A Visit to Grammy and Papa's! Yeah!!!

After our fun-filled Frankenmuth trip, we headed north to visit my parents for a few days. Aron had to go to Traverse City for work so the kids and I were spoiled by Grammy and Papa. Grammy had all the supplies for fun and creativity including cupcake and cookie making while Papa had all the supplies for outdoor adventures including sleds and snow (lots of it)! I was spoiled by having extra hands watching the kids and was even able to get my runs in everyday. It was fun to run around my hometown and see my old stomping grounds. While in town, we also visited my brother for dental cleanings. It was Sloane's first cleaning and she took it like a pro! We were also thrilled with a visit from my Grandmother and Aunt Barb who traveled down from the U.P. to see us!!! I do LOVE having a week off in February! It has been a relaxing, restful, and rejuvenating week!!!

A visit to the dentist (and our uncle)!

Russell was the first one in the chair.

Sloane was next and a little unsure about what was going on.

She did great!!!
Only a mom would take pictures at the dentist :-)

Time to make cupcakes! Sloane enjoyed licking the beaters!

Russell enjoyed licking the frosting!

Don't forget the sprinkles!!!

Time for SLEDDING!!!

Wheeee!!!

A visit with Aunt Barb and Great Grandma Sleeper!

On our last day at Grammy and Papa's we made Mickey Mouse cookies! Yum!!!

Valentine's Day in Frankenmuth

I am so fortunate to have an entire week off for winter break so Aron and I decided a while ago that we wanted to go on a "mini-vacation" with the kids in celebration of Valentine's Day. So, we headed north to Frankenmuth where we stayed at the Bavarian Inn. It was a BLAST! This place was so geared to families that it would be impossible to not have a good time. We stayed in a family suite which allowed the kids (and us) plenty of room to spread out and play, however we were not in our room much due to the all of the activities available to us!!! Russell insisted on hitting the kids' pool area first, followed by the arcade, indoor put-put golf, and finally a pizza dinner!!! Afterward it was back to the pool area...needless to say my children have NO fear of the water! We are already looking forward to our next stay in Frankenmuth!

Endless fun at the pool!

Driving into fun at the video arcade!

A play zone perfect for Sloane!
Russell was so excited to play golf! He would have played 10 games straight if allowed!

It's a SNOW DAY!!! HIP-HIP-HOORAY!

O.k. I totally love my job, but I have to admit that every winter I secretly wish for at least one snow day. It is always so exciting to watch the adrenaline rise as my students and fellow teachers watch out the window, silently praying for more snow to fall so that we get a bonus day at home. Well, it happened for the first time this winter. Yesterday the snow began at 10:00 a.m. and didn't stop until this morning. At midnight I learned of my day off so I happily turned off the alarm clock and drifted back to sleep dreaming of a day of fun with Russell and Sloane.

My dream came true!!! The kids slept in until 8:00, ate a yummy breakfast as they bubbled over with talk of snow-filled fun! We started our fun by making a batch of valentine finger jello. While the jello chilled in the fridge, Russell and Sloane began making art projects. Russell drew pictures for his family including a portrait of himself with Papa, Great Papa, and Uncle Keith. All four were dressed in "hunting clothes", carrying a "hunting gun", and watching the "turkey and deer." Where does this child get his imagination??? Sloane was busy drawing flowers, rainbows, and coloring her Minnie Mouse coloring book.

Art time was followed by extensive fun outside in the freshly fallen snow. Russell helped shovel while building a snow pile to dive into. Sloane insisted on keeping all snow off of her hands so she happily pushed her lawn mower up and down the driveway through the snow.

Once their little fingers turned to ice cubes, we headed back inside for game time. We all won a game of Hi-Ho-Cherry-O and Sloane walked away as the Candyland champion. Russell needed a moment to chill-out after the big loss. He is proving to be much like his Uncle Keith when it comes to losing :-) Now they are both nestled into bed for a much needed nap as I get ready to prepare valentine cards for festivities on Friday!

All the Joys of Being a Kid!!!

This weekend has been full of fun around the house! It was a little too cold to head outdoors so Russell and Sloane have been putting their imaginations into over drive!!! The basement playroom was transformed into Sloane's own cooking world while Russell transformed the basement playhouse into his fire rescue center. I was busy helping Russell save the town while enjoying yummy cupcakes and macaroni that Sloane cooked up.

Another enjoyable moment was play-doh time! Russell used various play figurines to create road construction sites while Sloane turned her play-doh into another opportunity to try-out her cooking skills.

The kids also love to dress-up! Today Batman and Batgirl were hot in action flying around the house saving people from bad guys. I am glad they are getting use out of their Halloween costumes!

Aron spoiled the kids with cinnamon and sugar donuts which they enjoyed while watching a movie. Mac even indulged in a donut when Sloane left hers sitting on the couch while she got up to use the bathroom!

An adorable quote:
1. After crawling into bed with me Saturday morning, Sloane squeezed my cheeks, put her nose against mine, and said "I love you sooooooo much!" My heart melted instantly.

Staying Warm and Having Fun!

January sure has been a busy month!!! I have been a bit pre-occupied from blogging and other typical tasks on my end due to a hectic weekend schedule. I spent last weekend with my spectacular sorority sisters in Grand Rapids celebrating Maria's baby shower! We showered her with PINK in excitement for the March due date of her baby girl. It is so fun to watch my friends prepare for motherhood. It brings back a slew of feelings...anticipation, anxiety, eagerness, etc. As much as I loved pregnancy and bringing my babies home, I am SO GLAD it's in the past!!!

I am truly loving life these days! Russell and Sloane amaze me everyday with the their imaginations and conversations. I can't remember a day that I didn't laugh about something they said. I took the kids for their first "7-11 Slurpee run" the other day after getting shots at the doctor (I figured they deserved a good reward for being brave)...anyway, upon arriving home, Russell says to Aron, "are you jealous Dad? We got Slurpees and you didn't." Russell is always thinking and asking questions. I swear you can actually see the wheels turning in his head! I was so proud of him yesterday. While Aron was gone and Sloane was sleeping, I slipped and fell down our staircase. Russell came running. He asked if I was o.k. then brought me the phone to call 9-1-1. I explained that I was fine, but needed a "boo, boo, buddy." He quickly brought me an ice pack and stayed by my side until all was well. Thankfully, I have no lasting effects from the fall! I am also so happy to know that my emergency role playing has worked! The hilarious part is that before grabbing the phone, he ran to his room to put on his fireman's hat! I guess he relates emergency situations to the fire department! What a kid!!! He's my hero!

Sloane is becoming quite the little lady. She prances around all day holding tea parties, caring for her babies, and asking for privacy while using the bathroom. She goes into the bathroom, announces a need for "privacy", then shuts the door and takes care of her business! I must say that I LOVE having a DIAPER FREE household!!! She is constantly trying to keep up with her older brother and is anxiously awaiting her third birthday! I don't know how she is going to make it 3 more months. She asks almost daily if it is "Aipwell twetty four?" Needless to say she is very excited for a "Dowa party with Dowa cupcakes." What would the world be like without Dora the Explorer?!?! I think I sing "We did it! We did it? We did it! Hurray!" in my sleep!

Yesterday we went to a pajama themed birthday party for our neighbor friends Zeke and Casey!

A picture of the kids taken today while pretending to be "camping out."

Keeping Busy in 2010!

2010 has been off to a busy start for our family! I headed back to work on January 4th after a glorious and restful break. I am very fortunate to have a student teacher in my classroom for 12 weeks this winter. She is a wonderful addition! Both my students and myself are benefiting from her enthusiasm and hard work in the classroom.

In addition to keeping busy at work and at home with the kids, I have decided to run a 25K race in May with two of my friends. So...my running dedication is holding strong with 5 mile runs throughout the week and a longer run on the weekend. Let's hope I can keep up the training over the next few months in order to be fully prepared for race day on May 8th!

Aron and I just returned yesterday from a fun-filled trip to Cleveland. My parents watched the kids for the weekend in order for us to get some time away without the little ones! Thank you Mom and Dad!!! While in Cleveland, we visited the Rock-and-Roll Hall of Fame where we enjoyed a Motown exhibit as well as exhibits for Michael Jackson, Elvis, Bruce Springsteen, and MORE! It was an awesome place to see! We also ate at a Brazilian Steakhouse or "Churrascaria" similar to the one we visited 6 years ago while vacationing in Brazil. It was fun drinking and eating true Brazilian delicacies. It brought back terrific memories!

Some other fun January events are shown in the pictures below:

My mom made new blankets for the Russell and Sloane. They LOVE them and snuggle up every night with these warm and adorable blankets!

Last weekend we went to a neighbors house for a spaghetti cook-off! Aron made our sauce using my Grandmother's yummy recipe. He took 2nd place! While the adults were busy sampling sauce, the kids played hard with all their neighborhood pals.
Mmmmmm...spaghetti!
I had today off for MLK Day so I met the other neighborhood moms and kids at the zoo! We bundled up and were ready for animal fun. Thankfully most of the animals are inside during the winter so we had a lot of opportunities to warm up in the animal houses.

Lunch break with the boys!

Checking out the polar bears.

The girls take-off!

Aaaahhhhh...Vacation!!!!

This is the life! I love vacation!!!

As you can tell from the picture above, we all enjoyed a very nice and relaxing week at home. We spent time cleaning the house, playing games, building snowmen, celebrating the new year, making a cake for Aron's birthday, having dinner with friends, and play dates with the neighbors. It was great to not be on a schedule and just go with the flow of life! Would you believe I hardly took any pictures. Here are just a couple to share:

Russell and Sloane were busy painting their thank you cards.

Two of Russell's favorite gifts: Batman pajamas and a head lamp!