Author: Melissa

Turkey Day 2015 in the books!  What a wonderful day- beautiful weather, family, and of course, lots and lots of food!

We hit the road fairly early and headed to my grandpa Nader’s home in Dearborn.  Dinner at the Nader’s is fairly early, around 11 or so, and then runs like an open house till about 5 pm.  When we got there, there were about 40 others there with lots of little kids.  Noomi wore her Elsa Frozen dress and showed everyone her spinning/twirling dance moves.  When we sat down for dinner the house and entire block lost power.  So we ate Thanksgiving dinner in the dark!

After eating the kids spent the rest of the day running wild outside as it was in the mid-50’s and sunny.  Ajax had a ton of fun wrestling with his cousins and playing dodge ball.

Around 2 or so we headed to Theresa and Tim’s house in Ypsilanti for second turkey!  How wonderful that we were able to see both families on one holiday. We felt very fortunate as everyone was there.  Dave thought the last time he and his sisters had Thanksgiving together may have been high school.  The kids of course had fun and we even managed to take a new family portrait with our tiniest family member.

We ended up bathing the kiddos at Theresa’s and then loaded them up for home.

Overall, an excellent holiday!

 

Well at 7 pm tonight the kids were in bed and out.  For some reason both kiddos were exhausted and barely seemed to keep it together tonight.  At one point Ajax was crying during dinner because his taco broke in two and Noomi was lecturing him that he had to eat all his food.  I have no idea why.

Ms. Noomi has been a handful in general, as yesterday she was angry at Dave while sitting on the potty and started yelling at him – Daddy!  Daddy – do-do!

Another weekend in the books!

On Saturday, Emily and Adrian came over to babysit Noomi so that Dave and I could take Ajax to a doctor’s appointment.  When we got home all three of them were sitting on the couch watching Frozen.  Noomi was very excited to share Frozen with them, lol.  We bummed around the house and then because no one felt like cooking we went out to dinner.  The burger place we chose also had an arcade area, so the kids had fun playing a few games though we couldn’t convince either of them to try the pinball machine or Pac-Man.

On Sunday, Dave made us an awesome breakfast and then the kids and I hit up the park so that Dave could get some work completed.  We had a blast playing at the park and the kids ran wild.  We got there pretty early and at first there were no other kids present, which meant the three of us were running wild playing tag.  After an hour though some more kids showed up which gave me a break, lol.  When we got home, the kids helped a neighbor rake leaves and I cut the grass.

Ajax has been obsessed with America’s Funniest Home Videos which he just discovered on Netflix.  It’s cracking us up since that’s what we used to watch when we were little.   Noomi’s been telling us periodically that there is a dinosaur that lives in her pointer finger.  The dinosaur isn’t always there (of course), but when he does show up she yells – hey my dinosaur is back!  And she’ll hold up her finger.  I asked if I could see the dinosaur and she looked at me like I was crazy saying, no mom!  Ajax just rolled his eyes and said, mom she doesn’t really have a dinosaur in her finger.  Thanks buddy.

Some quick little updates on our household.

Noomi absolutely loves her preschool.  She loves her teacher and friends.  She is excited to go school each day and seems to be learning more and more each day.  She can spell her name and can write it.  We’re working still working on recognizing all the letters in the alphabet and numbers are hit and miss.  Her arms are also perfectly healed.

Ajax is turning into a serious first grader.  He has homework every night, which I’m not much of a fan of.  He now has spelling tests each week.  He’s doing wonderful on them – 12/12 last week!  He’s also doing well in math.  Michigan uses common core and so far I don’t see why so many parents are mad with it.  He’s quite proud of his mad math skills.

Another excellent Halloween in the books!

On Friday, Dave and I both had the day off to attend the kids’ school parties.   Noomi’s party was in the morning and all the little kids were so cute dressed up.  They had the gym decked out with a bunch of Halloween themed games and Noomi took us around to all of them.  Toward the end of the party, however, she started getting a little tired and refused to let go of Dave’s hand during the class photo.  Dave is the tallest preschooler in the picture.  Ajax’s party was in the afternoon after the school’s parade, which was led by the high school marching band.  We didn’t get many pictures of his party since I was in charge of the craft table.  After his party we took the kiddos home to carve pumpkins and then do an easy dinner.

On Saturday, we had a house full of people- Mary, Gordy, Emily, Adrian, Rod, Dara, Theresa, Tim, and Baby Vivian!  We went trick or treating in downtown Williamston and then ate a ton of food before heading out into the rain and cold for neighborhood trick or treating.   Noomi was a cute monkey-witch, Ajax was a ninja, and Vivian was an adorable bumble bee!   Noomi only made it to a few houses, but Ajax went through most of the neighborhood.  Vivian slept through most of the trick or treating, but there’s always next year.

On Sunday, we did nothing!  Noomi and I watched Frozen and danced around the living room.  Dave and Ajax played Minecraft and built Legos.  That was our day!

Here are also some pictures from the school’s Fall Festival.  They had these tables were kids could take apart all these old power tools and computers.  Both kids loved it and spent hours at these tables.  Noomi only broke away a few times to go dance, but other than that they were very intent on taking items apart.

This past weekend we headed to Brooklyn.  The plan was to help my dad move some cabinets for the kitchen remodel, but he wasn’t quite ready for that.  It also ended up that Dave had to head to Deaborn and was at work the entire day.  So the kids and I hung out with my parents.  The kids ate junk and watched TV with grandpa Gordy.  My aunt Lisa and my cousin’s girlfriend came out, so my aunt and I hung out while my mom played with the horses.  My sister also moved to Lansing, so we helped her pack up her stuff and load up the truck.   We also headed into town and Ajax finally picked out a Halloween costume.  He’s going to be a ninja.  Honestly, he picked it out by default and didn’t seem to care much either way.

On Sunday, Dara, Rod, Tim, Theresa, and baby Vivian came out to Brooklyn for brunch and then we all headed to Adrian for a walk to remember baby Oz.  There was a balloon release as the names were read and Ajax did an excellent job of listening and letting them go at the right moment.  We then headed back to Brooklyn to bathe the kiddos and then headed home and to bed.

This week it seems the kiddos are both getting minor colds (runny nose and scratchy throat), hopefully it doesn’t develop into more.

Well I guess Michigan didn’t get the memo that it’s Fall because it’s sunny and warm outside.

On Saturday we all got up early… well the kids got up early and played nicely till 7 something and then they decided that Dave and I had to get up too.  After rolling out of bed we had breakfast and then hit the road for the Williamston community garage sale where almost everything was donation based or the proceeds went toward the Food Bank or other local charity.  Each child had $5 to spend and as we walked around we talked about their money and what they could purchase and when they were out of money they were out of money.  Ajax has a pretty firm grasp on this concept.  Actually it’s something that we’ve never had an issue with before.  He has always been keenly aware that when we are out and about he is not entitled to a toy or prize and that if he is allowed an item he is respectful of the boundaries or limits we set.  Noomi on the other hand is a bit more of a wild card.  She too understands that she doesn’t deserve a treat every time we are out, but is still working out the idea of limits.  I guess that’s fine; she’s only three. lol.

Each kid picked out their items and were quite pleased with their purchases.  Dave and I also stumbled across some framed Ansel Adam black and white prints which we purchased – three for only $6.

After our outing we came home for lunch and while Noomi laid down for a nap I took Ajax to his friend, Jude’s, birthday party.  After the party we headed home where Dave and Noomi told us about their trip to the library and Williamston track, where they played on the bleachers and then enjoyed an ice cream treat.  Interestingly, Noomi did not mention the ice cream at all.  If it had been Ajax he would have told me as soon as I walked into the door.  That boy can’t keep anything from me, lol.

We then all headed outside to do some major yardwork.  The kids and I pulled up our dead garden and collected a large bowl of roma tomatoes.  Dave cut the grass and while he was trimming the bushes our hedge trimmer died.  Darn thing was only about 10 years old!

For our family movie on Saturday night we watched Spy Kids which both kiddos enjoyed, though the music scared Noomi during some parts.

Today we’ve been pretty laid back.  We’ve cleaned the house, did laundry, and I’ve been in the kitchen making meatloaf, potato soup, pumpkin muffins and peasant bread.  I’m also trying to wash one of Noomi’s stuffed animals (one she purchased yesterday) as she had a terrible bloody nose.  It seems Ajax may have been practicing his round house kicks, though reports vary regarding the incident.

It’s officially Fall.  The leaves are beginning to turn, the weather is cooler and rainy and generally overcast.  Hello Fall.

The kids are doing well in school.  Ajax’s teacher said he was a pleasure to have in class, though she noted that sometimes he was kinda of a glass half full type of kid.  Noomi is enjoying preschool immensely and had her first field trip last week to the Harris Nature Center.  She rode the school bus and learned about bugs.

On Saturday, I took the kids running to get a few things and then we headed to Brighton for Sebastian’s 9th birthday party.  Dave had to stay home with a migraine unfortunately, but the kids had a great time.   The kids ran wild and had a blast with the cousins and I had to practically drag Ajax home who was intent on helping put together a massive Lego unit.

On Sunday, I went grocery shopping in the morning and in the afternoon we took the kids to a Civil War re-enactment in Williamston.   At first the kids were shy, but soon enough they were trying out all the old fashioned toys.  We watched some soldiers and the kids weren’t big fans of the loud bangs when they fired the rifles, but overall pretty entertaining.

We spent the rest of the day making Halloween decorations and paper airplanes.  Oh, I also bought Noomi’s costume.  She insisted on being a monkey so that’s what I got her.  At dinner, however, she declared she was going to be a witch.  Darn kids.  Ajax doesn’t know what he wants to be and keeps joking that he wants to be an acorn.  I pointed out that I wasn’t the best seamstress and whatever I made would only make him look like a poo.  He thought that was hilarious.  I believe he went with an acorn because I vetoed all his other costume choices at the store.  All he picked out were scary- adult masks and I told him no to every one.

Here are some spirit week photos – last week was Homecoming in our small town.  And our tomato harvest from the garden, which is now cooking down into some awesome bacon tomato soup.

What a weekend!

Theresa, Tim and Baby Vivian are now Michiganders!  The family relocated from North Carolina and are now in the Ypsilanti area.  On Friday after work we headed down to their new house where the rest of the family was hanging and unpacking.  Because we got there so late the kids didn’t go to bed until almost 10 pm, which made for some very tired and cranky ninos on Saturday.

Dave and I weren’t around on Saturday because team Mitten Mayhem had a Tough Mudder to run in Brooklyn.   Dara, Lisa, Lisa’s boyfriend Doug, and Dave and I did wonderful and finished the 11 mile course in about 5- 5.5 hours.   Everyone did excellent and I am so so proud of us all!   Next year we’ll be even more awesome when we train appropriately.   Oh, and I will also avoid the shocking electrical run at the end.

After the TM we washed up at my parent’s house and then headed back to Ypsi.  On Sunday, we helped unpack and then headed home with some still tired ninos.

What a weekend!

Yesterday we attended my cousin Beth’s wedding in Frankenmuth, MI, at the Bavarian Inn.  Ajax threw quite the fit about having to dress up and couldn’t understand why he needed to wear a tie when shorts should be more than adequate.  We had no trouble getting Noomi dressed up.  She declared that her dress made her a princess and we didn’t argue.  The ceremony was short and sweet and Ajax sat next to Grandma Mary telling her that it was his first time at a wedding.  We realized it was their first wedding as all the celebrations we’ve attended over the past few years have either been adult only affairs, or we’ve been unable to attend.

During the reception somehow the kids sat with my parents at a different table so Dave and I felt like we were on a date night.   It was wonderful.   The kids were very well behaved and Noomi could not wait to dance.  All the way to Frankenmuth she was talking about dancing.  We thought she would be too shy to dance on her own, but boy were we wrong!  As soon as the tables were cleared and the music started Noomi busted onto the dance floor like no one’s business.  As a matter of fact, when I tried to dance with her she said, no no- wanna watch something cool?  She then ushered me to a chair on the edge of the dance floor and made me sit there watching her run laps around the dance floor.   Periodically she would bend over and swish her arms back/forth like a locomotive and she would shuffle her feet, then blast her hands up over her head.   It was the cutest thing I have ever seen.

After a while Ajax went with Grandma Mary to the dance floor and said, grandma – I know how to dance- I mean, I really know how to dance.  I know how to break-dance.  Grandma Mary said, really?  Ajax – yes, really, wanna see?  He then bent forward, placing both hands on the ground and kicked his two feet straight out behind him, arching his back.  When he stood up he said, whoa, I gotta watch out, I could really hurt myself!  That didn’t seem to stop him as he continued break-dancing and running the entire night.

Around 10 pm we finally bundled the kids up and headed home. At that point Noomi was so exhausted that she couldn’t dance any more, but did not want to leave the dance floor and was insisting that someone simply hold her on the dance floor.   The kids stayed awake just long enough as we left Frankenmuth to see the holiday lights and then they passed out.

Tonight after bath, I was brushing Noomi’s hair and I said, yesterday we got home so late we didn’t get a bath… where did we go last night?  Noomi said, oh we went to a dance party with a dance princess!  Noomi loved Beth’s dress and kept calling her a lovely princess.  What good times!