Happy New Year!

We have not made it up late enough to ring in the New Year since the kids were born! Maybe next year ;)

New Years Resolutions

#1 – No more plastic! We are going to do our best to do away with the water bottles, plastic Tupperware and soda bottles.
#2 – Get the kids involved in at least one activity (swimming, tumbling, music class …) in 2010. I think this is definitely doable now that my mom is retired!
#3 – Become a pet free home! (This is a dream, but I had to add it)

We are off to celebrate Christmas with the Stones today!

We started off the month with the Big House Big Heart run/walk. The kids did the 5K (in their stroller of course) – my dad was the designated pusher. Although it was chilly the kids didn’t mind, they were entertained by the thousands of people.
The rest of the month is a blur already (I guess I need to update this more frequently). I can remember last weekend which was Halloween! The kids really enjoyed Halloween this year. Last Thursday my mom and I took them to Jenny’s Market in Dexter to get pumpkins. It was a nasty day, but the kids didn’t seem to care. They had stacked up bails of straw with a couple tunnels going through the enormous mound. I had to drag them off to eat donuts. Friday Uncle Keith, Nikki and Nana Henry helped me take the kids down town Trick-or-Treating. Brendan kept saying “More Candy, More Candy!” He has his mommy’s sweet tooth! Saturday we went to the neighborhood Halloween party before heading out trick-or-treating. The Bissett’s and Teddy’s joined us; we had quite the crew going from door to door. We brought the wagon, but Sean decided that running with the older kids was the way to go. He made it down one side of our street without stopping! Danni and Bren were right behind him, but relaxed in the wagon between houses. By the time we crossed the street and started in on the other side Sean was in meltdown mode – it was time for us to head back home. I really think Mike and I had as much fun as the kids did this Halloween. I can’t wait until next year!!!

September

We have had a busy couple of weeks. The kids have been enjoying the beautiful weather. Last Friday nana and papa Stone came up and took the kids to not one, but TWO parks – they had a blast! This past weekend we took them to the Webster fall festival. They rode a train, went on a hay ride, checked out the animals (although Danni and Bren would have rather not) and spent some time with their GG and Aunt Martha. Sunday we met up with their buddies Sienna and Cameron at the cider mill. The kids were non-stop playing for hours! We took another ride on a train through the orchard which they really enjoyed. In the afternoon we went to Hudson Mills to meet up with nana and papa Henry for some pizza.
The kids are really growing up quickly. Danika’s nurturing instinct is shining through; she carries her baby dolls everywhere. She covers them up, feeds them bottles and takes them for walks in her makeshift stroller. We recently discovered that Brendan is very observant … he identifies cars that are the same make/model as Uncle Keith’s, Mommy’s, Daddy’s, Papa’s and GG’s and says the persons name and “Car”. Sean is becoming quite the athlete, he loves playing catch with Daddy and taking swings at the ball with sticks in the backyard. It seems like they are learning something new everyday!

Labor Day Weekend

We had a beautiful, relaxing holiday weekend. We stuck around home for the most part. Saturday was the first UofM home game of the season. The kids played in their pool in the front yard and enjoyed the game day people watching!

In the evening the Bissett crew came over for some pizza. They brought ice cream cones; the kids each finished their entire cones! Sunday we went to Utica and spent some time with the Stone family. The kids had a lot of fun playing with relatives :) They were tuckered out and actually slept in until 7 for us the next morning!!! Monday was rainy, but we did manage to stay dry for a bit in the morning and went to Gallup Park. We finished up the weekend with a family trip to Meijer – not a good idea the day before everyone goes back to school ;)

We Beat the Heat!

We survived the scorcher of a weekend and managed to have some fun doing it! Friday we went to the Howell Melon Festival with the Shevela’s. The kids enjoyed melon ice cream and listened to a band with daddy while Aleisha and I ran a 5K :) Saturday we spent a lot of time in the back yard with the sprinkler on and the water table full. Saturday night Mike and I managed to escape over to the Teddy’s for some adult time. It was nice to relax and catch up with the Teddy’s and Dailey’s. Mike’s sister Lori and his cousin Rob walked the Breast Cancer 3 day this weekend. We were lucky enough to catch Team Stoner walking by not even a ½ mile from our house. The kids clapped and cheered for the courageous walkers that braved the heat to support the amazing cause. Mike’s parents came up for closing ceremonies and stopped by beforehand to see the kids. Sunday afternoon we headed over to Buhr Park to hit the pool. They have a great toddler pool, the kids had a blast!

18 Month Check-up

Sean
Head: 19 inches
Height: 34 inches
Weight: 26lbs 12oz

Brendan
Head: 18 3/4 inches
Height: 32 inches
Weight: 23 lbs

Danika
Head: 18 1/4 inches
Height: 32 1/2 inches
Weight: 22lbs 15oz

Our Trip Up North

We spent this past weekend up at my parents’ cabin. Papa let Brendan, Sean and Danika drive the boat. We are lucky to have made it back safely – maybe we all should have been wearing life vests ;) Come dinner time we had no energy to cook so we took the kids to a local restaurant for dinner. They did great; I think the fries and pizza helped ward away the crankiness. Amazingly they still had room for ice cream after dinner! Sunday we took the kids swimming. Sean kept putting his face in the water trying to blow bubbles, but didn’t quite get that he had to blow air out instead of sucking water in. Danika proved she is all girl as soon as the water was up to her behind she cried out “COLD, COLD”. Brendan enjoyed staying in about a ½ foot of water and just splashing around. The kids also tried their hand at fishing. Danika found throwing bread to the fish way more satisfying and that way she could sneak some bread into her own mouth every now and then. Brendan actually caught a fish! He didn’t know what to think of it, but knew that he didn’t want to get too close. Sean walked right up to the fish and grabbed it!