big news!

Fall is always a little hectic around here.  We're getting back into the swing of the school scheduling while also juggling the extracurricular activities of choice...this year soccer and football.  We're volunteering for field trips and Oktoberfest and classroom parties.  Kris is working.  I'm preparing, in my business, for the busy holiday season ahead.  What we're apparently not doing...is blogging!

Here's the major update of our fall season: we're moving to Michigan!  Kris took a new position with a company in Auburn Hills and we're waiting on the house to sell so we can all make the transition.  It was a pretty tough decision, but when we consider our own childhoods, we don't really think of where we went to school or what our parents' job titles were.  What we think of is birthday parties surrounded by family and family vacations and Sunday dinners with our grandparents.  While we'll still be a couple hours away from the closest grandparents, we are anticipating our family being more a part of our normal routine rather our "vacation".  And the prospect of giving this to our kids makes me so happy.

So, as we fumble through sports and school and activities, I'm trying to take advantage of all we have enjoyed about living in KY, since I know the time to leave is quickly approaching.  It will be bittersweet as we have really loved it here, but we are also so excited to be back in the state where Vernors in a can is readily accessible!  Okay...and, where we have the potential to see extended family members on a more frequent basis. :)

Updates on fall sports coming soon!

gone fishin'

The kids finally stopped practicing their casts in the yard and actually went fishing. Thank God...I was getting sick of untangling fishing line from the trees in the back yard! They had a blast and even met some new friends. Sam caught three fish and Grace caught one that managed to get away and flop back into the water before she could get it all the way onto the dock.

They are both anxious to get back out and do it again. Fishing is so not my thing, but it was fun to watch their excitement. :)

MI in June (Day 5)

Before packing up and heading home, we snapped a quick pic with our gracious hostess, Grandma Donna.

Thanks, Northern MI family, for a lovely vacation!

MI in June (Day 4)

Our last full day in Northern MI was perfect. We started the day with a little UK photoshoot with Grandma, Papa and the kids. Then played outside until lunch.

After lunch, Grandma Donna suggested that we go explore around Onaway. So off into nature we went! The first stop was the sink holes where we trekked down a TON of stairs to the bottom. It was so HOT at the bottom, so we turned around to head back up. And that was pretty brutal. Well, at least for three of us. Sam, on the other hand, powered back up those stairs like he's done it every day for the past several years. As the rest of us were huffing and puffing at the top, he was leaping off of rocks and running back to the car. I guess all his sneaky working out with my weights has been paying off! :)

Next stop was the underground river. It was pretty cool...the river appears to flow right out of the ground and quickly opens up to a huge river. My kids would have spent all day there...they were so happy there that they didn't even notice they were being eaten alive by skeeters!

After the underground river, we headed to Ocqueoc Falls where the kids did some great fossil hunting with Grandma and Grace also spotted some butterflies laying eggs in the mud.

It was another exhausting but FUN day and the perfect way to spend the last full day of our trip before traveling home the next day.

MI in June (Day 3)

After breakfast at the casino with the Buckley's, we drove back down to the lower peninsula to meet up with our dear friends, the Nemec's, before heading over to Mackinac Island. It was the first boat ride for our kids and they LOVED it. I haven't been on a boat in awhile and I loved it, too, but I could have done without the bugs! Not living by a lake anymore made me forget about those wonderful few days in June when the midges hatch...yuck!

We had a FUN time on the island, where we spent the majority of our time learning all about Fort Mackinac. The kids were absolutely fascinated and Sam almost peed himself when the "soldier" let him hold his rifle for a photo. He later told me that he made sure "not to get my hand too close to the trigger." :)

After a few hours on the island, we drove back to Onaway by way of Rogers City so we could visit with Grandma Edna and so the kids could stick their toes in Lake Huron (which was COLD!).

It was such a fun day! I've been wanting to take the kids to Mackinaw for awhile and this was a great year to do it...at 5 and 6, they really appreciated everything they learned that day at the Fort. And the visit with Grandma Edna and the quick toe dip in the lake were the perfect ending to the day.

MI in June (day 2)

Day 2 in Onaway started off VERY early with a nice little hail storm! Kris took pics to document. :)

Then we loaded up and drove up to the Soo to celebrate Meaghan's high school graduation! (Congrats, Meaghan!) A few pics from the party:

We spent the night in the Soo to get a little extra visiting time in with the Buckley crew while we watched Meaghan open her gifts, checked out the Locks and went swimming at the hotel.

It was so nice to go to Bruce and Sherri for once since they are always coming down to Onaway to meet up with us.