Cousin Nathan!

My new cousin Nathan recently visited Michigan with my cousin Lisa and Aunt Marty. Marty and Stephen adopted Nathan from Russia in March. It's so fun to see the kids together--Ashlyn and Lisa LOVE hanging out together, and Nathan and Maguire had fun too--they're about 10 months apart. Last summer we found the girls matching swimsuits (see post from last summer), so this year we found new ones for the girls and also some for the boys. I think we've got a little tradition going! Nathan is such a happy smiley little guy. It was so fun to meet him! Marty's doing a great job being a mom. So much energy--how does she do it?!

I got my BuffMother tank top today. Here are a few pics that Kyle took. Look at that shoulder muscle! I'm making progress :)

Anniversary #5!

Eary in August Kyle and I celebrated our 5th anniversary by going to Sandusky, OH to go camping and to Cedar Point. We both love amusement parks and hadn't been to CP together. Unfortunately the first night it started raining right after we set up the tent. We had barely gotten the fire going and it started raining. We ended up cooking our hamburgers quickly and eating them inside the tent. Luckily we had brought the DVD player and some movies to watch. The next day was great! We went to CP and it was super humid and hot, but at least it didn't rain :) We had a blast going on all the fun coasters and just hanging out together. We stayed until the park closed, which Kyle had never done before. In the middle of the night we woke up to thunder and pouring rain! It didn't let up at all. We ended up having to take the tent down in the rain--Yuck! Oh well, all in all it was a fun anniversary trip!

Mac's First Haircut

Two days ago we took Mac for his first haircut at Snip-Its (www.snipits.com) -- a place especially for kids. He did a great job and was so chilled. I didn't really want to get so much cut off, but in order to blend it in they had to cut quite a bit off. He still looks adorable, but so much older now! And his hair is almost blonde...weird, huh? After he was done, they took a polaroid and attached it to a card with a certificate and a little ziploc with a lock of his hair. Good for the scrapbook ;) Snip-Its is pricey for a kid's haircut, but fun for the first-time experience!

Double JJ Ranch

We went camping with the Aasmans (John is the campus pastor at Eastside) at Double JJ Ranch a couple weekends ago...and we brought Ashlyn! It was just one overnight and the Aasman kids (Jordan, Jessie, Kaitlyn) were there, so we thought we'd try it out with her while Mac stayed with Papa and Mimi. We have an 8-person/2-room tent so we put her pack n play on one side and Kyle & I were on the other. Ashlyn did great! We had a fan going for noise, read her a couple books and she went right down. She woke up a few times during the night, but I think she does that anyway at home--we just sleep through it. As soon as it was light out, she was up for the day. She usually sleeps until at least 9:30! Double JJ is a great place to camp with kids. Everything is "Old West" themed and they have a great pool with a kids pool (water fountains, zero depth entrance, etc.) and a water slide. They even let Ashlyn go down the slide with Kyle and with her lifejacket on. She thought it was pretty cool, but once was enough :) They also have a petting zoo. With her fear of dogs we weren't sure how she'd do with the petting zoo, but she absolutely loved it! We'll definitely be going back to Double JJ with the kids :)

BuffMother!

I've recently joined an online group called BuffMother. It's a fantastic group of women who believe that they can be in the best shape of their lives...even AFTER having children! I'll spare you all the "before" pictures, but hopefully you'll be able to see in the family pics I post that I'm getting in shape :) I'm working on making life changes to my diet and making working out (lifting heavy) a regular part of my life. So far I really like what I'm learning. I'm gaining a lot of muscle. Now I just need to be eating clean consistantly so that I can get rid of the fat layers covering that muscle :) I'd love to have other mothers join me on this quest for buffness--check out BuffMother or just keep encouraging me in my mission!

Mac & Max...BFFs ;)

Our great friends "Uncle" Lee and "Aunt" Julie came for a visit and brought Mac's new BFF, Max! Even though they're only 5 months apart, Mac looked HUGE next to Max. Don't worry Max, I know that with your big feet, you'll catch up really soon! Maybe by Christmas time (when we come visit you in Chicago) you'll be able to fend for yourself a bit when Mac tries to grab your face!

Our little poser

Posing by the Rockford Dam

The Meem-meem truck!

The ice cream truck decided--for whatever reason--to make the turn down our quiet little street. Both Ashlyn and Elizabeth heard that unmistakable music and had run outside. It was actually the nicest, cleanest ice cream truck I've ever seen with a sweet young girl driving it instead of some dirty old man. So both girls got Dora ice cream bars. Ice cream prices have gone up! $1.25 for a little ice cream bar. Oh well...the girls had fun...even if Dora melted before the girls finished eating :)

Busy few weeks!

Thursday was a day at the spa for the girls--manicures and pedicures and a fabulous lunch! After dinner and dancing lessons (SO FUN!!) most of the wedding party went to Mojo's--a deuling pianos bar.

The week before the wedding the festivities started--for me--on Wednesday. I had Britt's bachelorette party and Kyle had Nate's "Thunder Storm" (girls have showers, guys have storms...anyway...). The bachelorette party was fun--we went to paint pottery for Britt (tea pot, mugs, espresso cups, sugar/creamer), then went back to her parents' house for an incredible dinner. We hit pinatas filled with candy, gel eye masks, massagers, and a few other "appropriate" items :) We also learned how to make some really yummy martinis! Nate's Thunder Storm involved "manly" gifts (tools, etc.) and marriage advice from some wonderful godly men. Thursday I joined the girls at the spa for a nice relaxing day of manicures, pedicures and another yummy (and "gourmet healthy") meal. That night the wedding party and all the family went to the B.O.B. for yet again another fantastic meal (this is a recurring theme!) and dancing lessons taught by a professional dance couple. It was SO fun!! They taught us the waltz, some swing, and the most fun version of the hustle that I've ever seen. Afterward, the wedding party went to a deuling pianos bar. Friday I slept in a little bit and then joined the rest of the wedding party at Britt's parents' house as they were finishing up some skeet shooting. Then back to the pool for some swimming and a BBQ. That night we had the rehearsal and dinner at Tre Cugini. We had some amazing background music by my cousin Kelsey and a photobooth. Nate proposed with a photobooth strip (held up a sign for each of the 4 pics--"Will" "You" "Marry" "Me?"). It was a lot of fun! You can see the pics at http://spoelman.photoboothcompany.com Saturday of course was the wedding. We got ready at Britt's parents' house. They had people there to do our hair and makeup and then another great lunch before some pics before we headed to the church. The wedding party all rode over in mercedes convertables, so that was fun :) The ceremony went great and Brittany was an absolutely gorgeous bride. The reception was amazing, although a little stressful in the beginning with the kids there. Once they left with "Auntie Mischelle" it was a lot easier :) Then I was able to enjoy the fabulous dinner, unbelievable MCing (Kyle was the MC ;) ), the fireworks (yes, there was a full-blown fireworks show!), and dancing until 1:30am. Sunday there was a brunch back at Britt's parents' house...the final incredible meal of the week :) Needless to say, after all the fun festivities, I was wiped out! We all went home that afternoon to take naps!

Unfortunately, though, our busyness wasn't done yet. Monday evening I got a call from my parents that my grandpa wasn't doing well and that I should plan to come into town on Tuesday morning to see him one last time. Before I could get there, though, he passed away. 8am Tuesday morning. It was--still is--very sad. But...in a way I'm glad it went quickly. He had pulmonary fibrosis--diagnosed 5 weeks before he died. He would get so out of breath just walking from one room to the next that it would take hours for him to catch his breath. He was always coughing, too. Just miserable! Two blessings, for me, were that the week before the wedding I was able to go see him with the kids and sort of say goodbye then, and also Grandpa made it to Nate's wedding. It was almost like he was holding out for the wedding and then it was ok to go be with Jesus. I still went to visit with my grandma on Tuesday, though. It was really neat to sit and talk, just the two of us. Meaningful for both of us. The funeral was this past Thursday and it was great. Kyle played/sang "In the Garden" and "It is Well" (is that the name of that song? I can't remember...). He also surprised us all and played/sang an adapted version of Billy Joel's "She's Got a Way". He changed it, of course, to "He's Got a Way". That song gives a pretty good picture of my grandpa. He was such a quiet, gentle man who would do anything for anybody. He was just that way. He is definitely missed, but we'll see him again someday in heaven with his perfect brand new body!

Whew! Was that a long enough post?! Or should I try for a longer one next time? ;)

LOTS of updated pictures!

Tag! I'm It!

I've been tagged by Bree to do the 5 Random Things meme (Bree, what's "meme"?). Here goes!!

Here are the rules:
1. Each player starts with 5 random facts/habits about themselves.
2. People who are tagged write a blog post about their own 5 random things and post these rules.
3. At the end of your blog you need to tag 5 people and post their names.
4. Don't forget to leave them a comment and tell them they're tagged, and to read your blog.

Random Things about me:
1. I still sleep with the blankie I've had since I was little.
2. I have a fear of styrofoam and cotton balls. I hate the "squeaky" feel/noise they make!
3. I have a rather large collection of smurf figurines. I've been collecting them since I was 4 and received some from my Granny for Christmas.
4. I was Class Secretary every year from 9th-12th grade.
5. I love garage sales!

TAGGED:

Courtney
Angie
Lee Anne
Lee & Julie
Melissa

Ripley's Believe it or Not!

Woah...what a day in the neighborhood! Today was Kyle's day off, so we were enjoying a leisurely morning at home. I was reading a book out on the front porch but had to move inside when the wind got too strong. After a while we heard a loud crackling then a huge crack. Kyle yelled, "Abby, you've got to come see this!" A huge section of our neighbor's tree (across the street) had blown over, taking with it power lines and the telephone pole! Kyle and I had both been afraid that the tree in our front yard was coming down. Kyle, who was holding Mac, ducked to cover Mac in case the tree was coming down on the house. Fortunately it wasn't our tree and the other tree only landed in the street. UNfortunately, though, the power mast was pulled off one neighbor's house and the power lines were ripped entirely off of our other neighbor's house. Somehow our power lines remained intact. We then spent the rest of the day contacting our neighbors since all 4 of them were at work. We also had to call Consumers Energy, and electrician to fix the power masts on both neighbors' houses, and the road commission to take care of the huge tree blocking the road. Kyle decided that we should grill burgers for Bryan & Julie and Brian, Kristi and Elizabeth since they wouldn't get their power fixed/turned back on until later in the evening. Even though it was a mini-crisis, we all had a great dinner together. We love our neighbors and love any excuse to get together with them. Next time it'll be just for fun and not because something bad has happened!

Potty Training

Well, Ashlyn is unofficially on the potty training track. After going poo-poo on the big potty at Great Grandma and Great Grandpa's, she's become more interested in all things potty. On Easter, while at Grandma and Grandpa Warmington's, I used a Pull-Up on Ashlyn because--in a hurry--I couldn't find her diapers. She liked the "big girl diaper" so much that we decided to try some out at home. I got her some Cinderella (or "Rella", as Ashlyn calls her) Pull-Ups. We typically put one on her in the morning since that's her most predictable potty time. She thinks she's so cool! She's getting pretty good at telling us when she has to go wee-wee or poo-poo...although we don't always catch it before it happens :) But she also loves to sit on her potty chair and is SO proud when she actually goes on it. Today she brought me a Pull-Up and said "wee-wee", "poo-poo"...and then actually did both on the potty! We are by no means heading into potty training full force! I don't have the time or energy to make it happen fast. We're just letting her set the pace since we're in NO hurry here! Anyway...more than you really wanted to know, but that's the big deal at our house! :)