Adventures in Thanksgiving

Here's hoping that everyone had a happy, healthy (relatively speaking of course) and wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. The Volkers Clan loaded up and went to Columbus Ohio for the holiday, and yes, we wore of U of M gear. So there crazy Buckeye fans!It seems like there are so many challenges that so many people face right now, to find things to be thankful for. Too many people are jobless, homeless, hurt and unhealthy. The world seems scary right now, but underneath it, there is hope. We realize how fortunate we are to have a home, to have jobs, to have family and friends to share the holiday season with. I believe that the prospect of healing, of better times, of a better world is a good reason to have an especially joyous holiday. It does not take a ton of money or a ton of energy to do something nice for someone. Not just because of the time of year, but because we need to be nicer as a people, as a world.

It's my blog and therefore my soapbox. I'm done now :~)

There are tons of pictures to share, and I selected a few...and accidentally erased some really good ones, but, if you're interested in seeing all the fun, feel free to check out my Facebook page, there are TONS there. (Aren't I sooo social network savvy?)

Awww...I hate this picture, but then I hate most of them that I am in. We had a great day on Thanksgiving. Honey and Grandpa Kelly dished up a load of delicious food, including the fabulous homemade cheesecake for dessert (and pumpkin pie and apple pie and mmmmm)

Joe and Em were there, along with Noah and Levi. The kids played, had a blast, though as you can tell by the picture below, Levi was not always thrilled with having his picture taken!

And it appears he wasn't always thrilled with Max either. For some reason, the kids thought it was hilarious to lock each other in the dog cage. Poor Eddie couldn't escape kids even in his own space! Now I'm considering it for disciplinary purposes. They can breathe while they're in there...bowl of water...I just got an hour to myself. Love it!

Avery gave us a series of hysterical moments. I'm sure all are shocked by this news. She was more than willing to tell anyone and everyone exactly what she wanted for herself, for them and apparently the universe. She's a strong-willed little girl and I am more than thankful for that!

We waited patiently, and not so patiently for the best turkey ever. Perfectly juicy, perfectly delicious. Too bad the stuffing had mushrooms in it....I heard that was awesome as always too!

We stayed in a hotel very near Honey and Grandpa's house, a hotel with a pool. Avery was thrilled with "our new home". She does not discriminate when it comes to pools, any one will do, and she still has not developed fear of any sort. Avery and Max had a blast each and every time we went swimming! (And so did me and Kurt...but don't tell anyone, then Kurt might lose his curmudgeon status).
And then because swimming alone is not enough, we went to COSI, a children's science and industry museum that is without doubt one of the coolest places ever! Noah and Honey tried their hand at the hoola hoop. We saw a live show where Max was called up to help light up some christmas lights by pedaling. Imagine that, Max did not hesitate for one second to be the center of attention. He had no fear of being in front of the audience at all and I am more than thankful for that. The best part was the red "rudolph" nose on the helmet and the sound it made when it started to light up. That distinctive sound from "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" cracked me up. There were lights, explosions, and more during this live show...and....it was all educational.

At the corner of Hope and Fear Streets, Avery pulls me toward Hope. All credit for that picture goes to Honey.

Boys will be boys and play with engines.

Something tells me that Max could totally have a future in a career like this. He very much enjoyed looking at himself in the "monitor"
And at the end of the night, all were happy and tired and ready for good sleeps.
The next day was as warm and beautiful as the previous 2. The guys took the kids to the park while Honey took the "girls" to the Eddie Bauer Outlet/Wharehouse. A beautiful experience for all parties.

After a couple more swims, a viewing of "Space Chimps", tons of coffee and more than a few drinks, it was time to say goodbye to Honey and Grandpa and our "new home" and head home. Home into the freezing rain we hit outside Ann Arbor, the stop and go traffic, the snow, the many vehicles off the road, the broken windsheild wipers and the 3 hours worth of delays. After 8 hours in the car, even Avery didn't care that our "old house" doesn't have an indoor pool. What a great time we had for what was probably the last Columbus field trip for the whole gang. Watch out Chicago.....we're coming!!!!

VOTE

Just vote. If you want the right to bitch and whine about government, poke fun at the "other side", complain about taxes, the economy and the direction of the world, then vote. If you can't be bothered to excercise your right to vote, then no one should be bothered with listening to your rants. It doesn't matter who you vote for, just vote. This message is brought to you by Batman and his Fairy Princess.

Football and Basketball

Twice in one month! Oh my, somehow I don't think we're that exciting! I just got over bronchitis, Max has a nasty cough and Kurt is home sick with something that apparently puts him unbearably close to death (based solely on his behavior). I baked banana bread and baked apples today. I love fall!

Max started basketball. We're going in to week 2 and he still loves it. Here are a few shots of his first practice. There will be more in the future. Games start in 2 weeks I believe

I think he looks like a natural!



Look at him go! All that practice in the driveway, the holes in the grill of my van and jogs down the street after loose balls paid off! We'll see what happens come game day.

We did have the 2nd annual Michigan vs. Michigan State/Chili Cook-Off. I have lots of pictures of the fun, and none of the chili. Food was on and I was eating, not taking pictures!

The cutest BFF's in the whole wide world showing their U of M pride!

The rivalry was, as always, intense. But the fun of rubbing it in more than makes up for hurt feelings! And having the many chili's to sample from and decide which one is the best is not a bad way to spend a fall afternoon.

Sore winners....aka State fans, went so far as to parade over to the neighbors and rub in their once in a lifetime win of U of M. Sad, sad people they are.

Next up....Halloween.

Things that 7 year old boys may NOT say on the playground

Despite yet another lengthy period of time without any updates, I offer you a glimpse of a bazillion pictures in the recent goings of the Volkers Clan!

Kurt and I had a night out! Big news in these parts! Kevin's brother Mike was married and clearly I chose to hang out with the life of the party, Ben, at the reception. He's a much better dancer, not to mention dresser, than my date! It was a great way to celebrate our Anniversary weekend together. It's very hard to believe that we've been married for 8 years already! Which means we've been "together" for 15 years...and that is nearly half of my life. Yikes (although, it should be noted that it is not close to half of Kurt's life as he is SOOO much older than me :~) We've more than packed in a lifetime of experiences into this time together, and now, at the end of the day when the kids are tucked in, safe and healthy, and we sit down together or hang out with our friends and neighbors, it's all so good. This is such a difficult time of year for us and being able to look around at all the blessings we have had makes it much more bearable.

Especially when Mr. Max and Ms. Avery is around! (enough sap already!)

Now that Max is in school and my new work schedule allows me to be home Mondays and Tuesdays, Aves and I have the opportunity to hang out, play, do laundry, clean bathrooms, and play some more. She's hilarious and fun to be around. This morning, while playing diligently with play-doh in the kitchen with the Backyardigans playing in the background, she ran into the other room, grabbed a blanket and started hiding under the dining room table. Wondering what was going on, I gathered to courage to ask. Turns out there was a ghost on TV, on the Backyardigans, and she was hiding from the ghost. Then she played with play-doh some more.

Avery has started "gymnastics", and I use that term very, very loosely, with Savannah. Avery is surprisingly good at gymnastics at this point. How long that will last, remains to be seen. However, she's a rock star on the balance beam and forward rolls down the wedge are nothing. She bear crawls around the gym, follows directions rather well (another surprise) and will be "competing" at "competition" in December. She'll even get a medal. Savannah is having a blast as well! She's a master sommersaulter herself, and loves the trampoline!

These two together have tons of fun and are absolutely too cute.

And then of course, there's our Max.

Who learned the hard way at school that even if his friend Josh heard it from a 5th grader on the playground at lunch time and it makes them giggle, little boys will get in trouble for saying "Crusty nipple boobies" Yup, that's right, you were reading correctly, I had to talk to the principal about Max, along with a rather large group of boys from 5th grade down, mimicking another child who was saying "crusty nipple boobies". Apparently it's a fun thing for a 7 year old boy to say on the playground. Of course, Max being Max, ratted everyone out, told them all that it's "not okay to say boobies, they're called breasteses" and that "telling the truth is important because you won't get in as much trouble" and gave his principal a good chuckle. He didn't get in trouble....at school...and since Kurt was incapable of looking at him without laughing after I made him fess up at the dinner table, we had a good little chat about not doing what everyone else does. Especially if it involves saying "crusty nipple boobies".

Other than the now infamous CNB incident, Max is doing awesome in school. His reading is amazing, he has aced every single spelling test, loves math and is quite good at it, and continues to tower over the rest of his class, as he is fated to do for all times.

Next week I will post more pictures and tell the story of how Max and Avery started a neighborhood "Obama" chant. I don't know how many other families can tell the tale of their little red-headed white girl chanting Obama with a helmet on. Oh, special times. That's why mommy has grown up juice.

Basketball starts next week and he is very excited to start. He is so loving and genuine, a great big brother and a great friend. He, along with his sister and every other child in the neighborhood had a great time at Savannah's 2nd birthday party this past weekend at the Children's Museum. Avery was quite upset she could not wear her green dress that her Honey gave her because apparently Savannah has the same one and wore it on a beautiful 80 degree October day. Fortunately once she realized she could wear her "nother flower dress from Honey" she was content and beautiful if I do say so myself. Avery and her friend "little Max" had a great time sitting next to one another, with and without their crowns! Max and Chris had too much fun in the "to the rescue" exhibit at the Children's Museum, playing Firefighters. All of the kids loved the Royal Parade of musical instruments whilst in Royal dress up clothing. From the bubbles, to the car, to the funny mirrors, a great time was had by all. And Savannah bannana made out like a bandit...as all 2 year olds do :~)

So there it is, a brief glimpse into the day to day world we live in. I gave fair warning regarding the bazillion pictures! After next week's basketball debut, there will be more pictures to share and more stories to tell. In the meantime, I have a "master Christmass 2008" list to update, because yes, I have started to shop already. We have big halloween decisions to make yet. Avery can't decide if she wants to be a princess or a giraffe and Max is mad because he's not allowed to be a bad guy and thinks my scarecrow idea is lame. We looking at Indiana Jones...hey Honey, still have that hat?

I know, I know

Finally, at long last, long time no post, I'm a slacker, I know I know!!!!! So in order to make up for a summer's worth of stories, memories and pictures, here a few (well, quite a few) that highlight the fun!

Things have been busy and I have a bunch of photos to share! We've had a wonderful summer full of fun!

Working backwards from Max's birthday....Max and his buddy Chris used stuff they found in the dress up bin to compliment the power rangers suit Max recieved as a gift. Obviously a gift from one who does not know "the rules" about power rangers! Once I hid the nun-chucks (?) and informed the kids it could only be used as a superhero supplement, things improved. Although, Superman seemed to decompensate in the process!

The two pictures above are from Max's birthday party. It turned out to be a pretty cold day, so we had to change plans at the very last minute and not enjoy a day at the pool with a couple friends! And we had to scramble to come up with some games and activities for the kids to enjoy....many thanks to my wonderful neighbors for making that so much easier than it would have been without them! We are sooooo lucky! At any rate, balloons tied to ankles with ribbon, a water relay, bobbing for apples (Avery ROCKED that, by the way, as though that's a shocker) and 48 cupcakes later all had a fun and enjoyable day celebrating with Max.

I know it's sideways, but it's SO funny! Avery ended the day of Max's birthday party with a quick ride through the neighborhood. Catch me if you can red power ranger!

Oh yeah, and Avery got a bike for her birthday! The next few pictures are of her mastering the art of riding a bike in a dress. Not so great planning on my part, I'm aware. While she was a little shaky at first, be assured she not only has the hang of riding a bike like a champ, she stands up and today was working on skid marks (on the driveway, not in her pants).

Some of our neighborhood friends who come and play on a regular basis!
We just call her special and then smile and nod. It was her birthday, and it was before she realized she had a new bike. Plus, the green would not have matched the purple big girl bike.
MMMM....cupcakes. Princess cupcakes. Pink princess cupcakes, in princess wrappers, with princess sprinkles and sparkly princess candles to be exact. Per Avery's request, the cupcakes were exactly as she wanted. I'm still trying to figure out where that bossy streak comes from!
And we figured out that the only way to make all the kids sit down at one time is to promise cupcakes. It worked. I will now make them every weekend.
Mastering the art of stopping was tricky at first, but after 2 days Avery no longer needed to use her shoes to do the job. Having the most awesome big brother in the world help teach her didn't hurt either!

And last but not least, Avery is not amused by the attention getting antics of Savannah...much like their mothers :~)

Max finished t-ball and totally learned to swim, as did Avery (I'm not even going to ask exactly what went on those few days at Sandy Pines with Papa and Grandma Kate but they both amazed me with their abilities in the water!) He is getting ready for school and is very excited it's starting soon. He is going to play basketball this winter along with more advanced swimming lessons. He was fascinated by the diving during the Olympics and is interested in doing that instead of becoming a doctor now. He does not believe me that he can do both.

Avery is going to tiny tots tumblers class with Savannah starting in October. We knew dance was not going to be an option (have you met us?) and we're just hoping she doesn't get kicked out for breaking someone's neck. She really wants to play soccer and baseball and is none too happy that she has to wait until she's a bit older.

It's hard to believe that another summer has gone by. There was so much we didn't do that we wanted, and more fun and laughter than we could have imagined. We're looking forward to fall, football, chili cookoffs, and school functions! And probably more time on the computer as well, so the updates won't be quite so far and few between.

Another month goes by

Holy crap...has it really been a month since I did this? Sheesh, it almost has. Crazy how time flies! So, what's been going on in the Volkers household? It seems like there should be pages and pages worth of "witty commentary on mundane happenings" for as busy as we are, but I don't know...

First, Max has completed his first round of swimming lessons. He believes he is not only able to swim in the deep end all by himself without any assistive devices but is ready to water ski. I'm pretty sure he is mistaken on that issue. I told him I was pretty sure he was mistaken and he said "Oh, yeah, I can water ski when I'm 12". The disdain and exasperation in his voice was not subtle!

So, swimming is done and we are well in (and nearly finished with) soccer. Here's a few pictures of the soccer star!

He's actually pretty good and well coordinated. He did really well in practices/clinics. His first "game" was shaky with his lack of attention, wandering off to the bathroom or the slide in the middle of the game, but I think that had more to do with the fact that dad and Papa were there, along with me, Avery and Savannah. His 2nd "game" went much better. His attitude was greatly improved, he only wandered off to the bathroom once and overall competed impressively.

Next up for Max is T-ball, which will start in June. He is looking forward to that. He has also requested to get into basketball and has been practicing in the driveway. He's pretty darn good at that too, and again, more coordinated than one would expect.

In school news, Max continues to do well. His reading is awesome, he's well past everything he is "supposed" to know to move on to 1st grade. He's had his first sleepover and has another one tentatively planned for next weekend. He also has 2 girls who "like" him. He won't admit to liking either of them or calling anyone his girlfriend, but he sure does give them some extra attention when they are around. Kianna, from his class at school, has a grandma in the neighborhood and showed up our backyard one day...and didn't want to leave. Her grandma knew exactly who Max was and told Kianna that she was too young for boyfriend for what was clearly not the first time! Emily lives down the street and thinks Max looks like Zac Effron. Emily thinks Zac Effron is cute and therefore, Max. Fortunately, Max is very nice, sensitive and protective of these girls when he's around them. He won't let anyone else make fun of them or be mean to them.

On the Avery front...she continues to confound us all with her brute stregnth, her desire to want to dress up constantly, her bossiness, and her effort to keep up with the "big kids".

Avery had the chance to go to the Tulip Festival with her Papa and Grandma and cousin/friend Mallory. She came home happy, exhausted and with a new wardrobe (thank you Karen!) This has kept her busy for over a week now. She refused to allow anything to be put away and kept waking up at night and putting another layer on. At times, Avery is a total girly girl who loves clothes and shoes. But if you touch them or disagree with her, she's likely to take you down and kick your ass! Here's a couple of pictures of Avery and the tulips with Papa and Mallory too!

As far as Kurt and myself, we continue to muddle through each day. We've actually decided to use our big, beautiful deck this year. I know that for most people this seems like a no brainer of a concept, but with the great deck our neighbors have and all the trees (bugs and spiders) in our backyard, it's actually quite daring! Avery loves being out there while Kurt practices his secret grilling recipes for the 2nd annual cook-off. He's starting to narrow down his pork recipe but still playing with his "ringer". I am encouraging him every step of the way, for each time practices, I don't have to cook. I believe this is often referred to as a "win win situation".

I am officially licensed and listed on the state website for child care. I have a total of 5 kids at different times so far and it's going well. I am now listed with 4c's and will soon be participating in the food program and all that stuff. It's fun, challenging and exciting. It's an adjustment in our household, that's for sure. But, it's rewarding and worth it.

Kurt and I have our ups and downs, but still manage to get through all the many things that are thrown at us. I continue to be thankful for the full life we have, the good friends and neighbors, the wonderful family and of course, the smartest, coolest and funniest kids ever! A house full of laughter, such as ours is, is something to be forever grateful for.

Time

So, yeah, yeah, yeah, it's been a long while since anything has been posted. Unfortunately, today there are no pictures to delight all with, just a general update of the daily goings on in these parts! However, there is a bonus video of Max's big jump! Quality of the video is questionable though and Kurt took it, so we can blame him.

Max is enjoying swimming, yesterday he jumped off the diving board into the "big pool" during class! He was a little scared at first, but rallied and came through. He started soccer last week and is very much looking forward to going again on Monday. He is in a clinic/league so the first 3 weeks he is learning how to play and the last 3 weeks they will have games. He is the tallest kid there, but he's used to that!

Max had a visit with the doctor this past week and he is 4'8". He has grown over 2 inches since his annual checkup in the early fall and gained 5 pounds. So, at this rate, he will likely be 5' tall entering 1st grade and 6' tall before middle school. Freak.

Avery continues to talk incessantly, except on the phone to Honey. She has mastered the "withering stare" and rolling her eyes. She is days away from the "tuh huh" sigh with a foot stomp.

Avery is also freakishly tall. She thinks she is far older than she is. She's loud, stubborn, independent and apparently a princess. Talk about an amazon princess! She has nearly as many bruises up and down her legs as Max, which shows how much she loves playing! She's very angry that Max is taking swimming lessons and playing soccer and she's not. But the slide at the soccer field seems to pacify her anger.

The potty training process is nearly complete. Though Avery has totally learned to manipulate me into a potty "try" just because she wants an M&M, but the end is in sight!

Jen's daycare is starting strong. My licensing paperwork went through and I go for orientation on May 1st (any babysitters available that day) That is the final step in full licensing and I'll be able to advertise in the paper and through 4c's.

I am currently babysitting 2 kids and it's great! I enjoy it greatly and am looking to a fun summer with tons of laughter and fun! I really feel like I am using my education, professional and personal experience and knowledge every day.

Kurt is getting familiar and comfortable with his new job. He is doing really well and moving up quickly. There are many more opportunities at Vos for him than he had before, and it was long past time for him to move on and it appears to be well worth it.

We went to the annual Vos Dinner at Fredrick Meijer Garden's last week and aside from having a good time, great food and meeting some really fun people, I was extremely impressed by the general attitude of the company!

That's all we've got for now! Until next time.....(which I promise won't be so long in coming for the 3 of you who actually read this thing :~)