It's All Good

So we had an eventful weekend!

Friday was the last half day of school for the kids. (Yay!) They got home about 12:30, and we all went to Mikado for lunch. Jim and Aidan put away quite a lot of sushi, and Esme and I had shrimp and veggies tempura with rice. Mmmmm...

After lunch we went to see Up, which was wonderful. Such a whole family movie - something for all ages. I wept through the whole first part, and we laughed so hard at some parts that Aidan fell out of his seat. We saw it in 3-D, too, and Esme kept taking her 3-D glasses off to wipe things off of them that "flew" into her face! It was terrific.

Saturday we had breakfast at Marge's Donut Den, and despite having no other plans we were gone a long time! We spent a good morning at the Frederik Meijer Gardens, wandering around the grounds. In the swamp we saw a two turtles, a frog, and some swans; the kids played for some time in the Children's Gardens, too. Then we had lunch at Noodles & Company. After we got home Jim and Esme had a tea party while Aidan and I took a bike ride to the park and back. We rounded off the day with a spaghetti dinner.

Sunday the Dennie family came over to spend the day. We all had a great time, grilled lunch and pizzaed dinner! At one point (at least) the children got out of control - Aidan and Esme, who know better, were playing with the treadmill with Livi. They know they are not allowed on it, let alone to turn it on...and consequences happened, this time. Esme fell while she was on the treadmill and it was running. She has some very serious scrapes on her left leg - a day and a half later they are still seeping fluids and she has a lot of pain when we have to change the dressings and clean the wounds. We really hope the kids have learned their lesson about following our rules this time.

Anyway, it WAS fun to spend time with Chris, Melissa, Jordan, Livi and Caden! They have a new puppy (her name is Molly) and we're glad they had time to come over and hang out.

Today the kids and I had our eyes examined. The verdict: my vision is no worse, no better, but I did need new glasses as both my regular and spare pairs were broken. I even managed to accidentally pick a pair that I could get in an hour! Aidan's vision is significantly worse, and we ordered him new glasses and sunglasses, which we'll be able to get in about 10 days. Esme's vision is near-perfect. The doctor said she has a slight amount of farsightedness which is no concern at all - and she certainly doesn't need glasses. Yay!

On Friday while we were watching Up, Jim got a call from a project manager, and he has a project!!! He flew out today to Raleigh, North Carolina, and began work with RC Donnelly there this morning. Right now he is planning to be there through the end of November, at least. We all take a big sigh of relief and thank God for his infinite plans for good!

Now I'm going to go watch the season premiere for The Closer - Jim and I have a long-distance date to watch it together! We're going to talk at the halfway point, so that he can as usual predict the ending before it happens.

Reigning Champion

Aidan managed to hang on to his Class of 2018 Spelling Bee Champion title this afternoon at school. His last word was "denominator" - but a lot of other tough ones came up on his turn - "professional" and "chrysanthemum," for example. He did a really good job and we're proud of him.

Aidan's friend Mason did an excellent job, as well - and came in second! It had to be tough for the guys to compete directly against each other - it was sure tough for us moms! - but they both did a terrific job.

More Baby News

I just found out today that our friends Deb and Matt Vogel are expecting a new baby later this year! Congrats, Vogels! Deb and Matt have a son Andrew in second grade and a daughter Rachel in Esme's kindergarten class.

Congratulations are also due to the Schmukers, whose baby boy Jackson was born last month. Kelly Schmuker was Aidan's second grade teacher last year.

A new baby boy is also on the way to the Keller household later this year. Jodi Keller was Aidan's first grade teacher a couple of years ago, and we were kinda hoping she could be Esme's first grade teacher next year, too! We'll definitely understand if she'd prefer to be home with her new baby, but right now we don't know her plans.

New Design!

So, what do you think of my blog's new design? I'm checking out some new background and header tools, so you may see it change a lot in the next few weeks. Comments or advice, anyone?

Esme Graduates from Kindergarten

Here's Esme with her teacher, Mrs. Morrell, who came to school on her maternity leave to be there for graduation. Now that is one dedicated teacher. We love you, Mrs. Morrell!



Esme's other teacher, Mrs. Czaja, took this picture of the three of us together after graduation.



Here's Esme and her proud dad.



Here's Esme and her proud mom.



Esme and her good friend Rachel, who gives new meaning to the term "a whole head taller"!



Sweet Esme, as she rises to accept her "Great Writer" award.



Contemplating the big world of first grade.



Very serious...or very bored...



Very excited!



This is Esme's very special kindergarten award. Each of the children was singled out in a special way; Esme's writing (penmanship, topic choice, voice and style) has really become something wonderful this year...for a five-year-old, anyway! :)

My Friend Sue

Please pray for my dear friend Sue Nimmo, who has had to step down from her job due to tumors on her spine. This after a brain tumor a couple of years ago and breast cancer several years before that. Also please pray for her husband Mitch and children Jessie, Katie, Chuck and Molly.

Academic Cruise Control

So we've finally arrived at the last two weeks of the 2008-2009 school year! There's not a whole lot of "learning" going on, but the kids are sure involved in a lot of "fun" stuff.

Monday 25 May - Memorial Day vacation
Tuesday 26 May - Esme went on a field trip with her class to the library, fire station, and Houseman's (ice cream); Aidan spent the afternoon at Craig's Cruisers as a reward for earning 500 Reading Counts Points.
Wednesday 27 May - Aidan will be bowling after school as a reward for earning 400 Reading Counts Points.
Thursday 28 May - Our niece Kelsey will be graduating from high school.
Friday 29 May - Esme's kindergarten graduation ceremony will take place.
Tuesday 2 June - Aidan's class will be picnicking at the park with their pen pals; Aidan will be fishing with his science teacher after school as a reward for earning 450 Reading Counts points.
Thursday 4 June - Aidan will be participating in the third grade spelling bee.
Friday 5 June - is the last half-day of school for both children.

Jim is not yet on a billable project, but there are three possibles out there - the same US Dept. of Education project in Washington DC (which has yet to begin), a project in North Carolina with TIAA/CREF, and a project in Pittsburgh with PNC/Clarity. We are praying that billable work finds him soon.

Genetics...

This evening Aidan said: "There's a busted clock in my trash. Sweet."

Five minutes later he came downstairs in his pajamas to get the toolkit.

That would be our son.

Visiting Ours

We spent a lovely day with Scott and Cathy, Megan and Emily today at their house. We walked down to the end of the neighhhhborhood to feed the horses - when we ran out of carrots, the kids just fed them grass!


The horses were nice and gentle and the kids were geeked.


Sweet baby Emily, napping in her bouncy seat. She slept in my lap for a little while!


Megan and Esme had a great time playing together, all day. They had a picnic, played in the "kitchen," and in general got out a lot of toys and ran all over the place. We hope she didn't overdo it, but Esme enjoyed being the boss instead of the bossee for once!

We got a picture of all four cousins, for the first time! Hope you like this picture, Nee-Nee and Papa! Megan (2), Aidan (8) holding Emily (0), Esme (5).

Aidan also got to go karting with Uncle Scott...which of course included a lesson on "the line." They were both thrilled for their couple of hours out of Estrogen Land. ;)

April Showers...

So! April was certainly a busy month!

We welcomed our niece Emily Anne Hollopeter to the family on 21 April 2009. She's a little beauty and we're looking forward to visiting her and her family again tomorrow. This is Scott's picture, taken when Emily was just a few hours old.


We also welcomed our grandniece Chloe Marie Mosso Dawson to the family on 8 April 2009. We were able to meet her at her great-grandma's house on 17 April, and she's a little sweetie. This is the picture that was taken by the hospital photographers.


I had the great pleasure of taking 22 April "off" to visit with my brand-new niece Emily at the hospital with her mom and dad. Here she is, sound asleep in her dad's hands.


On Easter, Grandma Margie, Uncle Eddie and Mariah joined us at our house for an Easter luncheon and egg hunt. Here Aidan's trying to find as many eggs as possible in the least amount of time possible.


Esme looks in the tough places first!


It was fun to have cousin Mariah with us for Easter, too.


We think they found all the eggs, but time (and the lawn mower) will tell!


Here I am holding my grandniece Chloe for the first time.


Here Jim is holding his grandniece Chloe for the first time.


I think maybe Esme has watched a little too much Clone Wars; she's trying to emulate Asoka.


Eight going on eighty, looking at me over the top of his glasses. :)


Esme and cousin Samantha, playing on the deck at Grandma's house.


We had to post this picture. We just can't help it. When we downloaded these pictures from the camera, we discovered this picture and haven't stopped giggling about it since.


But this is the real one that is actually MEANT for public consumption. Nice, huh? Four generations: Jenilee Willmer at left, Margie (Peckham) Buche Lowry at center holding Chloe Marie Mosso Dawson, Joy (Buche) Willmer Knight at right.


Here Mariah is opening her birthday gift from us - The Tale of Despereaux and Kenny and the Dragon, two of our favorites. I cannot believe Mariah is nine already. It seems like yesterday I was holding her, a newborn in the hospital. *Sigh*


Wednesday night was AWANA awards night. Esme is proudly wearing her vest and holding her Sparks First Book Ribbon. We're really proud of her - she sure knows a lot of scripture!


Here Aidan is receiving his award for finishing the first year of Truth and Training curriculum. He has learned so many verses by heart...and he really holds them in his heart, too. Good job, buddy.


Jim had his thirty-seventh birthday on 1 April, and we had a chocolate-chip birthday cookie to celebrate. His mom took us all out to dinner on 4 April, also to celebrate his birthday, and that was a terrific time, too! I love my April Fool! :)

We also had a great time at Craig's Cruisers with the Dennies on 4 April, in celebration of Jordan's fourteenth birthday. Everybody's getting older!

We enjoyed our spring break, even though we didn't do anything out of the ordinary. We met the Fortunas one morning for breakfast at Marge's Donut Den, which was fun, and the kids and I spent a day with Mom and Dad in Mason...just hanging out, indoors and outdoors. It was a nice, relaxing time.

Esme and I spent an afternoon with Esme's friend Rachel and her mom Deb at their house a couple of weeks ago...and it turned out to be just the time that Emily was born! So Scott talked to Jim first, who called Ryan, since Melissa was in the field working and couldn't be reached, either. So Uncles Jim and Ryan knew about Emily joining us before Aunts Wendy and Melissa!

Esme's teacher, Mrs. Morrell, had her baby last Friday! His name is Grant William Morrell, and he was about two weeks earlier than his due date, but still quite a big healthy guy all the same. We're very happy for the Morrell family and Esme's class has transitioned really well for Mrs. Chaya, their new teacher, who was waiting in the wings for Grant to arrive.

Last Saturday Jim and I had the privilege to actually go out for once! Grandma Margie came to stay with the kids, whom she reported behaved themselves. We went to Founders, a restaurant/brewery in downtown Grand Rapids, with John and Francine Grysen, friends of ours from church. I had the best chicken salad I have ever tasted...with Craisins in it! After it got kinda crowded at Founders, we went over to Mojo's and were well-entertained by the dueling pianos for a while.

Gosh, we're old. The average age of the crowd at Mojo's was probably mid-thirties, but the median age was probably quite a bit younger than that. There were a couple of ladies there who were wearing plastic rain bonnets over their stark white tresses - clearly in the 80 and up area - they brought up the average. Anyway, the younger bunch - women anyway - was practically unclothed. People should know better than to wear dresses that show butt cheeks and chest cleavage, they really should.

On a completely unrelated note (I promise!), my brother and his wife celebrated nine years of marriage on Wednesday 29 April 2009.

My sister and her husband are celebrating ten years of marriage today, Friday 1 May 2009. Lis has a couple of good pictures from their wedding up on her Facebook page. That doesn't seem a whole decade ago, but it really has been!

We are facing some difficult issues regarding our church at the moment, and are praying a lot, trying to discern God's will for us in these matters. We have received and are receiving a lot of support from our church family and are grateful for their prayers, as well.

My granduncle James Curtis "Jack" Smith, died 23 April 2009 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He was the husband of my grandma's sister Mary Dolores (Glander) Smith, who passed away on the same day in 2003. Our deepest condolences are offered to his family, in Indiana, Texas, Oklahoma and Wisconsin. Mom was able to visit with the family during the visitation at the funeral home on Saturday.

I have sold three more of my Glander book, and am working with my cousin Geraldine Thornton on her application to the Mayflower Society. Records are slowly coming in and we're hoping for a breakthrough in the research on the early days.

I've stepped up the research on the Byers family, and I am receiving lots of responses to my letters. I sent out about 130 letters in the last three or four weeks, and most days I hear from at least one person - in a few cases, to tell me I've reached the wrong person, but in most cases, I've found the right folks and they are excited to help me and to learn more about their family history.

May promises to be busy, but not extraordinarily so! We are planning a visit to Scott and Cathy's tomorrow, and next weekend at some point we are going out to see the new Star Trek movie. Yes, indeedy, we are insufferable geeks. :)

Has anyone noticed that there is essentially nothing on TV right now? Mythbusters has started a new season (we really enjoyed this week's 1,000,000 matchheads and 1,000,000-Lego ball), but as far as good fiction, it's a desert on the airwaves. We have been watching old episodes of The Closer and Star Trek: The Next Generation.