Author: Melissa

On Friday morning we had a quick breakfast at the hotel and then dropped our car at the Park-N-Ride.  We shuttled to the airport and the kids were beyond excited.  We gave ourselves plenty of time and weren’t rushed.  The kids loved every minutes of it.  I pointed out signs to the kids and had Ajax navigate us to our gate.  The kids did great on the flight and were so happy.  The woman across the aisle from Noomi was cracking up watching her during the flight.

We landed in Charleston around noon and then picked up our rental car and headed toward Lexington.  We of course hit up a Waffle House on our way and everyone was happy.  It took us just under 2 hours to get to the hotel, but everyone else was there waiting for us.  The kids hit up the pool for about an hour and then we got ready for dinner.  We met Uncle Donnie, Noelle, Gage, and his fiance, Stephanie, at a Japanese Steak House.  While we were ordering a tremendous storm blew through and knocked out the power momentarily which was eerie.

On Saturday, we were up early and enjoyed an awesome breakfast spear.  The hotel even had an automatic pancake maker which was the coolest thing ever.  Afterwards, Theresa and I ran to Walmart while everyone else relaxed. When we got back we all went swimming before dressing and heading to Noelle’s graduation party.

The party was lovely and the kids did great. Donnie had these swinging chairs on his porch which Noomi and Vivian played on for about five hours straight.  Ajax managed to overheat, didn’t feel well and passed out for 2 hours on the couch. When he got up he ate a bunch of junk and said he felt 100% better.

On Sunday, everyone met for breakfast (the building was a converted cigar factory and the brick work was incredible).  The pancakes were delicious, the conversation and general catching-up were awesome, and then it was time to say good-bye.  While Papa, Grandma Dara, Theresa, and Vivian headed for the airport, we headed for Charleston.  On our way we stopped at Magnolia Plantation.  We wandered through the gardens (over 100 acres) and got lost, Ajax rustled up a gator, and Noomi got devoured by mosquitoes.   We then took a guided tour of the old slave quarters (From Slavery to Freedom).  It was outstanding.  Both kids seemed to soak in the importance and history.  Ajax asked some very pointed questions, which lead to a family discussion about race and history in this country on the drive to the hotel.

When we got to the hotel in Isle of Palms, Grandma Mary and Grandpa Gordy, were already there waiting for us.  We checked in and immediately went down to the ocean to swim.  The waves were not as large as OBX and they were perfect for the kids.  The water was warm and both kids mastered boogie boarding.  They did great!  After swimming we went for dinner and had some amazing tacos.  We then wandered around and got ice cream before calling it a night.

On Monday, we spent our morning and most of our day on the beach.  The kids were obsessed and we couldn’t get them out of the water (seriously we couldn’t).  Both kids were like fish and swam nonstop.  Noomi played a little in the sand, but Ajax never really came out of the water.  The adults also had a ton of fun surfing the ways and playing around.  It was great and the weather lovely.  We finally called it a day and got cleaned up before having a late lunch and then relaxing before Ubering into downtown Charleston (French Quarter).  We had dinner at Poogan’s Smokehouse which served outstanding BBQ, we wandered around Waterfront park and pier, before meeting our group for the nighttime walking ghost tour.  The tour was ok, our guide made several historic mistakes which made Dave cringe, but the kids LOVED it.  Ajax swears he captured a picture of a ghost and has been showing everyone.  Noomi was enthralled and couldn’t stand close enough to the guide.  Both kids had little flashlights and kept peering into graveyards and old buildings searching for ghosts.  After dinner we hit up a convenience store for some water and ice cream and then Ubered back to the hotel at about 11 pm.

On Tuesday morning I woke up early and tried to sneak out of the room for coffee without waking anyone.  But a few minutes later the whole family came tumbling into the main eating area, hungry for breakfast.  After we ate I took the kids down to the beach for one last swim while Dave packed us up.  After boogie boarding, it was time to go.  We all got cleaned up, packed up, said good bye, and then hit the road for the airport.  Our flight home was smooth and uneventful. The kids still loved flying and enjoyed it thoroughly.

When we landed Aunt Lisa was waiting for us at the gate.  She took us on a tour of the radar room and tower, which was incredible!  Everyone loved it.  We then collected our bags and car and Dave drove us home while everyone else fell asleep.

I’ll have to do a second post with more pictures!

Last day of school for these kiddos was a Thursday! What an excellent end to an outstanding year. Ajax excelled academically and socially. He’s so quick with math and does multi-step problems in his head. He is an avid reader and is obsessed with all things related to Greek mythology. Fourth grade was a great year for him with a lovely teacher (Mrs. Sileo). He really did wonderfully. The teacher invited all parents to the class on Wednesday for a special treat. Each child had written a book about a special memory and even illustrated it themselves. Ajax wrote about fishing with his Grandpa Gordy and it was adorable. Each student took a turn reading a passage and Ajax did so well.

Noomi also had a wonderful year in Ms. Proulx’s first grade class! We really saw her mature emotionally this year and socially. Her vocabulary and reading skills have really taken off. Her favorite way to show of this skill is to read her own menu when we are out to dinner! She’s into all things animal related and has been working through a chapter book about a golden retriever who is of course an adventure dog. Her favorite class was art and seemed to tolerate math and had no interest in practicing spelling words (which is just like Ajax… and really every child everywhere lol). She loved playing soccer and participating with her Troop and is even more excited to start second grade.

When the kids got home from school on Thursday we rounded them up and headed to a hotel near Metro Airport for the night. We stopped and grabbed some food and then when we got the hotel the kids got in a few hours of swimming before we crashed.

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Our long weekend has come to an end and tomorrow is back to the grind.

On Saturday we all headed to Brooklyn.  We didn’t do any work, just sort of hung out and played around.  We tried hunting for morels, but came up empty handed. We ended up hiking through the woods, playing with horses, and cleaning up the tack room.  Some of my cousin’s came out, my mom and I did a little shopping, and Husker ran nonstop.  We headed home a bit late and ended up stopping for a late night ice cream.

On Sunday everyone was pretty tired so the kids bummed around and did a few odd jobs around the house.   Dave bought a larger propane tank… yeah.  And I went out to eat and shopping with my sister (as I owed her big time after her mascot performance for the Ice Cream Social).  For dinner Noomi and I made calzones. She was wicked proud and the guys were quite appreciative!

On Monday we had friends over and we all went into town and watched the parade. We then walked around town a bit, went to the playground, and then came home, made lunch and let the kiddos all play.  Afterwards, we did a bit of yard work, I moved some rocks, the kids played around the neighborhood, and Husker (again) ran wild and greeted all the neighbors that passed by.

Here’s some pictures of Noomi on Starr.  Ajax didn’t feel like riding.

OH also, last week Noomi got to invite a special person to her class to read a story and she asked Ajax.  Ajax and Dave went to her classroom in the morning and he read to the entire class (The Pain and The Great One).  Dave said he did great!

I’m going to get back on my blogging bandwagon. Here we go!

We are finally starting to get some spring here in Michigan. Some days are warmer than others, and we’re getting a lot of rain, but it’s not snowing.  It’s a small victory. The kids know summer break is right around the corner and the countdown is their morning mantra.

Last week we wrapped up spring soccer for Noomi.  She greatly enjoyed it and says she wants to play again next year. Williamston does has a great community soccer program and one night even had the high school girls team do pizza and crafts with the younger players, which Noomi loved.  Ajax decided he didn’t want to play soccer this spring and has shown no regrets.  He more likes to goof around with his friends and playing on recess, but not so much with the serious playing.

This past weekend ended up being pretty busy. On Saturday, Dave was up early to volunteer at the Foundation’s annual golf outing.  He then got home in time for us to meet my Aunt Lisa and cousins, Logan and Ethan, and my dad at ON for lunch.  After lunch everyone came to our place for dessert and a game of Catan.  After the left I made two trips to Okemos to purchase the wrong part for our lawn mower. Luckily the neighbor kid was able to cut our grass as the part we need won’t be in until Wednesday.  Dave did a bit of forging and then we went rock hunting (our current favorite family past time).

On Sunday we were up early and the kids and I went over a friend’s house for an at-home “Crossfit” session.  After 45 minutes of kicking my butt, my friend made us all breakfast which was delicious.  It was a win-win, the kids had fun playing with their friends, Dave had a quite house, and I got a buddy workout!  We got home, ate lunch, and then Noomi and I ran to her friend’s house to pick up some more rocks that they’d unearthed doing landscaping.  We got caught in a sudden storm and ended up hanging out for a couple hours.  By the time we got home everyone was pooped.  We cleaned up, ordered a pizza for dinner, and watched a Forged in Fire.

Some other highlights.  This past Easter we headed to Allegan for a lovely day with family.  It was beautiful outside which meant we spent a good part of our day enjoying the warmth.  We had the Ice Cream Social with the school, which was a family affair.  Everyone pitched in… even Emily who was the school mascot (I owe her BIG time).  We’re prepping for our South Carolina vacation which is coming up soon and overall trying to plan out daycare for the kids this summer.  We also had sleepovers, birthday parties, and general shenanigans.

 

Well April turned into the month of celebrating Ajax and his big birthday of TEN!  His birthday fell in the middle of spring break (again) this year.  Him and Noomi spent the first half of break with Grandma Dara and Papa, Aunt Theresa and Vivian.  They had so much fun and both came home with dyed red hair!

On April 3, Ajax picked dinner – chicken nuggets.  We also gave Ajax his big present, which was his own brand new laptop.  Dave had it set up and ready to go, even adding Age of Empire (Ajax’s current favorite game).  Ajax was thrilled and said he loved it so much and didn’t even care if he also needed to use it for homework.  Noomi spent her own money and bought him a present as well. She was so proud to give it to him.

The next day the kids went with Grandma Mary and Grandpa Gordy and headed for a night at a hotel in Frankenmuth.  Apparently they swam nonstop.  The kids came home on Friday and on Saturday we had a family party at our house for Ajax, which includes grandparents, aunts, cousins, and puppies.

This past weekend we had Ajax’s BIG party at District 5 in Lansing with his friends from school.   All the kids had a blast, they jumped for an hour, then we had pizza and cake, opened gifts and then left the mess.  It was wonderful.  After the party, Noomi went home with her friend Cora for the night.  Dave, Ajax, and I hit up a flea market and all walked away with treasures.  Ajax ended up having three friends stay the night and on Sunday we all relaxed!

For some reason the District 5 pictures are loading right. Oh well. Here’s a few!

We’ve been a bit out of commission lately.  Here’s what’s been happening in our lives.

Noomi and Dave attended their second Daddy Daughter Dance and had a wonderful night.  Apparently there was much dancing, the girls ditched the dads and ran wild through the school.  Ajax ended up having a friend over and they played hours of video games into the night.  It was a win-win night for everyone. I made giant rice krispy treats and the dog and I watched TV.

We had the the Girl Scout Pinewood Derby.  Noomi didn’t come in last this year, so we’re winning.  Dave and Noomi spent a lot of time on it this year and actaully even had a usable space in the garage to do said work.

For St. Patty’s Day the kids each had a friend over so everyone built leprechaun traps.  The girls spent more time designing and building their traps, while boys teamed up and built one halfhearted trap (in-between their video game time).  All kids failed to catch a leprechaun, but all managed to catch some candy.

This past weekend the kids went out to the farm.  They built forts in the woods, mucked stalls, rode horses, played in the hay, and pretended to be in a rock band with grandpa.  Apparently they had an outstanding time.  Dave and I went shoe shopping and then Emily and her dogos came and stayed the night. We ate pizza and watched silly movies.  It was lovely.

We also had spring parent-teacher conferences for both kids and received outstanding reports on each.  Ajax’s teacher told us how well he was doing academically, how much he loves to read, and is learning to work better in groups.  Noomi’s teacher told us what a model student she is and that while she is quiet, is never afraid to answer a question or share an opinion.  We were so proud of both kids that we went out to dinner.  On a Monday!  Crazy.

This past weekend we headed to the Nordic Fire Festival. We weren’t sure what to expect but as soon as we pulled in we were immediately excited and also a little disappointed that as a family we didn’t have era appropriate Viking inspired costumes.  Oh well. Family goals.   There were kid crafts, vendors, and of course fire. We also threw knives, axes, and Dave and the kids tried their hand at archery.  Noomi watched belly dancers and the guys watched a weapons demonstration. Dave got to talk to a blacksmith demonstrating a coal forge and was quite excited to go home and heat up some metal.  Noomi ended up leaving with a pink fleece cloak and Ajax got a fencing foil.  They were both beyond excited with their purchases.

Afterwards we headed to Allegan to visit and deliver cookies.  We stayed for dinner and then headed home.  On Sunday we didn’t do much except bum around.  I went shopping and Dave and Noomi built her derby car (which she named snory).

I also took Noomi shopping for a dress for the daddy daughter dance this Friday and Ajax is already planning all the video games we’re going to play while they are gone.