Fun Weekend

Ryan had the whole weekend off, which is rare. It was so nice to spend so many consecutive days together as a family. He also had Monday off as well!
On THursday night we went down to Navy Peir and hit up the childrens museum for awhile. Gavin loves the water room there and never wants to leave. When we did leave, we walked around the Peir for an hour or so and got some ice cream. Gavin had a great time looking at all the boats. Unfortunately, I did not bring my camera.

Friday night we went to this specail even at the zoo, called the super zoo picnic. We got free tickets when we became members of the zoo. It looked like it was going to rain, so we almost didnt make it. I am so glad that we did. We ended up having a blast. They had so much for us to do! You can go here and view all of our pictures from the event, if you haven't already on facebook.

Saturday we ended up sticking close to the house, doing some grocery shopping and getting a pizza. Ryan had to take his bike back to the store for an adjustment and when he came back he had a remote control airplane for 'Gavin'. They played with it for a long time at the park. Gavin does love it, but I think Ryan loves it even more!

Sunday we went to church and then came home and rushed to the beach. We had to drive around forever because there was no parking and our lot that we have a pass to was full! It was crazy. We just kept on driving around and eventually they let us in! We were at the beach for maybe 45 mintues before we got rained out! Gavin was very disappointed. He loves going to the beach and playing in the sand! The rain didn't last long, however, and we ended up walking around the zoo again and getting some more ice cream!

Yesterday turned out to be a pretty fun day as well. As you all probably know, Gavin loves John Deere tractors and anything John Deere, really. So, Ryan and Gavin headed to "The O" (Home Depot) as Gavin calls it, and bought some green and yellow paint. They painted Gavin's red wagon in John Deere colors. They we went and bought some stickers to put on it as well. It still needs some yellow accent paint here and there, but I had to get some pictures of it so far! Here are my J.D. boys!

Gavin Talk

I have several Gavin stories, so you may want to brace yourself for some long reading:

*On Sunday I dropped Gavin off at his class and they were playing Simon Says. I laughed to myself because Gavin has never played it before and was just imagining the teacher trying to teach him. When we picked him up from class I had completely forgotten about the game and our conversation went something like this:

Me: Gavin, what did you learn about in class today?

Gavin: Um, a guy named Simon

Ryan: Do you mean Solomon?

Gavin: No, Simon

Then I remembered the game and told Ryan about it. We were both cracking up. It took us some time and some very pointed questions to get what he really learned about - the Good Samaritan.

* I never let Gavin say, "my toys" or "my (fill in the blank)". If you ask Gavin who his toys belong to he will say, "God". Well the other day we were driving down Lake Shore drive looking at all of the boats and Gavin was saying how he really wanted to ride in one of them. I was trying to explain to him that we don't know anyone who owns a boat so we can't ask them if we can use them. Gavin thinks for a minute and then looks at me and says, "Well, they are GOD'S boats! Ask him!" It was too cute.

* It's tradition in our house that we have cinnamon rolls every Sunday morning. We have never talked about it or mentioned it, it's just what we do. Well, on Ryan's day off the other week we decided to break character and have some cinnamon rolls. We were sitting at the kitchen table and eating them and all the sudden Gavin looks up and says, "Are we going to church today?" We were cracking up and in awe of his observation!

* Gavin has a pretty sensitive conscience. He never does anything sneaky or behind my back. I often tell people that I could give him a whole sack of candy and leave him alone for 20 min. and he would not eat even a piece without permission. Now, that isn't to say he wouldn't do it right in front of me in outright disobedience. Well, sometimes I keep a few cups of juice in the fridge for Gavin to get himself, but he always has to ask for it. So, Gavin decided that he wanted some the other day so he comes and finds me to let me know that he is going to, in his words, " sneak some juice." I told him we never sneak, and if he wanted some juice, he could ask for it. I wasn't quite sure what else to say.

* Another commical thing about Gavin is that even though he has been sleeping in a big boy bed for a year and half, he still will not get out of bed without calling for me first. I never once told him that he wasn't allowed to get out of bed (even though he isn't allowed) but he never even tried to get out. The first night he ever slept in his bed he woke up the next morning and just called out, "mamma" and has been doing so ever since. I wonder how old he will be when he just decides on his own to get up!

*okay, this is my last story for now. This one is my favorite. Gavin is pretty detailed oriented and he usually notices things when they are different. The one thing that he never fails to notice is when I put my hair in a pony tail. He will say, "momma, you put your hair in a pony tail! I love it when you do that!" I don't know why, but Gavin prefers me in a pony tail. Sometimes if I have worn my hair down for a few days in a row he will even ask me to put it up! It is so cute and so funny!

My mom sent this funny card to Gavin containing some dollars for his chart. I thought it was so cute, I had to take a picture and blog about it. His grandparents helped him out a bit when he was in Michigan by giving him jobbers to do around their houses as well, and I think he may have gotten a few freebies, too. Anyway, here is picture of the card from my mom.

This is the front of the card

And this is the inside of the card - the eyes pop out at you when you open it. She folded the dollars accordion style and glued the eyes to them.

My mom is so creative! When Gavin opened it up he said, "Whoa! Eyes!" Then he looked again and his eyes got big and he said, "AND DOLLARS!!!" It was so cute and fun to get a surprise like that in the mail!

( If I make a chart for myself with something I want on it, do you think my parents will start sending ME dollars and cute cards? Yeah, I doubt it!)

Hard Work!

Over the last 34 days Gavin has done so many "jobbers". He has set the table, made his bed, learned Bible verses, put his dishes in the sink, and helped with a lot of other things. Today was the day he put that last dollar into his chart and earned his rocket ship! He was sayng over and over again, "I am so excited!"

The rocket ship was on sale at Target a week or so ago (thanks to Annie for that tip!) so I went and picked it up then. I sat it on top of our T.V. cabinet yesterday and today for some motivation for Gavin. He loved looking at it and anticipating getting it.

I was suprised at how patient he was about the whole thing. He never once complained that it was taking too long or anything. But, if he complained about a "jobber" he lost his dollar and still had to do the "jobber".

So, he has been playing with it for about an hour straight and I let him watch his little einstein video, too. He loves to play along with them!

Trip to Michigan

Well, we had a fantastical time in Michigan last week. Gavin and I took the train on Tuesday and headed out to my parents house.

We were away from Ryan for almost four days. I know that doesn't seem like a long time, but Ryan and I have never been apart for that long before. It was very unsettling to me. I was pretty nervous about it and I missed him like crazy the whole time. I was having fun, so that helped!

We arrived at my parents house on Tuesday evening and Herb and Kristy came over with the kids. Gavin and Jonas acted like they never skipped a beat and played great together. They even had a sleepover one night! They always have such a great time together. We didn't do too much, just hung out a lot and let the boys play!

On Thursday night my mom and dad dropped me off at my friend Marcy's house. We stayed up way to late catching up but had lots of fun. We spent most of the day on Friday at Greenfield Village. Unfortunately, I have no pictures of this event. Well, I do have one, but it's of Gavin and not Marcy and I.

Marcy was kind enough to treat us to lunch and Gavin got this hobo lunch. Although you can't really tell in the picture, he was pretty excited about it. It came with a P.B. and J, a cheese stick, apple sauce and a box of raisins. I thought it was so cute. Apparently I have told Ryan about it five or six times!

After our day with Marcy she dropped me off in good old Allen Park where we spent the rest of our time with the Dobbertin's. Ryan joined trained in after he got off of work on Friday and I got to pick him up at the train station around 12:30! It was SO good to see him!

I don't think I say this enough, but I married into the best family ever. I have great in-laws. My sisters in laws are my best friends and we all just have a blast together. The whole reason for our trip was to attend Katie's baby shower. It was one of the nicest showers that I have ever been to, and I enjoyed myself so much! Here are some pictures from our time with the Dobbertins!

This is Laura and I doing what we do best - acting dumb.

Uncle Ryan and Jordan telling secrets.

Possibly my favorite picture of all time

On the Road Again

Ryan got a new bike this weekend and we hit the pavement. We have gone on two 2 1/2 mile bike rides already. We have just been riding around and looking for parks. When we find a new one, we stop and play for awhile and then get back on! It has been so fun. I love spending time outside with my family doing something we all love. I didnt get a picture of me and my bike, but here is one of Gavin and daddy!

Gavin has re-discovered the joys of the bike trailer. We pack some snacks in there and he is good to go. Sometimes I will hear him say, "Mamma, I don't see you. Please come closer to me!" He's such a mamma's boy sometimes! But I, of course, love it! Sometimes I'll ask him for a hug and a kiss in public just to test him and make sure that he is still willing to give it. I think I might cry the first time he looks around and says, "Not now, mom." I Know it is coming sooner or later. *SIGH*

Happy Birthday Haddon!

We had some friends over today for a playdate and a little birthday celebration. We had a great time. Gavin and Haddon played very well together. Haddon just turned 5 and got a new bike for his birthday. Here are some pictures from our fun day!

The New Bike!

Gavin blowing bubbles - this was the first time I had ever let him do it himself!

Cheesers!

Birthday Boy blowing out his birthday candle

Haddon - Age 5!

Haddon's baby sister and MY favorite little girl!

Bike Buddies

New Toy

No, not a new toy for Gavin. A new toy for mommy!


I was able to get my sewing maching this week. I have been waiting and waiting for this! The one I wanted went on sale this week, so I just had to get it! It turned out to be a pretty big ordeal, though. I loaded Gavin up on wednesday and headed off to the store to pick it up. There was some construction going on so I had to go a round about way to get there. I was so frustrated. It felt like it was taking forever to get there. In reality it probaby took about 7 extra minutes. When I finally got there, I had to wait in line because two other people were buying machines also. I guess it was a popular day for sewing machines! So, when it finally came to my turn she told me how much and I dug through my bag to find my wallet. I dug and dug and dug to no avail. I had to leave the store, go back to my car and search high and low for it. I knew I had grabbed it . . . or not! So, I went all the way back home and still couldn't find it. I finally told Gavin that we needed to say a prayer and ask God to help us find my wallet. So, we prayed that if someone found it that they would be honest and turn it in, or that I would be able to find it in the house or in the car. When I was finished praying, our converstaion went something like this:

Gavin: God is going to help you find your wallet?

Me: Yes Gavin, He will

Gavin: I think He is too busy, mamma. You might have to find it yourself!

Me (trying not to laugh): God is never too busy to help us out, buddy.

So, I decided to look in my bag one last time. And, of course, I found my wallet. It was with me the whole time. I was really glad that it happened that way, though. It was such a teachable moment for Gavin and I was glad I took advantage of it! So, we got back in the car and went back to the store and brought home my new sewing maching. After several attempts to get it going and figure it all out, I was finally able to sew my first project.

Drum roll please . . .

Ta Da!!

Dont look too closely - it is pretty rough.

I even included some inside pockets

And I just though I'd throw in some pics from the other evening. We drove to yet another park and then walked along lakeshore to look at the sail boats. It was VERY windy, but Gavin had a blast anyway.

Games Galore!

We walked to the thrift store yesterday and we hit the jackpot! Ryan found all of these for Gavin and they were only $1.20 each. He is loving them! We played don't break the ice for over an hour last night!

Gavin really wants the baby einstein rocketship from Target. It is really cute, but it costs $39.99. Not something I am prepared to spend on a toy that he may or may not play with. However, he talks about it all the time and will not forget about it. So, I made a chart for him to earn it. He is very excited about it and is busy doing "jobbers" for mamma to earn money for it. Here is a picture of our chart with Gavin's first dollar in it!

How long do you think it will take before Gavin earns his prize?

Going Green

Well, as mentioned on Alicia's blog, earth day is coming up. The always free Lincoln Park Zoo was having a big event called Green Apple Music and Arts Festival. It is actually the largest Earth Day event in the country. They had music and tons of booths promoting organic food, hybrid cars, organic clothing etc. We had a good time. They were handing out FREE reusable grocery bags. I went through the line to get one and when I came back I sent Ryan through! We had a fun time and there was a TON of people there!

Enormous Lollipop!

This was the stage. We didn't actually sit and listen to anyone play - we didn't recognize any of the groups/bands.

Learning all about the hybrid cars

Snack break!

Yay! It's spring!

I don't know how Eco friendly you are, but I thought I'd share some tips and tricks to easily become more "green" with little effort. A will place a * by the ones that I am going to work on doing better.


1. Turn off/unplug appliances when not in use. It reduces standby electricity loss and can save you money in the long run!

If you have a clock radio, place a battery in it instead of keeping it plugged in all the time.

If your coffee pot has a clock or anything on it that is constantly using electricity through out the day, make sure to unplug it after you've had your morning joe!

* Turn off your computer when not in use.

* consider spending a few hours each week electricity free.


2. * Walk/bike/carpool when you can.

3. Use your own reusable grocery bags

4. * Recycle and be accurate about it. Go to www.nrc-recycle.org for more info.
example: cardboard cereal box - good. greasy pizza box - not so much.

5. You can avoid unwanted junk mail by going to www.catalogchoice.org and www.greendimes.com

6. Check your cars tire pressure often. It will get better gas mileage when the tires are fully inflated. It will save you money too!

7. Grill out! Grilling is a more energy efficient way to cook.

Gavin Talk

1. I know most of you out there probably say/do what I am about to write about, but it is one of my pet peeves. Well, I guess I wouldn't call it a pet peeve, it is just something that bugs me. Just about every couple I know calls each other "babe". Because everyone does it, I refuse to do it. I know, I'm such a non conformist . . .
So, my loving Husband (who loves to make fun of me at every chance he gets, don't worry, I only pretend to hate it. I really love it) just LOVES to call me "babes". I don't know why he adds the 's' on the end, but he does. Anyway, all that to tell you this funny story about Gavin. I am sure you know what is coming by now.

Ryan and Gavin went to the park last night while I was cleaning up after dinner. When I was done, I headed out to meet them there. As I was walking up to the play ground, Gavin yells out in his sweetest most nonchalant voice ever, "Hey Babes!" I about died. I was laughing so hard!

2. Whenever I pull something out of the oven or microwave that is really hot I will say "hot mamma!" in a funny little voice to make Gavin laugh. A week or so ago I gave him a super pretzel that was pretty hot so I told him to give it a min. before he ate it. Well, he touched the thing and says, "Hot Gavin!" instead of hot mamma. I guess he thought since I was mamma, I say 'hot mamma' and since he is Gavin he should say, "hot Gavin!"

3. Gavin likes to pretend to be a dog a lot and sometimes he likes me to pretend to be a dog. Well, two days or so ago he asked if he could pet me. I said, 'sure'. So, he was rubbing my belly and I pushed it out as far is it could go (which, impressively, is pretty far). Gavin said, "Whoa! Are you growin' up a baby in that belly?" I was cracking up and I said, "no, no baby in there!" and Gavin said, "Well, it sure looks like it!"

4. Gavin's Bible verse that he is working on this week is Psalm 29:11 A fool always looses his temper, but a wise man holds it back. I asked him to say the first part to me last night and he says, "A fool always looses his temperature . . . "

5. He has also picked up a little slang lingo these days and he loves to use it. Every opportunity he has he will ask me something like, "Did you make me breakfast? Didja? Didja?
It's pretty cute.

6. As I am typing this he is playing with legos. He just picked up a lego guy and said, "This guy is Jesus, he's goin' on a cloud to see his Father!" His lesson last week in church was about Christ Ascension!

What funny things have your kids been saying?

A few months ago I was having a conversation with someone and they asked me if I was the type of person who made my bed everyday. I was very confused because I didn't realize that there were other adults out there who would even consider not making their bed everyday. I said, "of course I make my bed everyday!" I went home and told Ryan and he had the same response that I did. I just brought this up with my friend Anne, who is my polar opposite (which is why we get along so well) and she thought that I was the crazy one. She rarely makes her bed.

I am starting to realize that I may be the one who is in the minority on this. Of course, I know i do other things that not everyone does. For instance, when I make my bed all the lines have to run straight on my quilt and the sheet has to start at just the right spot at the top of the bed. And every day before I leave the house I have to make sure that the couch pillows are straightened and fluffed! I know that those things are probably unique to me, but just making the bed?

So, all this to ask everyone who reads this blog - Do you make your bed everyday?

Tagging is back!

So, my bff Anne tagged me and forced me into this.

Four jobs I've had:
1) Groveland Oaks Concession Stand
2) Art Van Furniture
3) Northland Camp
4) Nanny

Four movies I've watched more than once:
1) You've Got Mail
2) Holiday Inn
3) Princess Bride
4) White Christmas

Four places I've lived:
1) Holly, MI
2) Dunbar, WI
3) Dearborn, MI
4) Chicago, IL

Four TV Shows I watch:
1) Curious George
2) Clifford
3) American Idol
4) Extreme Makeover Home Edition

Four places I've been:
1) Mexico
2) France
3) Austira
4) Switzerland

Four people who email me regularly:
1) Anne
2) M - I - L
3) Marcy
4) Facebook

Four of my favorite foods:
1) Coke
2) Chocolate
3) Coffee
4) BBQ pulled pork

Four places I would like to visit:
1) Colorado
2) Seattle
3) California
4) Europe

Five things I'm looking forward to in the coming year:
1) Making Friends in Chicago
2) Buying a couch
3) Lake Michigan
4) Visits from family and friends

Four friends I'm tagging:
1) I
2) Don't
3) Tag
4) People

John Deere country

For those of you who know my husband at all, will know that this picture is so far from the truth. He is a city boy through and through. Our little Gavin can't get enough of the farm life, though.

Ban on T.V.

Up until about a month ago, Gavin could have cared less about the t.v. He was never a die hard fan of any shows (except Elmo) and really didn't ask to turn on the t.v. very often. When I did turn something on for him, he wouldn't pay any attention to it. It was actually frustrating! Sometimes you just need a break. Well, after a few bouts of sickness and several rainy and cold days Gavin is now addicted to the t.v. He LOVES it. He wakes up and asks for it on all day long. Yesterday I did this massive effort to deter him from it. We painted, played games and I even printed out some preschool worksheet and we played shcool. After each activity he would say, "can I watch a show now?" It was aweful. Gavin loves to play pretend so today when he asked for the t.v. I told him that the t.v. would ruin his imagination. That seemed to work for about five seconds and then I guess he thought that was a fine price to pay to watch Clifford. So, I guess I am going to be VERY busy the next few weeks with our T.V. detox. Thank goodness it is warm out today! I hope it stays that way!
What do you do to keep your kiddo's away from the boob tube?