I never really planned on continuing these bucket lists each season, but I’ve kind of enjoyed doing them. So I figure I’ll continue them until they are no longer fun for me to do. :)
Today marks the first official day of spring. Although you wouldn’t really know it with a temp in the 20s and a few inches of snow on the ground. Its crazy to think back to one year ago today when we were setting records with temps in the 80s! However, I am very thankful we are not following in last year’s footsteps with our weather patterns this year. Michigan agriculture (namely the fruit industry) took an immense negative hit due to the extra warm and early spring last year. Our own personal home orchard and fruit did, as well. So in that respect, I happily accept the snow that is on the ground… well sort of. :)
So anyway, here is what I hope we’ll have the opportunities for this spring… again, in absolutely no particular order (other than that of which it comes to mind).
1. Make a decision as to which school Carson will attend for Kindergarten and take care of all necessary paperwork.
2. Celebrate Easter with family and convey the true meaning to our kids. (We don’t do the Easter bunny at all, really.)
3. Celebrate birthdays with family and friends.
4. Go bowling together as a family.
5. Softball season starts at the beginning of May (through our church). Kevin will be playing, but the kids and I hope to make it to all (or most) of the games, too.
6. Visit a science center or museum together as a family.
7. Take family bike rides as weather allows.
8. Plan and plant a small vegetable garden. Encourage Carson to help.
9. Take a road trip.
10. Visit LegoLand Discovery Center in Schaumburg, IL.
11. Finish the kitchen floor and trim work.
12. Visit a local park that we have never been to before.
13. Spring cleaning – continue to clean out at least one cupboard, cabinet, or drawer per week (4 are done so far); continue to clean baseboards in one room per week (dining and living rooms are done so far); continue washing walls in one room per week (dining and living rooms done so far); clean large appliances inside and out; organize freezers; wash windows inside and out; wash curtains and blinds; and other tasks.
14. Shop at the farmers’ market once they start up in May.
15. Fly a kite.
16. Pursue photo business logo development and branding. Prepare to implement new website.
17. Feed the ducks at a local park.
18. Make a bird feeder with the kids.
19. Have a family game night once a month.
20. Plan Bristol’s 1st birthday party.
21. Play in the rain and/or mud puddles.
22. Visit the library for story time and/or other kids’ activities.
23. Build on Carson’s artistic abilities by encouraging even more art and craft projects. Take him shopping to the craft store for new ideas.
24. Have fun with sidewalk chalk outdoors. Play hopscotch.
25. Go on family hikes as often as weather and schedule permits.
26. Visit the baby chicks and ducklings at Tractor Supply Co.
27. Make garden stepping stones with the kids.
28. Go to Tulip Time in Holland.
29. Go to a butterfly exhibit (MSU Childrens Gardens or Fred Meijer Gardens or Dow).
30. FaceTime with friends and family from out of state.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Winter Bucket List - How Did We Do?
Well, since winter officially ends this week, I figured I would post a quick update on how we did with our winter bucket list. We did pretty well and accomplished almost everything. It's been a busy, but fun winter!
1. Celebrate Christmas! Convey the true meaning to our kids (though we do Santa, as well... but with a very limited focus). Spend time with our families at our Christmas parties. Check! We had a lovely Christmas season and spent lots of time with all sides of our families.
2. Build a snowman. Check! We have made several. Some of them were even painted. :)
3. Go sledding. Check!
4. Teach Carson to ice skate and/or ski. Check... well sorta. We bought Carson some skis and spent quite a bit of time on them outside. I wouldn't call him an accomplished skier yet, but he's learning and doing better each time. :)
5. Drive around neighborhoods to admire all of the beautiful Christmas lights. Check! Many times over.
6. Meet up with family from the west side in the Lansing area. This did not end up working out, unfortunately... at least not with the kids. I did meet my SIL in Lansing for a conference called Among Friends, though.
7. Make snow angels in freshly fallen snow. Check! This was done every time it snowed... even when we just got a dusting, Carson wanted to go make snow angels. :)
8. Have a snowball fight. Check!
9. Build a snow fort. Check! We've made a few snow forts out of the snow plowed from the driveway.
10. Do some snow painting! Check! We painted snow red, green, and blue on a couple of different occasions. Sometimes we even painted the snowman.
11. Make Christmas ornaments. Check! We didn't do as many as I'd have liked, but we did do a couple.
12. Go to a snow/ice sculpture festival (Frankenmuth?). This did not happen. We thought about going up to Frankenmuth for their festival, but decided to just spend the day playing outside at home instead. We did go to the Detroit Boat Show, though... not quite a snow/ice sculpture festival, but it was still a lot of fun. :)
13. Pop some fresh popcorn, get the sleeping bags out, and have a family movie night/camp out in the living room. We did this, sort of. We didn't end up camping out in the living room because Carson didn't want to that night. But we did pop popcorn and watch a movie that Carson picked out (Lion King).
14. Attend at least one Calvin basketball game. Check!
15. Celebrate Carson's 5th birthday! Check! We had two parties, one with each side of the family.
16. Celebrate birthdays for Papa, Grandpa, Daddy, Grandma, and Nana. (As well as some cousins' birthdays, too.) Check! We went to dinner for Papa's bday, a basketball game for Grandpa's, had some cupcakes at home for Daddy, went to lunch after church for Grandma, and we'll do something for Nana this week (her birthday is Thursday). We've also been to a birthday party for Mackenzey and we're waiting to hear if anything is being planned for our niece and nephew's birthdays that are coming up in the next couple of weeks.
17. Take Carson to see a movie in the theater. We did not get to do this.
18. Attend a live show (Wharton Center family series?). Check! We went to the Shrine Circus on January 16th.
19. Install new kitchen floor. Check! Although it still needs the finishing touches, but the main floor is in. :)
20. Pursue photo business branding, new website, Valentine's Day mini sessions, etc. I'm pursuing it, but haven't made any substantive changes quite yet. Maybe soon. I am working with a friend who is a graphic artist to develop a logo to begin the branding process.
1. Celebrate Christmas! Convey the true meaning to our kids (though we do Santa, as well... but with a very limited focus). Spend time with our families at our Christmas parties. Check! We had a lovely Christmas season and spent lots of time with all sides of our families.
2. Build a snowman. Check! We have made several. Some of them were even painted. :)
4. Teach Carson to ice skate and/or ski. Check... well sorta. We bought Carson some skis and spent quite a bit of time on them outside. I wouldn't call him an accomplished skier yet, but he's learning and doing better each time. :)
5. Drive around neighborhoods to admire all of the beautiful Christmas lights. Check! Many times over.
6. Meet up with family from the west side in the Lansing area. This did not end up working out, unfortunately... at least not with the kids. I did meet my SIL in Lansing for a conference called Among Friends, though.
7. Make snow angels in freshly fallen snow. Check! This was done every time it snowed... even when we just got a dusting, Carson wanted to go make snow angels. :)
8. Have a snowball fight. Check!
9. Build a snow fort. Check! We've made a few snow forts out of the snow plowed from the driveway.
10. Do some snow painting! Check! We painted snow red, green, and blue on a couple of different occasions. Sometimes we even painted the snowman.
12. Go to a snow/ice sculpture festival (Frankenmuth?). This did not happen. We thought about going up to Frankenmuth for their festival, but decided to just spend the day playing outside at home instead. We did go to the Detroit Boat Show, though... not quite a snow/ice sculpture festival, but it was still a lot of fun. :)
14. Attend at least one Calvin basketball game. Check!
16. Celebrate birthdays for Papa, Grandpa, Daddy, Grandma, and Nana. (As well as some cousins' birthdays, too.) Check! We went to dinner for Papa's bday, a basketball game for Grandpa's, had some cupcakes at home for Daddy, went to lunch after church for Grandma, and we'll do something for Nana this week (her birthday is Thursday). We've also been to a birthday party for Mackenzey and we're waiting to hear if anything is being planned for our niece and nephew's birthdays that are coming up in the next couple of weeks.
17. Take Carson to see a movie in the theater. We did not get to do this.
18. Attend a live show (Wharton Center family series?). Check! We went to the Shrine Circus on January 16th.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
A Busy January
We started off January with a relaxing New Years Day spent at home. We just enjoyed some family time and took it easy most of the day. It was nice to have some down-time after a busy holiday season before returning to work the following day.
Since all of the schools in Genesee County closed a couple of days early prior to Christmas break, Carson had his preschool Christmas party on Wednesday, January 2nd and his Christmas program on Friday, January 4th. I went in for his party at school. I thought it might be really strange, to be celebrating Christmas so late... but it really didn't feel that strange at all. The kids sang some songs for the parents and did a small enactment of the Christmas Story, exchanged some gifts with their teachers, and ate some tasty treats. It was a lot of fun and so cute, as always.
We all went to Carson's Christmas program on Friday night, too. We were so excited that much of our families could be there to support Carson and make him feel extra special, too! Thanks, Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Danny, Aunt Julie, Uncle Jason, Anna, Joel, Jonah, Nana, Papa, Great Poppy, Uncle Mike and Aunt Jeri!! Carson sang very well this year - you could definitely pick his voice out of the group, LOL! The program was very nice and it was a good time.
We took a trip down to Sterling Heights to visit our friend, Ben, and his son, Anthony. This was our first time seeing Ben's new condo - which was really nice! It was great to see them and catch up.
Kevin found out he had a kidney stone on the 8th. Thankfully his pain levels were not as bad as others have experienced with kidney stones, but it was still quite a discomfort for him and lasted most of the month.
We got to see Auntie Jaime and Grant while they were home one weekend. Auntie Jaime is expecting baby #2 in May and this was probably the last time we'll see them until they have the baby. As always, our time together felt way too short, but we take what we can get. :)
We had our neighbors over for dinner one night, which was a lot of fun. We had a nice time visiting and Carson and Jace had a blast together. They played with all of Carson's toys, built Legos, played the Wii, and just ran around having fun.
We took Carson to the Shrine Circus. We left Bristol home with Nana and we met our neighbors there. It was Carson's first trip to the circus and he had a lot of fun! He got to ride an elephant for the first time, too!
Bristol came down with her first cold. Luckily there was only one rough day and it didn't end up being that bad of a cold.
My parents bought us a new kitchen floor for Christmas. So we spent a weekend installing it. It's still not completely done, but its mostly done and looks great! Such a big improvement over the last floor!!
I hosted a Thirty One party with some friends and family on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which was fun! Its always good to have a girls' night!
I also started taking some Zumba classes twice a week with my neighbor, Kerri. We've been having a lot of fun, all while getting a decent workout, too. :)
In addition to all of this, we played in the snow, made art projects, went on some winter nature walks, went to story time at the library, had a play date, and did lots of baking and cooking with the kids. Carson still enjoys helping to bake and cook and Bristol is starting to get very interested in it already, too. Mostly, I think she just wants to do everything her brother does, but she does enjoy it. :)
Bristol is continuing to be a good eater. This was her first time trying green beans and it was so funny! She now eats them with no complaint, but it took quite a few times trying them.
Since all of the schools in Genesee County closed a couple of days early prior to Christmas break, Carson had his preschool Christmas party on Wednesday, January 2nd and his Christmas program on Friday, January 4th. I went in for his party at school. I thought it might be really strange, to be celebrating Christmas so late... but it really didn't feel that strange at all. The kids sang some songs for the parents and did a small enactment of the Christmas Story, exchanged some gifts with their teachers, and ate some tasty treats. It was a lot of fun and so cute, as always.
We took a trip down to Sterling Heights to visit our friend, Ben, and his son, Anthony. This was our first time seeing Ben's new condo - which was really nice! It was great to see them and catch up.
Kevin found out he had a kidney stone on the 8th. Thankfully his pain levels were not as bad as others have experienced with kidney stones, but it was still quite a discomfort for him and lasted most of the month.
We got to see Auntie Jaime and Grant while they were home one weekend. Auntie Jaime is expecting baby #2 in May and this was probably the last time we'll see them until they have the baby. As always, our time together felt way too short, but we take what we can get. :)
We had our neighbors over for dinner one night, which was a lot of fun. We had a nice time visiting and Carson and Jace had a blast together. They played with all of Carson's toys, built Legos, played the Wii, and just ran around having fun.
Bristol came down with her first cold. Luckily there was only one rough day and it didn't end up being that bad of a cold.
My parents bought us a new kitchen floor for Christmas. So we spent a weekend installing it. It's still not completely done, but its mostly done and looks great! Such a big improvement over the last floor!!
I hosted a Thirty One party with some friends and family on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which was fun! Its always good to have a girls' night!
I also started taking some Zumba classes twice a week with my neighbor, Kerri. We've been having a lot of fun, all while getting a decent workout, too. :)
In addition to all of this, we played in the snow, made art projects, went on some winter nature walks, went to story time at the library, had a play date, and did lots of baking and cooking with the kids. Carson still enjoys helping to bake and cook and Bristol is starting to get very interested in it already, too. Mostly, I think she just wants to do everything her brother does, but she does enjoy it. :)
Bristol is continuing to be a good eater. This was her first time trying green beans and it was so funny! She now eats them with no complaint, but it took quite a few times trying them.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
December 2012
December seems like such a blur right now. We returned from Disney on November 30th and it was pretty much a whirlwind until Christmas. Lots of shopping and prepping for Christmas. We also went to our niece, Anna's, orchestra concert (she plays the violin). We also went to Anna's school play in which she played the lead role.
In early December, there were lots of protests in downtown Lansing for some bills that were being pushed through during the legislative lame duck session. I work across the street/just behind the Capitol and got to see it all. The police presence downtown for a couple of weeks there was quite impressive. On December 11th, the biggest protest took place with thousands of people. I brought my camera to work that day and walked over on a break to check things out. The protests were mostly peaceful, though the whole ambience was reminiscent of being in East Lansing during the riots during my MSU days.
Bristol, Kevin, and I played the part of the Holy Family in our church's annual Journey to Bethlehem, which is a live walk-through nativity. We went through it as a family on Friday night (the 14th) and then we played our part on Saturday night.
We were planning for Carson's preschool Christmas program and class Christmas party on December 20th and 21st, but they ended up being postponed until January when all of the schools in Genesee County were closed two days early before Christmas break.
On Saturday, the 22nd, we went over to Kevin's sister's house for a surprise party for our brother-in-law who was turning 40. Uncle Justin, Aunt Mary, Rebecca, and Abram made the trip for it, too, and we were fortunate enough to be able to spend some time with them at our house before the party. It was great to have some time with them to catch up a little and let the kids play. Then we all headed over to Aunt Julie's for Uncle Jason's surprise party. He had no idea and was totally surprised!
We started up our Christmas activities on Sunday, the 23rd at Nana and Papa's house with Nana, Papa, Aunt Lindsay and Dave, Great Grandma Jackie, and the four of us. We all went to lunch at Panera after church and then headed over to Nana and Papa's house to open gifts and visit. We all got some very nice gifts. Carson's big gift from Nana and Papa was an iPod Touch, which he was so excited about, as well as some Legos, toys and clothes. Bristol got lots of fun toys and cute outfits. Kevin and I got a new kitchen floor (its currently on order) and some money.
On Christmas Eve, we went over to Aunt Sharon's house for Christmas with the Burge family. We enjoyed a great meal, laughter, visiting, and exchanged some more great gifts. The adults always do a $20 man/woman gift exchange and the kids all receive gifts from the aunts/uncles. I think all of the kids were happy with their generous gifts. :)
On Christmas, we celebrated at home as a family in the morning. Santa brought Carson some Legos and Bristol a vanity mirror toy. They also received some gifts from Kevin and I. We did not buy them much this year, though, since we all went to Disney. That was our gift for ourselves this year.
We headed over to Grandpa and Grandma's house in the afternoon for Christmas with the Hollebooms. As usual, everyone was very generous and the tree was overflowing with gifts. The kids all loved all of their gifts. Carson's big gift was a Walt Disney World Monorail set and Contemporary Resort! He was SO excited and just screamed when he unwrapped it! After gifts, we had a nice meal and spent lots of time visiting and just having a good time. It was a great day.
On Saturday, the 29th, we made the trip west to Hudsonville to celebrate Christmas with Great Grandpa and Great Grandma Van. We had another nice meal, exchanged gifts, and spent lots of time visiting. It was great to see them looking so healthy and well!
Kevin had the time between Christmas and New Years off from work. I had to work a couple of days, but it wasn't too bad. We actually had a white Christmas this year and received more snow in the days after Christmas, so we spent some time playing out in the snow. Bristol went sledding for the first time and Carson got to try out his new skis.
So that was our December. We were very blessed to have spent time with those that we love as we celebrated the birth of our savior. We cherish our time spent together and the memories that we have made as we look forward to the new year. We hope that you all had a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year!
In early December, there were lots of protests in downtown Lansing for some bills that were being pushed through during the legislative lame duck session. I work across the street/just behind the Capitol and got to see it all. The police presence downtown for a couple of weeks there was quite impressive. On December 11th, the biggest protest took place with thousands of people. I brought my camera to work that day and walked over on a break to check things out. The protests were mostly peaceful, though the whole ambience was reminiscent of being in East Lansing during the riots during my MSU days.
Bristol, Kevin, and I played the part of the Holy Family in our church's annual Journey to Bethlehem, which is a live walk-through nativity. We went through it as a family on Friday night (the 14th) and then we played our part on Saturday night.
We were planning for Carson's preschool Christmas program and class Christmas party on December 20th and 21st, but they ended up being postponed until January when all of the schools in Genesee County were closed two days early before Christmas break.
On Saturday, the 22nd, we went over to Kevin's sister's house for a surprise party for our brother-in-law who was turning 40. Uncle Justin, Aunt Mary, Rebecca, and Abram made the trip for it, too, and we were fortunate enough to be able to spend some time with them at our house before the party. It was great to have some time with them to catch up a little and let the kids play. Then we all headed over to Aunt Julie's for Uncle Jason's surprise party. He had no idea and was totally surprised!
We started up our Christmas activities on Sunday, the 23rd at Nana and Papa's house with Nana, Papa, Aunt Lindsay and Dave, Great Grandma Jackie, and the four of us. We all went to lunch at Panera after church and then headed over to Nana and Papa's house to open gifts and visit. We all got some very nice gifts. Carson's big gift from Nana and Papa was an iPod Touch, which he was so excited about, as well as some Legos, toys and clothes. Bristol got lots of fun toys and cute outfits. Kevin and I got a new kitchen floor (its currently on order) and some money.
On Christmas Eve, we went over to Aunt Sharon's house for Christmas with the Burge family. We enjoyed a great meal, laughter, visiting, and exchanged some more great gifts. The adults always do a $20 man/woman gift exchange and the kids all receive gifts from the aunts/uncles. I think all of the kids were happy with their generous gifts. :)
On Christmas, we celebrated at home as a family in the morning. Santa brought Carson some Legos and Bristol a vanity mirror toy. They also received some gifts from Kevin and I. We did not buy them much this year, though, since we all went to Disney. That was our gift for ourselves this year.
We headed over to Grandpa and Grandma's house in the afternoon for Christmas with the Hollebooms. As usual, everyone was very generous and the tree was overflowing with gifts. The kids all loved all of their gifts. Carson's big gift was a Walt Disney World Monorail set and Contemporary Resort! He was SO excited and just screamed when he unwrapped it! After gifts, we had a nice meal and spent lots of time visiting and just having a good time. It was a great day.
On Saturday, the 29th, we made the trip west to Hudsonville to celebrate Christmas with Great Grandpa and Great Grandma Van. We had another nice meal, exchanged gifts, and spent lots of time visiting. It was great to see them looking so healthy and well!
Kevin had the time between Christmas and New Years off from work. I had to work a couple of days, but it wasn't too bad. We actually had a white Christmas this year and received more snow in the days after Christmas, so we spent some time playing out in the snow. Bristol went sledding for the first time and Carson got to try out his new skis.
So that was our December. We were very blessed to have spent time with those that we love as we celebrated the birth of our savior. We cherish our time spent together and the memories that we have made as we look forward to the new year. We hope that you all had a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year!
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