Crazy Christmas Season

We have been gone every night this month.  It was wonderful to have a few hours at home on Sunday afternoon!  We got the handprints painted on the tree skirt and some baking done!
Monday and Tuesday are swimming lessons.
Wednesday is church.  Last week we went caroling in an assisted living home.  This week is caroling outside while the kids attend GEMS and Cadets.
Anika had her school Christmas concert - both band and choir.  Her choir did a small musical called Snow Biz. It was cute.

Friday, Matt and I actually went out for supper - together.  We are trying our best to reinstate monthly date night now that the kids can stay home for a few hours without us.  They were even all in bed when we came home!  Not asleep, but in bed!
Saturday Anika had her basketball season ending tournament.  And her team won first place. She played really well - its always fun to watch!

After the game, we headed off to Grand Rapids for another adventure with Aunt Kathy.  We attended the Calvin College Wind Ensemble Christmas Concert which was very good.  Then took the kids to their first experience with the West Michigan restaurant - Russ'.  Finally we stopped off at a live nativity outdoor show which included indoor crafts and snacks. Good times!

Sunday morning was the kids' Christmas program.  Our church partners with another church for youth programs (youth group, GEMS, Cadets, etc) and we joined them for their Christmas program this year.
Sunday evening we went to a light show at a local strip mall after making several types of cookie.
And now, we start it all over again!

After GEMS and Cadets we went to another local light show - where the lights are computer synced to Christmas music.  Very fun to watch.

Its beginning to look at lot like Christmas

This is a random post of all the little improvements that have been going on in our home!

Matt recently painted most of the trim and hung up hooks for the outdoor Christmas lights.  Once we got it all set up and borrowed ladders from the neighbors, it was quick job getting everything hung up.  And I bought a timer at Menards so I don't have to go outside to turn anything on.  Super bonus!

This is what the house looked like before the trim was painted - I like it the new way!

We had heard about the local high school's Christmas concert. Its the largest Singing Christmas Tree in the US.  I guess they were even in the USA Today on Saturday.  And now we can say we've seen it! There are youtube videos if you are really curious. Mona Shores Singing Christmas Tree. Our neighbor is a senior in high school and she is about seven rows down on the right - I'm sure you can spot her!  It was a neat concert, but it was long.  After the concert we drove to the Jingle Bell Parade in Grand Haven. We were late and there were TONS of people so no candy or chicken soup or free handouts.  Somewhat of a bust in the kids' minds, but such is life.  Not every adventure can be a home run.

The Christmas tree is up as well as the mantle - made by Matt.  We all watched Polar Express together and  we watched Elf this week.

I bought three chairs for our counter from Craigslist.

I had this open space in the laundry room that I really didn't understand.  What was it for?  What was I supposed to put in this space?  Then, I saw a brilliant picture on someone's facebook page of something they had seen on Pinterest.  I can't stand Pinterest, but I love the ideas others find there that I can copy and now Matt has made lovely rungs for me to hang the laundry baskets.  So very cool and handy and yes I need to do the laundry - the baskets are full!

Our outdoor Christmas lights all lit up.

Spirit Week

The kids had spirit week at school last week:
Monday was hat day - they adorned themselves with elf and santa hats.  Except Jessica, she took Matt's Chicago Bears hat.  Her teacher is a Vikings fan (I love her) and the Bears had just beaten the Vikings so Jessica decided to rub it in a little.  Although if the Vikings win, the teacher gives each kid in class 5 extra tickets, so she does like it when the Vikings win.
Tuesday was pajama day.
Wednesday was favorite sports team day.  Maria wore MN Twins, all the other three wore Chicago Bears apparel.
Thursday was crazy hair day - this should say it all.

Friday was school colors day.  The mascot is the Spartans yet the colors are blue and gold. Its a confused MI school! =)

Bentleyville

I am able to add pictures - at least for now, so I added two pictures to my Thanksgiving post a few days from a few days back.

Now, for this post.

You should all know by now how much I love a good adventure.  We were able to fly to MN and back because of my job at the airport.  Our last hurrah.  The kids got to experience what it is like to fly above the clouds. It was cold and gray in Muskegon, but above the clouds was a beautiful sunny day.  They thought that was cool.  I couldn't get us into Minneapolis because the flights were full, but I could get us into Duluth.  So off to Duluth we flew.  Our good friends met us there and we packed 7 kids into the van and off we went.  Adventures awaited.  We decided to stop at the end of the pier at a park I remembered from two summers back.  I remembered this really cool pirate ship park.  We drove for a long time and finally found the park, which was much cooler in my memory than in real life, but it did provide a place to swing and climb for a bit. It was getting dark so we decided to head out and find some food.  Crossing back over the bridge we saw all these Christmas lights.  A few of the kids asked to drive by it, so why not, another adventure.  Turns out we happened upon Bentleyville.  What is Bentleyville?  Well, I'm glad you asked.  I had to ask the volunteers myself. You pay $5 to park and then you walk through this lighted town.  Its along the bay in Duluth, right by the aquarium, along the walking path.  They have set up little houses to stop at and everything is lights.  There are bridges and dinosaurs, and lawn ornaments and you name it, they built it and lit it up. The centerpiece is a tower shaped like a Christmas tree and the lights are computer connected to the music that is playing.  The first stop along the path is for cookies and hot chocolate.  The next hut has popcorn.  The third hut gives you marshmallows on a stick and has several outdoor camp fires to roast them on.  Then you can visit Santa in his house, then you can visit Mrs. Claus and she gives you a candy cane.  We stopped at all the huts, except Santa, and all the goodies were free! =)  It was a great adventure.  We were cold, but it was fun!  Thanks guys!

The centerpiece tree

The bridge in the back ground

rockin with Santa

car troubles

Our van has been possessed since we purchased it.  It has always wanted to pull to the right.  We would get it aligned, and it would still pull.  We got steering columns, rack and pinions, tie rods, you name it, we've changed it, and it still pulled.  I went to have the tires rotated and balanced and they wouldn't do it because the tires were so badly worn in one spot.  They suggested a place I go to, and get it looked at.  So, off I went.  And I explained my whole saga to them.  They assured me that they had the right equipment and the right people on staff - some more than 20 years - that could get my van running smoothly again.
I am pleased to announce that they accomplished their goal.  It wasn't cheap, but I can drive my van STRAIGHT again!  IA here we come for the family Christmas party!
We found out from someone at church later that we went to the most expensive place in town.  I don't even care, they fixed it!  But we know where to go now!  Matt got his breaks fixed at the place suggested by the guy from church and I am got some fluids flushed there. I also received a new radiator and a cellanoid, whatever the heck that is, so hopefully I'm good.  They say things break in threes, I wish I had been keeping count since we moved into this house.  I'd like to know which multiple of three we are on!
Never a dull day in MI!

Whitefish fishing

Matt and a friend took Brandon Whitefish fishing a two weeks ago. I waited to post so I could give a picture!  They are fairly large fish that live in Lake Michigan and spawn in the rivers.  They run through the channels in schools late at night.  This beauty was caught around 9 PM.  I wasn't there but I will give you the information to the best of my knowledge.  They run in large schools and are attracted to shiny spinners.  No bait is necessary but you are only allowed to keep the fish if it actually takes the hook.  You cannot snag a fin, or a tail or something like that.   From what I understand, there were 10 fish caught that night, but only one was allowed to be kept (Brandon's).  All the others were snags.  There are so many fish that they literally get their fins stuck in the hook.  Isn't that crazy!  And I guess, if you catch a fin or a tail, they can put up quite the fight while being reeled in.  Nice work buddy!

Funny family time

I had to write these down somewhere so I would remember them. I'm sure in years to come, my kids will kill me for this, but right now, its too cute to pass up.
Anika told me on the way home from school yesterday that she was the second runner up in the geography bee for her class.  The first thought that ran through my head was 'how can any child of mine even be in the top ten?' but I let that pass. I am fairly geographically challenged as far as the world is concerned. I am great with directions and maps, just don't ask me where are any countries in Africa or South America!
So, she goes on to explain at supper that they had taken a geography test to see who would be in the school geography bee.  There were six students who all got the same score - she was one of them.  So they had their own little geography bee in their classroom with those six students.  At the end of six rounds, places 1, 2, 5, and 6 had been determined, but Anika and another classmate were still in the running for 3rd or 4th.  The teacher was tired of spending most of the morning on geography, so those places were determined by a coin flip.  Anika chose tails 'because it never fails'.... well, it failed.  So, she is officially 4th place in the 6th grade class and the second runner up.  On the day of the geography bee, if both the first and second place students fail to show up, Anika is on.  I'm not holding my breath, and neither is she, but it was a funny story!

Jessica also came home with a sheet of paper in which she had to write about what she would do with $100.  She had to give it away to a person or to a charity.  Her first choice was her best friend back in MN, but I persuaded her otherwise.  I first had to explain what a charity was, and then I gave her about ten examples:  Operation Christmas Child, Feed my starving Children, Kids Against Hunger, American Cancer Society, Susan G. Komen, etc.  She first decided she wanted to do Susan G. Komen and talk about our friend that had breast cancer and squirting people walking on the 3 - day walk.  So I was having her tell me what she was going to write and she stopped and looked up with her big eyes as only she can and said 'wait, I want to give the money to the parsonage.'  My first thought was, little xxxx, wants to somehow keep the money herself. Thankfully I didn't say that out loud, but asked some questions.  I tried to figure out if she meant where we lived in Grand Haven, or to the pastors that live in the house, or to the church.  We had explained to the kids when we lived in the parsonage in Grand Haven that they kept that house for people who didn't have a place to stay, like us... pastors, missionaries, etc.  So, I was grasping that maybe she had remembered that and wanted to give it to someone like that.  'No mom, to the kids that don't have dads or moms.'  OHHHHHHH big smile, hidden chuckle.  'You mean orphanage' (me)  'Yes, how do you spell that anyway?' (her)  So we got the paper written.  At the end, she has to say what she wants them to do with the money.  I suggested food, clothes, toys, books....... but she came up with the best one:  LOVE.  She said she wants them to use the money to hire more people so the kids have someone to love them.  Then she decided she wanted to go and work in an orphanage some day so she could love all the kids that lived there.  How sweet is that.

Symphony

We were gifted with two tickets to the West Michigan Symphony on November 11.  It was a wonderful concert.  Great music and several of the pieces had ballet accompanying it from the Joffrey Ballet.  We were in the balcony at the Frauenthal and had great seats.  Sadly, from working so much those weeks, we were exhausted and fought sleep through the darkness, warmth and soothing music.  But, it was very enjoyable and good to get some culture!

A weekend to give thanks

I was given the message that I have used my quota for pictures on my blog - this was a scary message -  but best I can tell, I have a certain quota for one year and then it renews.  Hopefully that is true - then, in a few days, I will add our Thanksgiving feast picture to the end of this post.  One year.
Which brings around what I was doing one year ago today.  As I am writing this, we were driving here, to Michigan, for the last time, or first time, depending on how you look at it.  We left one home to make a new one.  One year ago today, I was driving, through rain and tears, we arrived safely at our destination.  This blog is proof of all the heartaches and joys that one family experiences in one years time.  I am often asked 'How are you doing?'  or 'Does it feel like home yet?'.  I never really know how to answer.  We are fine, we are blessed. We have clothes, food and a warm beautiful home.  Home feels like home.  Its nice to have your own bed and a place to walk in and dump your stuff until tomorrow.  A place to hang Christmas lights and make memories.  So, yes, those things are happening and make this more like home.
We went back to MN for Thanksgiving.  We have been celebrating Thanksgiving in the same way with the same people for 4 or 5 years.  It was funny listening to the kids tell us what we were going to do on Thursday because we had to, it was tradition.  Cue Fiddler on the Roof.  We did all those things and then some, and laughed and smiled and cried and laughed some more.  I love that I can drop my kids off in several different homes/situations and they just take off as though they never missed a day.  I love to see the hugs my kids give the adults that they miss in their lives.  I hate the heartache in their voices when they ask to move back.  I was asked several times to move back, by both my children and by the people they visited.  Its hard to be back there, to see life go on, to miss it. Its hard to come back here, to see life go on, to wonder.  But yet, its all so good.  No I did not mean also good.  I meant ALL so good.  We love MN and our family/friends there.  We love visiting them.  We love it when they visit us.  We are asked what are favorite things here are and sometime its hard to have an answer, but we do always have the beach, and the beach day with friends.  We have jobs, and a school, and much to be thankful for.  A video we saw on Thanksgiving morning reminded us to be thankful where we are.... for sight, for hearing, for feet to walk, and if you don't have those things - which many people don't - be thankful for the right here right now.  There was an open microphone in the church that morning.  Jessica asked if she could go forward and talk.  I told her to go for it.  You have to understand, this girl loves the stage and the opportunity to hold a microphone.  She got up there and said 'I am thankful I am back in MN again.'  Much of the church got a kick out of that one!  I can look back to where we were a year ago, and see all that we have learned and found and hold on to and be ever so thankful I have another day to count my blessings.

kids eat first

bowling, part of the tradition

SkyZone

A few weeks ago we had a planned family fun night.  Friends from MN were coming to Grand Rapids to celebrate the opening of a new SkyZone!  Its a trampoline park and oh so very much fun.  It is owned by someone that attended Faith CRC as a child and is now all grown up and lives in GR.  His two sisters and nephew and niece came out for the Grand Opening and invited us to come along.  It ended up that I had to work, but they let me leave early and we had two hours of jumping and eating and a whole lot of fun!

the foam pit

The big jump area

one of the dodgeball courts

Family pictures and fun in the leaves

I have been looking for someone to take our family pictures in earnest for around 3 months - longer just casually. I have been on facebook, craigslist, email, you name it, its been on my mind and I have been hunting: sending out inquiries and waiting for responses.  Don't get me wrong, there are lots of talented people willing to take our pictures, but for a small fortune, and I wasn't ready to pay that much for the memory.  I sat down at facebook one night and noticed someone's picture of a sunset. I thought I'd ask if she took pictures for fun, or if she would be willing.  Turns out she does take pictures as a side job, had openings in her schedule, was very reasonably priced, and would give me a CD with all the pics and the copyright to print them as I wished.  The kicker?  She is Matt's secretary at church.  Talk about searching for something right under my nose. Maybe next time I should mention to Matt what I am doing.  He knew she did this a long time ago.  CRAZY!
Anyway, I knew which park I wanted to go to and I had an idea of a few pictures I wanted taken.  We made a plan of when to go and she took her daughter Jessica along with as well.  My children adore Jessica and she had some great ideas of shots to take and she helped carry all our coats!  It was a fun but very crazy time.  We went to a park down the road that was COVERED in leaves and fallen trees with a path out to the beach.  The kids were running up and down the dunes, finding places they wanted their picture taken and poor Holly just had to run all over after them to shoot!  All in all, we were gone about 1 1/2 hours and it was pretty successful.  Thanks Quantum Red Photography!
We went back the next day just so the kids could run and play and be crazy.  They miss playing in the leaves so this was a perfect time to run, jump, slide, throw and pretend to be Tarzan.  They had been begging to rake leaves for anyone!  They would seriously point out homes that needed their leaves raked as we drove around town asking me to stop so they could rake and then play.  The park offered a wonderful place to slide down hills in leaves, jump in leaves, throw leaves.... you name it!

the tarzan rope

beautiful park

the shed

Matt spent many nights the months of September and October reffing high school soccer games in the area.  We cashed each check and saved it up until it could be turned into wood and nails!  The project of the shed began the last week of October. It started with Matt's dad coming to town with the truck making it possible to get all the stuff from Menard's to our home.  The first day they got the floor built.  Day 2 brought lots of rain.  Did I mention that for the last 3 weeks we have had only two or three 24 hour periods that it HASN'T rained.  I never was ready to build an ark because there is so much sand here is just disappears, but there is still LOTS of rain!

Anyway, since it was raining, Matt and his dad worked in the basement framing in the bedroom down there.

Wednesday dawned a bit sunnier and warmer.  My parents showed up to help also, so the three men spent the day building and got quite far.  The week got colder but they kept working.

By Saturday evening, it was a full shed with a roof, but the shingles didn't quite get finished - they ran out of nails.  Monday morning they finished up the shingles and the shelves inside and then my parents left, also.  Now it just needs some siding, but we've already got stuff inside and the garage looks beautiful without all the stuff in it! Nice job guys!

completed - but not finished

Halloween

the witch, the unicorn, the tree frog, and the ballerina

Halloween was a highly anticipated evening - but not necessarily with excitement.  In years past, the kids run off the school bus, get their costumes on, and we spend the next few hours with our neighbors.  So, this year, they kept asking what we were going to do.  Could we go back to MN?  I kept telling them that I thought it would be best if we made new memories in our neighborhood.  We were asked to join some friends for trick or treating in another neighborhood, but I had to work, so Matt and the kiddos hit up our neighborhood.  And oh my, were they successful!

It was cold and rainy (thank you Sandy), but they were not to be dissuaded.  That morning at work, my boss asked me when trick or treating was that night.  I was very confused and told him so.  He explained that there are set hours in each suburb that trick or treaters are allowed out.  We had a good laugh over the silent dog whistle that blew that only trick or treaters could hear.  I looked it up on our city's website, and sure enough: 6 - 8 PM were trick or treating hours. CRAZY!

But, our clan hit up the church around the corner early.  Apparently, they didn't get the memo and they started their trick or trunk at 5 PM.  So, off the troop went to the church around 5:30, then they could hit up the houses on our circle on the way back.  They came home having found a house just a few doors down that gave out KING size candy bars.  They were quite pleased.  Brandon and Matt warmed up and went out again and hit the next two streets over.  By the time I got home, they had created the Daddy and Mommy 'tax bucket' for us with agreements that when the bucket ran out, we could raid their stashes.  Good stuff.

All in all, they were quite happy with the evening and definitely made some new memories.

Maria is 6

My baby is 6.  Does every mom remember every morning their kids were born and what they were doing at that exact moment however many years ago?

Maria has been quite the addition to our home.  Her smile and giggle are contagious.  She is quite competitive and there are no words to describe her stubbornness.  As a youngest, she WILL be heard, no matter how long or loud she has to say it until someone acknowledges her.  She has issues with clothes - the sleeves and pants need to be tight on her ankles and wrists.  She rolls over her pants waist so it feels just right.  There are about 5 outfits she wears over, and over and over again.  She loves to play with dolls and pretend just about anything. She could (and does) spend hours every day just coloring. She is great at the game Memory and keeps up with her siblings in pretty much everything.  I guess that describes a youngest. They do anything they can do to keep up.  She's reading, writing, trying to add and spell and do all the things the big kids, do.  She's a completely different child in a group than she is one on one.  But for today, we are glad we have our 6 year old Maria.  Happy Birthday baby!  I asked her who her friends were - and she told me 'everyone in my class.'  I asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up - 'A normal mom. Y'know, the kind that stay home and do nothing all day.'  Nice.  At least that's better than what I thought she meant.  I figured she wanted to be a normal mom, unlike me - the crazy one.

We have a few traditions on birthdays.  They get streamers hung on their door. They get to choose the meals.  There is a scavenger hunt for their presents.  Candles.  They get to use a special plate and cup.

The menu for the day was donuts for breakfast and clam chowder for supper.  She wanted chicken noodle hotdish for lunch, but since she was at school, I made that for supper the next night.  She also wanted a chocolate layer cake like you see on the box, but she wanted a toy on top.  So I made a bowl cake, cut it in half, and put chocolate mousse frosting in between and on top.  Barbie was a bit too tall for the dress but we just kept piling on the mousse until she was fully covered. It wasn't professional - but it worked.  And capturing Maria licking the mousse off Barbie's plastic wrapped legs was priceless.  I haven't made birthday cake in quite a few years.  None of the kids really like cake, so we usually just make brownies or candy cane pie or get some really yummy ice cream!

Maria has been begging for an American Girl Doll for years.  Before we left MN, I found an Emily on Craigslist and asked a friend to pick it up for me.  She totaled her van in the process but we got Emily and about 5 outfits. (It was a snowy, icy day - but I still feel guilty!) So, a year later, the doll is hers!

reading the clues to Sunday's scavenger hunt

the scavenger hunt rewards

she wanted chocolate layered cake with a toy - wahla - barbie dress

birthday breakfast

birthday scavenger hunt

scavenger hunt rewards

Me and my Emily