September Activities

One thing that Dave and I have noticed lately is that the kids are at a really fun age for doing activities and going places.   They love each other's company, they think Dave and I are fun and cool (we realize this won't last much longer), and they are both potty trained.  What more could you ask for?  As I was going through pictures I realized we did a lot of fun activities in September and, as I tend to do when I'm behind in my posts, I decided to lump them all together.  So here they are.

Meijer Gardens

September gave us some beautiful weather and we definitely took advantage.  We took the kids to Meijer Gardens over Labor Day weekend for a bug exhibit.  The kids loved every creepy crawly minute.  Luckily we didn't run into anything terribly scary, except for this giant bug...

We also took a walk and found the koi pond and Aunt Jenny's tree (dedicated in honor of Mark's late wife, Jenny).  The tree is in a beautiful spot just across from the pond area. 

Mia's smiles for the camera lately are priceless.

Boating

We also took our end-of-summer trip out to Muskegon to Grandpa's boat.  The weather was gorgeous yet again.  Grandpa and Carter got to work right away, raising the flags for one last voyage.

Mia took the helm.

The boys took Grandpa's small dingy boat out to fish while Mia, Grandma, and I took a walk along the beach to play in the sand. 

The boys "sailed" over to meet us after they had enough fishing.

I only tell this next little story because I don't want to forget about it someday.  It will be a great story to embarass Mia with when she thinks I'm the most uncool mom on earth.  I love you Mia, you are a trouper. 

Before we left the beach, Mia was insisting she had to go potty, and she meant NOW.  There were zero potties on the beach and the marina was a good 10 minute walk.  Long story short, she pooped on a sand dune.  When she finished she asked me how to flush it.  We just kicked some sand on it and called it a day.

Binder Park Zoo

We headed to Binder Park Zoo on another gorgeous weekend.  Our favorite part of this zoo is the African Safari area.  You can see all of the animals roaming on a huge rolling plain and feed the giraffes from a cool look-out station.  Uncle Mark and his girlfriend Tracy came too and we all had a lot of fun.

Feeding the baby goats.

Not quite as tall as a baby giraffe yet...

Riding the train to the safari area.

Feeding the giraffes (and we thought Maisy had a crazy tongue!)

Poor Zebras never had a chance.

   

We also ran into this crazy goat, who obviously knows what it means when someone puts a quarter into the treat station outside it's pen.  No need to get our hands dirty!

Quite the agressive little guy!

Pooped out on the ride home.

John Ball Zoo

We also got invited to a fun evening event at our local zoo.  The kids were able to pet sting rays, snakes, and some less agressive goats.  The animals were very active, it was a cool evening and I think this was a prime time to come out and see them.

Petting the snake (niether had any fear to do so).

The cliche' John Ball picture on our way out.

We had a fantastic September, we'll miss the nice weather the most!

First Day of School

Carter had his first day of school at his permanent Elementary School this fall.  He is doing "Young 5's" this year and will start Kindergarten next year.  The Young 5's class meets every day for a half day of school and since it is considered a K-12 class, he is able to ride the school bus!  As luck would have it, Carter's bus stop is the end of our driveway.  On the days both Dave and I work however, we drive him to school and he participates in the before/after school classes.  But on Fridays, when I'm home, he is able to ride the bus.  He was SO excited to ride the bus this year. 

Here he is before school, waiting for his first official bus ride.

So proud!

Carter's bus driver is a retired man who reminds me so much of my Grandpa Baldwin, who also drove a bus in his retirement years.  As with my Grandpa, Carter's driver is a huge Detroit Tigers fan who wears his Tigers hat every day.   Every Friday he greets us with a huge smile and says "Happy Friday Carter!"

These next pictures were taken after school on the first day.  We decided to start a family tradition of getting pictures taken in front of our driveway island on the 1st day of school.  I'm sure it will be fun to see how the kids and our landscaping grow each year!  (We actually did this last year as well, when Carter started preschool).

It's hard to believe we have such a grown up boy, riding the school bus and acting like school is second nature.  Carter is loving his school and teachers and told me he can't wait to ride the bus everyday someday!

Carter Stats

Carter had his 5-year Dr.'s appointment and he is incredibly healthy as we suspected.  His vision and hearing were tested and those seem to be perfect.  In fact the nurse acted astonished that Carter knew his letters (not astonished that he could see them across the room on the chart, but astonished because he knew his alphabet).  The Dr. also commented that he has nice teeth.

Stats:
Weight:  34.6 lbs. (9th%)
Height:  40 inches (6th%)

As the nurse said, he is a peanut.  We're trying to bulk up on calories as he has decreased a bit percentage wise on weight but stayed pretty even in height.  But all in all, he's a healthy 5 year old who is very excited to start school tomorrow!  Stay tuned for first day of school pictures!!

Lego's, Lego's, and More Lego's!

As I noted in a previous entry, Carter received a ton of Lego's for his birthday.  He has since put all of the sets together, by himself for the most part, and he has been playing with them non-stop.  He wanted to take pictures of his new creations.

Mack and Lightening from "Cars."

Sponge Bob Square Pants and his Pineapple Under the Sea.

Semi and Helicopter (also turns into a boat and pickup truck, also already been put together).

Star Wars Ship.

Alien Spaceship, complete with a farmer that can be beamed up into the ship.

We're running out of table room!

FIVE!

Carter turned 5 at the end of August and we were lucky enough to celebrate his birthday with numerous family parties and fun adventures.

The Friday of his birthday weekend we hung out at Uncle Josh's house with Josh, Kristin, Ema (Grandma Webb), Uncle Mark, Tracy, Grandpa Mike, Uncle Kenny, and Aunt Carol.  We had ice cream cake and tons of presents.  We also got to see Josh's new puppy, Bull, a 6 week old pit bull.  The kids had a fantastic time.

Saturday Uncle Bob, Aunt Lee, Elsa, and Claire arrived to spend the weekend with us.  As usual, the kids started playing together the second they arrived and didn't let up until the second they left. 

We spent a lazy Saturday around the house, playing the wii and playing outside when it wasn't raining.

Sunday we headed to Michigan Adventure.  Grandpa and Grandma Jernstadt and Grandma and Grandpa Baldwin also joined us.  We had quite the crowd to herd around the park!  The kids had a blast (and the grown-ups too) and they were incredibly good all day without naps and with constant running around.

Here are some pictures of the kids (big and little) enjoying the rides.

In another year Carter will probably be a perfect height to get on a few more rides.  But they had tons of rides to choose from regardless. 

On Monday we celebrated with cake and more presents for Carter and Elsa.  Carter's gift mainly revolved around Lego's, I think he got a total of 5 more big sets, but he also got a cool Cars Monopoly game, and a Razor Scooter as well.    He has been enjoying all of the presents immensely.

On Monday evening the grownups went to see Lyle Lovett in concert at Frederick Meijer Gardens. It was a great concert and a wonderful end to a fantastic weekend!  We already miss everyone!