Ludington State Park

Another adventure with Aunt Kathy.
Every year, Aunt Kathy and Aunt Mary go for a hike in Ludington State Park, and this year, Maria and I were invited to come along.  I am hoping soon that I can take the rest of the family. It was a great hike.
The morning started out with a crabby girl. I had to physically carry her to the car - she was so determined that she did not want to go on a hike.  By the time we arrived, she was much more interested in the surroundings and the prospects of what could be seen.
Her mission became to collect as many leaves as possible.  She had quite the collection.  We stopped in a little hut and had hot dogs over the fire for lunch.  We saw swans and gophers and pet a dog.  After lunch, Maria's mission was to stay in front.  We covered the last half of the trail pretty quickly because she ran a bunch of it. She would stop for a picture in a tree and then run to get back up in front.
After the hike we went to the river to see if we could see any salmon jumping - but there was no luck on that one.  Then we went to the House of Flavors - an ice cream shop with possibly 40 different flavors.  It was amazing!  We drove by the Ludington ferry - a rather large boat - on the way home.  I found out the next day that the Muskegon fairy had been canceled due to high wind and waves so I wondered if the Ludington ferry was docked as well!
It was a great day making another memory.  Brandon was the most jealous -'I love being in nature' was his response.  I promised him I would take him on a hike as soon as we could!
The funny part was, after coming home, showing off the leaves, and throwing the leaves out.... a few days later she was given the assignment from school to go on a hike, collect leaves and make a chart telling what colors her leaves were.  We went on a bike ride around the neighborhood and collected more!

trying hard to get a red leaf, they ended up picking one off the ground instead of getting wet

hot dogs in a hut

Maria's leaf collection

Maria stopped at many a tree for a picture

home sweet home

gopher face

working hard to stay in the lead

Another day of rockets

We went out for another day of rockets.  The pumpkin went up, the parachute opened, and it landed beautifully.  We also saw a flamingo take flight, but its parachute didn't work, so I'm not sure this flamingo will live to fly another day.  We also saw rocket gliders for the first time and that was a fun new thing.  It was cold, but not too windy.  Dr Mike was going to shoot off his BIG one, but we had to leave so I could go to work.  Maybe next time.

Brandon, Jessica and Anika are all now official members of the rocket club. Something about how the more members they have the more points they get in the national scoring, now, with our three I think they are up to 12 members.  Which meant our kids could enter one of the competitions.  We decided later that was a bad idea as now going to shoot off rockets is a competition and not just a fun little activity.  The goal was to be in the air closest to 50 seconds.

Brandon's first one taking off - about 15 seconds

Jessica's ready to go - she was 48 seconds

Anika's on the pad - she went 24 seconds

Brandon has already purchased a new rocket and engines and has plans to change the parachute size.  He can't be beat by his sisters.  I reminded him that he was first and they figured out what to do from watching him.  Now we have to figure out when the next time is that they can compete.

More of MN comes to MI

We had visitors again! Its always so much fun to bring a little of MN here.  Warms my heart, although, the days after they are gone are always hard.

The Hubers showed up in church and took us all by surprise.  Anika's face was priceless as she was trying to  process who they were and why she knew them but why were they here in our church.  You could see the wheels spinning and the AHA moment when the light bulb turned on!  They came over for lunch and we thoroughly enjoyed the visit.  That morning I felt like I should make extra, so I did, but I even said out loud to myself that I didn't know why I was doing it, we were just going to have lots of leftovers!  God knew! =)

The next day we met the Breems for lunch at a little restaurant.  Again, it was a great time of talking and catching up!  Thanks for bringing the lamp!  The kids didn't get in on this visit, but Matt and I enjoyed the time.

Anyone is welcome to come and visit.  We are learning more things all the time.  If you come during the summer we can do the beach and ice cream. Two of our favorites!

Grandparents Day

My parents came out for Grandparents day at school the first Wed in October.  The kids were SUPER excited to see them and to have official grandparents around for awhile and the special day.  Both parents were here, but mom had the camera so she's the only one who gets face time!

Anika, her teacher Mrs. Morrison, Grandma

Mrs Menefee, Jessica, Grandma

Brandon's project was to make pumpkins from 7 circles

Maria and Grandma

Maria's teacher is the granddaughter of the Sioux Center Halls and the niece of the MN Halls that I used to live with.  She LOVES Miss Hall!
I worked most of the week, my parents babysat and cleaned and hauled kids around, and Maria got to go with them to Art Prize in Grand Rapids. Its a huge art show all over town.  They had a great time.

sunsets

It is fun to be somewhere that we can enjoy sunsets again.  That is one of the things I love about NW IA.  You can always see the sunset.  Wide open sky!
Here the sky isn't as wide open, but the sunsets are amazing.  There are often clouds and they turn every shade of pink and purple all over the sky.  We missed tonight's and I guess it was a good one.  Oh well, maybe tomorrow.  The sun often peeks out just before setting and its just beautiful.  Its really something when you are at the beach and it dips behind the water.
I wish I could send you a picture, but I'm usually at the airport at this gorgeous moment.  Maybe next month I'll be able to catch one because I'll be home!

Our hearts still hurt for MN.  Just tonight, Brandon said to me that when he goes to sleep, he still thinks we are just here for a visit, and when he wakes up we'll go home.  Hope is a powerful emotion.  I'm sure it helps him sleep.  Don't get me wrong, God planned for our family to be here, and Matt is in his glory - loving his job, which is an amazing thing. Its just that our hearts still hurt sometimes.  Brandon told me MN will always be home - I have to agree with him.

I'm working on the MN books I had planned on giving the kids for Christmas last year.  Maybe it will happen this year.  I have the pictures uploaded to Shutterfly - now just to put them all together!

The Job Saga

Never a dull moment around here.
I should be in Denver right now.  I was supposed to fly to Denver on Oct 7 and stay until Oct 27 for computer training for my job at the airport.  United owns a DOS based computer program that is over 20 years old, but they own it, so they pay no rights or rental or anything on it.  Its rather antiquated but it works.  Needless to say, I should have paid more attention in my 7th grade computer camps.  Think blinking blip on a green computer screen and you seriously have what I work with at the airport.  I tend to do very little and work in the Windows section, but I was supposed to learn all the ins and outs.  Interestingly, I put all the dates on our calendar in pencil, as though I knew it could be easily changed.
We had an intricate plan on when everyone was coming to see me in Denver, meeting up in MN, having people meet in O'Hare to transfer kids on different weekends. It was crazy, but we had it down.  Actually, that's the saddest part of the whole deal for me. I wanted to see Denver, show the mountains to my kids, and have my cousin take our family pictures.  But, such is life.
The week before I was set to leave, my boss at the Y started talking to me about taking on more hours.  One of the other girls in our office is taking a different job and they need more help.  I wasn't sure what I thought of it all.  Then, at soccer practice, a teammate of Anika's whose parents have been wonderful to us ever since we moved here, asked me to apply for the church secretary position at their church.  I kept declining that, too.
Then one day, I couldn't stop thinking about it, so I sent him my resume and a few days later I had an interview set up for a few days before I was to leave for Denver and a few days after my boss at the Y talked to me.  I went back to my boss at the Y and just settled some things in my head. Could I work 10 - 3 while the kids were in school?  YES.  Could Maria be in the day care room free of charge and not be home alone (like she is now)?  YES  Is the job flexible enough that if I want to go on a field trip, I don't have to work that day?  YES  No nights, weekends, or holidays?  Only if you want to.  I went home thinking lots that weekend.
By Monday morning I was convinced the air port had to go.  Don't get me wrong.  This is quite possibly the most fun job I have ever had.  Who else gets to tell planes where to stop, or drive fun little trucks all over?  I have cool rain gear that I don't get wet in, and cool coats and stuff that they just give you, plus, I got to give my kids their first ride in a plane for free!  I also wanted to get outside of my safe little bubble between church, home and school that had been created in MN and believe me, the people I worked with were definitely outside of the bubble.  And oh so much fun.
So, I quit my job at the airport.  My boss was speechless - literally - but I told him I would stay on until he had someone trained to replace me.  Turns out, a former employee that was deployed in Afghanistan is coming back Nov 2, so my last day is Nov 1.  They aren't going to replace me after all, just stay working the same schedules we've been working, he'll just fill in where I left off. I realized I had never quit a job before.  They just phased out by moving to college, or to Minneapolis.  I got sent from one work study job to another while at Dordt, but that's because I was AWFUL at soliciting money on the phone - go figure - and better at office work - again, go figure.
I haven't heard anything back from the church secretary interview. It was a two hour interview and felt more like a brainstorming session of how they wanted this position to look and what they needed in a candidate.
As of November 5, I will be working 5 days a week at the YMCA.  Still not sure this is my calling in life, but I do know that it should make it a bit easier to be mom and wife.  We'll see what else happens.
I'm excited to have a few Saturdays free to go hiking or have people over, or to have game night again.

Schwallier's Country Basket

Another Adventure with Aunt Kathy

A-B-M in front of the barn where we each were given an apple and we bought yummy homemade donuts

inside the corn maze

The corn maze was amazing.  We were almost out, and then realized we were completely lost and had to back track and ask for directions! I forgot the snacks in the car so the kids were  grumbling most of the way and fighting over who got to be in THE LEAD!  Good grief.  Overall, a good time!

pile of hay bales to climb on and through (tunnels) and around -  All 4 kids are in the mess

feeding the goats

This goat was hilarious.  You could buy feed (our kids just picked the extras up off the ground), put it in a buckets and crank the bucket up to him on the platform.  But he was impatient.  He would pull on the strap even if you weren't cranking it - he wanted his food!

Maria in a different pen of smaller goats

Anika found the cat

Mr & Mrs Farmer Eburg

Jessica in the smaller pen feeding the goats

There was a tube slide out the back of the goat barn that landed in a pile of hay.  There was a small silo with shelled corn in it that you could play in with buckets and shovels.  There was a small track and tricycles to ride around.  There was also a tractor drawn wagon ride out to the corn maze and back.  Most of us walked, but a few took the ride back.  Normally, we could have picked apples, but all the blossoms froze this spring so no apples. On the walk back to the farm from the corn maze, the walking group found about seven apples on all the trees they passed.

But possibly the highlight - The Cow Train

Its a 4 wheeler pulling barrels of various sizes so adults and kids can ride.  Notice Maria is in the front car, an adult car, and I'm way in the back in a kid car - CRAZY!  But it was so funny.  The barrels have legs, tails, heads, and you just roll and bump along.  Jessica laughed the entire way.

And this is the front of our house with autumnal decorations as described by a friend.

The Martha Stewart way

With the Eburg touch

Just some of the fall colors we see around here. It has been GORGEOUS.  There are so many colors and so many trees.  Its beautiful everywhere.  We were told its because there are more maple trees here.  Who knows for sure.