Gull Meadow Farms

On Monday, Dane's preschool class took a field trip to Gull Meadow Farms. When I first got the permission slip and saw the word "farm", I assumed that is was an animal farm. I told Dane we were going to see some animals on a farm, and he was very excited. As it got closer, I decided to look it up on the internet. That's when I found out that it was an apple/pumpkin farm. It looked really neat, and I tried to prepare Dane for it since he thought we were going to see the animals. He was a little disappointed when we got there, because there were no animals. But, he quickly got over it.

The first thing we did when we got there was going on a wagon ride to pick some apples. The day was kind of cold (well, probably normal for fall, but we have been used to 80 degree weather the past week!) and cloudy, but the rain held off until the afternoon when everyone was tucked in their beds. Dane and Abel got to pick some apples - Honey Gold. They were a cross between Honey Crisp and Jona Gold, and they were delicious! Very sweet and crisp...


After the apple picking, we sat and had some fresh apple cider and some apple cinnamon sugar donuts. Delicious as well! As Dane was eating his donut (and he did NOT put it down until it was gone), he said that he needed to buy Daddy a donut and cider for him to have when he got home from work. Always thinking of his Daddy these days.....
Abel didn't care as much about the donut, but he LOVED the apple. I think he carried that around with him for an hour!
After we walked around a bit, Dane decided he wanted his apple, and Abel started on a fresh one!
We had a great time, and I told Dane that maybe we could take Daddy back there in October. He said that he wanted Daddy to take him to a farm with animals! He didn't forget!

After we left, we had lunch at McDonald's, and then headed home. The boys had a big morning, and they took wonderful naps during the gloomy, rainy, afternoon!

Fishing off the dock and paddleboat rides...

On Monday evening, Eric got home from work early so he could take Dane fishing. Dane and Eric bought a new Hot Wheels fishing pole on Sunday, so he couldn't wait to try it out.

We all went down to the lake, and what a wonderful spot for a kid to fish! You could see all the fish from the dock, and they were just patiently waiting for Dane to drop his worm in. They were even trying to bite at the line! Dane caught a bunch of fish. Eric let him hold one to throw it back in, and it flipped out of his hands and hit him in the face! He didn't want to hold one after that...

Meanwhile, Abel and I walked back up to the house to get their lifevests so we could take them on a paddleboat ride. Everyone in the neighborhood has donated stuff to put down at the beach - toys, rafts, tables, chairs, etc. The boys had a ball, and I think Abel giggled the whole time we were out there. It was a beautiful night for it.

Shortcut

On Monday afternoon, Dane and I were making cupcakes for Maverick to take to school for his birthday. Nikki came over after she got out of work and picked them up to frost and decorate. She left some here, and Dane said that he wanted to take them to his party. We are going to have a belated birthday party for him, and I thought that was what he was talking about. I said, "Your party is too far away to save these, we'll get some new ones". To which he replied, "It's not too far away if we take the shortcut". I wish we could, buddy!

A few random photos...

Here are just a few random photos that I think are cute that I thought I would share.

Dane and Abel love these chairs, and this particular day they enjoyed sitting together. Usually, they each get a chair, but I guess they felt like sharing that day.

I would love to say that Abel is potty trained, but he isn't. Although, he does occasionally like to sit on the potty like his big brother. I'm waiting to hear that tinkling sound....
In this picture, the boys were trying on their winter coats, and had a great time doing it.
Here is a picture of me and the boys on my birthday. This was the cake that daddy made (that's what Dane kept on telling me).
This picture is just adorable! Dane happened to be sitting in his underwear, so Abel went and got a pair of underwear and brought them to me. I took off his diaper and put them on.

The Ark

The title of this post has a couple meanings...

We are so glad to see the sun!! We had three full days of CONSTANT rain, as did many people, and we are glad to finally get outside. Yesterday it had stopped raining, but it was just cloudy and dreary most of the day. Today it is almost 70 degrees and sunny. We were outside for most of the morning, and Dane was asking to go down to the lake. I told him we couldn't get in the water because it was too cold. He said, "Mom, it's warm out, don't you see?". We haven't made it down to the lake yet, but maybe after their naps. Things are drying out here, and we're glad the rain is over! Sorry Lowell homeowners - your back yard is probably flooded!

The second meaning of "The Ark" title...that is the name of Dane's new preschool. He started on Monday, and seemed to really enjoy it. This is actually the preschool that Eric went to. He goes on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9am to 1pm. I stayed for about an hour on Monday, and he did fine with me leaving. There was a little girl there that WAS NOT letting her mom go. She was in control, the mom wasn't. The teachers said that the mom stayed for 2 days last week, and now she was having a terrible time. I was hoping that this wouldn't rub off on Dane, and it didn't. She was screaming, kicking, running from the teachers, etc. The mom just needed to leave, but didn't.

Here is Dane ready to go on the first day! He took his Buzz Lightyear backpack, and Spiderman lunchbox. When we talked about going to school last week, I told him that we could go get a lunchbox for him to take. He asked if Daddy was going to take him to the store. I told him he could, but could I take him? He said "No, Daddy's taking me". Eric and Dane went to the store on Saturday and got Spiderman. Dane said he wanted a SpongeBob one, but when they got to the store they didn't have any. Eric said he picked out the Spiderman one and was happy with it. Then, when they got to the checkout, Dane said "Is the SpongeBob lunchbox inside the Spiderman lunchbox?". He seems happy with it now!
Abel had to get in on a picture too. I'm not quite sure what was going on with his hair.
Here are some pictures of Dane at their first circle time looking at insects through a magnifying glass. That is his teacher, Miss Joy.

Right before I left, they lined up to wash their hands for snack. I was proud of him at how well he listened to everyone.
He got to make a name tag for his cubby right away. Miss Joy made a baseball for him to put on it. He enjoyed putting the stickers on it, and the number three!
Here is Dane next to his cubby. He looks so big.

Moving Day

I just want to say sorry to all my "fans" out there. I have not been as good about posting pictures and updates as I would like to be. As you can imagine, I've been busy getting things in order in our new house. Also, my computer isn't as accessible as it once was. It is now on the lower level, and the kids and I spend most of our day upstairs. It is good that it's down here, because there are too many things that little hands get a hold of. It was so easy to jump on here for 5 minutes before we moved, and the little ones wouldn't even know I was doing it. But now, they hear me go downstairs and they are right on my tail like little baby bears following their mama! Anyway, I will try to be better now that I have a little bit of order back in this new house.

We are loving it, and still can't quite believe we are here. We have so much more room, although we have filled it up quite nicely. I am now starting to think of painting walls - everything is white. I will tackle one room at a time, but probably will start with the boys' room, since that is the one I'm most sure of. The toughest one will be the kitchen/dining area/sitting area/front entryway. It all kind of flows together, so I have to put more thought into the colors there. I have some ideas, but I have to think them out!

We had lots of help on moving day - and the only one I didn't get a picture of is Nikki. Everyone was such a help, and we couldn't have done it without each of them.

Well, I take that back. Here is a picture of Nikki and I waving at our shadows, and the taking a picture to see if it would turn out. Were we supposed to be helping the guys move?

This is a picture of Eric and I with the Ryder truck taking our first load down to Plainwell.
Here are Dad, Eric, and Uncle Jerry a the new house. It looks like we were working Dad to the bone, Eric looks thrilled to be in a house that has central air, and Uncle Jerry has no idea that in a few hours Dad is taking him to his surprise 50th birthday party.
Here is Eric in the very cool Ryder truck.
The day started out with just Kevin, Eric, and I. We got the first load in the truck, and then Dad, Uncle Jerry, and Nikki met us down in Plainwell to unload. Eric was not thrilled that I was taking pictures. I have to have something to scrapbook, right?
This is the "SOLD" sign at Pinnacle Court. We found out at closing that the realtor actually went to school (a few years behind) Eric's dad, aunt, and uncle. Small world here in Allegan County!

Ahhh, Jason Shanafelt helping with the unloading duties. I think here he was enjoying a ride on the liftgate.
Here is Donnie raising (or lowering?) the liftgate. Jason doesn't have anything in his hands, which would lead you to believe that he is being lifted to the truck to get something out. But, Jason is sneaky. With the fury of people in and out, he could've just been standing there all day riding up and down, and no one would have known.
Hmm, now here is Donnie working, Eric and Kevin working, but what is Jason doing?
Here is the house. I will get better pictures later, but this gives you and idea of what it looks like.

After the first load, Eric, Kevin, Uncle Jerry, Dad, Nikki and I headed back up to Lowell for the 2nd load. Nikki was amazing helping me clean up the house. I'm sure Yumi thanks you Nik (the pregnant new owner). The guys were trying to rush, because Dad and Uncle Jerry were on a time frame (but only Dad knew), and Uncle Jerry wouldn't leave until we were loaded up. When we got back to Plainwell, Jason and Donnie met us to help unload. When we finished, we sat in the driveway on our picnic table and had some pizza.

After that, everyone left, and Eric and I headed back up to Lowell for Moose, Reesie, and the fish. We left the fish tank until last, because it is such a PAIN to move. We are glad to say that all the fish survived the trip. We had possession of the house until 10 pm that evening, and we pulled out of there at 9:35 pm with the last load. Eric and I were exhausted from the day, and we spent 45 LONG minutes on our final drive down to Plainwell listening to Reesie howl and the fish slosh around in the back. I got driving duty, because we had Nikki's van, and Eric refused to drive that! When we got home, we still had to set up the fish tank. Luckily that all went well, and we CRASHED.

Again, thanks to everyone who helped us out - even you Jason (I'm sure he did something....). Seriously, he really did help us out, along with Kevin, Dad, Uncle Jerry, Nikki and Donnie. My Mom and Dad came up the next day and delivered some things that had been stored at their house. We appreciate all the help we got that hot sunny day.

It's great to be home.

Hello, Pinnacle Court!

We are finally here!!! August sure was a LONG month for us, but all the hurdles we had to jump over were worth it. The house is wonderful, has tons more room, and the nice neighborhood that I wanted.

The boys are adjusting very well to the new house. Dane often asks about our old house, but he understands that some other people are living there now.

We have met some of the people on our street, and apparently we didn't move to Pinnacle Court, we moved to Old Fart's Lane (that's what they named it, not us!). Right next door is Roxanne (a.k.a. Rocky) - a middle aged single woman who works at the hospital as a child life specialist (social work). She is very friendly, but wanted to know right away if we got a water softener yet, because she had to get treatments for her hair because it turned orange from the bad water. We'll get right on that Rocky - thanks! Hopefully you won't see me with orange hair. If you do, remind me that we need to get a water softener ASAP.

Across the street are Paul and Elaine. Elaine works as an aide in the before/after school program for the Plainwell School District. Paul is retired, and spends most of the days working on his lawn -which is very nice. Eric has met him, but I have just waved to him while he was mowing his lawn - shirtless. I don't think I've ever seen him with a shirt on. I guess that's what you do when you live by a lake and are retired. Ride shirtless all you want, Paul - we don't mind!!

I had my first gossip session with Rocky and Elaine last night in the driveway. I was putting toys away, and two fawns were wandering through the yards. They have apparently been around all summer. That started the conversation, and then it took off from there. They were trying to tell me who lives where, who's got kids, etc. Even who the "trouble people" are. Only one house all the way around the block that the cops have visited a few times. I think I'm in with Rocky and Elaine, so I may get more information. Elaine and her neighbor have a great view of the beach, so they make sure that no one is down there that shouldn't be, or no one docks their boat there if they aren't supposed to. It sounds like there are a lot of kids in the neighborhood, so that will be good. We met another neighbor down at the lake the other night, who seemed really cool. I think we are really going to like it here.