The Rest of September

September really went by in a flash after school started!

Esme has settled in well to second grade and is having a blast. Our school's second graders start their own company at the beginning of the school year. Each of the children has to apply for a job - they each fill out an application and have to turn in two recommendation letters - and then each child is hired for a position in the classroom. Esme is the teacher's personal secretary! She helps keep Mrs. Schmuker's spaces clean, gives spelling pre-tests to other students, and lots of other stuff. She loves it! With the "money" they earn at their jobs, the children can purchase items from the classroom store - school supplies, toys, books, etc. In the spring, each student designs, makes and sells his or her own product in the E. F. Fort Marketplace at school. Esme hasn't decided on anything yet, so we could end up making anything! When Aidan was in second grade, he made chocolate lollipops to sell at the marketplace.

Esme is also taking piano lessons and loving every minute of it! Her teacher, Mrs. Muller, is really nice and doing an excellent job. Esme has so far learned a lot about quarter, half and whole notes, and about forte and piano. She practices all of her exercises five times every day and (so far at least) it is not tough at all to get her to do her practicing.

Gymnastics classes started last night for Esme at the community center and she loves that too. They are already doing a ton of different things, including splits, bridges, balance beam and floor exercises. Hopefully this will help Esme with her flexibility and coordination!

Aidan is like a different person now that he is a fifth grader. He is so much happier, cheerful and fun when he is home, a complete about-face from his attitude last year. He put up with fourth grade, but I think he must have been miserable. He does have to get up an hour earlier, and therefore has to go to bed an hour earlier, but he is adjusting to that, too, without too much complaining. He loves his new school - Nickels Intermediate - in our district the fifth and sixth graders are in their own building, and he is just so pleased with his teachers he is happy to please them. His homeroom/math/science teacher, Mr. Van Laan is really into science, and gives the kids a lot of responsibility and expects a lot of them. His language arts/social studies teacher, Mr. Smith, is doing a lot of cool things in class and Aidan just eats it up. It is probably helpful that as both of Aidan's teachers are men, there is absolutely no chance either of them will take maternity leave this year, dumping the kids with a substitute for some unknown length of time. :)

A couple of weeks ago, Aidan came home all excited that his school music teacher was offering guitar lessons, and begged to be able to sign up. So we did! We are renting a guitar from the school system, and every Tuesday afternoon Aidan and a classmate, Ryan, meet with Mr. Shepard in the music room for their lesson. He has only had one lesson and he is already strumming, plucking and reading music. Aidan was always dead set against taking piano lessons, but I am so glad he is interested in another instrument.

Through the township recreation department, Aidan is also learning beginning fencing techniques. He has learned lots of moves, and at the last lesson the kids were loaned gloves, helmets and foils to begin practicing with them. Against the wall, so far (baby steps!) but soon they will be practicing against one another. It is really cool to watch.

Jim left Bluestone International a couple weeks ago to begin his step-by-step return to IBM. At the moment he is technically employed by Blue Direct, an IBM-exclusive organization of semi-independent contractors. He was needed immediately for a project at Amway/Alticor here in West Michigan, but it takes IBM-proper a lot longer than that to get their ducks in a row. So this is a temporary move, but a peachy-keen one. We are using COBRA to continue our insurance with BCBS Illinois, and as an independent contractor the pay is pretty nice too. When Jim does return to IBM it should be a pretty good deal all around; he will be working in a different department doing more of what he left IBM to do in the first place. In the meantime, it is sure nice to have him working locally!

Last weekend Jim and Aidan went to the Michigan - Bowling Green game in Ann Arbor. It was Aidan's first time at any football game, let alone a college game in the largest stadium in the world! The boys both had a terrific time - and Michigan won, which is also good. :)

This weekend Jim is going on a road trip with some friends to the Indiana -Michigan game in Bloomington. We will miss him, but I'm sure he'll have a great time! My sister is spending some time at Mom and Dad's, so the kids and I thought we would head there for a while on Saturday as well. The roof is done!....So who knows what project we'll be working on, but we're always glad to help. :)

Yesterday Jim and I signed the papers on our mortgage refinance, and we are the proud owners of a fifteen-year mortgage at 4.25% interest. Good stuff. Too bad our house appraised for so little (over $60K less than we paid for it in 2006), but it is working out okay. Our payments are very little more than they were, and we reduced our term by half.

It's all good! Best of fall to you all!

Adventures in September

The view of Niagara Falls from our hotel suite. :)

Seven years ago, Mom said, "I'm gonna make you and Jim a quilt for your [tenth] anniversary." Well, what with one thing and another, we received it a couple weeks ago, and it was for our 10th-15th annivesaries! It is worth the wait, however.

Journey Under the Falls!

We had a terrific little weekend getaway to Niagara Falls. It was beautiful!

I finally reached my goal of losing 27 pounds, and now weigh the same as I did when we got married. I thought it would be a good time to unseal the box my dress was in to give it a try-on. It fits! :)

Downtown Grand Rapids.

The 2010 Hollopeter family reunion in Fort Wayne was so much fun!

Here we have in the back: Mark Hollopeter, Stan Richter, Ken Post, Darrell Post, Rick Crandal (I think), Rose Griffith, Jim Crandal.

In the front: Paul Post, Hazel Crandal, Jim Crandal.

Adding another generation, roughly left to right standing: Mark Hollopeter, Wendy Lowry, Daniel Hollopeter, Kristin King, Ken Post, Julie Ward, Rose Griffith, Stan Richter, Pam Fell, Jim Crandal, Rick Crandal, Eileen Crandal, (?), Darrell Post, Doug Crandal, (?).

Seated: Paul Post, Hazel Crandal, Jim Crandal.

Okay, we've just added the next generation - Aidan Lowry, Esme Lowry, Emily King, the little girl in the front is Julie Ward's daughter, and the little boy is a Crandal baby but I'm not sure which one!

Spouses of the cousins - Rick's wife, Marcia Hollopeter, Diane Post, Joan Richter, Marsha Post?

The Maurice Hollopeter clan: Aidan, Wendy, Marcia, Kristin, Emily, Mark, Daniel, Rose, Esme.

This little girl, whom we believe is Louise Freeman, looks so much like Esme it's uncanny. We always thought she had so many McEowen and Peckham features that there wasn't room for any Hollopeter ones, but it turns out there is. :)

Louise Freeman would be Esme's first cousin three times removed.

Esme is the daughter of Wendy.

Wendy is the daughter of Mark.

Mark is the son of Maurice.

Maurice was the son of Sylvia.

Sylvia was the daughter of Katie.

Katie was the mother of George.

George was the father of Louise.

Esme at 7

Just to make a note of it somewhere...

Esme had her seven-year check-up today, and all is well except for the perforation in her eardrum, for which she has been referred to an ENT again. *Sigh*

Esme weighs 57.2 pounds, and measures 48.75 inches tall according to the doctor's office instruments (with which I'm not entirely sure I agree!). Anyway, that means she has gained 6.7 pounds, and grown 2.25 inches in the last year. She is thinner than she has ever been before, with her height and weight both right around the 60th percentile. This surprises me not at all, because she seems to barely eat. The doctor says she is perfectly healthy, however, so...okay!

August and Esme's Birthday

After trying Ryan's fried black-eyed peas, I tried an allrecipes.com recipe for falafel, using yellow split peas instead. I thought they were good, but the kids preferred Uncle Ryan's. :)

Finally, our little scaredy-cat was willing to ride her bike on pavement. Hooray! We are all looking forward to getting back on the trail, now that the youngest member of our biking party doesn't have to be towed.

We spent a day with Aunt Cathy, Megan and Emily (and a little bit with Uncle Scott) a couple weeks ago. It was excellent to catch up with them. Esme and Emily are playing with this toy that uses a stream of air to spray balls out the top. Very cool.

All the Hollopeter cousins together. Megan, Emily, Aidan & Esme.

I took the kids to the beach a couple weeks ago and we had a lovely day of playing in the sand and water. We tried to fly Aidan's new kite but didn't have a steady enough wind.

Esme buried her brother in the sand. :)

Back and forth - beach, lake, beach, lake...

Scott, Melissa and I sent Mom and Dad to the Prairie Home Companion Summer Love Tour concert at the Meijer Gardens on 11 August, as a gift for their 40th anniversary on 28 November. They loved it. :)

Aidan got a new scooter for his birthday, after borrowing practically everyone else's in the neighborhood.

We all got new bikes - Aidan and Esme needed larger ones, and Jim and I are too old to ride standard mountain bikes anymore with our back and neck problems. We got the sit-up-straight kind. Now that everyone can ride properly, we're hoping to get out on the trails a lot more next year.

After Esme got all ready for pictures, she opened her birthday presents! She got nice cards from Great-Aunt Jean, Grandma Margie, Uncle Eddie and Mariah, Mom and Dad, and Aidan.

Esme got a scooter too! We didn't even know she wanted one, but she told Grandma and Grandpa it was her deepest desire. :)

From Mom and Dad, Esme got a new DS game, a new computer game...

...and four new fairy books!

Ta-da! She's seven!

At the beach the waves were super high and the park service was flying the RED flag!

Moms never really relax at the beach, but on red flag day...even less!

The kids spent hours just letting the waves crash over themselves. They had a blast.

Jim took some artsy pictures as well. :)

The kids have gotten along so well this summer that it's almost a shame to send them off to separate schools this fall. They have really enjoyed each other's company.

Aidan likes to take the waves right in the face. :)

Before leaving the beach, I made sure to get cooled off too.

Back at home it was time for cake!

Esme puffed those candles right out!

Esme's Seventh Birthday

Our little girl turned seven years old today!

She chose to have her birthday portraits taken at Meijer Gardens. We all had fun finding cool places to take her picture!

This one just shows how silly she can be. :)

Here's what happens when you tell her to open her eyes wider. :)

There's our cute little elf girl.

Clearly the sculpture behind her doesn't have the sun in its eyes.

Jim said, "Esme, look like you're thinking..."

We wish our dear girl the happiest of birthdays and many blessings for her 8th year!