October (Quick and Dirty Recap)

Before I get to the actual post, I just have to say that I'm so far behind in posts that it'll take me a few days to catch up.  Bare with me!


This fall we were really able to enjoy all the perks of having a second car!  I signed Y up for several of the free programs offered at our local library and many of them she was able to do with a friend from church.  We started with a story time one day a week and another program called Music & Movement.  She wasn't a big fan of just sitting during story time but she loved Music and Movement which incorporates singing and dancing in with story time.

They also offer several seasonal activities at the library, I signed her up to attend a Halloween/Trick or Treat activity at the library that she was able to do with her friend E.  They were able to dress up in costume and go around to different locations in the library and were given many non-candy treats.

We were also able to spend a day out with friends from church.  We went to Wolcott Farm where they were able to see all the different farm animals.  Y is not at all a fan of barns so any animals that were inside them she didn't really care to see.  After walking around the farm for a bit we sat down for a quick bag lunch before heading over to Blake's Cider Mill.  I've lived in Michigan for 7 years and had never been to one so it was a real treat for me as well.  We were able to see how the cider is made from start to finish as well as buy some of their yummy apple goodies (apple donuts, apple cider, and an apple cider slushy).  They also have a little carnival type activity there for the young kids but we didn't venture to that part of the property.  It was a great day and boy did it tire us out!

We had a rather large and unwelcomed guest come visit us on our balcony this month as well.  It was my first time seeing a Praying Mantis in person and it scared me quite a bit.  So much so that our beautiful pumpkins (posted above) never made it outside.  It wandered around our balcony for a couple days and then it just rested above the sliding door wall that leads in from our bedroom.  It stayed there through the freezing cold.  It stayed there through the wind and rain of Hurricane Sandy.  So naturally I assumed it was dead, though I still refused to go out on the balcony.  One day when the in-laws came to visit I sent my father-in-law out to remove it's dead body (B also refused to go near the thing).  Turns out, the sucker wasn't dead after all!  I was so very glad that I didn't go out there!  My FIL ended up sweeping it off the balcony into the grass and from there I don't know what happened to it - nor do I care!

I'm going to lose my Mother of the Year Award again this year.  Even with my best intentions I didn't get a really good photo of both girls in their Halloween costumes.  The only half-decent photos were 2 I quickly snapped at our church Halloween party when I went to get them dressed in their costumes.  Halloween night was a mad rush and to top it off it was rainy.  Y spent the majority of the night crying that she was cold and wet and wanted to go indoors.  Q was a pretty good sport about it though, she just road along in the stroller making no sounds at all.

Super Girl

Baby Lamb



Y's Birthday Party

Y has finally reached an age where we thought was appropriate for her to have a few friends over for a birthday party.  Truth is, that was probably last year but since I had only recently given birth to Q, there was no way that was going to happen!

The worst part about Y's birthday is that if falls at the very beginning of September which is also when Labor Day occurs each year and then school begins right after that and the life of parents gets a lot more crazy!  So in dealing with those 2 events we decided to have Y's birthday party on August 25th.

Though we have a decent sized home, I didn't feel it was large enough to hold 12 children (including Y) and a parent of each child so we decided we would have the party in our garage which worked out perfectly since it was really a pool party and we planned to just walk them all over to the pool as the main event.

I was extremely nervous about the party as I'd never thrown a party for children before and because I have this annoying tendency to over-analyze everything.  Fortunately it turned out to be a beautiful, hot day - perfect for swimming - and the kids all really enjoyed themselves.

We went with a Princess & Knight theme so I bought each girl a tiara and made them a satin sash that said Princess followed by their name.  They then got to decorate their sash with all different types of jewels and stickers.  For the boys I bought them foam swords and made them shields from cardboard which I then spray painted silver - each shield was personalized with "Sir" followed by their name and they also got to decorate those.  Both were a big hit!

Unfortunately, I didn't get as many photos as I would have liked but that's what happens when you're in the middle of hosting a party!


The before photo, you sort of get the idea.

They started decorating their sashes and shields as they arrived and waiting for the others.

Nana B. made the cake, she did an awesome job!

Stoney Creek Metropark

After we returned from vacation we received a call from some friends that they were heading to Stoney Creek Metropark on that Friday afternoon and they were inviting a few friends to join them.  Since B was still on vacation from work and we were just relaxing at home we decided we'd join them.

We had an awesome time with great friends, great fun and great conversation.  We are so fortunate to have such great friends here in Michigan, it really makes being so far from my family a little easier.

A beautiful sunset made it even more perfect!

Vacation, Part III

On the trip home we also decided to divide it into two days, only this time instead of staying in a hotel we took a little detour so that I could visit a good friend from college.  I met Crissy my freshman year of college at VT and we were pretty much instantly friends.  She left a few years before I did when she got married and moved to Utah. 

When we were deciding to stay in a hotel while overnight in the DC area I was reminded of a post she put on Facebook a couple years back mentioning that they were moving back East.  I knew that her family was in the Maryland area and so I messaged her to see if she have moved back to the Northern VA/DC/Maryland area and she replied that she was now living an hour north of Baltimore.  She was going to be out of town during our travel dates going to NC but it would work out perfectly for us to stop by on the drive back to Michigan, I was so excited!!

So when we left NC we made a stop at the Washington DC Temple, where we were married 6½ years ago.  It ended up being perfect timing for a stop because rush hour was starting and the traffic there is BRUTAL!!  We ended up stopping at the temple until 6pm and then we got back on the road (still congested but moving) and we made it to her house in Pennsylvania right at 8pm.

They say that you can tell good friends because when you get together with them it's like no time has passed at all.  Let me tell you that was no exaggeration in this case!  It had been approximately 10 years since we had seen each other but it was like we picked up where we left off only this time with husbands and kids in tow. 

Even though I was pretty tired and dreading the drive home the next day we stayed up late talking and we even ended up leaving late that morning because we kept talking and catching up.  I was so very glad that we were able to stop in and see her and meet her family.  She has 2 boys and we joked that we'd have to make sure we keep in touch so that Y and her oldest son will grow up together and get married some day.

We left her home around 10:30am and enjoyed a pretty uneventful day of traveling.  We stopped 4 or 5 times, mostly for potty breaks and Q must've been exhausted from the trip because she slept almost the entire trip.  We finally made it home at 10pm, I got the kids to bed and B unloaded the car...and then we slept!

The perfect ending to the perfect trip!

Birthday Party

Earlier in the month, Y had the opportunity to attend a friend's birthday party.  It was actually the first really birthday party Y has ever attended.  While we have given her small little birthday parties with a few family members she has not yet had one where she got to invite friends and she hadn't really been invited to one either, mostly because in 2008 when Y was born all of our friends that live close and were pregnant were pregnant with boys.

When she received the invitation in the mail she was so excited to see that she had her own pieces of mail and even more excited to learn that she'd be going to a Princess birthday party.  She knows the days of the week and so when the final week came around she knew exactly how long she had until the party, and she spent that whole week telling me, "the princess birthday party is Wednesday" and then she would list all the days that remained between the current day and Wednesday.

She loved going to the store and picking out the present, I set a price range and then asked her what she'd like to get her (her answer was, princess stuff) so we went down the aisle and put a bunch of different princess items in the cart and then I told her she could choose which one she wanted to give, all the while making sure she knew it was a gift for the birthday girl and not for herself.  She seemed to grasp that pretty well, because not once did she ask to open it and play with it, in fact she kept asking me when I would wrap it!

She had a blast at the party!  They decorated pretty notebooks with their name and pretty foam stickers, they played with toys, ate lots of yummy food, and they were even given darling little tutus to wear which our lovely hostess made herself.  It was a blast and has given me a few ideas for Y's 4th birthday, we had previously decided that 4 would be a good age for a birthday party with friends!

Halloween

This year we actually went to trick-or-treat in the same neighborhood as last year, but with different friends (last year we went with the Moss' and this year the Davis').  The neighborhood REALLY gets into Halloween and Y got quite a bit of candy...and we only went around one block. 

Y was excited the whole day and just couldn't wait to get into her Tinkerbell costume, I've never seen her so cooperative when it comes to getting dressed and getting her hair done.  I think her favorite part of the night, aside from the candy obviously, was the ride in the wagon.  I think when Q gets a bit bigger it may be a good investment for us to buy a wagon for the two of them.

After a chilly night of trick-or-treating (it was much warmer than last year) we went back to our friend's home for some cider and donuts with both sets of friends from the neighborhood (we know them from church) and their neighbors.  It was a great Halloween and on the drive home Y commented a few times that she was sad Halloween was over and that she didn't want it to go.  I'm sure for a 3 year old telling her that it'll come again next year is no comfort.  She's struggling to grasp the concept of a week's time so trying to explain another year was way too much of a challenge.



I think she makes the cutest Tinkerbell I've ever seen, but of course I'm a bit biased!


And now that Halloween's over...she's just excited that she gets to dress as Tinkerbell EVERYDAY!

37 Weeks

Time is winding down, we'll be meeting Baby Q soon!!  I'm so ready to see her and hold her but not sure I'm ready for the late night/early morning feedings or even the adjustment period that comes with a new baby.  I've been spending a lot of time with Y talking about Q and what will happen when it's time for her to come and teaching her how to hold her using her baby dolls.  Y now walks around the house saying that "Baby Q will be here in a few weeks."  She really is excited about it, she touches my belly all the time and when we're home she is known to pull my shirt up just to see if Baby Q is moving.  She also asks me a lot what Baby Q is doing, most of the times she asks I just tell her that she's sleeping unless of course she happens to be doing a lot of moving around.

Everything is still going pretty smoothly, not sure if I'm dilated any more than the 2cm from last week, he didn't check me on Tuesday so he may just wait and do it on Friday at my next appointment.  Our friend K from Sarnia drove over with her kids to spend the day with us yesterday so we all went to dinner, a park and then out for some ice cream.  It was super hot so we didn't let the kids play at the park for too long after dinner but we stayed just long enough to get some pictures taken.  But please excuse the big greasy stain on my shirt, you'd think I was nursing already and leaking milk but I'm not...I'm just a messy eater when out in public apparently!

Baseball

A few days after returning from NC we were able to attend a Detroit Tigers game with one of B's little brothers and some friends.  As for myself, I'm not a fan of baseball at all so I spent most of the game people watching and trying to figure out what I missed whenever the crowd yelled.  But even given my disdain for the sport I had an awesome evening with B and everyone.  We had an awesome dinner at Pizza Papalis and spent the entire evening laughing at each other's expense.  And we even had some pretty amazing seats, we bought our tickets online from StubHub.  We were sitting eleven rows up from third base and we got the tickets for really cheap and since it was a Friday night game they even had fireworks afterwards!  Who could ask for anything else?  Well I guess it would have been a little better had they actually won, but it didn't matter to me either way!  Here are some pictures...

 



Park

Today we took Y to the park for a goodbye party for two families we know from church that are going to be moving. One has been a medical resident here and having served his time is going to be moving to Tennessee to start his practice. The other family is just a temporary goodbye, he works for GM and has been assigned to China for the next several years but they will return here after their assignment is done.



Y really enjoyed herself, running around, playing in the grass, eating cookies, etc. Here are some pictures of Y playing on the playscape.

Video: (excuse the fact that it's sideways, I forgot I had the camera turned):

Baby Blanket

About 2 weeks ago I finally finished the baby blanket that I was working on for a friend, I think it turned out beautifully and I am so very excited for them to use it with their little one. I thought I'd post a picture here for anyone who hasn't already seen it on Facebook. Now that I have completed the blanket I have started knitting some more dishcloths. My Grandma saw the ones I knit for my mom and wanted a few. Once I am done with those I plan on knitting another baby blanket for one of my college roommates who is due sometime in July. I debated knitting her one identical to this one but I think I'll pick out a different one for her...just to keep things a little different.

Portraits.

As a baby shower gift, our friend Crystal gave us a free photo session, she did an amazing job and you can see the pictures below. If you live in Michigan and want some portraits taken you should visit her website: Pictures by Crystal.

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Blessings

I really just felt the need to post and tell all of you how extremely blessed I feel to have you as part of our lives.

To my own family: I am so grateful, without you I wouldn't be me. Growing up I remember sometimes wishing I were a part of a different family but now there is no way I would change anything about you. You are a huge support to me and I know I can count on y'all through anything.

As for my in-laws: I was watching Desperate Housewives tonight (I know) and they were saying something about meeting the in-laws for the first time and how everyone dreads it. Well, I have to disagree! I totally lucked out in the in-law category. I have never had any issues with any of you and honestly feel that you guys are some of the most wonderful people on earth and I know that I am so blessed to have you as my family. Some of your family you're born into and others you choose (even if indirectly) but I am equally blessed in both.

My friends: I always have a tendency to wonder why things end up the way they do, why I went here, why I did this or that, why did I move here. And I think it all boils down to people and the influence that they will have on your life. That said, everything I have done or said or place I have gone has been a blessing to me because I have me some of the greatest people ever. Some of you are from back home, some of you are from VT, some of you are here in Michigan, and others of you are far off in distant lands but nonetheless I am so very grateful for you and to have you as part of my life. It's kinda weird but as it turns out I have made the greatest friends in places that I really wasn't sure why I was there. Rocky Mount, NC is no heaven on earth but it's home and I love it there and I have great friends there. My decision to attend Virginia Tech was kind of a last minute decision (I think I decided a week before having to return my letter stating I was planning to attend) but once I was there and I started meeting people I knew immediately that it was where I was supposed to be. And then there is Michigan, it took me a while to accept the fact that I was supposed to be here (and I'm still kinda wondering when or if that will change) but again, I have met and continue to meet the most amazing people and forming, what I hope to be, forever friendships.

So long story short, thank you all for your love, your support and your example. You guys are amazing and I'm blessed to have you.

A Beautiful Day in November!

This week in Michigan we have been having some absolutely AMAZING weather. We've reached 70 degrees two days in a row and to have this weather here in Michigan is rare during this time of year. And it means one thing and one thing only...next week we'll have snow! Anyway, on Tuesday I took her to the park during the weekly playgroup with a bunch of women from church and their children. She couldn't play with the other kids but I got to do some socializing. Below are some pictures of that as well as her wearing a cute little shirt that her Aunt S gave her. (For those of you that don't know any spanish, it say, "Daddy's Little Princess." Enjoy!