Spring Break Days 6-7

Yesterday we hung out at home in the morning and then met Daddy and our friend (Daddy's co-worker) Mr. Jake at Culver's for lunch. Of course I forgot to take a picture until the very end, but here is Esther finishing up her custard--yum!

In the afternoon our friends Erin, Anna and Elizabeth came over to play. We had a great time just hanging out and playing. Peter was really cute with little Elizabeth and fetched toys for her and talked baby talk to her. He was probably remembering the good old days when Miriam wasn't mobile and couldn't take his toys away from him!

I had been told that I had to continue the traditional Thursday Marge's Donut Den outing, so this morning we had "Mommy Marge's Morning," although it was also sort of still "Daddy Donut Day" because Casey stopped by for a few minutes on his way up north to an appointment. Apparently the kids and Casey are quite the celebrities there, because everyone was saying hi to the kids and asking where their Daddy was before he got there. As you can see, the kids really love their donuts, and yes, Peter eats the frosting off his first!

On the way home, we stopped to get Esther's soccer gear since her first AYSO game is next week. She is very excited for her first game, and of course she had to try on her whole uniform when we got home. It also worked out well that MC Sports was running a cleats/shin guards/socks/soccer ball package deal. Even though Esther already has a soccer ball, it was actually cheaper to do the package than buy the other 3 things separately, so I let Peter pick out his own ball. He's very proud of his very own new soccer ball, and Casey is happy that Peter is no longer kicking around Esther's pink soccer ball in the yard!

Tomorrow my sister is coming into town for a long weekend, and the kids are very excited to spend time with Aunt Karen! We're looking forward to a fun weekend to wrap up our wonderful break.

Spring Break Days 4-5

Yesterday we visited the Children's Museum with Aunt Renee and Tyler and had a great time. Renee called me later to let me know that the G.R. Press referred to the Children's Museum as the "spring break staycation destination," so I figured I should include that here in my post. It was quite busy, so keeping track of 4 kids between 2 adults was a bit of a challenge, especially since Miriam could care less if I knew where she was and would take off running every chance she got.


After a busy morning, I told Esther and Peter that we could watch the movie "Babe," which we had picked up at the library. After gathering their friends and blankies, we popped some popcorn, and were all ready for the show.

This morning we headed out to our friend Jodi's house to get haircuts. This is actually a fun outing for the kids because she has a salon in her basement and a huge playroom full of awesome toys. The kids love going there and never want to leave when we're done! Miriam got her momentous first haircut and as you can see, she was thrilled about it. It was nice to get rid of most of her mullet and she looks pretty cute with her new little hairstyle. We're trying not to cut her bangs, so we just need to get her to keep a barrette in her hair so that it's not always in her eyes! We also took before and after pictures of handsome Peter.

We've also been playing lots of Memory and other card and board games during break, which has been fun. Our book count is up to 31, so I think we're going to reach our goal with no problem.

Spring Break Days 1-3

My part-time work schedule and Esther's pre-school schedule have given us a 10 day spring break (including weekends) this year. We are not travelling anywhere during break, so apparently we are having a "staycation." Casey and I both think that word is kind of goofy, so my goal is to use it as many times as possible this week just to drive him crazy. :)

Anyway, on the first day of our staycation the kids and I went to the library to pick out a bunch of books and a couple videos to keep us busy during the week. I asked Esther how many books she thought we could read during break. She thought 100 was too high, so we settled on 50 and made a chart to keep track of how many we read. At the end of day 3, we've read 14, so we're right on track.

Yesterday, Esther and Peter went to Home Depot with Casey and his Dad to build birdhouses. You'll have to read the previous post for details on that.

Today we went to church and I taught the Palm Sunday lesson to Esther's children's worship class. I always enjoy teaching those young ones because they are so cute and excited to learn. Then we went to Casey's parents' house for a delicious dinner, good fellowship, and some Wii playing with his family. After we got home and Miriam was napping, Casey, Esther and Peter decorated eggs.

Stay tuned for the exciting adventures of the rest of our staycation this week! By the way, you'll probably notice a common item in many of the pictures this week. Peter insists on wearing his Calvin (or "Calvalin" as he says) hat EVERYWHERE these days. He was disappointed that he couldn't wear it to church this morning!

Place for the Birds

Today Daddy, Esther, Peter and Grandpa K attended a kid's workshop at the Home Depot. Every 2nd and 4th Saturday Home Depot has little craft kits for the kids (for free!!).

Today was a birdhouse. We made it without smashing any fingers with hammers...something Daddy never managed to do when he was building houses! I would say the pictures speak for themselves! Esther's is now painted pink and Peter's is yellow. We will be sure to update you when we get some birds to move in.

Afterwards, Grandpa treated us to Krispy Kreme; a great reward for a job well done.

Fun Saturday

So, what exciting things can you do with Dad on a Saturday? Go to Sam's Club of course and eat some of the biggest hot dogs you've ever seen!

Spring Has Sprung...

...at least temporarily! Last weekend through Tuesday we had wonderful weather. Over the weekend we went for our first official "family bike ride" with all 5 of us--Miriam was in the bike trailer and the rest of us rode our own bikes. Esther and Peter are getting to be strong little bike riders, which allows to explore our neighborhood a little more, even when the route includes some uphill climbs.

On Tuesday the kids and I were outside for the majority of the day. We went for several bike rides, played in the backyard, and drew with chalk on the driveway. It was wonderful to be outside, getting fresh air and releasing energy. The kids sleep better and eat a lot more when they're burning all that energy!

Of course now it's colder again, but it has to get warm again eventually, right?

Random Cute Pictures

Just thought I'd post some pictures of the kids doing everyday things since we've just been doing our normal routine lately...

Yes, all these friends sleep in Esther's bed each night. They are normally on the side of her bed against the wall. She chooses 1 or 2 each night to "snuggle" with her. She wanted me to take a picture of all of them in this special arrangement that she created (maybe she's ready to be a photographer's assistant or something).

Of couse then Peter needed to have his picture taken in his bed too... nice cheesy smile Buddy!

Family Fun Night

A couple weeks ago we went to Family Fun Night at Esther's school. Esther and Peter had a great time jumping in the blow-up bounce funhouse, playing little carnival games, and getting a goody bag full of candy and prizes. They also enjoyed getting their faces painted, although Peter's puppy was somewhat rubbed off by the time we got home. Miriam entertained herself by running down the halls in an attempt to escape from us in the crowds of kids. It was a fun time!

First Robin!!!!

This was the sight that the kids and I saw in our tree outside our front window tonight.

They thought I should post it so Grandma and Grandpa W would know that it is almost spring time in Michigan. :-)

Butterflies!

Casey had today off and since it was a beautiful, mild day we decided to make our first visit of the season to see the butterflies at Meijer Gardens. We saw the butterflies first and Esther loved trying to find them on the flowers and plants. Peter was scared of them. We tried to explain that they don't sting or hurt us, but he was not to be convinced. Casey ended up heading outside with him while the girls spent a little more time inside.

Since it was a nice day, we explored the treehouse, log cabin and maze in the children's garden. We also checked out the butterfly activities and spent some time putting together butterfly body parts and dressing up as butterflies.

It was a great way to spend a spring morning and we're looking forward to spending a lot of time there this summer!