it reminded me of the first picture. Isabel was 6 months old & I was totally in the throws of new-motherhood. I vividly remember when Tom took the picture. Isabel had been up and down all night long.... but I was young(er) and could handle it. I was just happy to be a mom. So here we are 11 years later... in the same chair and in the same position. Minus the binky, and plus the pre-teen attitude. Don't get me wrong. She is still the same sweet & thoughtful girl. She's just changing into a young woman who is figuring out her place in life. Oh how I love what she is turning into. I look forward to the next 11 years.
She will never leave me.
I know this because I will be right behind her.
(Yes, I know I've said that before. Because it's true.)

And then there's this character. I could eat him with a spoon.

2012-01-13T12:56:00.002-05:00

Wow... It's been a looooong time since I've posted. The intentions have been there, but the motivation was lacking. Since I've last posted, the following things have happened:

Thanksgiving,

A trip to Florida

2 birthdays

Christmas (Whew!)

Family Pictures

Haircut... (Isabel)

And much more... Here are a few pics to recap.

Florida... what a place. As you can see, Max slept a lot of the time.... Thank goodness. He was a rock star! Completely fascinated with everything, all while being perfectly content in his stroller. (That's "Butter Beer" on Tom's nose and on Isabel's lip by the way.... We visited Hogwart's baby!!)

All of the above pics were taken when we went out to chop our Christmas tree down. Tom tried suggesting an artificial tree this year, but we just couldn't bring ourselves to do it. (aka: Isabel had a crisis when we brought it up)

Can you tell that Max had an excellent experience with Santa this year?

11 Years old!!

Oh how I love these two.

Solar System construction.

Sorry this is so "picture-y"... but it's what I can do ~~while Max is napping~~ in a short amount of time!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

New York Baby!

2011-11-10T22:13:00.002-05:00

When I was 10 years old, my mom took me to San Francisco.... great trip, great memories! Therefore, when Lulu turned 10 years old, I told her that I would take her on a "mom & girl" trip. I debated between a few places, but in the end NYC won! I didn't tell her where we were going, or when for that matter! In fact, I got us both packed while she was at school, and when she got home I sprung the news on her! She was beside herself with excitement to say the least. Here are a few pictures from our trip... I can honestly say that it was my favorite trip to NYC ever. We went non-stop. We saw the Statue of Liberty, the 9/11 memorial, went to a Broadway show, ate at the famous "Serendippity 3", went to the American Girl store, Greenwich Village, Soho, Tribeca.. just to name a few. Oh, and ate our way through the city... Delightful! She was the BEST traveling partner ever! Great memories with my girlie!

New York! We went to a Broadway play while we were there... JERSEY BOYS... Excellent!

In the many times that we have visited this beautiful city, we have neglected the Statue of Liberty. Not sure why.... but we did it this time baby! It was pretty neat. I was surprised how much we enjoyed it. We were reminded of the incredible history that New York has to offer.

The 9/11 Memorial was opened up just a few short weeks before we got there. I was so grateful that we were able to see this. The air is filled with such somberness. While first walking into the memorial, I felt excited. It was an interesting feeling because memorials are usually somber and beautiful, not fun and adventurous. That feeling was probably due to the fact that it was my first memorial visited in which I was "alive" when the tragedy happened. Others I have been to, seemed so distant to me... so long ago and kind of "another time" type of a feeling. Nevertheless, as we went inside, I found that I felt guilty. I almost felt as if I was intruding on someonelse's private or personal property. When we entered the building, we immediately began speaking in whisper. I felt a powerful sense of anguish and pain... for those who perished, their families & all of those affected... I remember watching the news when this terrible tragedy struck. Tom had just gone to work, Isabel (8 months old) was sleeping. I was looking forward to enjoying some quiet time by myself. But when I saw what was happening, the last thing I wanted was to be by myself. I called my parents & Tom, both of which had not heard the news yet. After talking with them, I snuck into Isabel's room and got her out of bed and held her while I watched the 2nd tower come down... such tragedy and sadness. That was a day that I will never forget. May none of us ever forget.

Greenwich Village. I want to live there. 'Nuf said.

These pictures make me laugh... (and no, I'm not referring to my wrinkly neck!) We had the craziest taxi ride to the airport! It was so stereotypical.... Seriously, we were holding on tight! (Obviously it wan't bad enough for me not to be able to pull out the camera though!) All in the name of the picture!

Why crawl when you can walk?

2011-10-21T12:58:00.012-04:00

I have been meaning to post about this for a couple of weeks now...

MAX IS WALKING!!!

The video I am about to show you is the best one I could find of the event. We took a TON of video of him walking for the first time... but unfortunately they are ALL with us in the background cheering him on, making noise & clapping... etc.(Making it quite annoying to the listener!) Now, I'm not saying that this one doesn't possess those qualities too...it's just that there is only one (annoying) person in the background rather than 3 annoying people. Unfortunately, it's me. You may ask yourself: "Why does her voice go up about 3 octaves when she talks to him?" 'Not sure. I'll work on that. But at the risk of humiliating myself... here it is.

(By the way, the dog (Carmine), actually enjoys Max's company... contrary to what you may think after watching this.)

Oh, and one more thing... I realize that this may be a bit boring for most of you. I understand that half way through you may want to stop the excitement.

It's OK. I get it.

But first:

A little bit about Max.

Man, we love this kid. He is the happiest and easiest kid. (Not to be confused with being very BUSY though.) I can not imagine life without him. He adds so much to our little family. With him, we are complete. (Jerry Macguire anyone?)

If I could use one word to describe him, it would be SMILE, because he does so much of it.

So, in honor of his word, I am going to do a little acronym to describe our dude.

Social

Mine! (OK, Tom's and Isabel's too.)

Isabel's favorite person

Laughing (all the time)

Eternally ours!

Copper Harbor

2011-10-07T22:26:00.002-04:00

I have been meaning to blog about our trip to the Upper Peninsula for weeks now.... but alas, here it is almost 2 months later.

We had such a great time! For those of you who haven't ever traveled to the northern part of Michigan, you are definitely missing out! It is definitely a different world up there. The entire part of Northern Michigan shares the same area code of 906, and when I told a friend of ours that I saw area code 906 on my phone (assuming that the lady who we were renting the cottage from was calling), I heard a sharp intake of breath and then "THAT'S GODS AREA CODE!" That's how people who love the unspoiled and beautiful expanse of Northern Michigan feel.

The best part was that my dad was able to fly in from Utah to go with us! (We also listened to the first and second book of "The Hunger Games" on the drive up and back... Awesome books!)

We had the best cottage!!! (See picture at the top of the blog) It was on a lake with our very own boat. I highly recommend this to anyone wanting a very peaceful vacation! Great weather, very quiet, s'mores every evening... wonderful!

Isabel was so content with the lake that she didn't even notice the lack of T.V., Internet & Cell Phone Service!

Even when this happened.... The first morning, Tom, Dad & Isabel went fishing.... here's what Isabel caught:
HERSELF!

So I have a confession. Max slept in what we (affectionately) called his "cave". I'm not proud of this... but it's what we had to do. We mistakenly packed his "infant" crib rather than his "toddler" crib. The reason he is in the bottom of it (which incidentally is used to store diapers... not a baby!) is because the top part is only about a foot deep. Which is a recipe for a 14 month old disaster! What makes this situation worse, is that when Tom and I went to a concert a few days before this, we gave it to my friend to use while she was taking care of the kids for the evening. I just couldn't understand why she said that she "had to keep going in and checking in on Max until she knew that he was asleep!" Not a proud parenting moment... but I'm just trying to keep it real here.

OK, so this was a pretty funny moment. Isabel and my dad went out for a boat ride one evening and I hid in the bushes and took pictures of the event. See, my dad was letting Isabel row them back to shore... and well, my girl isn't very experienced in knowing how to maneuver herself around in a boat. So it took them quite awhile to get back. Grandpa had to ultimately take over... (aka: get them out of the bushes) and apparently was making some pretty funny faces while doing so. It was so funny to hear her describe (and imitate) my dad's facial expressions as he was getting them out. Good times.

While we were up in the Keewanaw Peninsula, we visited "Quincy Mine. Very interesting. We actually went underground and toured it.. with actual hard hats! (Ok, so Max wouldn't wear his.. but we tried.) We also went to "Brockway Mountain".... GORGEOUS!! It looks out onto Lake Superior 720 feet above lake level.

Some cute pictures of Grandpa and Max on the lawn outside of the cottage.

Love these kiddos. These pics were taken on the dock right outside the cottage.

Tom was so excited to do some mountain biking on some of the famous Copper Harbor trails. He and Isabel had a great time together doing this! (At first Isabel was a little hesitant to go, but when she got back, she was full of stories about how fun it was! As you can see above, it wasn't without injury. Tom had a little incident on ~~cliff~~ hill and hurt his knee. But he says it was worth it.

Good times on the water and on Lake Superior.

S'mores every night.

Here we all are on our last day. Such a great time we had. Thank You Esther!! (The lady who we rented the cottage from. pictured above with us!)

5th Grade

2011-09-22T10:54:00.005-04:00

We have a girl in 5th grade

At home, I wish she could have stayed

"But mom" she cried

It's what all the kids do

So off I sent her....

With just a little bit of "boo-hoo"

Her text books are EXTREMELY large

Makes me wonder who is in charge?

Good luck my sweet

You can not be beat

I'll be waiting for you right after school

With your favorite snack and chocolate milk drool. (Max's contribution!)

Chicken Pride

2011-08-14T14:08:00.015-04:00

So here's the deal.... Last week was fair week. It was crazy, exciting, nerve-racking, dirty, overwhelming, wonderful, sweaty, & special. I'm not sure how to communicate to you all how many emotions we went through.

First things first... here is Isabel's Digital Photo entry... she did such a great job. She took pictures of random things that resembled letters to spell out the 4H's in the 4H theme. (Head, Heart, Hands, Health). She turned it in and won Reserve Grand Champion! Woo Hoo!

Whew! Now on to the chickens.

Before we got started, we decided to take them out to our backyard for a little "photo shoot". (Sorry the pictures are so small... click on them to blow them up)

OK, with that done, it was time to focus on getting them ready for the fair..... First, we took them out to Ronda's house to bathe them in her TUB!!!! Score!! We didn't even have to do the dirty work in our own house!!! Everyone needs a "Ronda" in their life! (For more reasons than just letting us bathe our chickens in her tub... I could go on and on about my Ronda!)

Next, it was time for "Chicken Check-In"... (Ok, may I say that I LOVE to say that... over and over and over. It's a fun one... try it!)

Chicken Check-In (hee hee) was quite the process, first we had to have them tested for disease & lice... thankfully we passed. Then we had to purchase a special water thingy that hung on their cage with... get this.... a FIGI water bottle! (Well, actually it didn't have to be a FIGI water bottle.. but my "chicken guru" Ronda told me that FIGI worked the best because of it's square-ness... so FIGI is what we got!) After all that, we were finally able to tuck them in for the night so that they could get their beauty sleep. (After all, they were being judged the next day!)

The next day is kind of a blur... there were a lot of chickens, dust, judges, ribbons, sweat, questions, corn dogs and kids! It was a long 8 1/2 hour day. But get this:

OUR GIRL WON GRAND CHAMPION!!!

What is that about? Who knew that chickens that were raised in a tote on the deck of a condo would win??? Isabel did such a good job! She placed 3rd in her showmanship too! Wow!!!

The "Champions" were auctioned off a few nights later... My girl made major bank! Let's just say that she doesn't need to hit us up for money for awhile! Here are some pics of the events:

Now for the hard part.... SAYING GOODBYE. Wow, this was hard man. After taking care of them for the past few months and then experiencing the whole "fair" thing.... We're all very bonded. (Don't laugh... it's a strange thing that we're feeling...not sure how to deal with the separation.)

Here are the last few moments....

Farewell sweet birds.... be good, stay pretty, do us proud.

Her Babies

2011-07-11T22:53:00.007-04:00

So here is what has been consuming a big part of our summer..... They've grown up haven't they? Actually, these little fowl friends have been quite fun. They are the most gentle and docile bird ever! When we take them out of their pen to play with them, they simply sit and wait to be held. Really, they have completely surprised me... I had visions of chasing chickens down our street yelling out things such as: "Fine! Leave! See what you get for dinner tonight! You sure won't be getting our gourmet bird seed!" But apparently they like our bird seed.

So, this afternoon I thought I'd let Max have his way with them..... Bad idea.

It wasn't long before "Mama" stepped in.

Seriously, she was so stressed out about letting Max have his way with her babies.... So the photo shoot ended.

This is all you get.

Ah.... back where they belong.

In their mama's arms.

Life is good.

Happenings

2011-06-13T14:18:00.021-04:00

Whew! Well, a lot has happened in the past month! Here's a quick recap:

The Dude turned 1!!

Here he is.... (getting ready for his big day!)

Quick change of clothes.... "Being 1" definitely does rock!

(Especially when you cut off your sleeves and turn your otherwise boring t-shirt into a rockin' muscle shirt!)

The Birthday boy!!!

So, he's not quite sure what to think of all of us singing...

But it didn't take him long to figure this out....

Party goers....

Very special people.....

When we weren't consumed with birthday matters, we were at softball.

When she was doing this....

and this....

We were doing this....

and this....

Here is a sweet moment at a game.

Max enjoying his daddy.

(Can't say as I blame him)

So school is out tomorrow!! YAY!! Sweet freedom... from softball, homework, school projects, piano, (yes Louise, we will practice!!) & me doing hair appointments. (hee-hee, I crack myself up!) Basically, what I'm saying is that we don't want to be involved in anything that has any resemblance of STRUCTURE!! Woo Hoo! Bring on the popsicles, beach towels, & s'mores! We're ready!

Piano Recital

2011-05-22T16:37:00.013-04:00

Isabel had a piano recital the other night.... not only did she play her 2 pieces (wonderfully!), but she sang while another girl accompanied her! I was amazed that she had the nerve to do it! (You couldn't pay me enough money to do that!)

She did awesome!!!

Here are a few pics from the evening....

GOOD JOB ISABEL!!!!

Mama & Her Babies

2011-05-09T11:22:00.011-04:00

The "Baby" of the family has been replaced.....

Yes, this one.

What? Who me?

Yes my love.... you have been replaced by a sweet, fluffy, yellow, (pooping) chick.

Actually, there are 4 of them. You see, my girl is on a new adventure... 4H. Apparently we will need 3 to show in the Isabella County Fair... so we got an extra "just in case".

For those of you out there who don't know anything about chickens.... (ahem, me)

They are called "Silkie Bantams".

Here's what they are (hopefully) going to look like in a few months:

Or possibly this.

(I know what you're thinking by the way.)

But for now, we are enjoying this stage.

2011-04-25T21:59:00.023-04:00

So Easter was great. Somehow we managed to incorporate the reason we celebrate Easter and the thrill of the hunt.

It was a good day.... After church, we ate too much. But from where I come from, that's the best way to celebrate ANYTHING.

So ate we did.

He seems pretty happy about it.

So do they.

Easter Brunch.

Say no more.

During the egg decorating process it was difficult to include the dude. He is only 10 months old after all... so what does a mom do? I'll tell you what this mom does... She paints a foot and slaps that cute imprint onto an egg!

Easier said than done...

The painting process is easy enough, but the transfer to an egg.. not so easy. So, I decided to show the painting of the foot rather than the finished result.

It ain't pretty.

Use your imagination.

After brunch, one must enjoy the outdoors in order to burn off any excess that they may or may not have allowed themselves to indulge in.

So off to the park we went.

Even though I have already inundated you with a ton of pictures.... I feel that I would be remiss if I didn't include the following.

So the dude has "a thing" with a certain toy.

It's not so much a love affair... it's more of a facination.

I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Quite interesting really.

It is quite an amazing little thing.

Kind of stretchy, squishy & odd.

He likes it.

I think.

Tom's Birthday

2011-03-29T23:13:00.008-04:00

I've let enough time pass... Tom turned 45 a couple of weeks ago.

All he wanted was to go skiing.

So skiing it was.

For obvious reasons, (aka: Max) I didn't go. But we had a great time while Tom and Isabel enjoyed the slopes.

Here they are getting started.

There's nothing like seeing your husband share one of his favorite pastimes with his kids... priceless.

Here are Max and I right after dropping them off.

I could eat those cheeks.

Here are the happy faces after an awesome day.

These little beauties are how we ended the day.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOM. YOU ROCK.

Butterfly Garden

2011-03-26T21:58:00.005-04:00

We took a trip to Midland today to the Butterfly Garden.... So cool. Here are a couple of pics from our visit.

Max was fascinated with the one on Isabel's shoulder...

It was freezing! (Outside...)

2011-03-24T16:06:00.001-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA!!

I LOVE YOU AND HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT DAY!

CHOMPERS

2011-03-06T22:46:00.003-05:00

The Dude has sprung a tooth... 2 of them actually!

Flooring Project

2011-02-11T18:00:00.006-05:00

In light of the fact that we are beginning the 3rd year of our condo being for sale,

we did a bit of remodeling.

NOT FUN.

However, with that being said...

the end result ROCKS!

Here are a few "before" pictures... (actually, they were taken "after" the demolition...)

*Note: These pictures hardly show the mess... and by mess, I am referring to my state of mind during this whole experience.

Here is Tom installing the floors.... what a man. (And I am referring not only his carpenter skills... but his skills to remain calm during MY not so calm moments.)

*OK, I'll admit, I was bit hard to live with during this project.

Installing the new kitchen (and bathroom!) countertops...

FINISHED PROJECT

Love It.

Love Tom.

Love my safely restored sanity.

The End.

Haircut & Blue Gatorade

2011-02-11T15:49:00.003-05:00

Here's the dude... he got a haircut yesterday. (Not his first... probably his 3rd or 4th).

He needed to check out the clippers... molding mud... and last but not least, himself. Sure, he's a bit into it... but so am I.

In other news.... we have a sickie. She is armed with Gatorade & movies.... ("Could I please have the blue kind mommy?".... "Of course my Precious Package" I say, "and could I get you a side of.... ANYTHING you want!)

Seriously, what is it about a sick child that makes a mom do anything for them? While at the same time, smelling the top of their head inhaling the same smell that has been there since the day they came into this world.

Heaven.

Sealing

2011-01-27T11:11:00.020-05:00

Icing on an already perfect cake! We had Max sealed to us last Saturday... so sweet. It couldn't have been a better morning. Even though we had to be at the temple quite early.... (The roads weren't the greatest either!) it was perfect. Such a beautiful day.

The 5 pictures below make me laugh. When we decided to take some pictures, Sue got her brush out of her purse and started brushing Isabel's hair. I knew as soon as I saw her take her brush out that the camera must come out too. You see, Isabel HATES to have her hair brushed! However, being the dutiful granddaughter, she didn't complain..... to Grammy anyway! See the look in her eyes in the first picture? Her eyes are saying "RESCUE ME!"... while I am happily snapping away!! (In the mornings we have a constant crisis after her shower.... during the whole blow drying, styling situation... so I was MORE than happy to have Grammy be the "culprit" this time!!)

Our Dad

Tom & The Punks

All the girls... (with the dude of course!)

One of my favorite shots....

I am so in love with this girl.

(See how great her hair looks!! Thanks Grammy!)

Cold!

Us girls....

FOREVER

(Did I mention that it was freezing!!)

Blessing

2011-01-27T10:33:00.028-05:00

What a special weekend we just had. Max was blessed on Friday night in our home surrounded by our friends and family.

Here he is with Tom.... kind of a look alike moment huh?

My dad said some words right before the blessing.... wonderful explanation of the significance & importance of a name & blessing. Thanks Dad.

Since he's a little older than the usual "newborn" age of doing a blessing, we decided to use the BUMBO seat. Here's Nancy Jo getting him ready.... he's not quite sure what's going on.

"Hey! Why are all of these people around me and NO ONE is holding me? Nancy Jo! Pick me back up!"

So, for obvious reasons, there isn't a picture of the actual blessing.... but here's a picture of the "great SAVE!". (Yes, we had a mini crisis during the actual blessing.)

But within seconds, all was good with the world.

"Nancy Jo, Why did you abandon me like that?"

Then, like all good "church goers", we had refreshments.

And socializing....

It was a great evening....

Santa totally delivered!

2011-01-02T20:29:00.005-05:00

We prepared for Santa.

Then we set out the treats.

He didn't disappoint.

It was a great day!

Happy New Year to all!

It's official!

2010-12-22T22:47:00.009-05:00

Today was our court hearing for the "finalization" of our adoption. It was way more emotional than I had planned on. You see, from the moment the doctor placed Max in my arms, we knew that he was OURS. However, when the Judge pronounced us the "parents of Max Thomas-Levanger Mink, I was overwhelmed with emotion. Can't explain it. Thought this would be more of a "legality" rather than a "moment". It totally caught me off guard. As he said the words, Max looked up into my eyes (I was holding him on my lap facing away from me) and smiled. Made me melt. Seriously, couldn't have been sweeter.

Then, right before he closed the hearing, he called Isabel up to his bench and handed her the gavel and asked her if she knew what it was and if she wanted to "close this hearing for her little brother". Of course she was thrilled. Just as she was about to say "court adjourned" he stopped her and said that she was "missing something". She just looked at him and was a bit nervous.... but he said "You need to wear this".... as he proceeded to take off his robe and put it on her! Couldn't have asked for a better moment.

Now we begin.... I guess today wasn't any different than yesterday or tomorrow.... but it feels different.

Sweeter.

2010-12-17T11:08:00.012-05:00

The Windy City

We just got back from an AWESOME trip to Chicago. Seriously, it was one of the best trips we've ever taken there.

We were a bit nervous about how Max would fair... HE ROCKED! It must have been the horns honking, Christmas lights, hustle & bustle of city life & caramel corn that lulled him into (3) 3-4 hour naps a day!! (And yes, his nights were great!).

Eating our way through Chicago was the hi-light of the trip! (I did turn 40 while we were there... maybe I was consoling myself?)

Garrett's Popcorn anyone? Seriously, have you tasted the stuff? I told Tom that I didn't want a birthday cake... I simply wanted FRESH Garrett's EVERY day. Too much to ask? Not when your hotel is a mere 1 block from it!

Another favorite. The Grand Lux Cafe. YUM.

Me and my kiddos on the birthday morning.

These clowns were a bit freaky. (At the Museum of Science & Industry)

Headed out for a day of shopping!

Fabulous trip. Happy Holidays!!

You want what????

2010-12-04T14:00:00.005-05:00

The tree is up, the lights are hung, Santa has been talked to (more on that in a minute) & "A Christmas Carol" has been viewed. So far we've brought in the materialistic part of Christmas.... now we can hopefully focus on the real reason we celebrate Christmas!

This year, Isabel asked Santa for crutches. Yes... crutches. (By the way, she also wants Tom to rig her up a cast to go with them.) Tom can hardly stand that she's asking for them.... I however, can totally relate to her. Having never broken a bone, I always envied the kids who did. All the signatures & attention were way too enticing for me. Now let it go on record that I do NOT want her to NEED crutches & a cast.... I merely understand her desire for them. I have outgrown my desire for these items... but as far as Isabel goes... if she's willing to use up her one wish on crutches.... more power to her! Now, I just have to figure out how to convince "Santa" that it's OK to give a perfectly healthy kid crutches.

Max was WAY more interested in Santa's beard. Couldn't stop trying to eat it in fact. I tried not to think about all of the other babies/kids that had been trying to do the same thing that day....(and the past few weeks!) AGH!

Merry Christmas!

Halloween

2010-11-09T23:24:00.009-05:00

Halloween 2010. What can I say.... We had a blast! It was one party after another.... It began with Isabel's school parade/party.

Then it continued that evening with our church's Annual Chili Cook-off.

Max wasn't sure about us spraying his hair black.... It was hard not to make his scalp look "air brushed". But we succeeded.

Tom's hair on the other hand.... not quite sure how to comment on it. So I'll let it speak for itself. (Maybe we won't do a wig next year...)

After Trick or Treating, we were definitely ready for Halloween to be over. It was a 3 day celebration around here.

Here is Lulu with some of her loot.....

It was a great weekend....

Fall Pictures

2010-10-20T10:06:00.010-04:00

Every Summer since Isabel was born, we have taken her picture with an old antique tub that Tom and I bought at an antique store YEARS ago.... Where do we take these pictures you ask? Well, we either take her into a field of hay fever causing agents, or a barn filled with "tetanus shot required" nails everywhere, or insect infested gardens... all in the name of getting "The Shot!". So this year, as you can imagine, the thought of doing it with 2 kids was a bit daunting.... and we constantly kept putting it off. Well, it started to get cold around here, and I got stressed out about not getting the "Annual Picture With The Tin Tub" taken. I know that most of you out there are saying to yourselves: "If only Maria would lighten up a little and quit being so OCD about everything, she would realize that it's not a big deal to "not get everything done that she wants to get done!" Well my friends, not today!! We did it... and we had success!! And we learned that "cold" is good.... no hayfever, insects, hot sweaty crabby Tom... (yes it's true.. he does get crabby once in awhile). The only drawback was that it was too cold to do a "naked" shot in the tin tub. (I would post Isabel's pictures from when she was a baby... but unfortunately the first 4 years of her life aren't weren't recorded on a digital camera... so I have a ton of negatives that need to be converted to digital... another day....maybe tomorrow!)

Because we took pictures of the kids separately, I didn't get any pictures of them together... maybe next week. They are usually converted to "sepia tone", but I loved the fall colors so much, I left them as is.

Happy Fall!!

2010-10-02T22:46:00.013-04:00

About a month ago, my sweet girlfriend offered to take some pictures of Max. We were delighted to accept! She came over on a slightly overcast day and took many different poses & many different settings. Despite the fact that neither Isabel or myself were prepared to be in the pictures....(Me- sans makeup... Isabel- windblown ponytail!) I loved the results!! Here are my favorites....

Labor Day Weekend

2010-09-12T20:58:00.010-04:00

We were going to go camping over Labor Day. But it rained. So we decided to spend a few days over on the coast of Lake Michigan. So fun! Thankfully the weather decided to cooperate after awhile and we ended up having a great weekend. We spent some time at Crystal Mountain playing around. They have a great alpine slide, pool, (which we didn't use!) mountain biking trails, (armor anyone?) and awesome hiking. Good times!

Then we headed over to the coast to Frankfort.... a quaint little town that Tom and I had stayed at on our 9th anniversary when I was pregnant with Isabel. We hadn't been back since then, so we decided that it was time to re-visit with the kids! (Can I just say that it still feels weird to say "kids"? Love it though!)

The weather cleared up and we were able to do some kite flying on the beach. (Which incidentally has turned into one of Tom's favorite past times... I didn't know that he even brought the kite and before I knew it, I looked over and saw he and Isabel flying it!)

Hope you all enjoyed a good holiday... here are a few pics from our weekend.

4th Grade

2010-09-08T14:23:00.006-04:00

Well, I guess it's safe to say that she's growing up. (Much to my denial... it's happening.)

She is officially a 4th Grader. This is such a bitter sweet year for me. It's the wonderful beginning of a new era in our lives (aka: MAX!), but it's also the ending of another era... no more "little girl". Seriously, she looked so grown up. I'm not sure that it's because I am comparing her to little Max, or that she is just getting older. I choose not to admit the latter.

It's just one more step closer to her leaving us. Actually, that will never happen. See, she thinks that when she goes off to college she will say her goodbyes and off she'll go... She will NEVER leave me. I know that because we will be right behind her re-locating to whatever town she chooses to attend college. What? You don't think I'm serious? I'll let her pick the town/college. I'm not that obsessed!

Anyway, 4th Grade is special... It was MY FAVORITE YEAR.... Miss Jackson, horses, living out in the country, BFF sleepovers with Tee, (peanut butter & banana sandwiches anyone?... only Tee will get that!), softball... seriously, I could go on & on.. but I won't. Let's just say that I'm very excited for her to be in 4th Grade.

She changed schools this year. She is now attending a Middle School. With yucky 5th and 6th Graders! (My sentiments.. not hers!) She was nervous... she even wanted me to wear a matching outfit with her. (That will NEVER end I'm sure.... I know what you're thinking... I AM NOT IN DENIAL!) She still let me take a TON of pictures. She even wanted me to come into her classroom after the bell rang for "One last kiss Mom". Seriously, put a fork in me, I'm done. It's just too much for me. How I love this girl.

I could go on and on... but for now, here she is in all her 4th grade glory.

Thank You

2010-09-02T16:01:00.003-04:00

I just want to send out a big THANK YOU to all of you who have helped us welcome Max to our lives! It has been a very BUSY 3 months for us.... and Tom and I have been overwhelmed at the response of all of you! We didn't realize how many wonderful people we have in our lives! When we moved here almost 15 years ago, we didn't know anyone... now we have more friends than we could ask for! I can't tell you how many people have stopped by to say hello, bring gifts, meals, etc.... THANK YOU!! (From near & far!) We count ourselves very lucky to have you! It has been so great to share our life and family with you! It has showed us who our true friends are! We are very lucky to have you!

Love,

Tom, Maria, Isabel & Max

Newport Oregon

2010-08-25T16:11:00.027-04:00

So I tried to pick just a few pictures from our recent visit to the Oregon Coast. But as you will notice it was hard to pick just a "few". So, I guess what I'm trying to say- It's ok if you get a bit "bored" as you scroll through... (Yes I'm assuming that you will look at ALL of them... :)). I do realize that they are of the trip that we took... not you... so I fully understand that they won't have the same meaning to you as they do to us... ok, ok, enough already...here goes:

Excited to see family!! Love you Uncle Erik!

On the deck of Dad's condo... right on the water!! Beautiful!

Reading....

Becky, Max & Dad at the beach....

Enjoying the sand... and waves... and starfish.. and dead crabs... should I stop?

Loving Life!

Dad & Pam...

Erik on the beach...

Flying a kite on the beach.... didn't work that day... not windy enough. But we did have success later!

No comment....

Exploring the tide pools....

Found a starfish! (I wasn't with her on this trip to the beach... so I feel that I must add that I'm pretty sure that you aren't supposed to pick the "live" ones up... so I won't include the pictures that show her holding ALL of the others.)

Too cute not to be included!

Uncle Erik being protective.... love.

Newport Aquarium...

On top of the Lighthouse... see pic below.

The Lighthouse...

Becky and me at the lighthouse...

Horseback ride on the beach. (Saw a dead sea lion...don't worry, no picture.)

Deep Sea Fishing Trip..

Eating the FRESHLY CAUGHT crab!! (Yum.... not to me... but to everyone else!!)

In the Portland airport ready to go home!

2010-08-18T14:40:00.021-04:00

Whew! July and August have almost escaped me! So much has been going on and so little time to blog! I'm going to do this in sections.... some now, and some later.

(Depending on how long I have before Max wakes up from his nap!)

Here are a few hi-lights!

A fun visit from Sue and Erik

Walked in the Relay 4 Life.... in honor of my very special friend Jodie.. xoxo.

Gazed at my handsome brother Erik....

Went canoeing down the Chippewa river...

Max had his first babysitter!!

(While I took Isabel and a friend to the pool)

Visited the Detroit Zoo...

Had a 2 month checkup!! All's well and perfect!!

Took Max to Benihana's!!

(His first of MANY dinners here!)

Lots of Growing!

Lots of Swimming!

Lots of Smiling!

So there you have the first part of my post.... We just got back from a trip to the Oregon coast. More on that later!!

XOXO

2010-07-16T22:15:00.005-04:00

I held my brother Jason for the first time in November 1975. I was almost 5 years old. We had just moved to Yorba Linda California when my mom and dad got the call that Jason had been born and was "waiting" for us.

When this picture was taken, I had no idea that my world as an "only child" was about to be rocked. In fact, what I remember most about this day was that I couldn't wait to get outside and swing on the swing-set that I had noticed walking in. However, as time went on, I began to realize how special having a little brother was. Not only was he such a cutie.... (with all that curly hair and freckles....not shown obviously!) but he was (and still is!) such a kind and gentle soul. Something that my personality often didn't know how to handle. But as time went on, I grew attached to the punk and was lucky to have him by my side when we lost our mom 6 years later.

Being adopted myself, it was easy to embrace the fact that my little brother was adopted. Of course he was... wasn't that how all families were created? Well, as we've gotten older and time has gone on, our family has grown in so many different ways... marriage, birth, adoption, etc. As a result, I was raised in an environment that taught me that families can be and are wonderfully colorful and diverse.

So as you can imagine, when we decided to adopt a baby I began to feel a sense of responsibility to teach Isabel the same principle that I had been taught about acceptance.... so as it was, I talked & talked about love, acceptance, kindness etc.... but you know what? She ended up teaching me something. Her actions were priceless when she held her baby brother for the first time. Her heart opened and enveloped him without me even having to say a word to her. I learned a very valuable lesson that day that I will forever cherish.

Love and acceptance are part of BEING a family.... period.

Mini Guido?

2010-07-10T12:30:00.013-04:00

These are disturbingly similar.

I think I shall stop blow-drying his hair.

The First 30 Days

2010-07-06T22:37:00.005-04:00

My baby is officially 1 month old today.

I had grand plans of dedicating a long post to all of his accomplishments thus far... but due to his latest accomplishment of being up 5 of the 8 hours that we USED to call a "good night's sleep"... I'm only going to give you a bit of a recap of his last 30 days of life.

Has been to 4 movies.
Has gained 2 1/2 pounds.
Has NOT gained a bald spot....score!
Survived his first sunburn....sigh. My fault.
Has traveled through 8 states in which he did the following:
Visited the Denver Children's Museum
Stopped at EVERY Chic-fil-A along the way
Been to Kearney Nebraska... which I hear is the dead center of the United States.. (so I'm told anyway.... too tired to actually check the facts... see above "latest accomplishment")
Been to Nauvoo & Carthage Jail and has seen the BYU group "Vocal Point"- which by the way- his sister was IN LOVE with and was way more excited than my baby... but alas, he was happy to let her enjoy her new found love and drank his bottle peacefully amid her bliss.
Met and charmed a TON of family & friends
Peacefully sat in a car for over 4000 miles.... OK, not much an "accomplishment", but he was such a good baby that I felt it was worth an honorable mention.
Slept through some ROCKIN 4th of July Fireworks....

So, as I stated earlier, the list could go on and on.... but alas it's 10pm and he is asleep....

So shall I be.

Peace Out.

MAX has arrived!

2010-06-19T02:01:00.010-04:00

What can I say? He is perfection.... joined by a big sister who also is perfection.

(You know the Dr. Seuss' Cat In The Hat book that has "Thing 1" and "Thing 2"? Well, we have "Perfection 1"& "Perfection 2" at our house.

(Actually, if truth be told, we have been actually calling them"Precious Package 1" & "Precious Package 2"... but that's probably more information than you care to know....) but I must warn you that the gushing has only just begun!

Here are the vital statistics....

Max arrived on June 6th at 3:35 pm

He weighed 8lb 8 oz (which he now weighs 8lbs 12 oz...) and was 20 inches long.

He passed all the tests with flying colors....

We all are in love......

More later.

Armor Boy

2010-05-29T18:19:00.016-04:00

Tom and I just began our 20th year of marriage...

To commemorate that significant event we treated ourselves to: A New Toaster.

Please don't judge us.

Here are the stats on the beast:

- It’s a Breville 4 Slice Masterpiece. (Ok, so that’s not necessarily a “stat”... it’s more of an opinion.)

- Select from five precise browning settings.

- Five push-button settings: Toast/Cancel, Lift & Look, Bagel, Defrost and "A Bit More". (Love this particular feature by the way: If you choose the “a bit more” setting once initial toasting is complete, the bread will automatically lower

to continue toasting.)

- Extra-wide slots accommodate bread, bagels and pastries.

- Lift-and-look feature allows mid-cycle adjustments.

- Audible (yet quiet and not annoying) signal indicates when toasting is complete.

- Includes a slide-out crumb tray for easy cleanup.

I can't believe that I'm bragging about our toaster .... but seriously, it rocks.

But I digress, that is NOT the reason for this post-

As I was saying... Tom and I just began our 20th year together-

...and I thought that I knew the guy... but he has shown me another side of him that I only ever so slightly saw when we lived in Boise.

What I am referring to is his re-discovery of his LOVE (and I mean LOVE) of mountain biking.

You see, last year he bought a new mountain bike. He really likes the thing.... um, I mean LOVES the thing. For example, once in awhile I find him in the garage speaking soothingly and lovingly to it on rainy or otherwise yucky days that prevent them from being able to spend time together. (I'm not kidding...)

Where was I? Oh yeah, "He loves his bike..."

It can do no wrong. Don't get me started on how it affected him when he came home with his first flat tire- .... such a let down.

The reason I am sharing this with you is to tell you about his new "accessory" that he got to go with his bike. You see, he has been on a quest to get all of the essential equipment that "completes" his new hobby. (On a little side note: I'm getting the feeling that "complete" will NEVER happen.) He has (smartly) used the past few holidays (Birthday, Christmas, Easter...etc) to get the equipment that he "needs" (He even went so far as to ask for a bike rack for St. Patricks Day.)

So, imagine my reaction when he gave me his "request" for Christmas. It went something like this:

Me: "So Tom, what do you want Santa to bring you this year?"

Tom: "I think I want some armor".

Me: "What did you say?"

Tom: "You know, armor... for mountain biking" (As he proceeds to hand me the information that he has

conveniently printed off for me to order it)

Me: "Umm... OK."

(Seriously I couldn't stop laughing when I saw the picture. Now don't get me wrong... I want him protected and safe... but this is something that completely took me by surprise.)

Well, needless to say, Santa delivered.... and as a result Christmas morning was one of pure joy for my husband of almost 20 years. (It was soooo worth it due to the fact that we adults don't get to have that type of "joy and excitement" very often anymore right?)

So, I feel that I must share some pictures of his first “outing” in his armor.

Here he is putting it on for the first time...(Outdoors that is. Trust me- he tried it on MANY times at home before actually getting to use it on some “rough terrain”)

Is it wrong that I laugh (hard) when he wears it? I can’t help myself. It’s pretty funny looking. (A look that is greatly intensified by the water pack on his back...)

However, all kidding aside, I'm glad he "errors on the safe side". (snicker-snicker.)

I love you Tom. You and your bike. And your armor. Oh, and your water pack.

Love,

Your wife of almost 20 years.

2010-05-16T23:01:00.008-04:00

For the past few months Isabel has been participating in a program called "GIRLS ON THE RUN". It is an awesome program for girls who are in 3rd-5th grade. Their mission is "to educate and prepare girls for a lifetime of self respect and healthy living."

Basically, for 2 months they met twice a week after school to "train" for a 5k and basically pump up their self image, self esteem etc. It was also a great motivator that their coaches were all cute young female students from the CMU Phyical Therapy program! (Great motivation for an impressionable 9 year old!!)

So after 8 weeks of "training", last Saturday was the big race.... what a great experience! Before the race began, there was a "hair" station where the girls could get their hair "done".... (aka: braided, pony tail, clipped up, etc... topped off with their choice of color sprayed in their hair...) Here is our girl getting her hair done:

Here is our group: (Isabel is on the lower right)

Here they are at the starting line... I'm not sure how many girls ran.... it had to be something like 500 or so. (Give or take a hundred!)

Tom and I decided to run the race with her... Since I'm not a runner, I was a bit nervous, but I thought that it would be pretty easy due to the age of the girls... (aka: I thought there would be more walking and less running....) NOT! My girl had trained harder than I had anticipated. Here are the 3 of us crossing the finish line.

Here is Isabel with her friend Hailey... (who goes to another school but attends our church). I can't say enough good about this sweet girl. She kept my girl going when she wanted to quit... and vice-a-versa. So a big shout out to Hailey!!

All in all it was such a wonderful experience. Looking forward to it next year!

Being a Mom... to this face.

2010-05-09T19:32:00.007-04:00

What can I say.....

I love being a mom.

Especially HER mom.

She is very opinionated, caring, nurturing, social, sweet...

But most of all...

she's MINE. All mine.

(OK, she's Tom's too... but for today, she's MINE).

I love her with every fiber of my being.

I love how she smells...

I love that she keeps getting more & more freckles...

I love that she's growing out her nails...

I could eat her with a spoon...

But what I love the most....

She calls me her "Mama"....

Put a fork in me... I'm done.

TUCSON

2010-04-15T21:34:00.007-04:00

ARIZONA, MY SISTER, SUN, MASSAGES, FACIALS, EATING, GLEE = FUN!!!

2010-04-08T21:05:00.002-04:00

I'm off to visit my sister in Tucson Arizona!!

Here's to lots of warm weather!!

FESTIVAL OF BANNERS

2010-04-03T22:06:00.007-04:00

We have a local organization in our town called ART REACH. I'm sure that many towns have organizations such as this one... but ours is "dedicated to cultivating interest, stirring passion and providing educational tools for the art in Mid Michigan." In 1981, several small art groups merged to create "Art Reach of Mid Michigan". With the help of local businesses and individuals, a local 100 year old church was purchased and transformed into a functional art center, complete with imaginitive programs for the community.

It is a great organization! Isabel takes numerous classes there and loves every minute of them!

Last year, Art Reach started something called "FESTIVAL OF BANNERS". One of their goals is to produce 250 banners that will be designed and painted by the citizens of Isabella County. These banners will fly on downtown street poles, on campus and other places in our town. The festival is a celebration of art and COMMUNITY SPIRIT!

So today we painted a banner..

It was a great day.

HAPPY EASTER

MAKES CENSUS TO ME!

2010-03-18T14:07:00.002-04:00

We've filled out our census form!! Have you? This is the first time in my adult life that I have taken the time to fill it out... (no, I'm not proud of this fact!) It took 30 seconds. A bit anti-climactic, but still exciting. 3 in this household... plus a dog and fish. Here we are about to put it in the mailbox. Go fill yours out.... then go have lunch at Subway.. or not.. maybe you're a Wendy's kind of person... Either way, fill out your CENSUS!!

2010-03-14T19:25:00.028-04:00

It's been awhile since I've posted. There have been a lot of things going on in our lives. First and foremost.... we sold our condo! Woo Hoo!! We have been packing, organizing, stressing... etc. Not sure if we are going to build, buy or rent.... we'll see. But in the meantime, we are putting one foot in front of the other and trying to enjoy the ride! Besides, there are way too MANY other exciting things going on to worry about ... but we'll address those at a later date... in the meantime, here are a few pictures of Isabel.

Happy St. Patricks Day!!

Here's Isabel after seeing CATS at our local High School.... she was inspired.

Not sure what's going on here....

New Glasses....sweet right?

Too cute not to include.

2010-02-14T10:42:00.004-05:00

Things I love.....

I find it fitting on this day of LOVE to sit down and record the things I am so fortunate to have in my life......

tom & isabel... man I love those two.

kraft mac & cheese

sue... she saved me this weekend.

my sister

dad.... amen

my brothers

(even though they're both a couple o' punks!)

bath & body works lip gloss

my MANY wonderful friends....

(and trust me, after the past 2 weeks...I now realize that I have A LOT of them)

good health

isabel's excellent teachers

snow....

(that's hard in the middle of february to admit... but I really do love the stuff)

my dog... he is seriously cute.

God (thought I better capitalize that one!)

greek yogurt

(thanks michelle for hooking me up!)

my in laws... yeah- you heard me right!

my bed... oh do I love my bed.

tom's goatee

my kitchen aid mixer

(although I REALLY want the new candy apple red one)

the candy that sue brought back from sweden

point break....

(yup... the one with patrick swayze and keanu reeves...)

pajama pants

lancome renergie night time moisturizer

tom in scrubs

black eyeliner

bleu cheese... man do I LOVE that stuff.

norah jones

the list goes on and on and on..... this has been a good exercise in helping me realize that there are a lot of good things in the world....

WHAT DO YOU LOVE?

2010-01-11T22:30:00.008-05:00

Look who turned nine

She thinks she's so fine...

Who am I to argue with that

Especially when she's wearing

such a cute hat.

Sorry for the gushing,

I'll try to make this quick

I could eat her with a spoon....

Please don't think I'm sick.

2010-01-08T20:09:00.002-05:00

Here is a little slide show from our recent trip to New York. We had an absolute blast!! (Despite our flight cancellation due to the MAJOR snow storm that hit the east coast right before Christmas!) Tom had a medical conference that he attended... but still had time for some great food, shows and fun! (Due to his conference, Isabel and I dominate most of the pictures! Sorry!!)

2010-01-03T19:37:00.010-05:00

OK, so I totally know that MOST people wouldn't even consider posting these pictures of themselves..... but I guess I'm not like "most" people.... (no comments please!)

However, they make me laugh....

HARD.

So I figured that I'd ring in the New Year with them.

Enjoy..... at our expense!

2009-12-24T21:21:00.007-05:00

Here is a girl who is MORE than ready for Santa to come.....

Here is a family who would like to take a family picture (including the animals...) for Christmas Eve... Not everyone is cooperating.

(I'm referring to the dad, dog and BOTH cats!)

Here is the final result... sans the animals.

Merry Christmas All!!

Love, The Minks

2009-12-14T21:25:00.010-05:00

Happy Holidays to everyone! I have been wanting to update our blog for awhile now..... but as usual, December has kept us very busy!! So far, Isabel had a recital, I had a birthday and Tom has switched jobs. YIKES! (More on that later.....)

The above picture was taken yesterday when Isabel and I drove to Toledo to meet Sue and Peg for lunch. We had a great time.... but may I say how odd it was to see Santa and Mrs. Clause in a mexican restaurant. However, we couldn't pass up an opportunity to record the moment. Here's a picture of us with Mrs. Clause included: (I'm not sure why I'm trying to take Santa's arm off.)

Here is a picture of Isabel right before her piano recital:

After her recital was over, we got our Christmas tree:

Here's what it looks like in our living room. It's our favorite Christmas tree yet!

This year Isabel was big enough to join me on my annual "Baking Day" with my girlfriend Nancy and her mom. (By the way Nancy, we really should come up with a better name than "Baking Day"....) Here's a pic or two of that event:

I didn't mean for this post to be so long.... but there is our month so far.

We are leaving for New York on Thursday morning for some "City Holiday Spirit". (Tom has a conference... so Isabel and I get to tag along!) We plan on seeing a couple of plays while we are there.... should be a great trip!

I hope all is well with everyone and that you enjoy a safe and happy holiday!!

2009-11-27T21:30:00.002-05:00

Well, the time has come for the in-laws to leave. Actually, they already left.... this morning. After a wonderful 2 months, the time came to say goodbye. For those of you who have seen the movie The Blind Side, there is a part where Sandra Bullock's character has to say goodbye to her son.... she does this by patting him on the arm and then simply walking away. Thus avoiding any tears or outward display of emotion that may be too hard to handle for the drive home. WELL.... that is exactly what happened here in Mt Pleasant Michigan last night. Tom said goodbye to his mom and she did exactly that same thing. Well.... I wasn't going to let her get away that easily! First, I called her out on her business and and then I squeezed her until she could hardly take another breath and made her face her emotions. OK, so maybe I'm exaggerating a bit... but that's pretty much how it happened! We had a great time and hope to do it again soon..... (aka: in another few years....are you listening Todd and Teri??? It's your turn next!)

Speaking of Teri..... we were lucky enough to have her (and her husband Steve) here for Thanksgiving this year! They came to spend the holiday with us and to then drive home with Tom's mom and dad. (Isabel made the above place-cards for Thanksgiving dinner.)

I hope you all had a great holiday.... we sure did. We have so many friends and family that we are thankful for... Thank you to all of you who add so much to our lives.

2009-11-20T16:20:00.002-05:00

MEXICO..... just the two of us.

This my friends is one of the the benefits of having the in-laws visit.

2009-11-02T13:50:00.006-05:00

Well, Halloween is over and WHEW are we glad! We did NOT have "Halloween friendly" weather this year.....but that's ok, Isabel had a great time trick-or-treating.... not to mention that Tom and I were in charge of her class party...too fun! She has a great teacher this year and she let us have free reign! (Which for some might be really scary!) Here are a few pictures of the events.

We decided to be vampires..... it is the rage this year you know.

2009-10-28T21:49:00.007-04:00

3 Days before Halloween we decided to get our pumpkins.

BAD IDEA

There were none to be had.... OK, at least none that weren't moldy, mushy or rotten.

So here we all are at the pumpkin patch trying to have a Michigan Fall "experience".

Here are the following things that I learned:

Lesson # 1: Go at least 1 week before Halloween to pick out pumpkins.

(Preferably 2 weeks)

Lesson #2: Take a picture of the in-laws when they're least expecting it.... like when you tell them that they will be carrying the moldy pumpkins home on their laps in the car.... then HURRY AND SNAP THE SHOT!

(I've learned this from lots of "trying" to get a smile out of them... for proof, see previous posts!)

Lesson #3: Always take a picture of your husband and his dad.... it's priceless.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

2009-10-24T14:39:00.003-04:00

Now this is what I'm talkin' about! Woo Hoo! She's earning her keep.... ok, I guess that she doesn't really need to "earn her keep" due to the fact that she's not even staying with us.... but shhhh.... let's let well enough alone!

2009-10-18T20:48:00.003-04:00

Well, there has been a lot happening around here....

OK, so not a WHOLE lot... just a lot with Grandma and Grandpa.

Below is a picture of Isabel and Grandpa burning leaves at the lake where Allen and Lou are staying.

Every year Tom and I complain about the constant raking that we have to do at our property at this time of year.... well this year I think Allen and Lou feel our "pain". Everyday they tell us how they "rake the leaves... but within minutes they are back!"

It's been a great Michigan experience for them!!

(By the way, does anyone else feel that they are standing a bit too close to the fire????)

Here is Lou with Isabel and a friend on the school bus on the way to a field trip.

May I just say how COLD it was that day!

(Again.... another "Michigan" experience)

We went to a state park on the coast of Lake Huron.... it was a "nature walk" and we even ate lunch outside....(not my idea of the best field trip... but it was fun nonetheless....)

2009-10-08T19:16:00.007-04:00

Tom has been waiting for this day for a long time!

Ever since we got our tandem bike he has said that he would like to take his dad on a ride.... (with a giggle in his voice I might add!)

Unfortunately EVERY day since Allen and Lou have arrived Tom has had to work... (lucky me), but starting today, he is on a 4 day stretch off.... so he felt the need to cram a lot in today.... (aka.... fishing license, bike ride, Dr. Apptointment for his mom.... etc..) nonetheless, here they are.... soooo funny!

I happened to be at Isabel's school helping out when this escapade began....

I had NO idea that it was going to happen today.... here's what I saw on my drive home:

here's what else I saw:

looks like all's well.... until he dismounted.

(Don't worry, I won't post that picture!)

They survived......see! They are still dancing!!

2009-10-04T20:15:00.001-04:00

THEY'RE HERE!!

What to do with them??? Well, today we put the top down on the convertible and went and got ice-cream! Sure, it was 57 degrees.... but it serves them right for coming to Michigan in October!! Haha! Just kidding.... just look at their faces... don't they look happy? Every time I look at this picture I giggle....

2009-09-25T08:18:00.003-04:00

Just some clips of our llife "before the in-laws descend upon us for 2 MONTHS!"..... all in fun Allen and Lou! 'Can't wait for you to get here!