Flower Girls

Thanks for letting us share your special day, Katie and JJ! 

 These are the poses we could coax out of them. While on the other hand, the photographer would say, "OK, sisters give each other a hug," and they would embrace like cherubs.

A whirl of excitement!

We are overjoyed to be invited to be Katie's flower girls!  We took a field trip to David's Bridal to try on fancy dresses and couldn't stop twirling!   

Actually, Mama is going to make our special dresses.
We have to decide on a pattern!!!!  SO FUN!

Maya is trying Girl Scouts this fall (Daisies, blue vests).  
Luckily so is her new BFF from Kindergarten!
Yes, we will have cookies in the Spring.  No, we will not solicit you - you know where to find us.  

Haircuts

Haircuts on 9/14.  The girls both wanted their hair as short as cousin David's.  This is a short as I could manage.

(Edit to add)  I did forget to mention that when we were browsing the web for haircut ideas, Genna's first pick was the "Kate", circa John & Kate Plus 8.

school girls

Genna's first day of Preschool was Tuesday!  I cannot explain this expression or pose, but I think she liked it.  She requested night braids so her hair would be "keerly" for school.

Packing Maya's Lunch, Week 2
How long can I keep this up?  At least she is not in a peanut-free cafeteria.

Big Girls

During the last moments of summer the girls really amped up on the new skills.  Not to mention the growth spurts.  I don't regularly measure their height like I should to keep track of these things...... but pant hems do not lie!

First off... Miss Genna is riding without training wheels.  We suspected she could handle it but in Genna fashion, she resisted trying.  One day, Jeff gave her his patented ride-down-the-grass-hill treatment and she got it.  

Next up - Maya's mad playground skillz.
She can swing across the monkey bars (not pictured) with the greatest of ease.

First (tethered) HOT AIR BALLOON RIDE (with Angela)

Learning to fish at WOLFE LAKE HATCHERY.

It is not hard to imagine Genna in Roller Derby

As soon as I told Maya she had to learn to tie before getting new school shoes, she figured it out that same day.  Then she picked out these really fast ones.

FIRST DAY OF BIG SCHOOL!
Maya loves the bus and although we live less than 2 miles away, she hopes I never DRIVE her to kindergarten.
  

Manistee

Editor's note: despite the moratorium on travel with Genna outlined in the preceding post, 

we had to take her on this previously committed outing.

Several friends have been recommending Manistee for years.  We just HAD to choose it for this summer's camping destination!   Planning a beach trip to a cooler northern spot on Lake Michigan seemed like a reasonable idea when we reserved it during that amazing heatwave of the beginning of the summer (hard to remember, I know!).  Then it cooled WAY off for the last 3 weeks or so.  I started to have second thoughts about our choice!  But luckily, it got back into the 80ºs just in time for our getaway

 (Phoenicians, don't laugh at "80ºs").  

We arrived on a very calm day with gentle waves.  The beach lived up to its reputation as being one of the clearest and cleanest on Lake Michigan.  However, it really was too frigid to swim.  Maya dunked herself while jumping around a couple of times - but no one was really too keen on swimming.  Honestly, the kids were not too bummed about it either!  Plenty of time was spent building sand castles, lagoons, tunnels, trains, and balls.

A great way to kill some time before nightfall (bedtime).  (above photo credit: Genna)
Sunset at the beach.

Morning hike around Nordhouse Lake.  Note to future visitors: try to stick to the obvious trail at the northern end of the lake, quite back from the shoreline.... Easier than carrying a 3-yr-old over the wetland vegetation.
With the network of trails through Nordhouse Dunes, this would be a great place for an intro to backpacking EVENTUALLY (like when Genna can carry herself and a few things for more than 15 minutes).

Sisters

Playtime in the Orchid Loop.  (busting up an ice block).

This campground had minimal amenities.  Eventually we'll try places with more activities (like river rafting) or features (like an onsite ice cream shack, or showers).  But this location was happily bare bones.  Somehow the girls didn't get bored despite my forgetting to pack cards, games, or coloring books.  Besides Genna protesting walking anywhere, they enjoyed the freezing beach, the forest drive, and a short hike.  
Good Job Girls!  
Of course, when pressed, they will say their FAVORITE activity was: marshmallows.

Chicago Weekend

Jeff had a 3-day conference in the windy city this weekend.  It seemed like a good idea to take the whole family & show the girls the big city.  (Note to self:  Genna is banned from future outings until further notice)

All the requisite stops:  Crown Fountain, Cloud Gate (the Bean), and Oak Street Beach under the John Hancock building.  We should have skipped the beach and done Lincoln Park Zoo instead.

Genna was not hailing a cab (above).
Just waiting for the bus.
Maya was AMAZED at the scale of the buildings.  Not typically a fan of hand-holding, she latched right onto my RULE of always holding hands on the street.

Neither of them was willing to stick their arm in enough to touch a stingray.  They are much slimier than I anticipated.

@ The Shedd.  The dolphin show was Maya's
FAVORITE part of the trip.
Q: "Genna, did you like the aquarium?"
A:  "NO"

 Genna was constantly tired and or hungry.  And I quote (from a writhing floor tantrum on our last night)..... 
"Genna, you are so tired!"
"I'm NOT tired.  I'm just CRYING!"

Killing 90 minutes (to/from Evanston)
before picking Papa up to go home.

An add-on to the weekend was stopping at Grandma Glista's to camp out in the (dark) country to view the Perseid Meteor Shower on Sunday/Monday night.  However, in true Michigan style.... it rained all night.  (BTW, Grandma runs a giant lamp in her east yard all night, so it's really not totally dark anyhow).
Luckily the girls slept through the hard rain, except Maya's brief exclamation at 3am, "IT's TOO LOUD!!!!!"

Mid Summer 2013

Good thing we have a hill or else they would not be able to figure out how to slip 'n' slide.

4th of July at Fort Custer State Park.

What has proved to be more reliable than the air ballon launch at the Battle Creek Air Show?
Air Balloon traffic over our own backyard.

More Aeronautic fun.... kites in uncle Larry's hayfield.

Ew.  A dead snake.
Victim of the previous day's hay cutting?

Kalamazoo County Fair unlimited Ride pass.
Thanks Babçia & Grandma Glista!

It was a great year for berries!  We scavenged blackberries around the neighborhood and U-picked 60 lbs of big blueberries.

this sums it up

There are other, more dramatic accounts out there (here's a good one).  But this image sums it up.  

image credit unknown

P.S. - ask Jeff about his French Press.  He has an incredible story!

Spring/Summer

Maya is getting good at Jump Rope.  And you should see her Hula Hoop!

Our first bowling outing...... was about 2 years premature.  

Maya and one of her school besties on the way to the zoo.  Poor Maya was mortified that she had to be buckled (as a preschooler, unlike her kindergarten classmates.  I think this rule applies to children who are 3 years old, which is only one of the preschoolers....but Maya's teacher insisted.)

I'm sure other people have fallen into Uncle Larry's Lake, but I cannot recall any stories.  Of course, send Jeff and the girls fishing for the first time and look what happens!

SLYTHERIN!  Oh, she really does have Ankyloglossia.  Oops, we didn't clip.

Picking berries with Maritza & Angela.  I am pretty sure Genna did not contribute one berry to our harvest.  We took home 15 quarts and made 9 jars of jam.  My first canning attempt without Babçia!

Our container gardens.  I suppose 4 zucchini should not be growing in one small pot.  I transplanted one out.  Hope the other 3 do fine. 

Hangin' with cousins!  We are so glad to have David & Alex nearby.

Taekwondo master

Maya wanted a haircut

She wanted to cut her hair after Christmas, but I encouraged her to think about it for a few days and we eventually chickened out.  Yesterday she asked again I figured swift action would be best.  We only took about 3-4"

It turned out really cute and brought lots of bounce back (remember Maya's toddler curls).

Now Genna wants a haircut.