Thanks for Thanksgiving!

This year was Thanksgiving in Gladwin with the Sleeper and Wilcox crew.  We had a total of 21 people which made for a very full house.  Dad had the turkey roasting before 6 a.m. and as our family trickled in, the house was filled with every mouth watering delight a person could imagine.  Since the Lions were playing the Packers we had a divided family as well.  At any given moment you could hear hoots and hollers and snide remarks.  At the end, it was our home team that pulled ahead for the win!  It was truly a Thanksgiving to remember, but not because of football.  It was the laughter and love that filled my childhood home this Thanksgiving that makes it one of the best.  The holidays are difficult without Mom, but when I have my family surrounding me, I feel her presence so strong.  She was surely watching from above laughing along with us!

The Carlson Ladies in our Lions gear!

The Sleeper clan divided in colors.

A couple of Cheese Heads (by marriage)!

Crazy Cousins

Three of my favorite people!  Love them!!!

One tuckered out girl.  Thanksgiving is tiring!

The day after = Christmas tree hunting!

Hauling it home.

Happy Birthday Russell!

Russell celebrated his 8th birthday at the beginning of November.  He had multiple celebrations with family and friends.  I still can't believe he is 8!!!!  Where does the time go???

He had to bust out of his room when he woke up.  He loved the streamers so instead of tearing through them, he army crawled under and kept the streamers up for almost a week!

Lions' Birthday at home with the family.

Lone Ranger wish came true.

Nerf wish came true.

And thanks to Papa and Uncle Keith, scooter wish came true!

Birthday meal wish...  Big Boy breakfast buffet.  LOL!!!  He loves it!

Star Trek/Laser Tag party with friends.

The boys had a blast!!!

What better place for boys?  Running, shooting, and arcade games!

October in a Nutshell

Technical problems have put me waaaaayyyy behind in blogging so October will be told in pictures...



I posted about Russell playing soccer in September, but wanted to post some pictures of Sloane as well.  Both kids had terrific seasons and look forward to playing again in the spring.

Here's a shot of Sloane playing goalie.  She loves defense positions.

Team Purpliscious after their last game.  Sweetest group of girls I've ever met!

I love this picture of Russell with his Coach :-)  The Pirates finished strong with only one loss in the season.

This picture is NOT that great, but we may never run another marathon together.  Very memorable weekend.

Chicago Marathon with AC and Gregg.  Fun city!

Russell and AC watched the Tigers in action during play-offs.

Halloween - The Lone Ranger

And Princess Sloane

We can't forget pumpkin carving.

Scooping out the guts.

Finished Products!

Well, that was October!  Wish I had time to add more details.  It was an extremely busy month and we loved every minute of it!

September Came and September Went!

It is hard to believe the last day of September is tomorrow!  The start of a new school year is always a complete blur to me.  It doesn't seem to matter how long I've been teaching.  The first month of school is tough!  And "tough" is an understatement!!!  After a few weeks of questioning my career choice and even debating other career options, I'm happy to report I am once again loving my job.  My mom always told me to give each school year a six week adjustment period, but this year I had a hard time remembering her knowledgeable advice.  After only four weeks in, I walked out of school Friday feeling pretty darn good!  As for Russell and Sloane...  They have made the transition into a new school year without skipping a beat.  It makes the week much smoother when your children are happy to go to school every day!  And, it's also nice when your children attend the same school as mom!  Here are some pictures to tell our September story...

September began with a Labor Day bash at Uncle Keith's!  Russell spent a LOT of time shooting his BB gun with Papa.

Sloane and Mac enjoyed rides around the property in the Razor with Daddy.

Hanging in Mom's classroom on the first day of school.  Sloane began 1st grade.

Russell began 2nd grade.

With the start of a new school year brings the start of a new dance season.  Sloane chose ballet this year.

She picked out a new leotard and tutu.  Pretty in purple!

Russell is once again playing for the Pirates soccer team.  He loves playing defense and goalie.

Action shot!  Sloane is also playing soccer, but I haven't captured any photos yet. 

The first of many trips to the cider mill.  We are lucky that so many fun orchards are close to our school.  We drive by this one everyday.  No donut shortage in our home!

After two weeks of school, I was ready for my annual Girls' Weekend!  This year 11 of us headed up to Traverse City for a wine tour.  This was the first of 6 wineries we visited.

I think this was winery number 3.

And this was winery number 6.  What fun day!!!  I LOVE these girls!!!  Sisters forever!

After four weeks of school I was ready for a race!  I drove to west Michigan and ran the Holland Park-to-Park half-marathon with two of my dear friends.  It was a warm and sunny day along Lake Michigan.

September is over, but the fun is not!  Lots of adventures ahead for the Carlson Crew in October!!!

Third Annual Couples' Retreat

We definitely know how to end summer in style!  For the past three years, we have gone on a couples' weekend with our best friends Steve, Heidi, Gregg, and Allison.  It was Steve and Heidi's turn to plan the trip this year and they chose an adventure to the east coast.  We flew out to Boston last week for 5 days of east coast fun!  We rented an adorable beach house in the small coastal town of Scituate, MA.  This place was magnificent!!!  We spent each day traveling to nearby areas and exploring the territory.  We then returned each evening to this quaint and peaceful home.  On our last day, we packed up and headed to Boston where we enjoyed city life and stayed in a gorgeous downtown hotel.   As for next year...  It's Aron and my turn to plan.   Hmmmm....  Suggestions???

Beach house is Scituate, MA

Our view from the deck.  Breathtaking!

Our first night was home cooked lobster that were purchases straight from the fisherman in Scituate.

Aron was in love with this 2.5 lb lobster!

I woke to the sound of the ocean and the fresh breeze through our windows.  I pulled on my running clothes and headed out for a peaceful morning jog along the bay of Scituate.  Love, love, love!

A day on Nantucket Island.  I must, must, must get back to this beautiful island!!!  So much to see and do there.

Aron and I on Nantucket at sunset.

A visit to Newport, RI.  What a fun coastal town.  We parked right by this beautiful building then spent the day walking, shopping, eating, and drinking.  I could definitely spend more time here!

Our last night in Scituate.  After the  most fabulous dinner, Steve ordered one of every dessert on the menu.  DELICIOUS!!!

A day in Boston.  Heidi and I walked 5 miles to see the site of the Boston Marathon Bombing.

Our hotel was not far from this historic building - the site of the Boston Massacre.

Having drinks along the Boston harbor.

Our boys!  We definitely lived it up on our last night!