Fire Station and Pumpkin Farm

Aiden has taken 2 fieldtrips with his pre-school class.

The first trip was to the Coleman fire station.

Here he is getting a help down from the fire truck.

Checking out one of the nozzles for the hoses.

Giving the fireman a high five.

The fireman put on all his gear, and his oxygen tank. It sound like Darth Vader!

Hopefully it will help kids to know what a fireman looks like and sounds like if he has to come and rescue them sometime. Aiden was a little hesitant to give him a high five, and he even knows the fireman from church!

Later that night Aiden said, "I will never start this house on fire, because I do NOT want the fireman to have to come and do this"...and he started breathing like Darth Vader! That may be the most valuable lesson the boy learns all year! Thank you Coleman Fire Department!

And just last week we went to a pumpkin farm.

He fed a llama,

played in the maze,

and of course, picked out a pumpkin!



First Day of School 2012!

This year I don't think I have any pictures from the first day of school.

 Catching the first day of school is difficult because over the years we have stopped having that "official" first day of school, and we sort of ease into our school routine.

This year we began with math and spelling the first week of August.

Week 2 we added writing and week 3 we added  grammar.

Week 4 we added all the rest.

Starting our year out gradually makes it less stressful for all of us. By the time all of our fall activities start up again, we have several weeks of school under our belt. We used to start school and activities all at once, after Labor Day. That was just too overwhelming for our family!

So here's some of our first days of school for the 2012-2013 school year.

Our class has a 6th grader, a 4th grader and a pre-schooler.

Obviously we had riding lessons on this day! :)

Doing some work.

Reading to her brother.

Working on grammar.

I love their facial expressions in this one!

Perhaps reading with goggles helps with comprehension?

Lunch break.

Recess!

As you can see from Aiden's double barrel shotgun,

we haven't adopted a zero tolerance policy for guns in our school :)

Pre-School Boy

In September Aiden started going to pre-school.

He has the same teacher Emma did when she was there!

We have been making good use of our time while he is gone.

We are able to get most of our school work done...without ANY distractions!

Most days we have finished with time to go out for a bike ride or a walk before we pick him up.

Here he is ready to go.

He doesn't go far without his cowboy hat and boots!

He was sure to tell me, "Don't worry, mom. I won't take my gun in."

Good to know he wouldn't be taking guns in on the first day of school!

I love this one!

He didn't have any problems with me leaving him.

In fact, his teacher had to remind him that it is nice to say good-bye to mom before he takes off.

Thankfully, he did come back to give me a hug.

Then he was off!

Bowling!

 It's been a long time since we have taken the kids bowling and they have been wanting to go for awhile. We had some time between basketball games last weekend and we took them out for some family fun. The girls have been bowling before, but it was Aiden's first time.



Week 28

This week we added Israel taken into captivity by Assyria to our timeline.

We also read about Jonah, King Hezekiah, and the Assyrian Empire.

Here is Emma's page on Jonah.

This is Moriah's page.

While the girls were studying Bible history, Aiden studied the Playmobil catalog.



Scripture Memory: Isaiah 40:21-24

Greek Word: techne--art or skill

Read-aloud: The Children's Homer...still! The girls are really enjoying it!

Emma did great on a grammar test this week!

Moriah has been reviewing the different types of sentences.

Cooker A.D.

In the last few weeks Aiden has been playing "Cooker A.D."

When he wants to help me cook, he runs to put on his Michigan cap, which he calls his chef hat.

He climbs up on a stool and asks, "Now what do we do, Cooker Mom?"

The Weekend Update

It's been awhile since I've posted an update. I'll try to catch ya'll up quick!

• Ryan was able to start weight bearing and physical therapy last week. He also put away the walker and he is just using crutches now.
• We found out what kind of tool the doctor used to remove the bone growth. He described it as a chisel, but beveled on two sides instead of just one. That, and a hammer!
• We like the ortho surgeon. He has quite a sense of humor. As he entered the room he said, "So, do you remember which leg it is we worked on?"
• He also told us they added the extra plate because while they were working they heard a crack. They did x-rays, but could not tell if it was the bone they were removing that cracked or if it was bone that was supposed to stay. Just in case it was bone that was supposed to stay, they added the extra plate.

In other news, both girls had a basketball game this weekend and they both won! Each of their teams played well together and they did a great job of passing the ball. Moriah made 2 baskets in her game and Emma did a great job guarding some aggressive girls that were a bit bigger than her! They were glad Dad could be there to see them play too! Thankfully, at the games, there are chairs on the gym floor which is much easier for Ryan right now than bleachers!

I'll end with one of our favorite quotes from the week:

Aiden, as we're dropping off Ryan for PT: "Bye, Daddy! Don't forget to give them one money!"

Ryan: "I think they're getting plenty of 'moneys', Aiden"

Aiden: "Give them one money! Not two! Oh! And see if they have hot cocoa! That will make you all better!"

Highlights From Weeks 6 and 7/Fall Break

• The girls have finished memorizing the books of the Old Testament and have moved on to memorizing the 10 commandments.
• We have been reading The Golden Goblet, by Eloise Jarvis McGraw, as our read-aloud.
• Moriah has been reviewing adjectives and learning adverbs in grammar.
• Emma is reviewing sentences and paragraphs in grammar.
• They have been studying water and air in science. In one experiment they put a crumpled up piece of paper and put it in the bottom of a glass.  Then they turned the glass upside down and pushed into the kitchen sink which was filled with water. Their paper did not get wet because their glass was filled with air! Even though they couldn't see it, they could tell it was there b/c it kept the water out of the glass and away from their paper!

This week, since we had several appointments, we took a fall break.  It came at a perfect time! The weather was gorgeous and we had time to savor some of the beautiful, warm, fall days!

We played at the park.

Aiden had a friend over and they went looking for "big bucks."

And the girls buried them in the leaves!

 The girls made leaf houses.

Moriah's even comes with a pool!

Their leaf homes are in the country, near a park and a wild game reserve. The reserve is "home to over 200 deer, which includes over 100 bucks." I learned that on my personal tour. :)

Although they enjoy the comforts of country living, they also built a leaf city. The city has a library, store, courtroom, and doctor's office. Moriah is the librarian, shopkeeper, and doctor.

When Aiden, a frequent patient, is in need of medical attention, he lays on the ground with his eyes closed until help arrives. The girls come with the ambulance (their sled) and pull the patient to the doctor's office!

Emma is the mayor and artist. And Aiden, he is the P- Bus Driver (wondering what that

 is? See the quotes below!) 

Here's Emma standing in the middle of their city.

Here they are having fun with friends in their leaf house!

Some of our favorite recent quotes--they are all from Aiden, but he has been one hilarious little boy!

 "Look, Mom! It's the P-Bus!" Aiden pointing to the UPS truck!

Ryan likes to hunt, and he usually takes the kids in the woods to look for "buck rubs." Well, Papa took them out this week and it was a new thing for Aiden. He kept hearing them talk about "buck rubs."

When they came out of the woods, Aiden told Grandma he saw "butt rubs." Then he stuck his little bootie out, and gave it a shake to demonstrate a "butt rub!"

Aiden: "Daddy, you're a good spanker."

Daddy, trying really hard not to laugh, "Thanks, Aiden."

"Mommy, I want to take a snuggle with you."

Aiden, in the middle of the night. "I can't find my keys!"

Mommy, "It's okay, sweetie. Go to sleep, and I will find them."

Aiden was getting ready for bed and he said, "Good night, Daddy. When we wake up, we can tack!" (Which means play tackle.)
Then he quickly said, "Wait, Daddy! I didn't do my piano practice!" (He has to do everything the girls do!)
Daddy said, "You can do it in the morning. Good night."
7:00am  Aiden comes out of his room and says, "I need to do my piano practice!" He climbed up to the keyboard, set the demo to play and "practiced" like a little Mozart!

"IIIIIIIIIIIIII will o-beeeeeeey Your Word," Aiden, reciting his first memory verse!

Slug Bug Blue!

We spend a lot of time in the car these days, and the girls have been playing the slug bug game.  They have learned where all the regulars are in Midland. For example there is always one at the library, the 555 building, and by the Circle. Last week I overheard these slug bug related conversations in the van.

Moriah, in a robot voice: "Slug bug scanning, slug bug scanning.....scanning incomplete. Shutting down."

"Slug bug silver!" --Moriah, who now has 2 slug bugs to Emma's 0.

"Oh, I quit!" --Emma's response to above statement.

"Slug bug lellow!!"--Aiden, shouting with excitement as a yellow non-slug bug car went by.

"Oh, I hate those cars that look like slug bugs! They get me every time!"--Emma, referring to PT Cruisers.

"Slug bug re----Oh, it's not there today!"--both girls in unsion, as they realize one of the "regulars" must have taken the day off!

"Aiden, do you want to be our little servant boy?"--Emma

"No, I want to be slug bug blue!"--Aiden

"Okay, how about you be our slug bug blue servant boy?"--Emma, ever so sweetly.

"Okay!"--Aiden, with excitement

"Great, then that means you have to do whatever we say!"--Emma, still with a hint of sweetness.

"Muaahh-ahhh-ahhhh-ahhhh!!"--Moriah, chiming in with her evil laugh.



The Weekend Update--From the Kids' Perspective

• We recently were talking about the accident, and how far we have come. I asked the girls, "Don't you think we have come a long way?" Moriah responded, "No! Daddy still can't run! I want Daddy to be able to run!" She asked if we remembered the night last fall before the accident that we stayed outside and played hide and seek-tag. I had forgotten all about that night! We laughed as we remembered chasing each other in the dark on a warm fall night. I think one of the girls said, "Remember Dad hid up in the tree? And no one could catch him, but he caught all of us?"
• Aiden plays "crash" quite often. He will be driving his Jeep or tricycle in the backyard and have a crash. He lays on the ground and waits for the ambulance (his sisters) to come. Sometimes I laugh watching him play, I don't know if I want to laugh because it's so funny, or cry that this is part of what he plays. He still talks about his real ambulance ride. He remembers that he was in the ambulance with mommy (which is correct) and that mommy was all snuggled up (which to him means having a blanket up to your neck.)
• One evening a few weeks ago we were all in the living room and Emma was sharing a story. Suddenly, we heard the sirens of an ambulance. Emma stopped talking and her face grew dark. She looked at Moriah and said, "It's coming this way."  Within seconds the ambulance passed by the house and Emma said, "I don't like sirens. They make me feel sad and scared." Ryan and I were both surprised by her reaction. As we talked later we thought about what it must have been like for them that night--waiting in the van, in the dark, listening to sirens coming in the distance, hearing them get closer, knowing they're coming for you--it was something I had never thought of and it made my heart ache for my little ones! Thankfully, someone shared the idea of encouraging the kids to pray for the people in the ambulance. What a great idea to help them take the focus off their fears by saying a prayer for the other person!
• Although much has changed for our kids, there are somethings that never change--they still are growing like weeds!! We measured the kids this week and they have each grown an inch since July!
• And they still have fun together! They have been enjoying this gorgeous fall weather, making leaf piles, and leaf houses, and dens--because they are always pretending to be some sort of animal!

Weekend Update

• This week we were busy freezing veggies! We froze corn, green peppers and onions. We are always thankful for our frozen veggies in the middle of winter! 
• We finished getting ready for school!! I'll post more on that later!
• This week is the Midland County fair! Our girls are not taking anything in this year because I missed the registration deadline. They were disappointed, but they have been very understanding! Hopefully we will be back on track next summer! I'm beginning to think even going to the fair may be more than we can handle this year, but I know they would never go for that!! So, I will put my big girl pants on, buy a frozen cheesecake on a stick, and walk through every animal barn there is. Twice. Or maybe even three times. They really love those animals!
• Yesterday we had a relaxing Saturday at home together. In the afternoon, Ryan went to take a nap and I went in to talk to him for a minute. He loves when I try to talk to him during his nap :) It wasn't long and Emma came in, jumped in bed and started telling us about a game she plays with Moriah and some friends. In the game Moriah is Aunt Bertha. Emma was laughing and doing an impression of Moriah as Aunt Bertha for us. All of the laughter brought Moriah into the room who then gave us the real Aunt Bertha. The laughing continued and in came Aiden, who was supposed to be taking a nap of his own. He came climbing into bed and said, "Can I bisit (visit) with you guys?" I laughed, looked at Ryan and said, "Sorry about the nap!" It's little moments like these that are a treasure! We just enjoy being a family, and being together. Ryan did eventually get his nap, and so did Aiden. Right next to his daddy.
• The kids were playing rock band yesterday. Not on the Wii, we don't have that game, yet. They were just singing along with the ipod. I walked in the room to find Aiden dancing and singing into a microphone made out of brightly colored pegs connected together. Moriah was singing into her railroad track microphone and Emma was air guitaring. And the song they were rocking out too?  My Life is in You Lord. Yep, that brought a smile to my face! And some laughter too!

Some of our favorite recent quotes:

At the gas station Ryan asked, "Do you want it on credit or debit?"  Before I could answer Aiden yells from the back, "I want Pepper Dr!"  (Dr. Pepper!)

The girls had a friend over recently and they were talking about music and singers. Moriah asked, "Who do you like to listen to?" And without giving her a chance to respond Moriah went on to say, "I like John Denver."

After hearing the above statement Ryan looked at me and said, "My heart is so happy right now!"

Aiden is 3!

Aiden, my cute little boy, you're 3 now!

For your special day we had a few friends over for a pool party,

and we had birthday snow cones at Aunt Angie's.

What a blessing you are to all of us! We love you so much and

we are thankful for the fun gift that God gave us in you!

You absolutely adore your sisters and you try to copy everything they do!

They are rather fond of you too!

They spend time reading to you, playing with you and building forts for you!

Some of your favorite things right now are:

Color-- red (pronounced wed :)

Book--My First Big Book of Trucks

Toy--Dump Truck, Lightening McQueen

Playing "tack" with daddy

cold hot dogs...yes, cold!!

You tell me that when you grow up you will drive a police car.

Your daddy and I would be proud to have our son driving a police car,

but we'd really like for that police car to be in a very small town somewhere. In the U.P. perhaps?

And apparently you are wanting to start practicing for driving that police car with my van!

Recently when someone came in and asked if we could move the van you said, "Just give me the keys mom, I can do it!" I may be a bit old-fashioned, but I think 3 is just way too young to be asking for keys to the car!!

Although you are only 3 you have recently proven just how smart you really are! The other night after being tucked in bed way past your bedtime, you came out into the kitchen. Dad and I were there visiting with his cousins, Nate and Sarah. You gave dad a glance, but walked past him. As you came up to me you hugged me and said, "Mommy, I love you." That sweet proclamation of love was immediately followed by a request for some food! Nate laughed and said, "You just convinced me you are the smartest 3 yr old around!"

The girls went to nature camp and learned a song about Tarzan and Jane. You have been singing about Tarzan's tan and Jane's pain ever since and cracking us up with your Tarzan and Jane voices!

This summer your sisters played softball. You must've been watching closely as we cheered for them when they were up to bat. The other day as I watched you from the kitchen window, you put a ball on the tee, picked up your bat, bent your knees, closed your eyes, and said, "Aiden! Aiden! Aiden!" Then you gave a big swing, hit the ball and yelled, "Yay Aiden!"

One of my favorite things you do is when just the two of us are together. You give me a smile and say, "Mommy, it's just me and you, just you and me!"

Then you wrap those little arms around my neck and give me a big squeeze!

We love you Aiden and we are thankful God has chosen us to be your mom and dad!
We pray that you will be a man that will glorify the Lord in all you do.

 May you have a desire to know Him and His Word, and may you serve Him all the days of your life!

We love you, son!
Mom and Dad

Rub A Dub, Aiden's in the Tub!

A few weeks ago when my mom was here, she was getting Aiden ready for bath.

She started the water and then went to get something. When she returned she found Aiden, in the tub, wearing his clothes and his diaper!