snuggins

one of my favorite parts of being a daddy is the times when ledger and I get to have some snuggins time!  when diana or I are sitting on the couch and ledge starts poking around with no purpose, we know that he's got one thing in mind- snuggins!  he just loves to cuddle and so do we!  getting the chance to just nuzzle up next to him and show our affection through hugs brings all of us so much joy.  we are definitely a hugging family.  I always love to spend a little bit of time snuggin and chatting about the day or some silly idea he has while we sit on the couch.  ledger's one goal in life is to make his mama and daddy laugh- and it happens often!

we have asked him before if he is always going to let us snug with him and he has said yes.  even when you're 17? 'yup' he replied, even when you're 27? 'yup' he replied.  alright buddy, we are holding you to that...  see, we've got it right here in writing for the whole world to see!

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balentimes day fun

another fun holiday to celebrate at school!  its valentines day, or as ledger calls it 'balentimes day'.  we got a bunch of valentines to fill out for his classmates.  he got some silly ones with cats, and they came with suckers that had emoji faces on them.  if you stick the emoji face directly on your tongue then it comes off like some sort of edible temporary tattoo.  ledge was very interested in this feature, as you would guess, so he tried one out.  the first time it didn't work, but then he got it to stick on the second try.  he was very pleased!  we had a good laugh and finished up the cards.  he brought them to school and the whole class had a great valentines day party!
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snack for daddy

wanting to make me a special treat for when I got up from a nap, ledger raided his trick or treating candy (yes, its january and he still has some left- now that's self control!).  he took the twizzlers and attached a piece of bubble gum to one of them and a sucker that had lost it's stick to the other one...  not the most nutritious of snacks, but certainly a unique treat!  he took the time to get me a cup of water and even a specially made sign so I would know that it was a treat for me.  the snack wasn't exactly delicious, but I was so impressed with his ingenuity and the kindness of making something special just for me!

I sure do have a sweet son- and a sweet snack too! 

riding the bus

we have been having some issues with our car lately.  the transmission went out.  ugh.  we brought it in to be worked on, but that unfortunately leaves us with only one vehicle.  it can work fine most days, but on days I work then we have no way to bring ledger to school.  the only option we could see was temporarily signing him up for bus rides.  he was all for this idea- he's really excited to ride the bus!  we've been holding off on this because he's only in first grade, kinda young to be riding the bus by himself.  he had to get up a bit early to make the bus, but he didn't care, he just wanted to ride the bus!  after the first day he ejoyed it so much that he let him ride for the rest of the week too.  we finally got our car back, so his career as a bus rider came to an end, but he sure did love it!

robit

one of the Christmas gifts he got was a kit for making a robot (or as we call them, robits).  we took the opportunity on a free afternoon to put it together.  it was a fairly simple device, it has wheels that go forward until it hits something, then it turns and goes backwards until it hits something again.  we pieced together all the bits, screwing in the nuts and bolts, attaching the wires, and finally putting a battery in it to see it work.  we put it on the kitchen floor and let it go.  it was hilarious to watch it root around back and forth!  then we had an idea- we gathered up a bunch of his hardcover books and built a maze on the floor for it to try and get through.  it was really funny to see it bonk one side and try to figure out how to wander down through the path!  it sure was a fun little robit to play with for an afternoon!

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balancing art

ledger is a very artistic kid.  before he was able to draw he would express himself by putting his toys in silly positions.  we would always call this his 'balance art'.  he hasn't done it in a while, but while taking a bath he was busy at it again.  he called me in to check it out- and it was fantastic!  I couldn't resist the chance to add another entry into his balancing art catalog!

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taking down the tree

with another successful Christmas season behind us, it was time to face reality and take down the tree.  this process is quite a bit different than putting the tree up.  everyone is excited to put it up  and make a special occasion of it, but no one wants to help take it down!  I rounded up ledger anyway and made him help me.  we still had a fun time getting it down, and ledger found some ways to be silly.  the best one was that he took the Christmas tree skirt and tried it on for himself!  looking good in a skirt, buddy!

rental issues

everything has been going so well lately that of course there had to be a problem with the rental property...  here's what seems to have happened: the pipes got backed up and so the renter called a plumber.  they came and rooted down the toilet but it didn't help at all.  the renter called me and I got the plumber I trust to come in and take care of it.  he did, but by then the damage was done.  some of the waste water had backed up into the place and got pretty nasty.  we got the whole thing taken care of (other than some cleaning), or so I thought...  the renter on the other side wasn't home the weekend this happened.  when he came home he found quite a surprise: his bathroom was covered in sewer platter!  he was super mad when he called to let me know.  I headed down there to try and get to the bottom of this.  turns out, the first plumber thought it would be a good idea to root through the toilet, but here's the problem: the pipe for the toilet is a straight pipe connection with the toilet on the other rental side.  that means that the rooter just went in one toilet and out the other.  as soon as they turned on the spinner blades, they totally destroyed the toilet on the other side, splattering all the waste everywhere!  ugh.  I replaced the toilet, cleaned the bathroom hazmat style, and got it all taken care of.  there were some angry renters, but I finally solved the issue.  well, solved that problem anyway...  about two days later the water heater and furnace gave out.  of course.  so we had to get someone to come in and replace both of them.  so much for making any money on this place this year...  we have got to get rid of this place.

cabin again

the annual tradition of going to the cabin continues.  it was a little smaller group than usual, with this being our first trip up without our beloved jeffry lee.  unfortunately jon was not able to come either, but at least we had dusty, aaron, and adam!
we met up at Aarons,  a little earlier than years past, that way we got a some more time up there.  we stopped for lunch in big rapids and then headed all the way up.  it took some getting used to not having jeffry lee there, he was always the one who was extra loud and excitable- so the rest of us had to make up for it!  dusty took over the fire starting duties, and by 1pm we were all cozy and ready for some fun.  the day brought a lot of silliness, great stories, crazy games, and some really great conversations.  after a visit to sporties for dinner, the party continued well into the wee hours of the night.  the best part of these trips is the renewing of friendships through the deeper discussions that happen at the end of the night.  there was a lot of talking about life, relationships, and deeper purpose.
this was our 18th year of the cabin tradition, and it keeps getting better!
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prizes time!

let the festivities begin!  after ledge got his new pajamas on (which he loved), then its time to dig into the overflowing mound of gifts!  we took our time, letting him open each gift individually and taking a few minutes to play with each thing as he got it.  his excitement with each new gift was a real joy to watch- as a father I really understand the sentiment how its better to give than to receive.  its such a delight to see that little toothless grin on his face as he marvels at each one of the gifts he opens. 

we made sure to get ledger involved in gift giving this year as well, both diana and I took him out to find gifts for each of us.  its good for him to understand that he's not the only one who gets gifts, and allow him to feel some of that joy in giving as well.  diana and I got each other a few things as well, so everyone was enjoying some new things Christmas morning.

ledge spent the rest of the day playing with a toy for a little while, then moving over to one of his other toys.  he jumped back and forth all day having a great time.  we had insisted with our extended families that we did not want to have any plans for Christmas day, which we were very thankful for.  we didn't have anywhere to go, so we were able to just have a wonderfully relaxing day with just our family!

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christmas breakfast

one of the Christmas traditions in our family is Christmas morning breakfast.  first thing we do after ledger wakes us up is pop open a container of cinnamon rolls. we don't really eat these at any other time in the year, so its kind of a special treat for all of us.  its a yummy way to start the special day and it also gets the place smelling really good!  once our bellies are full, then its time to rip into them prizes!

waking up christmas morn

its here! its here! its finally Christmas morning!  our boy was super excited as he woke up and walked out into the living room to see a bunch of prizes under the tree!  he came storming into our room to let us know that santa had come during the night and left us tons of stuff!  we hopped out of bed and took in the beautiful sight of the tree and all the gifts.  we were in for a very fun morning!   we let ledger open one gift first thing: a new pair of pajamas.  we give him a new set every year and have him open it first thing- that way he puts them on and looks great in all the pictures!

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brinkmas!

Christmas is almost here, so its time for Christmas with the family!  we started the festivities this year with my family.  we unfortunately had to celebrate without chad and miyuki this year, but that did mean that we had a small enough group that we could fit comfortably at mema and papa's place.  in preparation for the night, ledger decided that he wanted to dress in his best: button down shirt, bowtie and vest!  he's always looking for an excuse to get fancy.  we had a lot of fun chowing down, chatting it up, and tearing open some prizes! it's been interesting as Christmas has changed over the years.  when we were kids we got tons of toys and things to play with.  as we got older and started getting married, the toys disappeared to make way for more clothes and household items- you know, stuff that isn't nearly as fun.  the cycle happened again as Jackson, jaideyn, and avery were born.  as they get older though, I'm starting to see the change to clothes instead of toys.  but then ledge showed up and is still all about them toys!  through it all we have always had an awesome time together and trying to surprise each other with thoughtful gifts.  all in all, another rousing success!

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art hop 2018

we love our small town of Allegan, and so does the rest of the town- they are throwing celebrations and festivals almost every weekend!  this weekend was no different.  it was time for the annual art hop!  its a special night where there are a bunch of amazing local artists who set up showcases to display thier arts and crafts for sale and everyone wanders around downtown checking it all out and just enjoying the wonderful community together.  for the special event they also offer hot chocolate with marshmallows and horse drawn carriage rides around town!  we always like to make an evening of it and start off by going to the regent movie theater and watch a wonderful Christmas classic (this year's was 'frosty the snowman'!) and then spend the evening wandering around checking it all out.  we always have a great time, even if it is a bit cold...

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