Fair Oaks Farms

The kids had 2 days off school this week so the teachers could go to a convention.  We had a fun overnight trip with Casey's family to Fair Oaks Farms in northern Indiana.  Casey's parents treated us to the farm and a stay in a hotel.  We had a great time with them, Nick, and Jeff, Renee, Tyler and Cassie! 

We enjoyed the pig farm tour, the dairy farm tour, exploring the museum building, watching a calf being born, and doing a couple outside activities for the kids.  We also had a delicious lunch and homemade ice cream.  When we were finished at the farm, we went to our hotel and checked in.  After dinner at IHOP, the kids swam in the hotel pool.  In the morning we had breakfast at the hotel and then headed home.

We're glad we could have this fun trip with Casey's family, and it was a nice way to celebrate the school break.

We liked this sign on the back of the bus!

Baby pigs!

This piglet was less than an hour old.  So cute!

Lunch time between tours.

Trying out their milking skills.

Miriam and Ty tried out the
magnetic climbing wall!

Ice cream!

Gigantic jumping pillow!

Dinner at IHOP

Fun in the pool!



Some of the weirdest pool rules I've seen?!

Breakfast time

 

Miriam Loses a Tooth!

Today Miriam lost her first tooth!  She had mentioned something about having a loose tooth, but I didn't really think it was because she has said that before when they weren't actually loose.  When she came out after school today, she started talking and I noticed a gap in her teeth!

Unfortunately we don't have the tooth for the tooth fairy, so we had to write her a note...

Hopefully she'll catch the next one so that she can actually put it under her pillow!

Grandfriends Day

Today was Grandfriends Day at school.  Miriam was especially excited as this was her first time experiencing Grandfriends Day since it's always on a Friday and she didn't go to school on Fridays last year in preschool.

The grandparents were treated to fun activities in the classrooms with the kids and a beautiful program in the gym.  The kids had a great day with their grandpas and grandmas!

Peter's class is studying communities,
so they are making a community out of
boxes, containers, paper, etc...
Here he is showing the house that he made.

 

 

 

Esther-Mom Date Day

This year we decided that Casey and I would each take each kid on some type of special date/outing.  Casey took Esther to the father-daughter banquet, Miriam to Disney on Ice, and Peter to the NASCAR race.  I took Peter to the mother-son night at the Kroc Center, and today Esther and I had our date (Miriam's is coming up in November).

Esther wanted to try out Brush Studio in East Grand Rapids, and it was very fun!  We decided this time that I would just watch and help her instead of painting my own canvas.  She had fun painting and we have her finished creation hanging in the entry way of our house.  It looks beautiful!

Blank canvas!

The beautiful finished painting!

Afterwards, we ate a little picnic lunch on a bench and then we walked over to Jersey Junction for ice cream.  YUM!  It was a beautiful fall day and I loved spending it with my special girl! 

Meijer Gardens and Cousin Fun

Yesterday Miriam and I went to Meijer Gardens with one of her good friends from school and her mom and baby brother.  It was a gorgeous fall day and we enjoyed the beauty of the gardens and the fun of the children's area.

In the afternoon Ty and Cassie came over to hang out with Miriam and me for a while.  They had fun playing outside and spending good cousin time together. 

Tyler made friends with this guy...

Happy Birthday Grandma K!

We celebrated Casey's mom's birthday on Sunday at our house.  Casey did a great job with the cake, and he's getting ALMOST as good at making them as his mom.

September Catch-Up

Well, I have some catching up to do as these last few weeks have been busy, busy, busy with the start of school.

After 4 weeks of no swimming, biking, scootering, and lots of other fun things, Esther got her splint off on September 6.  She is very happy to be doing all of her normal activities again (and to be finished telling the story of how she broke her wrist on the elliptical machine). 

Miriam started another season of soccer.  She scored 2 goals in her first game!  She's got a great coach who is very fun and encouraging of the kids.  She seems to be enjoying it so far, and we've had good weather for the games as well.

Peter is playing flag football for the 2nd year in a row.  Somehow our friend Steve got roped into coaching, and since he didn't know much, he coerced Casey into helping so that they could not know anything about coaching flag football together.  Peter has had 1 game (of 3) so far and he's having a good time.