School's Out!

Florida 2014

We made our annual visit to Naples to visit Grandma and Grandpa Koss in February!

Christmas

This year for Christmas we started a new tradition- all the adults pick names and buy pajamas for another family member. It was a blast. We had to wear our gifts on Christmas morning!

Happy 7th Birthday Grant!

This morning with Grant I did an interview to capture what this 7 year old is really like... Favorite color- golden Favorite subject- math Dream job- engineer Best friend- everyone Favorite game- laser tag What does your dad do? helps people with his money. What does your mom do? she used to teach people at a school. now she naps. Best joke you know- Why does the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side. Natural talent God has given you- to imagine.... Kate, what is your favorite thing about Grant? He always has energy!!

Fall Happenings

We are having a busy, but wonderful fall. Grant had his annual heart check up at U of M and got a clean bill of health! The kids continue to look forward to our Friday afternoon dates of ice-cream and and showing me their work from the week. Recently the had book character day at school. Grant dressed up as Cat-in-the-Hat and Kate was the less well known, but quite cute Russell the sheep. She took a fun trip to the cider mill and her teacher told me she impressed the class by jumping over the hay stacks. Wonder where she gets that from? :)

First Day of School

It's the first day of School! The kids are going to a new school this year. Both went in and didn't look back. I reviewed with Grant that it is important not to talk when the teacher is talking. Grandma Ned tells me this was Jim's biggest struggle when he was little. Grant told me that two things he hopes to learn this year are how the seasons change and how metal turns into lava. :) Kate is most excited that she gets to wear a uniform (me too)! I am hopeful for a great year!

JJ Ranch

For our end of summer vacation we went to a ranch on the west side of Michigan called JJ Ranch. It was perfect for our family. We stayed in a one bedroom cabin with a loft. The kids tried horseback riding for the first time and both loved it. There were also lots of other fun activities like archery, a stunt show, pedal carts, a huge water park and a playground. We could have stayed a lot longer, but we had to get back because school was starting..

Happy Birthday, Kate

Kate enjoyed many festivities for her birthday this year. She went to Build-a-Bear with grandma Koss, painted pottery with special friend Peggy, had a special party at grandma and grandpa Niedzinski's, and even had a Star Wars party at a park. (I'm not sure who was more excited about that- she or Grant!)

Sleepover with the littles

When Kate got back from her sleepovers with her older cousins she asked me "do you think my little cousins will hear how much fun I am at sleepovers and invite me to sleep over?" Well, sure enough, word is spreading like wildfire and Oliver(3) and Ben(1) invited her to sleep over! She enjoyed the park, digging in the garden, exploring the mysteries of the attic and having a special lunch with Lindsay. They even had a birthday cake a early celebration for her one night!

Summer Fun

Jim and the kids had a fun weekend up north visiting Jim's best childhood friend, Corey, and his wife Katie. They have kids almost exactly our kids' ages, so it made it fun for everyone! Kate got her nails painted for the very first time. Grant caught toads and mice and everyone went hiking. Good times all around! We hope to spend some more time with this gang again soon!

Double Blessing

Kate got a double blessing this time week by having a combined visit to Aunt Jill's and Grandma and Grandpa's house with cousin Amy!

Visiting Cousins

Over the last two weeks Kate was out of this world blessed by her cousins who invited her for some extended sleepovers. Here are some pictures of some fun things she did with Adam, Andrea, Austin and Abby:

Summertime

What have we been up to this summer...

Annual Fair

For months now the kids have been earning a marble in a jar for each night that they stayed in their beds after we tucked them in. For every marble in the jar they earned one ride at this weekend's annual fair. Who knew the lines would be so long and they wouldn't get to go on all 23 rides that they earned? They definitely had a fun filled day though. Grant's highlight was going on his first "big kid" ride- the spinning one where the floor drops! Yikes! Kate much preferred the merry-go-round.