Looming Fall

It seems that Fall is looming up here in Michigan…which is fine, because we LOVE fall. But we don't love winter. When we got back from the lake on Monday, Jack wanted to draw with chalk on the driveway. Not surprising - he requested a boat and then sat in it.

We are off to the Northville Library today to look for some of Josie's favorite things: books.

Comerica Park

One of the things we have been telling Jack is that you have to use the potty to go to a Tiger's game. It's a white lie. Nevermind that he has been to 3-4 Tigers games as an infant...or that we were willing to bring his baby sister (still in diapers) along... Big boys go potty AND watch baseball. It worked.

So last Thursday Tyson took the day off work and we spent the afternoon at Comerica Park for a Tiger's game. As one would expect - Jack was in heaven.

 We had lunch there and - possibly for the first time EVER - NO BEER. What's that about?

Oh wait...this explains the NO BEER. That foam Tiger Paw cost $15. Did I miss something? When did  ballpark souvenirs get so expensive?? Whatever. Jack loved the game, loved the hotdog, loved the foam paw, and loved using the Men's Restroom while he was there.

It was a fun afternoon and it was great being back in Detroit!

Kids at Play

Last week I bribed the kids with a trip to the park by our neighborhood. Their end of the deal was being good in the paint store for 10 minutes while I bought paint for Josie's room. They were good for about 7.5 minutes…give or take…

Regardless - with nap time looming - we went to the park anyway. 

Not surprising - Josie was the first to decide it would be fun to go up the tall slide. Jack followed behind her with words of encouragement - "Be careful, Jos!"  and  "Hold on, Jos."

She came right down, no problem. Well, just some static hair.

This "cage" was fun. I'm not sure how or why…but they liked it.

Here is Jack being 3. Don't ask.

And his final piece of advice: "Yook down der, Jos." (Look down there, Jos.) Actually, that wasn't good advice at all.

Today is the first day of classes for Michigan schools. It's a bittersweet day for me. I'm sad that I'm not starting a school year, yet also relieved I'm not dealing with the stress of a new school year (teachers, you know what I mean by that). I guess you could say that I'm still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up… Suggestions are welcome.

Lake for Labor Day

Uncle Devin came in from Idaho for Labor Day Weekend. We packed up Friday and headed to the Lake! It was a GREAT weekend filled with family, friends, and yummy food…not to mention lots of time swimming in the lake and playing outside.

 We missed Aunt Kristin! She had to stay in ID for work. Hopefully we will see her soon!

Tucker got in LOTS of tennis ball fetches from the lake. That dog was born to swim. Devin had a relaxing time…or at least a somewhat relaxing time. As relaxing as a weekend can get with two kids running around.

We had a "visitor" on Friday night. A green frog somehow managed to sneak into the house and snuggle up on the water cooler. He was escorted out. 

Jack and Josie had a great time with Grandma Nancy, Grandpa Denny, and Uncle Devin. It's so nice to have the lake as a meeting place for the family!

Wear 'Em Out

We walked down to the "Tot Lot" the other night. It was a last ditch effort to wear the kids out before bed. Jack loves climbing on things and Josie isn't far behind him. She wants to do everything he does.

...including watching TV even though she's really not cut out for it. In this picture, she pulled up a pillow for a viewing of Bubble Guppies, but only lasted a few minutes. She actually prefers looking at books, raiding the pantry, and finding/stealing Jack's toys to taunt him.

Over the Weekend

We had a fun weekend in Northville. Nancy & Denny came up Friday night for a quick "Jack & Josie Fix." They got to visit our new favorite breakfast diner and they saw Jack's new pre-school. After some shopping, they were back to FW before I could even snap a picture of them.

Saturday night we went to a neighborhood Movie Night. They set up a projector & big screen - kids watched a movie while their parents socialized. It was fun! Of course, my two social butterflies had a blast!

 Jack and Josie (left) watching the movie with the Festa boys.

Josie decided to eat her breakfast in a basket on Sunday morning. Not sure about that… I think we need to speed up the purchase of a kitchen table!

Sunday afternoon we took a walk and it was HOT, so we came home and got ready for the pool. Josie is a FISH! The girl loves swimming and she has NO fear. Swim lessons are a must this fall & winter!

See how excited she was!

We have a big week ahead of us, as we get ready for Uncle Devin to come into town! I know two kids who are pretty pumped to see him! 

All The Better to See You With...

4th grade

The best part about unpacking {again} is finding treasures. For example, I found my HUGE blue glasses that I wore in 3rd-4th grade. My friend Abbie had the same pair in red. They were cool. We were cool for wearing them. Yet, somehow my husband always makes fun of me when he's sees old pictures. 

Luckily, they've made a comeback - so there.

Best Potty Prize Ever.

WoooooHoooo - it's FRIDAY! But we'll be doing more of the same...unpacking, unpacking, unpacking. And maybe a pool break.

One Week Later...

Annnnndddd we're back! Only a week later. Gosh. Moving is hard.

We had a successful and pleasant closing last Thursday evening. Jack and Josie joined us...which is always a tad stressful, but we stopped by the new house afterward and Jack ran around without pants on. "Welcome home, kid!"

On Friday, Grandma Nancy braved Ikea with Jack & Josie...while Tyson and I directed the movers. It was fairly painless, but somehow tiring. (Haven't figured that one out yet.)

On Sunday Jack and I ventured to our new pool (just 7 houses down) and Jack had a blast! So many kids and families! The best part was - when we were done, we walked away. I'm not kidding. That was the best part.

Later that afternoon Jack gave Josie a ride on her "princess car" and she scraped up her foot. She was really mad and rightly so... She's been hobbling around all week, milking this injury for all it's worth. Doesn't she look ticked??

My parents came Monday night to check out the new house. They have been spending some quality time with the grandkids and grand dogs.

And finally - Jack's BIG announcement:

He is 100% POTTY TRAINED. And it only took a day. Okay, well three and a half years (give or take) but honest to God - ONE day. He was like, "Yeah, I want to use the potty." Done.

And now he's cruising around on this. Because, let's face it, a new bike is WAY cheaper than 10 more boxes of diapers. And I'm not above bribes incentives - whatever.

Stay tuned for my potty training post...coming soon.

Beautiful Butterfly

The other day the kids and I took a walk around our AA neighborhood - to mail some "fan mail" - and we saw the most beautiful butterfly! Every time I see a gorgeous butterfly I think of my friend, Erin, and her sweet baby boy, Christian. You can see her post about Christian's Butterflies HERE.

Anyway, when we saw the butterfly we stopped to watch it for a while. Jack asked a lot of great questions...and thanks to my stint in Kindergarten, I was able to answer them.

Josie liked the butterfly, but preferred to watch it from a distance.

And this would be the part when Jack picked up a stick and pretended to drink nectar from the flower with his long "butterfly tongue." I'm sure the neighbors think we are completely normal.

It's Moving Day! I will be SO happy to see all my "stuff" unloaded off the truck. But I don't want to see the truck again for a LONG, LONG time.

Building Towers

Jack has been really into building things lately. I think it's a "boy thing" because I remember my brother, Joe, spending hours building with his legos. Since Jack has recently traded in his nap time for more awake time…I'm thinking about giving him a big tub of legos during "quiet time." He seems to enjoy it and it keeps him pretty occupied.

The other night while I was cooking dinner, Jack & Josie emptied all of the canned goods onto the floor. At first I was annoyed - ANOTHER mess to clean up. But then Jack told me they were building a "tower."

Josie was an "assistant" - her job was to look cute and not touch anything. She is actually WAY better at demolition than she is at construction.

Jack worked hard while I cooked dinner. Aside from having to avoid cans as I moved around the kitchen, it was nice to watch Jack in action, not mention I didn't have to break up any fights!

And this was the final product…which was still standing the next morning.

Today is THE day! We will close on our house this afternoon and then move in tomorrow. To say I'm excited is a bit of an understatement.

Don't abandon us through the move…we have lots of things to share, including some BIG news from Jack.