daddy portrait

Ledger was drawing recently and decided to challenge himself.  His typical style is very stylized cartoony, but he wanted to try drawing realistically for a change.  He made the choice that he wanted to draw a portrait of me.  Um, ok.  He still wanted to continue with his medium of choice, pen, so there wouldn't be any shading or color, just ink lines.  I sat at the table across from him so he could study his subject.  Having had no formal training of how to structure a face using proportions and structure, I think he did really great for a first attempt!  Does it look like me? not at all, but there is something in there that he captured, I think.  See for yourself here!

trick or treat encore

Ledger had had a lot of fun trick or treating with Savannah and her family, but was disappointed that we were done so soon.  Diana and I gave each other a little glance on the way back to Allegan, and I asked 'well buddy, do you want to do some more?' His eyes widened, 'can we?!?'  So instead of going straight home we drove down to the busiest streets and pulled into a parking spot.  'Lets go!' I exclaimed to him, and the two of us were off!  Diana stayed in the car, trying to warm up.  Ledge and I went up and down one more street trying to get another round of trick or treating in before the night was done.  Pleased with his extreme luck, we happily came back to the car, victorious.  We drove back home and on our street we saw that there were still some kids going door to door.  I asked him as we pulled into our driveway 'do we dare go out for a FOURTH time?'  He screamed with excitement at the possibility!  So, we walked up and down our street, trying to get in as many houses as we could before the night was finally through.  We finally walked into the house, soaking wet but with Ledger beaming with joy at the fact that we went trick or treating four times in one night.  This will be a Halloween he won't soon forget!

trick or treating proper

Finally it was time for the main event!  Ledger was really unsure about our plans.  We had made plans with Savannah's family to meet up with them to trick or treat.  The problem that was really bothering Ledger was the fact that we drove over to Plainwell to do it.  He did not like that we weren't going to go to the same houses we go to every year.  His trepidation melted away once we pulled up and saw Savannah and all her family.  Now he was pumped!  We started our trek through the neighborhood trick or treating.  It was a little rough going because of the terrible weather- it was rain/snowing and very cold.  All the kids were troopers though and pushed through the unfortunate weather.  There was even one house that had a spooky maze set up in their front yard.  Savannah was up for it but Ledge was hesitant.  I said I'd go through it with them, then he was feeling a lot better about it.  They were kind enough to take it really easy on us and Ledger felt really proud of himself when we finished- he was so brave!  He actually wanted to go though again- now that he had faced death and come through the other side, he wanted another taste of that rush!  After making our way through the neighborhood Savannah's family was ready to call it quits.  We thanked them for a really memorable time and headed home.  Or did we?
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downtown trick or treating

When Ledger got home from school he was really antsy.  He had to wait another two hours before he would get to go trick or treating and it was killing him!  Knowing that something had to be done, I told him to grab his costume cause we are going downtown.  He was a little confused but excited.  We drove down and saw all the different people wandering from one shop to the other.  I explained to Ledge that all the shops downtown were having a time to trick or treat too!  He was thrilled with the chance to show off his costume and so we went to each place and he chatted with as many random people as he possibly could, telling them all about how he is a 'classic ghosty' this year, but now he's also wearing a witch's hat.  Some of the shop owners humored him and shared his excitement about the special costume.  By the time we made it all the way up and down the main street, he was so pleased about the unexpected extra trick or treating.  We headed home and he gushed to Diana about how much fun he had!  Well buddy, we are just getting started...
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school halloween parade

Ledger popped out of bed and excitedly exclaimed 'Daddy!  Mama!  It's Halloween today!' and the grin on his face stayed their all the way to school!  School has a special Halloween parade where the kids put on their costumes and walk all the way through the school, showing off to all the other students before they have a special Halloween party in their classrooms.  The parents are invited to come to the gym and witness the processional.  Of course Diana and I were there for it!  It was fun to see all the kids dressed up, seeing a lot of different cartoon characters portrayed, and a million princesses.  But to be honest, Ledger was the only classic ghosty in the whole school.  He was quite proud of that, too!  He ran over to see us after the parade, still smiling from ear to ear (or at least I think he was, it was kinda hard to tell under the sheet...)!
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big costume decision

For the past couple months Ledger has been really struggling with figuring out what he wants for his Halloween costume.  It's been a big challenge.  Ever since last Halloween he has said that he wants to be cat or a robot, but now as the big day approaches, he's not so sure about those two choices.  It's become a bit of an existential crisis for our little seven year old...  We've been telling him for the past couple weeks that he needs to make his decision so we can get started with making his new costume.  Well, he finally made a decision: he went with neither.  Instead he wanted to use the same costume that he used last year, the classic ghosty!  Except with one important exception, this year he wants to get a witch's hat for it.  We asked him a couple more times to see if he was certain and he was.  After the decision was made, he never wavered.  So we found him the perfect hat, and he was all set for the big day!

carvin' pumpkins

As soon as we got back from Gene's with the pumpkins, Ledge was all about carving them up!  We brought them to the kitchen sink and washed them off so they would be read to go.  Ledger grabbed a piece of paper so he could practice a few face ideas, and once he had settled on the ones he liked, we pulled out the sharpie and he carefully drew them out on the pumpkin.  He's not as interested in the actual carving part of it, asking me to do all the detail work.  I did tell him that I'd only do it if he helped clean them out.  He reluctantly stuck his hand in after I cut off the top and pulled it out with a goopy mess of pumpkin guts and seeds.  'yuck'! he yelled, 'Daddy, can you do the rest? It's gross!'.  No buddy, this is all you!  He did the whole first one, but I took care of the other one since he had cleaned himself up after the first one.
Once we finally got them all cut up and looking good, Ledger was all about finding that perfect place to put them out front.  He has been very vocal about his displeasure at how few Halloween decorations we have in the front yard, so this was his one chance to fix that for us.  Once everything was just so, he was content with the result and we called it a night.
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gene the pumpkin man

Now that Moonlight Jack has showed up and brought the Halloween spirit to the house, it was only a matter of time before we made our annual pilgrimage to visit dear ol' Gene the pumpkin man!  Diana and I picked up Ledge straight of school and told him that today is the day- let's get some pumpkins!  He was thrilled that we were finally going to get some outside Halloween décor, and he was looking forward to seeing Gene as well.  We pulled into the old farm and wandered around a bit, checking out all the cool pumpkin related decorations.  After Ledger talked Gene's ear off for 15 minutes, we went out to the field and picked out a couple of good ones to carve.  There always seems to be a few little gourds that find their way into our wagon as well, but that's ok- the more Halloween décor the better, Ledger always says!
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backyard bounce

The latest addition to our backyard comes curtesy of Auntie Lissa: a big trampoline!  Ledger has been looking forward to this ever since we first moved- he always said that if he gets a backyard we have to get a trampoline.  One of his favorite places in the whole world is Skyzone, the trampoline fun park, so for us to have one in our own backyard? Why, it's everything a little boy could ever want!  I remember always being jealous of my cousins who had one when I was growing up- now our boy is going to be the one that others are jealous of...

joto

About a year and a half ago I happened to be randomly scrolling around on kickstarter and I came across this really cool project that was trying to get funded.  It was for something called a Joto.  I explained it to Diana and sweat talked her into letting me put a pledge in to buy one.  It only took 18 months, but it was finally made and delivered!  We set the thing up and it is awesome!  Here's what it is: its a dry-erase board that has a little mechanism that can draw whatever you want on it.  There's an app that you can download to your phone and sent a doodle from anywhere and it whirrs in to action and draws the picture or message.  We've got it set up now and it is really cool!  I've used a few times already and its very fun.  The whole point of it was that I could send Ledger messages or pictures from work!  I tried it the other day.  I pulled up the app at work and wrote a 'good morning Ledger!' message and drew a silly face.  When I got home I asked he and Diana if they got it and they said that it came through at just the right time: Ledge was sitting at the table eating breakfast before school and it nearly scared him to death when it started whirring into action!  They both got a great laugh out of the startle and were pleased to get a special message from daddy before the school day began.  Mission accomplished!

backyard wildlife

We have been really enjoying our time getting settled in to the new house.  We're starting to find spots for everything and get it cozy- feeling like a real home.  One of the reason we got a house was so that we would have our own backyard and a chance to be a part of the community in a why that just doesn't happen in an apartment complex.  Recently one of those reasons has really paid off.  I was looking out our back slider, surveying my kingdom (as one does...), and I happened to notice a shocking sight: there was a deer in our backyard!  I quickly called Ledger over to check it out and we soon realized that I was wrong.  It wasn't one deer- it was five!  Wow!  There are a few acres of woodland behind our house and apparently there is a deer family that lives in it!  We stood and watched those deer for at least 15 minutes, running to the back bedroom window so we could get a better look.  What beautiful creatures!  This. This is why we got a house.

ledger's drawings (age 7)

Our boy just keeps getting better and better at drawing.  When he was younger he would always get discouraged because he would see his mama or I draw and he would think that we were so good.  He wanted to be as good as us!  We always told him 'practice! practice! practice! That's the only way to get better!'  Well, he's taken that mantra to heart- now that he's got his own desk he's in his room drawing at least two hours every single day!  And I've got to be honest, the hard work is really showing!  At this point, I'm starting to realize that he is actually surpassing me- and I've got a college degree in Art!  Check out a few of his most recent pieces here. (this drawing is one of Ledger's robot Klanky pestering BB-8...)

100 years of the regent

The Regent Theater, the local theater here in Allegan, just celebrated its 100th anniversary!  In order to recognize the special achievement, they had a centennial celebration.  Everyone was invited to a special screening and talk.  Parker, the Allegan Community Events head, went up and shared a bit of history and then showed some cartoon shorts by Max Fleischer (which you can watch here) from around the time that the theater opened.  Hoping to show the first movie they ever played at the theater, Parker said that he had been on a hunt for the past few months but it seems that it has been lost to time and no longer exists in any form.  Crazy!  So instead he selected one that they showed during the first year it was open.  We got to watch Harold Lloyd's 'Bumping into Broadway' (which you can actually watch in it's entirety here!)  It was really fun to celebrate my favorite movie theater with others in town who love it just as much as me- I only wish I had brought Ledger along, he would have loved those cartoons!
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visiting auntie b

Over the weekend Diana and Ledger headed down to South Bend to visit with her family.  This is always a highlight for Ledge- he can't get enough of Gramma!  One of the days auntie B even stopped by with pumpkins for them to carve.  Ledger was in paradise!  He got to see his grandma, auntie, and do Halloween stuff?  Heaven!
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visitors

Now that we've got the place looking really great we want to show it off!  Well, it just so happens that Diana's dad wants to come up and see the place, so that works perfectly!  He's a little nervous to come up by himself, worried that he would get lost, so we scheduled a time with Barbara and James to come up as well.
The three of them came up and we got to have a really great time showing them the house and all the stuff we've been busy getting organized.  Diana's dad even brought up a beautiful new painting for us to hang in the living room, which really classes up the joint!  Ledger is always delighted to have someone to show off his latest artwork to, and Grandpa Allen was just as excited to see it as Ledge was to show it.
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moonlight jack arrives!

Ledger has been getting a little impatient lately.  He's been seeing so many people in the neighborhood start to put up their Halloween decorations and is eager to put ours up.  As you know, we can't put our decorations up until we get a visit from that beloved holiday friend Moonlight Jack. (in case that sentence didn't make any sense, read the story here)  Well, ledger is getting frustrated that Moonlight Jack seems to have visited other houses but not ours!  Maybe, he thought, he doesn't know where we live since we moved.  We assured him that he can find us wherever we are.  Well, finally one crisp afternoon, after walking home from school together, Ledger came into his room to find our beloved Moonlight Jack ready to welcome in the Halloween spirit!  Ledge was pumped!  We immediately went down to the basement to pull out the decorations and got busy filling the house with spooky cheer!  One special delivery that Moonlight Jack delivered as well was a copy of the movie 'Nightmare Before Christmas'!  We've talked with Ledge about watching this movie before but he wasn't really ready yet.  It's only rated PG, but for him last year it would have still been a little creepy.  We popped it on and he was delighted!  I don't think that he has loved a movie more in his entire life.  Immediately after watching, he wanted to play the 'sing-a-long' version of each of the songs so he could join in the fun!  We've watched it about 6 more times since then and I've got to tell ya, he's certainly in full Halloween spirit now!
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a new living room

With such a big living room, it was becoming more and more obvious that the furniture we brought from the apartment wasn't going to cut it.  Well, I guess it's time to go look for something that would fit a bit more appropriately to that large space.  Diana and I dropped Ledger off at Mema and Papa's for the afternoon and went couch shopping!  We hit up a few places but were frustrated at either the poor selection or the ridiculous prices.  Art Van always seems to have a sale, but they still don't have reasonable prices...  We eventually found a place with a good looking couch.  We were in the market for a new bed too, so we had planned to buy both.  Just as we were about to go up to the desk to pay, we spotted a completely different couch that we loved even more!  Good thing we had our eyes peeled or we would have missed out on the gem we eventually brought home.  We set up a delivery with them and waited for them to bring everything over.  We spent the day clearing out the space, bringing the apartment furniture down to the basement, and moving our bed to the extra room as well.  The couch was too big to actually fit through the front door so they had to go all the way around the house and come in through the slider!  Eventually they got it in and we got it set up and it looks amazing!  the house is really starting to look better and better- it's become a real home!
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ride along

One of the highlights of camp for Ledger over the summer was getting to ride a horse.  On his last day of camp I was talking to one of the camp owners and he mentioned that in the fall they have horse riding classes for kids who are interested.  I brought it up to Diana and Ledger and they were both really excited at the opportunity!  I got ahold of them again and we signed him up!  He got to go every Tuesday for 4 weeks and spend an hour and a half learning how to ride horses and he loved it so much!  His favorite horse was Gus, and I'm pretty sure Gus took a shining to him too!
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field trip to the fair

Ledger's class was taking a field trip to the Allegan Country Fair, so of course I'm going to be going along as a helper!  I was assigned 3 kids, along with my son, to wander along with them through the fair, checking out all the different educational areas.  There wasn't really any sort of schedule or plan in place other than wandering around together until lunch time, so we checked out everything we could.  The fair had a bunch of olden times buildings for the kids to see, an old school, post office, church, etc. that were full of different items from the early 1800s, when Allegan was first established.  The kids were interested for a while, but they wanted to see the animals!  We made our way over to the 4H barns and checked out all different livestock.  The kids were entranced by the cows and pigs, chickens and horses!  We eventually met up with everyone for lunch, but were then released back on our own.  I got each of the kids some lemonade from one of the stands and asked them what they wanted to do before we left.  Of course they said they wanted to go on the rides, but as I told them a dozen times, they aren't running until 3pm and we will be gone by then!  So they settled for going back to the animal barns.  We made our way back to the bus at the end of the day and headed home.  The kids really loved it!
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fourth handprint

Each year, during Ledger's first week of school, we pull out the old handprint board.  Since he first went to preschool we have had him put his hand in paint and make a print on the six foot board.  The plan is for this thing to have 14 prints by the time he graduates from school (12 grades, plus kindergarten and preschool) and see how much he has grown over the years.  I've mentioned it before here: 1st, 2nd, 3rd.  Each year going out and picking a new paint color is part of the tradition as well, this year he picked red.  I always keep him under strict control until we do the actual hand print, after that though, he usually goes a bit nuts and does some face and body painting!  It took a bit of a creepy turn this year with the paint being red...
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