Flip Flop

This past weekend one of Samuel's friend (and cousin) had a birthday party. Both boys were invited to go to a gym about 40 minutes away. Since Mike was working on the house, I took the boys and we all had a great time. They were able to run and play for about 45 minutes before we took a break for pizza, ice cream and presents. They then were able to go back in for about 15 minutes. Both boys loved running around and playing. Here are a couple of cute pictures of the little monkeys!

concentrate...balance...stay on the beam

The Liam scoot...notice the tongue.

Watch out mommy!

Liam was finally about to push Samuel around.

First Snow

Well the snow has started to fall here in Michigan. Although we have only had a small amount and it has already melted, the boys are both excited to see it. Samuel wanted to put on his rain boots and head out on the deck right away. Here are a few pictures. A few of many more this season I am sure!

Today I Miss Seattle...

Today I miss Seattle. As I was looking through some photography sites, I spotted the MHGS bookmark on our toolbar and clicked it. There is a video that was created over the past year at the top. Even though I have seen it several times, I clicked it to watch it yet again. After about a minute I found myself crying.

Seattle holds such a dear and precious place in my heart and in my story. The three years we spent there were not only transformative for Mike and for us as a family but for me as in individual. I began to hear my own voice and began to believe that it is a voice of strength and beauty. I began to believe in my heart and trusted that my desires and passions are worth pursuing.

Seattle was home. Looking back at the pictures I remember the comfort I felt there. A place where my voice was heard. A place where I didn’t have to explain my thoughts and people just seemed to get it. A place where a crazy passion was not critiqued but served as an inspiration and a starting point to begin dreaming. A place where what matters to me most, also mattered to others. A place that I called home.

When we moved back to Michigan we knew Seattle would be dearly missed. We knew that there would be a void left by the friends that became our family there. We knew that we would miss all the walks around Green Lake, the wine parties, the Settlers games, the Zera night and the Sunday afternoons. And yet we chose to leave. We chose to head back to family where the boys could be close to grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. We chose to take what we had learned about ourselves and our world and desired to create our lives here. We chose to say goodbye in the hopes that we were saying yes to a new chapter in which we would continue to journey together. We chose what, as a family, we thought would be the best decision for all of us.

I still believe in our decision. I love the way family can light up the boys faces. I look forward to having the boys close to family this Christmas and am eager to see how life begins to play out as we establish our routines and rituals here. I desire to reclaim the passions that once fueled my daily routines. I look forward to finding those passions in me that make me desire more, that make me want to make the world a better place for my boys.

And yet today I cry because today is one of those days that I just really miss Seattle. I miss the comfort and the friendships. I miss the routines and the life we had established together. I miss the beauty of the mountains and the comfort of a latte on a rainy afternoon. I miss the understanding of a listening ear and the encouragement of a friends hug. I miss the strength and beauty I felt within myself. I miss the values I found in the diverse culture and the realizations of what really matters. Today I miss Seattle, a place I still find myself calling home.

Halloween

Well the boys had a great Halloween. This year Samuel dressed up like Scooby Doo and Liam was Scrappy.

Our activities started last Saturday with the Coldwater parade. The boys loved the fire trucks, police cars and costumes. They also were pretty excited about all the candy. Samuel then got to wear his costume to school on Thursday for his party.
Friday night after dinner, Mike, the boys and I headed out for a little trick or treating. Samuel caught on within the first five minutes and was jogging from house to house. He made sure he was saying trick-or-treat and thank you. After turing away from each house and heading back to Mike and I he would declare, "Mommy, I said thank you!" It was pretty cute. We were out for just over an hour and the boys seemed to enjoy themselves. Although we all had a good time I am grateful that Halloween only comes once a year!

Fall Fun

The other day I took the boys to the park so they could play in the leaves and I could take pictures. The weather was perfect for a fall day. Here are a couple of my favorite shots of my little munchkins.

Goulke Sunday

Each year my dad extended side of the family get together to make Goulke. We have been doing this for as long as I can remember. Goulke originates from Czechoslovakia where my great grandmother is from. It is a pastry of sorts but often feels like a "rock" in your stomach. The dough is prepared beforehand and as a family we "stuff" them before we cook them. We stuff them with many different things including poppyseed, prunes, raspberry puree and even chocolate. They are then boiled, rolled in butter then sprinkled with poppy seeds. I know it sounds crazy and it is, but it is tradition.

As part of the day we eat a good meal, play a little football, watch the Lions lose and take a family picture. Here are a few of the pictures from this years event.

To see the rest of the pictures click here then look for the folder with Glouke Sunday pictures.

New Friends

So we gained a few extras along with our house, kittens. For the first couple of days that we were there we would spot our curious visitors for a few moments before they would run under the fence. Being the animal lover, I gave them food and wouldn't you know now they love us!

Turns out the boys love them and have taken on the role of feeding them each time we visit. Samuel loves collecting their dishes, filling them with food, delivering them to the cats then watching them while they eat. Liam also adores them and loves cuddling with them. He will also chase them and peek at them through the fence. Mike might not admit it but he likes them too. He looks for them and has even been caught cuddling .

So here they are...This is Spook. He got his name for both his color and his temperment. He is a bit skiddish and is just letting us get close enough to touch him. We generally have to bribe him with food but he is starting to warm up to us.

This is Doodle. She is by far the friendliest. She started off a bit skiddish but now lets us pick her up and even lets both boys pet her. She usually appears within minutes of us getting there and hangs out int he field while we are working. Yesterday I left the back of the van open while I was unloading and guess who jumped in! Guess we will have to watch her!

So this is our latest addition. As we were leaving yesterday we spotted a second black cat about the same size as Spook. We have also seen another calico from a distance. I guess they are telling their friends about us. Maybe someday I can be the crazy cat lady! We shall see...

Mornings

Mornings around here are pretty relaxed. Since the boys are both early risers we have plenty of time before the rest of the world is awake. We usually lounge around in our pj's, eat breakfast, watch Noggin and just spend some time waking up. Some days the process has to be hustled so we can get Samuel off to school other days we can take our sweet time. These are a few pictures from our relaxed Monday morning.

Sleepy

Well I guess we are working Liam too hard. Since we have been working many nights at the house, we usually don't eat dinner until later in the evening. By the time we eat the boys have generally already eaten and getting ready for bed. To keep Liam contained so we can all sit and eat without chasing him we will put him in his seat and put on Noggin. The other night he was rather quiet and when we looked over this is how we found him. He had given up and decided to fall asleep right in his chair. After a few minutes of cuddle time with Nana it was off to bed for him. So cute...

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Hello Seattle

Fast Update

Wow it has been awhile since I have gotten a post up. I thought I would just quickly fill everyone in on our last few weeks here.

We have been busy, busy, busy. Mike working full time and at his internship two nights, Samuel in preschool two mornings a week, Liam and I at the gym , doing the errands and keeping up with everyone. Here are a couple of highlights from the past few weeks.

For two of the past weekends we celebrated Mike's dad's 60th birthday. The entire family went up to Lansing the weekend of his birthday to have dinner together. The family has exploded with kids lately and the dinner tally was 13 (6 of them being kids 5 and under). We had a great time and did a fantastic job distracting Steve from the fact that the following weekend was the surprise party. So the following weekend we headed up for the big surprise. It was a ton of fun. We pulled it off without him ever having a clue. Mike and I also got to spend a night together without kids. We realized that both of us have spent nights away from the boys but we hadn't been away together. I think it is a habit we will have to partake in more regularly.

Last Friday, Mike had to undergo a little "procedure" called a colonoscopy. Going into the surgery we were all a bit nervous about what they would find but everything turned out fine. He colon is perfect and he should be in the clear for awhile. It was great to interact with him after surgery. He was a bit loopy from the meds and entertained me well. We are just so thankful that everything is good and he is healthy!

A few weekends ago the town had an Apple Fest. There were arts and crafts type booths set up throughout town, games for kids, lots of apples and cider and fair type food. We spent a few hours walking around and enjoying some family time. Here are a few pictures of the boys playing at a nearby park.

Overall things are going very well. The house is coming along and we hope to be moving in the first of November. I will update the house blog soon with some new pictures of the place. I will try to be a bit more regular with keeping everyone updated!

Bikes

We have had a couple of really nice days following the massive rain storms. We have made the best of them by playing outside each afternoon. Both boys love being outside and getting into everything. Here they are enjoying yesterdays sun. Liam loves this car. He will open the door, climb in, sit down, pretend to drive, get out, close the door and push it to wherever he wants to go. He will then repeat the process over and over.

Samuel has two new bikes at Nana and Papa's. Here is in on one of them. This one is a bit harder for him and something he can grow into. He loves the tricycle he has and will ride it to the end of the road and back over and over. He also is willing to wear his helmet but most times by the time he makes his way back it is falling off. Guess we better figure out how to get it a bit tighter.

Trash

Liam has been quite the handful lately. He is into everything! If he isn't trying to get downstairs to get to the cordless phone or the computer mouse, he is in the laundry room getting into the dog's water. Walking has slowed his pace a bit but since he is pretty steady on his feet now he is getting faster everyday.

A few mornings ago I was attempting to get Samuel dressed for preschool while Liam was playing with cars in the living room. Not a minute later as I am getting Samuel's shoes on I round the corner to find Liam picking through the trash. Apparently there was a really cool lid and straw in there that he wanted to play with. He was so proud of himself I could hardly punish him! What next...?

Fun in the Rain

This past week we got hit with a big rain storm. Samuel wanted to go out and play so we let him. Since Liam was sleeping in the bedroom we didn't go in to get his swimsuit, instead he went in his undies. He thought it was great!

The water came up to mid calf on him. It was really pretty warm since the day had been hot and the asphalt served as a heater. It was also coming down pretty hard as he was playing. We let him run around and jump in the water for awhile before having to come back inside and get dressed.