Dressing Up

Just like any other time of the year, but at least at Halloween they don't look quite so freakish, my boys love to dress up. Thomas can be Buzz, Spiderman, a doctor, fireman, pirate, or knight on any given day. Thanks to our friend Terry in Philly who made the boys a pair of scrubs, Thomas and Hewitt have loved dressing up like Steve. Maybe someday they will both be doctors. Unfortunately, I know what that would take and already feel bad for their poor wives if they decide to choose that path.

Fall
Along with our dressing up, we also have enjoyed raking and playing in the leaves. I finally just threw our leaves into the street which is what they do here. Crazy huh. You don't bag em up like in Washington or Pa. Just rake them straight into the street and apparently some truck will come around and suck them up. I hope I'm home to see the magic. We were also lucky enough to get invited over to our neighbors to carve pumpkins. Steve never had time to help in the evenings and I wasn't about to break out the knives by myself. I am grateful for my good neighbors everyday. Hurray for warm weather and the Phillies winning the World Series.

Cranbrook

Located not too far from our house is one of the coolest private schools in the country. The campus feels like it was transported right out of Athens, ruins and all. It's totally out of this world and mystical. The lawns are immaculately kept at times and then you find yourself stumbling upon some broken down Greek theater complete with a dirty, moss covered fountain and crumbling statues. You feel that some of the little porticos and stone steps haven't been touched for years. I loved it. My neighbor introduced me two weeks ago and then I brought Steve on Sunday. If you would like to send your High School child to Cranbrook, it costs a ton and you can even board them so that you only see them on holidays. Straight out of Dead Poets Society. Although from what we hear, sending your kid to Cranbrook is an invitation to an Ivy League education.








We did manage to take one family picture on our way out. At the time, we didn't even notice that Thomas had pretended to break his arm and made himself a cast. He must have found that blue ribbon in the field. When we got back to the car and asked him about the tape, Thomas said that he broke his arm, but don't worry, he was tough and didn't cry. Whew. I was just sad that the pretended broken arm made it into the picture. Oh well.

Fall, Pumpkins, and Donuts

Fall is my favorite season. I love the changing colors, the relief from the constant humidity, pumpkins, fresh donuts, picking apples, and preschool. Michigan is definitely the place for me right now. Today we visited a local apple orchard with our good friends and neighbors who showed us the best spots to hit. We bought fresh donuts and drank frozen apple cider from a local store and then headed out into the orchards. We took our time at each spot, which was nice. We spent probably 45 minutes walking through the pumpkin patch in an attempt to find our favorites. Hewitt tested each pumpkin by sitting on it. He just kept saying the word pumpkin over and over again.


Thomas, on the other hand, ran through the entire patch picking up pumpkins and talking incessantly about jack-o-lanterns and Halloween. He also gave a running commentary on the status of each of the pumpkins. He was definitely a dedicated raspberry picker despite the fact that he won't eat them. He was proud of his efforts.

We finished the day by picking a half bushel of amazing, crisp apples. My boys had their share of tasting before we left the orchard trees. Hewitt even tried this nasty one that had fallen on the ground. Oh well, what can you do.

The time flew by and about three hours later, we had worn the boys out. They slept all the way home. For as much dread as I have for the Detroit winters, I need to have as many positive Michigan experiences as possible. So thank goodness for the Fall and thank goodness for good neighbors.

Michigan Football

Thanks to Uncle Matt, Steve, Donny, and I got to attend our first Big Ten football game in at the University of Michigan's Big House which holds 100,000 plus. We got there one and half hours early, but still barely made it to our seats on time. If you can see the crowds of people behind the band, it was absolutely amazing. Although we love Cougar Stadium the best, BYU just can't compare to this kind of following, atmosphere, and devotion. People had been tailgating for hours. We were happy to be there, but don't think we will be attending again anytime soon. Little too crazy for me.

"I'll pray for you"

When I was picking up Thomas from preschool last Wednesday, the preschool teacher explained that Thomas had cut his finger on the fan. The two teachers had told the class to not go near the fan because it was sharp, but Thomas kept going near it. Finally, Thomas made a bold dash to the fan and stuck his finger in. The teacher told me that Thomas was just one of those kids who learned by doing. She then said that she would pray for me. Thank you I mumbled.

In another Thomas incident. He told his primary teacher on Sunday that he had a nipple on his face. The teacher tried to explain that it was a mole and not a nipple, but obviously the spirit went right out the door.

Thomas loves dressing up especially as a pirate and making his brothers dress up too. His passion for life is contagious and he is always making me smile. But just like yesterday when he climbed a tree high enough to get my heart beating, I remembered the preschool teacher's promise. I definitely need all the prayers I can get!

Houghton Lake

Our good friends and neighbors across the street invited the boys and I out to their house on a lake in central Michigan for a few days. I was a little hesitant to make the trip by myself, but I am so glad that we did. We absolutely loved it! I am recommitted to owning a boat and seadoos someday. They are so much fun and a great way to spend time with friends and family. This was the first time this summer that I really felt like I was on vacation. Thomas was a wild man. He intertubed, jet skiied and swam to his heart's content. Hewitt was happy to swim and sit on the boat. He did go on the sea doo with me one time, but got nervous when I went over 20. Donny was an angel on the boat and even ventured naked into the water. Julie was the greatest teacher and even managed to pull me up skiing. Thanks so much Shelly and Julie!!!

We also enjoyed hanging out at night. Shelly cooked up the most perfectly roasted marshmellows for smores and Julie introduced me to the joys of peanut butter. Grandma enforced my kids staying in bed while we played cards and watched a movie at night. I was in heaven.

Summer Olympics

I love the Olympics and I love living on the East Coast so that I can watch the events live every night. Sorry to all of those who live in the West. Unfortunately, Steve is either gone or sleeping so I mainly watch them by myself. Most nights will include me quietly jumping up and down as well as swinging my arm in a windmill motion to make the swimmers go faster. Hopefully, they can feel my encouragement in Beijing.



This past week I had the opportunity to visit my cousin and good friend in Columbus. We decided to put on a Kid Olympics prior to the Opening Ceremony. My cousin took the idea and ran with it. She made me act as the Chinese Welcoming committee because I was the first to throw the idea out, but then she ran the show. She bought matching shirts for all of the families, painted medals, organized the events, and bought the pizza. As part of my job as China, I distributed fortune cookies welcoming the kids to the Olympics as well as made a short speech. The event was a success despite Thomas's emotional breakdown. He had just been on vacation too long and could not bring himself to compete. Like Katie Hoff's melt down four years ago, perhaps Thomas will have a chance to redeem himself in time for London. Overall, it was a great time.



I also am including pictures from some of our other adventures in Detroit. The Woodward Dream Cruise, which just happens to be the largest gathering of antique cars in the world, is going on this weekend. Thanks to everyone who cues me into what being a true Michigander is all about.