Our latest adventure

Yesterday after church we dropped Rose E off at Jeff's parents house and then trailered the Ranger four wheeler to Sidnaw, Mi (which is about an hour away from their house). Then we went on a beautiful ride. These first three pictures where taken at the Agate falls. Of course the pictures don't do it justice. In it's hay day loggers sent logs rolling down it leading to a mill. There was a boardwalk underneath this bridge as well as a gift shop so that was neat too.
Walter was in his glory on this trip as for we went over several old train bridges, saw an old depot and some track as well as train cars. We drove all the way to Bergland and saw Lake Gogebic which is where the last picture of the trip was taken and then headed back to our starting point. It was a fun trip where we got to see many many deer, birds and lots of pretty scenery. I was surprised to see how many leaves on the trees where still green, not for long I'm sure! Walter is anxiously awaiting that snow but not me!

This boy of ours must have asked a million questions yesterday. Even ones such as why did they make this toy this way or why didn't they do this when they made it. Anyway, it was funny because he told us that he likes to ask a lot of questions because "that's the way god made me." Gotta love it. Speaking of God, in this last picture I took a picture of Walter's "airplane" created out of boxes. He worked on this contraption for hours taping one box to the next and making me, Rose E and his toy's scoot around in it. Anyway, he decorated it with marker and put on "crosses for Jesus and one with Jesus dying on the cross." As well as other artwork.

Rose E has been into singing "Eieio" lately. It is the cutest thing. She is also holding those dolls and stuffed animals (along with shoes) near and dear to her these days. It was cute because on Saturday we ate at Mc Donald's with Jeff's mom and she got a little Dorothy doll in her happy meal (which thrilled her) anyway Jeff's mom said give the doll a kiss and now she has been kissing all of her toys (as well as us). Yesterday too, when we went to pick her up from their house she had a monkey and said "hug monkey" and then gave it a hug. Her other new word has been "yes" although she still loves the power of shaking that head no with a "no, no, no."

Last but not, least I am tickled pink to finally have our van back after our whole deer ordeal. Thank goodness for insurance as for it would have cost us over $4,000 to repair but is as good as new now.

Imaginations at work!

That pretend play is coming out more and more with little Miss Rose E! On her own today she took a few bites out of this cracker and then drove it around making car noises. When all was said and done we had cracker crumbs everywhere but oh well it was fun to watch. Walter just loves it of course! Yesterday too I caught her driving her finger along the top of her crib doing the same. Oh and I had to laugh at this meal because she grabbed Walter's bowl of grapes and excitedly said "balls."
Today she also said to Jeff "what's this?" When she was playing with a little people building. She just loves hauling those little people around along with dolls, stuffed animals, and toys with strings. Back to that pretend play, today we took a trip to the dollar store and bought pipe cleaners and glitter glue. It was cute because Rose E turned a pipe cleaner into a snake and was going around saying "sss." Then when Rose E took a nap they entertained Walter for almost two hours (up until I said it's time for dinner). This boy sure does have an amazing attention span!
Anyway, it was cute because he glued the pipe cleaners onto the paper and then said they where roads and bridges leading to our house, Cyrus's house, his cousin's Kirsten and Cale's house, and both Papa's houses. Then he said he was viewing them all from his airplane in the sky.
Some of the ways he says things lately are just so cute too such as "that's the nough (that's enough) and "that's engusting (disgusting). It just puts a grand old smile on my face every time.

The kids and their expressions!

Last night at story hour I took this picture of Walter and his friend Cyrus sitting in his mom's lap while Linn the librarian read to them. Walter looks forward to going every week and as he would say he gets "encited" (excited) when Tuesdays come. He is really starting to do some deep thinking lately. The other day we drove past a smokestack and he said "mama the mining building isn't their anymore, did it get hit by a tornado?" I never thought I would be explaining the mining strike to my 3 year old son, that is for sure. He was cute tonight, he helped me with supper. I had him help me cut up vegetables for soup I made and mix in ingredients for cookies and when we where all done he said "I is proud." Talk about melt my heart. It was also cute because last week when we had our rummage sale he saw we had change for it and he said "can I borrow some money (who knows where he picked that expression up from)" when we asked what for he said "geo trax trains." So we made a deal that for chores such as helping clear the table after meals he can put ten cents into his piggy bank and when he has enough we will go out and buy some new geo trax. He was usually willing to help before but now he is really into it and loves putting his money into the bank. It is also teaching him to recognize some coins.

Yesterday I also recorded this video of Rose E's precious little voice. She had just gotten done playing with playdoh so she was holding a Popsicle stick and she was saying "see?" (see what I have) then Walter ran by in his pajamas and she said "bye bye" and you can hear her say "oopsie" and oopsie daisy" after she dropped her stick. She is saying so much now it just blows me away. Tonight I was sitting next to her when she had a snack and she said "oopsie" and I said did you drop it and she said "see this?" as she pointed to the piece of cereal that she dropped.

The latest projects

These kids sure do love their daddy!!! Don't you just love this picture of Jeff with his arms and hair sticking out of his head, looks just like him eh? I don't know if you can make it out, but Walter also copied "Daddy" there.
For a couple of years now I have been saving anything that has a picture on it, greeting cards, post cards , etc. Anyway, Walter has been practicing cutting and then gluing them onto paper to make collages. I thought this one was cute because he told me to write this little message on it for Jeff (he also copied his name on their) and then we had to tape it onto the door for him to see when he got home, what a little sweet heart! A couple days ago too I caught Rose E singing "daddy, daddy, daddy I love daddy."


Yesterday was the first day of Sunday school and then we had our annual picnic at Mclain's park. The kids love it because they always have games too and Walter won this playdoh there. Anyway, usually Rose E is napping when Walter plays with playdoh so she was thrilled to have her first stab at that funny looking green stuff. She mostly used this Popsicle stick and her fingers to poke at it and then thought it would be fun to launch pieces off the table onto the floor. She has been so into throwing lately, I can always tell when she is done eating because she starts to launch her food to the dog before saying "down" (get down). Also, when she wants something she has been saying "want that." We had to laugh too because the other night she didn't want to go to sleep so she was in her bedroom saying "me all done, down." As a protest too she will throw out her socks, toys and books from her crib then get even more mad, what a goof! Her other new words have been "chocolate" "bock, bock" for chicken and "horsey."

I also added this last picture of Walter. To keep him entertained while I was getting lunch ready today I had him sort out these fruit loops by color. Then we counted them and talked about which colors we had the most of and which colors we had the least of. I had to laugh though because they all turned into trains and each one was labeled as a train, a train plow, a hopper car, a gondola, a box car or a caboose. He sure does have a passion for those trains!

Out for a cruise

Today we had a garage sale. For our home tour we went through everything and after a month have weeded through what we don't need anymore, such as our old entertainment center. We where glad to get rid of most of what we wanted to. The kids greeted people for awhile and then Jeff let Walter take out his other power wheels (he has a lightning race car too that he has been driving lately) anyway this one can seat two so Rose E got her first ride. Jeff took this short video of the two of them cruising around the yard.They sure seem to have a good time. Talk about a couple of lucky kids!

My kooks!

This weather has been so crazy! One day it is so hot and humid outside that we can barely stand to breath outside and the next day we are in pants and jackets! Anyway Walter enjoyed his probably last swim for the summer the other day. Of course the hose was a train and it was getting "water in it's muscles." This kid just cracks me up,yesterday he told me that I won the piston cup by driving a John Deere tractor!


I had to do a double take of Chevy yesterday I thought at first,what in the heck,and then I remembered that the kids put stickers in sticker books (Rose E for the first time and she loved it,however she kept re arranging them,so I am sure that is how this happened). It was too funny to pass -up. Miss Rose E, our little dolly,has been digging the dolls lately too. It is cute she halls them around the house,feeds them, puts them into her bathtub and covers them up with blankets and a doll towel. A true girl indeed. She has also been into giving us kisses too. It is so precious just out of the blue she will come-up to Jeff or I and kiss us on the lips. As you can see in her picture with her doll she is not wearing socks. As soon as I put them on her lately they are off and chucked across the room. Walter on the other hand can't stand not to wear them or when somebody else isn't wearing them. It's funny how different they are already.

Here's the promised picture of our new/old armoire. We re arranged our living room furniture once we got it set-up and as you can see the animals approve. And my thoughts were.... and whose couch is it? oh well it's not like anybody else was using it.

On another side note. Jeff had a doctor's appointment today and his doctor said he would like him to meet with a surgeon to have his gallbladder removed. His appointment is scheduled to discuss it on Tuesday. Poor guy.

The good the bad and the ugly!

Yesterday afternoon we went out to the camp and before going there Rose E signed are we taking the Ranger four wheeler?(she made-up her own sign for Ranger) so since we hadn't planned on taking it out yesterday today we took her for her first long journey on it. I just had to snap this first picture of them walking with their helmets on, they reminded me of little bobble heads! The next one is of Rose E ready for take-off and the last two are taken up past Mohawk. It was just breathtaking! Walter of course was ecstatic to see some old mining ruins and Rose E talked to me the whole time saying "see" and then would sign tree or flower or point to something that is until she fell asleep.
It was also cute yesterday at the camp she was looking-up at the clouds and said "kitty" (a few nights ago we read a book where the kids where finding shapes in the clouds and I couldn't believe she made that association). Everyday she, we'll I should say they amaze me! Yesterday when I was changing her she started to rub her tummy and said "belly." Thank goodness she has been a happy camper because we counted today and this poor girl is getting in six teeth at once!
We also have added another piece of furniture to our decor, an old armoire (I'll have to post a picture later). After our home tour we took out our t.v in our living room and decided to get rid of our entertainment center. Anyway for a month we have debated about what to do, if we wanted to bring a t.v back in there or not and what to put it in so it doesn't stand out so much with our furniture. We liked the idea of having something antique and being able to close it off so we went with the armoire and got a new flat screen t.v and entertainment center to go in it. I am pleased with how it looks. Walter made me laugh though when we bought it he said "does that t.v play cartoons?"
Well the good also comes with the bad and the ugly because after we set-up our t.v we decided to go rent a movie, which we haven't done in ages. Needless to say we never came home with a movie because as we where heading-up the calumet hill and a deer ran right into our van. Their was no way to avoid it. It did some serious damage to our grill, headlights as well as the front section. Our poor van and that poor deer.