My Little Dancing Stars!

Russell was back in his wedding suit tonight after Sloane decided to try on her new dress for the upcoming wedding. Russell insisted that he needed to dance with Sloane since they were all dressed up. I turned on my recorded episode of Dancing With the Stars and the dancing partners were happy to show Aron and I their moves! I don't know if we can wait three more weeks for the BIG event! At least the kids have time to work on their dance routine :-)

Even Moms Make Mistakes

O.K. I must admit... I forgot my camera... Yes, it does not happen often, but this weekend I failed to remember the little piece of technology that rarely leaves my hand. So my words will have to do.

This weekend we were lucky to have Aron's mom here. She arrived Friday morning and had lunch with Russell in his new pre-K classroom in celebration of Grandparents' Day. Russell was thrilled to have her there and I was excited for her to see him in action at school. Russell is now listing off everyone else in his family who needs to come see him at school!

On Saturday, we spent the day relaxing and playing around the house. I am currently at the tail end of a horrendous cold, so I took advantage of having an extra set of adult hands around and rested as much as I could. Unfortunately, there is not a whole lot of time in my life for resting. I am currently completing my practicum for receiving my reading endorsement as part of my Master's degree through GVSU. I am swamped with homework so I snuck out of the house Saturday morning and spent a few hours diligently working while enjoying a bagel and diet coke at Panera Bread. I was amazed at how much work I could complete without the chatter of children around me!

Sunday brought hope to our family. Aron's amazing Aunt Karen was diagnosed one month ago with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. She has completed radiation and has begun chemotherapy. We are all remaining positive knowing how strong Aunt Karen is! Aron, Jan, myself, and the kids joined thousands of others on Sunday at the Detroit Zoo for the annual 5K Purple Stride Walk For Pancreatic Cancer. We walked away with t-shirts, bracelets, new friends, and a wealth of information to help Karen through this tough journey she is facing. Please keep Karen in your prayers!!!

Now I do have two pictures I must share with you. Russell is so, so, sooooo excited about his upcoming duty as ring bearer in Gregg and Allison's October 18th wedding. He tried on his wedding suit recently and was so darn adorable! I can't wait to see him walk down the isle!!! Here is my little man all suited up!

Busy, busy, busy!!!

It has been a very hectic September! With the start of another school year and a filled weekend schedule, I feel as though I have rarely seen the inside of my own home over the last two weeks! My school year is going great. My students are an active, but sweet group. They will definitely keep me on my toes and have already stolen my heart. Russell and Sloane are off to a good start back at our beloved daycare center. Sloane returned to her same classroom while Russell has entered into the pre-k classroom. This has been an adjustment for both him and me. I have a hard time believing that he will be turning 4 soon.

Last weekend I had the opportunity to go on my annual "Girls Weekend" with a group of sorority sisters. We had great weather and enjoyed a beautiful Saturday relaxing on a boat in the sun! Unfortunately Sunday brought a little anxiety to all of us thanks to me... I went out on a morning jog with the assumption that I knew the area. Within 45 minutes I had become lost!!! Over 2 hours later, my girlfriends had called 9-1-1 and sent out a search party. I continued to run for most of this 120 minute adventure thinking that eventually I would make it back around to the cabin. I ended up stopping to ask for help from a very friendly lady and later was found by two of my friends. What an ordeal! Needless to say I was very frightened and I don't quite understand how I was able to fight off tears until after it was over. I just kept telling myself to stay calm and to look on the bright side...I got one awesome workout and still have the blisters to show for it! I have learned my lesson and will NOT be running alone in unknown territory ever again!!!

This weekend my childhood friend, Heather, got married!!! It is such a small world because she married a man who grew up with Aron (we didn't even set them up). It was a beautiful ceremony and a FUN reception. I was honored to be able to do a reading for the couple during the ceremony. Aron and I took the opportunity to enjoy some time together without the kids and dropped them off at my grandparents home for the weekend. Russell and Sloane had a blast catching frogs, watching for deer, playing the organ, and using the race car track. My grandparents, parents, aunt, and cousin all helped in keeping them wrangled :-) A HUGE THANK YOU TO ALL OF THEM!!!

Singing and playing Great Grammy's organ.

Having fun with Great Papa's race track!

Catching frogs!!!

Frogs sure are fast, slippery, and jumpy!

Got him!

My childhood best friends: Cherri, Heather, Myself, and Heaven.

Congratulations Jake and Heather!!!

A Fun Farewell to Summer!

Labor Day weekend is always bitter sweet. It is fun to see family and enjoy a final blast of summer, but it is sad to see the season come to an end. Thankfully fall will be bringing us a lot of fun adventures to look forward to!

Aron was busy this weekend hosting all of his buddies in Detroit for a bachelor party in honor of his best friend, Gregg, who will be tying the knot in October. The wedding will be in Nashville. Aron is the best man and Russell will be the ring bearer. We are very excited for this trip!!! So, while the men were off this weekend tailgating at the U of M game and gambling at Greek Town, I packed up the kids (and dog) and headed north to my brother's home. We spent Friday and Saturday playing hard on Keith's gorgeous property! The kids love exploring the trails and swimming in the lake. I also enjoyed a wonderful shopping trip at the outlet where I found some amazing deals!!! We hated to leave!!!

On Sunday, we enjoyed a beautiful day at home playing in the pool and new playhouse. The kids were thrilled to have a bigger playhouse in which they both fit in along with both of their lawn chairs. Russell is particularly taken with the doorbell feature and insists that we must ALL press the doorbell prior to entering :-) We ended the day with a run through the sprinklers followed by a pajama walk around the neighborhood. The kids were all snuggled into the double stroller and were so quiet listening to the crickets and watching the bright moon and stars. Aron and I both agreed that we could have walked all night. It was so peaceful.

Taking a ride through the trails with Papa.

Russell and Grammy heading out on the trails. Russell insisted on safety goggles!

Russell helped Uncle Keith, Papa, and Great Papa with a building project.

Wheee! Time for some FUN!

What will we do this winter without a lake to play in???

Feeding the fish with Grammy.

Wrestling with Papa!

Back home for a pool party!

5 more minutes, Mom!

While the kids napped, I put together the new playhouse. Sloane had to check it out as soon as she woke up and saw it out the window!

Russell turned the playhouse into his mechanic shop. His tools lined every edge.

BACK TO SCHOOL TOMORROW!