Garrett 5y 3mo

Garrett started school officially this month. While he enjoyed the mix of preschool and homeschool last year, he is ready for full-time homeschool this year. Garrett has been challenged and really is enjoying the learning time with Mommy. Joy and I transformed the house in a crazy three night stretch into an organized schoolhouse where supplies have their own place and other things were moved. He has started reading his Bible, which was originally the one Brett received when he went through a church membership class when he was in fifth grade--it is red (his favorite color). Garrett also finished up swimming lessons and started soccer practice for the upcoming season.

I'm ready to learn, are you?

We tried to get Daddy to buy this car, because it is so cool...Daddy offered a picture of us with it and here it is (the player to be named in this trade was a hot wheel of it).

Here are my selection of spectacles: sunglasses and goggles.

I think my shadow looks like a dinosaur!

I think I might need some help pulling this plow.

I'm working on my cool older brother look.

This is sandbox language for "Welcome Home Mommy."

I just got washed in by the surf on Lake Michigan-- learning how to body surf with Daddy was pretty fun.

I'm old enough to drive, right?

It's a bird, it's a plane...no it's a Wisconsin thunderstorm.

Bryce 3y 1mo

Bryce decided that he was going to school with his big brother, Garrett, this month. Why miss out on opportunities to read and color and play with math toys? Oh yeah, and he is trying to make sure that his little brother, Griffin, doesn't fall behind either. Bryce has made great strides with potty training this month and in fact has pretty much said goodbye diapers. The bathroom is no longer a scary place for Bryce--yes! We were using a lot of bags to dispose of diapers with poop in them--those diaper containers just can't contain the smell of poop from a 2-3 year old. Bryce also finally got to have some activities of his own--swim lessons. Well this was quite entertaining to watch. He had to learn to sit and wait his turn--very difficult for him, especially when he automatically believes that he already knows more about swimming than most of the other kids ages 4-7 in his class! He passed the first two levels and has his sights set on getting into whatever class Garrett is in.

Daddy said it was fine to wear my Redwings shirt while we were in Michigan, and while I'm at it, I think I will have some RED vines too.

At the beach, I liked transporting things from the heavy driftwood to a little scoop of sand.

Here is Garrett and I with our favorite swim teacher, Brandon.

"The name is Rex, but you can refer to me as Captain or Sir." This is how I like to make my entry in the morning.

Daddy and I built my very first Star Wars lego together--yes this is the one I acquired through bargaining at Toys R Us with Uncle Aaron and Aunt Kaarli.

Garrett and I crawled and climbed around to get our energy out before one of our flights.

Griffin, this is the only way in or out, come on let's go.

I'm gonna eat this whole sandwich, just watch.

I'm digging for fossils at the Meijer Garden, so far I haven't found any.

I loved swimming in Lake Michigan and then rolling around in the sand afterward--I made it really hard for Daddy to get all the sand off of me!

Griffin 1y 4mo

Griffin is now 16 months old, which is much younger than he seems to act for the most part. He is continuously challenged by the everyday observation of what his brothers do. He now prefers to feed himself (for the most part) which makes for quite a mess, but also much entertainment in the process. He really has taken to hitting balls with a bat off of a tee and is very proud that he can do this. He insists on batting from the left side and is throwing with a little bit of both arms. He is trying to make words and we are pretty sure he has produced a full sentence more than once. He is becoming more consistent with his sign language and is very adamant about his "No" headshake, although occasionally can be coaxed into relenting.



I still recognize that my primary weapon is my cuteness. Gotcha.





How's this one, Mom...hold the spoon in one hand but hand-feed myself with the other?

Did you catch me building a tower of blocks? I do prefer to destroy towers, but in order to do that, you have to build them sometimes too.

Mom, left a bag of shredded cheese within my reach, so I helped myself to some and am just about to start phase 2...art project with cheese!

Still my favorite food to enjoy by myself, as long as it is the proper temperature (just above lukewarm).

So we found this room in the airport that had three walls that nobody was in...well we turned it into a soccer stadium for the next two hours and then I still had enough energy to stay awake for the entire 4 hour flight home--Mom and Dad tried, but I won that round.

I am Specterman! What did you say Dad? I'm just negotiating this bumpy terrain.

I told Mommy in advance that I was going to make a big mess with this one, so I lost my shirt before I turned it into tomorrow's trash.

Oh, yeah I did use a fork on this meal, but I still made a mess.

I'm hiding from the seagulls, do you think they see me still?

Hey, that was a funny one!

You're killin' me with those stories, that is too funny, Uncle Aaron!

I'm ready for the pitch Dad, come on give me the knuckleball.

Okay, I give in, I'm really actually tired.

Fun with our Michigan Family

We packed in a lot of activities during our time in Michigan. We started out with an amusement park and minor league baseball game. We followed that up with a day of tennis and swimming. Then a dune ride and a day at Lake Michigan. We finished all the adventures with a trip to Toys R Us--too bad our choices were limited by what we could fit in our bags on the airplane...



Here we are 300+ feet above the lake on top of the largest sand dune in the area. Nice view, don't you think?



Mommy didn't realize that we would be riding at speeds of 30-50 mph on a sand racetrack with curves and drops and dips. This had to be the best roller coaster ride ever that one year olds "can" go on. And the main safety feature: you guessed it a shared seatbelt for four people...it was Grrrrrreatttt!

Yes, this was as steep as it looks. I started to crawl up the hill it was so hard. I can see why Grandma and Grandpa chose not to run down it...because then you have to get back up...

We visited the Fish Ladder on the Grand River and saw the water move and jump with fish when we dropped bread in for them. After the entertainment, we decided to all take a good picture with Grandma and Grandpa.

Grandpa read us some great bedtime stories, we kept asking for another one...

Bryce and I strategically placed ourselves in positions so you would think we went to the City of Grand Rap--you know where rap music got its start...

After watching Daddy hose off Bryce two times for covering himself in sand while wet, I helped arrange a picture with Uncle Aaron and Aunt Kaarli. It never hurts to have a beautiful lake in the background, or so I've heard in my photography class...

My brother Griffin is trying to sell Aunt Kaarli on the stick gun he has found...he doesn't think she is buying it.

I'm not sure what Uncle Aaron has in mind for his next move, but I think it has something to do with me not moving much...

Okay, you can bury me, but I want to keep my hands free.

I'm not sure who was smiling bigger, but my brother was going to make sure that Uncle Aaron had a ride to remember.

Go get Uncle Aaron and Bryce, Daddy, come on we got him, yeahhhh!

You might be smiling now, but just wait til I hock a loogie in your hair!

Daddy got our sleeping brother while Uncle Aaron got charge of the two of us with all the energy.

Third row behind home plate for the Whitecaps, good choice Uncle Aaron, too bad we didn't have a local bulletin to get that 50% discount...

Five swimming boys, that was us, to entertain the rest.

Our last lunch together--great choice we got cupcakes with it.

Uncle Aaron and Aunt Kaarli wanted to experience Toys R Us with us. We had a blast negotiating and figuring out what would and wouldn't fit in our baggage. Don't you think you can carry a bike on a plane? Please.

My brother Bryce had his eyes set on the most expensive Lego Star Wars item he could find...he came home with a pretty sweet Darth Vader TIE fighter.