Fun in the Sun

We've been able to really enjoy the sunshine the last week or so and do some fun things. First off, we were officially introduced to two precious little babies. Brother and sister, Keegan and Mia are just about a month old. Their parents are friends of ours. Marie had been talking for a few days about getting to see them, so we cooked up some yummy food to take over to the family. Both babies were under 5 pounds when they were born and had gained at least a pound since then, but as many of us know, we soon forget just how small and amazing newborns are. Marie did wonderfully. She got to hold each of the babies and seems to be quite the pro.


Once we had dropped off supper, we decided to meet up with our friends Matt and Honnie and their one-year-old, Kailyn to get our own. Kailyn and Marie had lots of fun playing silly games. Despite the usual distractions, we did get the kids to eat a little.


With the much awaited sunshine and warm weather, we were able to get into our garden. We planted all the little seedlings that Marie had been growing down in our basement. Joey and Marie decided to help, though the actual planting got boring pretty quickly. They had much more fun just sitting in the dirt and emptying their shovels on top of each other. The garden is already half-filled and as Jon would say, there aren't nearly enough green beans in yet!


This week was also the last week for Atrium, a Montessori based preschool / catechesis program that Marie has been attending at church this year. Though she started out a little unsure last fall, she is quite the pro now and loves seeing her "Atrium friends." She was sad to learn that we wouldn't be going for a while, saying that "Waiting until next fall was too long to wait."

After Atrium, the kids and I went to the University of Michigan Botantical Gardens. They have a wonderful Children's garden. We had packed our lunches and enjoyed them under the shade before getting into just some of the fun things to do. They have slides and other climbing items, a nature's music area, a play kitchen and garden section, a sand plot and babbling brook, a small theater and other little nooks for kids to pretend. And, I know we didn't see everything. All this is not to mention the actual gardens and the small vegetable plots. I hear that later in the summer, the kids can actually pick some of the produce for themselves. We'll have to check that out....








By the time we were finished, I had two very tired kids on my hands, which meant it was a good nap afternoon. Ahhh...you just have to love good nap afternoons.

We are spending our extended weekend with the Shibata's in Ohio. We hope that you all enjoy this "first" weekend of summer as well.

This may be an indication that the kids see us in front of our computers a little too much...


It seems like the silliness reaches a new level once the kids have on their pajamas. Could it be that they are purposely attempting to avoid bedtime??

The stuff we've been up to...

I can't say that we've been up to all that much...but we must have been doing something. Hmm...let's see...

The kids always enjoy being outside and especially going for "walks." There is a small (~1/4 mile) pathway around the homes in our little neighborhood where we can walk and ride bikes. There are a couple of sections that are pretty steep and Marie is still tentative, but otherwise it is just right for her. As soon as we start heading to the end of our driveway, Joey runs off toward the path...a bit of a problem considering you have to walk on the street a bit to get there. Joey's other favorite thing to do is to stop and wave at all our neighbors' dogs who are invariably outside barking at us.

So much for Joey getting some exercise...

Jon and Uncle Mark were also able to assemble and erect the new basketball hoop. It is still a little tall for the kids, but not too tall that they can't make a high percentage shot with a little bit of help from mom or dad.



Our play structure is also a favorite place to be when we're outside. Both the kids love the swings. Joey can climb the ladder to the slide by himself...though we always make sure to be right beside him. Marie has been pretending a lot. The upper level has become her little house lately. The other day, she was grilling hot dogs up there for me. When I asked if we could have some vegetables with them, she graciously offered me some leftover asparagus. (Asparagus is the one thing she insists that she doesn't like.)


Marie has also been doing a lot of pretending in the house. Here is "Firefighter Marie" at the firehouse waiting to get a call for help. I'm not sure why she needs to type while she is waiting for the call. Maybe she is the 911 operator as well. When a call for help (made by mom or dad) does come in, she politely asks if we can wait until she gets on her fire gear.

Obviously, the Lego bin is her fire hat and the large ball is what holds the water for the fire. The small teapot is...just in case she gets thirsty. She "spits" out the fire and then heads back to the firehouse, ready for the next call for help.


On Saturday, we spent almost the whole day outside. Thanks to Uncle Mark who let us borrow his pickup truck so that we could haul three loads of mulch back to the house. It seemed like we just kept remembering other areas that needed it! Of course both Marie and Joey were a big help. We almost finished all of the landscaping, just a couple more small sections. Needless to say, we are very glad that this is an occasional job.



Other than that, Jon has been spending a lot of time in the garage after the kids go to bed. Since he got the Camaro, his goal has been to make the Blazer driveable so that he can sell it cheap or give it away. The more he works on it, the more he finds to fix, the more he is really glad he got the Camaro when he did. He has fixed a power steering fluid leak, replaced almost all the brake lines, and has just uncovered that he needs to replace the fuel lines as well. He enjoys it so much, that I'm not sure he's really that disappointed...

I've still been working more than I'd like. It is going okay, but I definitely don't want to be working this many hours when the summer really hits. I'd rather be gardening, having play dates, heading to local orchards and generally being outside. I also wrapped up my weekly volleyball league last week. I figure as long as my joints continue to hold up I might as well keep playing! It sure was great getting to play somewhat more regularly and at least then I'm assured to get some exercise once a week.


A few kid stories to finish up our update...

As the kids are getting ready for bed and we are picking up toys in the living room. Joey sits down on the floor, hits himself on the head, says, “Goo,” gets up and starts running around the stairs. (He’s playing duck-duck-goose all by himself.)


While eating supper, Marie and Jon were racing to see who could finish their drink first. Marie finished before Jon.

Marie: Daddy, I winned.
Jon: You mean, I won.
Marie: No, I won.


Marie: I’m putting my head on my arms. I’m dreaming that tomorrow will be a better day.
Peg: What was so bad about today?
Marie: Joey.


Marie is having trouble listening and gets a timeout. She heads for the stairs. Joey, who frequently blows his nose himself, asks for a tissue. He promptly takes one and hurries it over to Marie in her timeout.


Marie: Mom, I want a baby sister.
Peg: You do? Well, we’ll have to see.
Jon: What about a baby brother?
Marie: I already have a baby brother.
Jon: What about another baby brother?
Marie: Well, I don’t know about that decision.


Peg: I’m thankful for everyone’s hard work today and how everyone helped out. (To Marie) You were a big help today, weren’t you?
Marie: Yeah.
Jon: Was Joey a big help?
Marie: Not at all…he would just take the gardening tools and run off.


Marie: Mom, I love Daddy. But most of the time, I love you.