Fresh Beat Band!

Annabelle and Mommy were so excited to see the Fresh Beat Band in Chicago. We drove 5.5 hours on Saturday to see them. We checked into our lovely hotel, which was literally one block from the concert. We got primped and ready, Belle with a new Elsa dress and all. I could see the theater's parking lot from the hotel and wondered why it was so empty at just a half hour before the show time, but chose to ignore the little warning bells. We walked over, and I was relieved to see the sign showing the correct day and time for our concert. But oddly, as we approached, doors were locked and there were hardly any people. We made our way to the ticket counter where they told us that the concert had been cancelled. What ?! What?! Belle was very gracious and big girl about it. She didn't cry or whine. So instead, we went back and swam in the hotel pool, had a carpet picnic in the hotel room and hung out till sleepy time. We made the best of it.

I couldn't leave Chicago though, without seeing something! So the next morning we went to the Skydeck at Willis Tower. It was good we got there early, because it was quickly filling up with people.

We enjoyed the views together. It was a good experience even though it wasn't what we had planned. 

Thankful.

It was a wonderful Thanksgiving with friends. I am so very thankful for them, our family, our health and our many abundant blessings.

Spelling and reading and Christmas Lists

It's time to make our Christmas lists already, ok maybe it's a little early…but there's a lot to do to get ready for Christmas! Plus this is great support for the "keeping your room clean for Santa" argument.

Also, Annabelle is having a playdate at this very moment. They were playing school. Annabelle says, "Mom, I spelled Calendar" and shows me this picture.  (It also says "Mariah" obviously.) She's still in pre-school yet is sounding out words. I'm proud of my girl.

Also, had to share this adorable picture that Drew made for me. I will cherish it forever. 

GR

Sometimes we head down to the big city to see an exhibit or a show. This time, it was then "Pirates" exhibit at The Public Museum. Great museum. So so exhibit. But the drive Down, the hotel stay, the times together we're good. Filled with joy at God'sany blessings. 

Then we came home to a snow frosted TC. Oh boy, 

We are going on a "journal"...

...to Grand Rapids to see what we can see. Cow-y, Lamb-y, Bebick, Bubbie Froggy- the whole crew. I think we will all enjoy the pirate exhibit at the public

Museum. We are off! 

Visits, Birthdays and Halloween

What a busy week we had! Zeyde and Granje came to visit us during a very special week when we get to celebrate both Drew and Bill's birthday, and also enjoy the fun of trick or treating together. Here's some pics from the week...

Incredible Mo's for small birthday gathering with friends...

 Handing candy out to Papa's friends in the Pavilions...

Carving pumpkins...

 Trick or treat with good friends...

Rainbow Butterfly Belle

Drew as Minecraft Steve

The neanderthals and their weird offspring...

Zeyde and Granje share some love...

 Birthday presents! 

A lovely morning walk on West Bay in Traverse City

Also, spoke to Annabelle's teacher today. She told me that Belle, while in pre-k still, is almost doing better than some of the Kindergartners. She is pre-reading all the time and loves to practice writing and sounding out words. I am proud of her. 

Drew came home the other day and was talking about whether things were liquid or solid. He consistently does well on his spelling tests and math facts.

Practice Writing

Belle is practice writing a ton lately. Had to share her latest from today, along with another cute piece of artwork.

Beautiful Weekend, Again.

Started out the weekend with a visit to the Dennos Museum where we watched the Chinese Dragons perform. Chinese acrobats who contorted, tossed, climbed and bounced with nail biting accuracy.

Saturday, Drew was thrilled to host some friends at Incredible Mo's for his 'friend' party. We bowled, ate pizza, opened gifts and  played in the arcade. It was a lot of fun, and a great way to get the birthday week started. 

Can't believe he is going to be 6!

We've been ghosted!

Part of the joy of living in a neighborhood as we do, is little unexpected pleasures that come along.

Halloween is close, and one tradition we became aware of last year was getting "ghosted". Someone leaves a bag of goodies on our door and then we have to pay it forward. We had fun inspecting the contents of our bag this morning and nibbling on the goodies inside as well. 

Question is, who will we ghost next?

Update: so we paid it forward. First two homes went flawlessly, each kid taking a turn to carry the bag up to the porch and drop it laughing and giggling all the way together. Third house went awry: they were spotted and they come booking back to us, bag still in hand screaming "they saw us! They saw us!" Hilarious. 

Hockey

The kids have started hockey again. Yes, both Belle and Drew are on skates now. It's so fun to watch them and a really great way for them to learn to skate. This is a must-have skill where the winters are long and one of the only ways to enjoy it is to get out on some ice in the backyard rink or at the community rink. They each play on separate teams. We were surprised by Belle when she said she wanted to do it and show the boys what's what. Drew is majorly confident and excited each time to get out there and show his stuff. He's come a long way in only a year.

What a beautiful weekend!

We hiked up to Empire Bluffs on Saturday with friends Mariah and the Mays.
It. was. amazing.

This is my favorite place on the planet next to Canyonlands, Utah. And when I think about them both, they are such far opposites in topography that they both hold a very special place in my heart.

Like the Maze or Needles, Empire Bluffs fills one with peace and a feeling of serenity. Not sure if it's the expanse of cool blues, the clouds at eye level floating silent by or the warmth of the sun on your skin…but it's the feeling you look to gain when you go to the spa. That 'ahhhhhh' feeling.

Snaggle

Drew has lost, and is in process of, losing teeth over the past few months. We've been having fun with him and his latest 'look'. He and I were playing while waiting at one point, and he wanted to me to try to pull out his "Snaggletooth". He loved it.

With a well-placed bite to an almond, the tooth has since fallen out and the tooth fairy has made the trade. Drew declared he'd like to buy some gum with his $2.

Happy Anniversary!

Eleven years under our belt. Happy Anniversary to us!