Our Family Adventure

It’s October and raining and I’m behind on this blog. Let’s info dump and play catchup!

Kids’ fall activities have just wrapped up. Ajax had a great time in his running club and still really enjoys running. Noomi finished soccer and had a great time. The kids still look like ball magnets, but they had a so much fun.

The kids’ Fun Run also took place and I took the day off to spend up at the school helping out and visiting with the kiddos.

Noomi and I had our Mother-Daughter troop leader weekend as well, which was a ton of fun. This year we were in Detroit. We went to the Detroit Parade Company, Hitsville- Motown, and the DIA. It was an amazing weekend and so much fun. After our exploring we all had dinner, the girls swam, and then Noomi and I watched a Disney movie before zonking out.

We also had a weekend where Rod came out and helped Dave run power out to the shed. The shed now has a light and some outlights. Dave is stoked and enjoying his new hobby.

Our little town also had it’s Homecoming, which meant spirit week and a parade that Noomi and I walked in w/ GS. Ajax hung on the sidelines with friend during the parade and collected a bunch of candy.

Last week on Friday, Dara also drove out early and went into Noomi’s classroom for their pumpkin carving activity. The kids had a half day so after school they were both able to go home and hang out with Grandma!

We are also in the BIG countdown to our Disney trip and we also booked our Dominican Republic trip for May. It’s a traveling type of time for our family!

Last weekend Dave headed to Allegan with both kiddos. He met Papa, Grandpa Gordy, Uncle Tim, and Grandpa Jack there for a car show (specifically funny car races). Everyone went prepared with protective headphones because it was very loud with the cars zooming by. While they were gone I had the house to myself and it was AMAZING! I put a second coat of stain on the back deck and checked out a few garage sales in our neighborhood. I took Husker and Bruin for a run in the woods and then ate dinner in front of the TV.

On Sunday Ajax woke up and wasn’t feeling well. He had a temperature and ended up staying home from school for three days. Noomi kept sneaking sips out of his Gatorade in the hopes of becoming ill as well.

Mr. Dave is also 39 now which means he got BBQ for dinner and an Oreo ice cream cake.

This past weekend we did a 5K in Williamston (Team No Judgment) with my friend, Tamara. We even brought Husker who thought it was the coolest thing ever. Ajax was still feeling a bit under the weather but finished like a champ. We did a late breakfast afterwards and then went home for a few chores. We did dinner in town with my cousin, Ryan, and family as he is moving to Seattle at the end of the month.

On Sunday, we did a few chores around the house and Dave did some blacksmithing. We then went up to Williamston’s first Pride in the Park complete with a Drag Queen show. Overall, a wonderful weekend.

Well everyone survived the first week of school. I would actually say it was our best first week of school so far. It also helped that it was a short week – only 4 days, but hey we’ll take it! On Friday, Dave worked from home and the kids had friends over – Cora and Devin – and I only worked a half day, so it was win win for everyone. Now that Noomi can ride a two wheeler she really is unstoppable and wants to spend every second on her bike.

On Saturday, as it was my 38th birthday, I got to pick our activities! Dave made me sprinkle pancakes and then we went kayaking on the Grand River in Holt. We had beautiful weather and there was hardly anyone on the river. We saw an Ospry swoop into the water and catch a fish, a flock of turkey crossed the river in front of us, and even an otter. After kayaking we bummed around the house, went visiting with neighbors, and then out to dinner and ice cream with my folks. We rounded out the night with watching part of The Hobbit (a crazy long movie that Ajax bought with his own money). It really was a lovely birthday.

On Sunday, we did a bit of shopping, straightened the house, and then had friends over for an early dinner.

On Monday, we did several projects around the house and a ton of laundry. We put up new shelves above the washer and dryer, put up several hooks to hold lunchboxes and brooms, cleaned out under the deck and got all our scrap wood up on pallets, and organized the shed. After that we took a quick bike ride into town and then came home and made pizza for dinner.

Today was the first day of school! Last night I was so nervous for some reason… I have no idea why… it wasn’t my first day of school. Ajax heads into the 5th grade with Mrs. Thelen and Noomi is in 2nd grade with Miss. Nussbaum (a new teacher this year). Both kids were both excited and nervous. When we got to the school Ajax asked to say hi to a friend and the next thing you know I lost him in the crowd. Noomi allowed me to walk her to her class waiting place but wouldn’t hold my hand. These kids are getting so big! Next year Ajax heads to Middle School!

The other night Ajax and I biked up to Twisters for ice cream. During that ride I realized that Ajax had completely outgrown his bike and apparently, the brake no longer worked. We therefore decided it was time for a new bike and headed to a legit bike shop. Ajax picked out an awesome mountain bike with fancy gears and a water bottle holder.

Around that same time Noomi learned to ride a 2 wheeler! No more training wheels. Now, given the fact that she was never an avid bike rider and went basically straight from – Not Riding At ALL – to riding with no training wheels is pretty impressive. We’re all glad it didn’t take too long for her to learn as our backs were killing us.

Both kids now want to live on their bikes and want to bike everywhere. I ended up having a day off so I took both kids up to the River Trail in South Lansing and we biked through Hawk Island Park all the way to Mt. Hope Cemetery (we didn’t quite make it to Potter Park zoo as everyone’s little legs were tired). The kids played on the playground and even ran through the splash pad as it was empty! We had the place to ourselves and it was lovely weather. In total we did around 6-8 miles. Both kids were in great spirits and had a great time.

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Yesterday we realized our dream of attending the Michigan Renaissance Festival. It was everything we hoped for and more. There were people in armor, turkey legs, just barely child-appropriate comedy shows (one of which stared our very own Mr. Dave), and a joust. We were surprised by the number of people smoking, but that was about the only thing that surprised us. We saw several skit comedy shows, people in 65 lb armor atop massive draft horses, and all kinds of terrible British accents. It was great.

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The kids completed their second Mud Run! It was held in Brooklyn again and they crushed the 1.5 mile course! They ran up, over, and under all sorts of wet, muddy, and fun obstacles. By the time they were done they were soaked and muddy. Dave and I were also sweaty since we ran to keep pace with them (we were just so excited.. well I ran, Dave sauntered to each obstacle). Noomi lost a show in one of the last mud pits and had to finish the race with only one shoe!

Afterwards we headed to the farm to get cleaned up and had dinner with Grandma Mary and Grandpa Gordy and their lovely friends who were out for the evening. Husker stayed the night at daycare so he was completely happy getting in all his pack time.

After almost 7 years of living in the Lansing area we finally hit up the MSU Dairy Store on campus for some awesome ice cream. It was seriously great. I mean great. We met friends up there and then we all took a walk around campus. The kids ran, we got some grown up talking time, and overall had an excellent evening!

A few summer memories that made me smile!

The kids spent a few days with their Aunt Lisa and Future Uncle Doug – building forts, kayaking, and wrestling!

They also had a ton of fun in the little pool we put up. It surprised us how many hours they spent playing in it.

This year was Noomi’s “small” birthday party- she is now SEVEN! We partied at home with family and neighborhood kids. It’s amazing how much fun kids can have with a little pool, some noodles, and a great summer day! Noomi got quite a few awesome gifts- some of which are hair related. She’s been very patient with me as we try out curlers.