Swifties

 Diana is a bit of a Taylor Swift fan. An obsessed fan, really. When she found out the Eras Tour was coming to movie theaters, she wanted to immediately get tickets! She made plans with her friend Miranda and we actually got them tickets to see it on the biggest screen possible: IMAX! We bought them almost immediately after it was announced and we still had a hard time getting good seats!

Finally, the day of the show, Miranda came over and the two of them got to show each other the outfits they picked out. Apparently fans have been dressing up as one of the different album styles to go see the movie. The two of them were giddy with excitement! They had a bunch of friendship bracelets as well. I am told that also has something to do with seeing the movie? I don't know, but I love that they are excited to see a movie in the theater, so I'm totally supportive!

They headed out to the theater with huge grins on their faces, surpassed only by the grins on their faces when they returned. They absolutely loved it and had a blast! We have had nothing but Taylor Swift music blaring at the house ever since...

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Halloween Decor

Finally! Moonlight Jack finally showed up so we can decorate for Halloween! (Read about the legend of Moonlight Jack here) We went downstairs and pulled out the big box of Halloween decorations and brought it up. We dug through it and found spots for all the different holiday stuff we have accumulated over the years. It's even got some of Ledger's old Halloween costumes in it, which of course means that he's got to try them on again! Pictured is the ghostie he wore two years in a row. He loved it so much he wanted to wear it again the second year- except this time with the witch's hat.

Now that we've got the place covered in pumpkins and other Halloween decor, we are ready for the spooky season!

Forced Family Fun

With my new job schedule, I've been missing the family time we used to spend together. I'm still trying to figure out my new sleep schedule and how it works with Diana's work schedule and Ledger's school schedule. As a result, we have been spending less time together. Well, I decided to take matters into my own hands and fix that. I have instituted a new daily event: Forced Family Fun! Each day at 6pm, no matter what is going on, we have to spend a half hour together at the table. What do we do during this time? Doesn't really matter as long as we do it together! We are a week in on this new schedule, and so far we have played games, drawn, and read together. Its been pretty fun so far! I'm sure it will eventually come to an end, but I've been glad to have some time together again! 

6th Grade Handprint

Better late than never, right? Usually Ledger makes a hand print on his board before the first day of school, but this year we weren't on top of it and finally went to buy a new paint color a week after the school year started. And now finally we actually brought the board up to put the print on it!

Our boy is definitely growing up because he didn't want to get messy this year. In years past, pulling out the paint and letting him put his hand in it was an invitation to make a huge mess (which always annoyed Diana...). After putting his hand in it he used to then put paint on his face, arms, chest, etc. and run around laughing until we finally threw him in the bath (which then left a huge colored ring on the tub. Hmmm, maybe that's why Diana always hated it?). This year he just wanted to do the handprint and wash it off. This year he picked dark blue as his color. After the handprint, we stood the board up and did our annual measuring of how tall he is now. It's fun to see all the previous heights and see just how big he's gotten. He's grown about two inches a year for the past three or four years- wow!

Halloween Prep

An important event every year: picking out the perfect costume for Halloween. Some years we think about it early enough that we are able to get a really cool costume, and other years we forget until late October and all the good stuff is already sold out. This year we were on top of it and Ledger decided that he wanted to get the costume of a character from the game Fall Guy. Granted, he's never played the game before in his life, but the costume was just so darn cute that he picked it anyway!

As soon as it arrived he wanted to try it on. He got in the thing, turned on the portable fan, and the cuteness inflated, much to our delight! Diana and I kept laughing at how funny and cute it looked. Ledger, of course, played it up, getting us to laugh more and more. He spent the next hour or so wandering around the house in the costume playing and dancing around.

It's going to be a great Halloween this year, I can already tell!

Warm Laundry

It's laundry day, and it's time to do the bed sheets. Ledger helped bring them down to the basement and throw them in the washer. We spent a bit of time tidying up and cleaning the house. He was kind of annoyed that he couldn't lay in bed and play on his padpad, but he also wouldn't let me put any of his other sheets on the bed. He loves his Dogman sheets and was willing to wait for them. When the dryer was done, I brought them up and told him I needed a little help putting them on the bed, he begrudgingly got off the couch to help, but got really excited when he realized that the sheets in the basket were still warm from the dryer! He pulled them out and wrapped himself in cozy warm sheets- he was so delighted and happy that I had to take a picture! So cute! We eventually put the sheets on and he hopped right in bed to snuggle in the warmth!

Appointments and Donuts

Diana recently had to have a doctor's appointment in Kalamazoo and didn't really want to go alone. Since I have to use my vacation time by the end of the year or I lose it, I took a half day off so we could go together. We coordinated with my parents to come and pick up the boy from school and hang out with them for the afternoon. That meant that Diana and I could have ourselves a much needed 'date' together! Sure, a doctor's appointment is a weird date, but the fact that we got a whole afternoon together without having to worry about the boy? That sounds like a date to me!

The appointment went well and was done so quick that we realized we could be home in time to actually call my mom and cancel. Or... we decided to take our time and enjoy our freedom! We took the scenic route back, making a stop or two so we could really enjoy our time together. We got a much needed chance to chat, joke, and hold hands (sure, we've been together for 15 years, but it still gives me a thrill to hold her hand!). We stopped at Sweetwater Donuts and got ourselves a little donut hole treat. Knowing we would be picking Ledge up from my parents, we got each of them a donut treat too, as a thank you. We picked up our boy and got talked into staying for dinner. All in all, a very lovely day with my favorite people (especially that cute one behind me in the booth!).

Library VR

A few years ago the Allegan Public Library made a huge renovation to their building, more than doubling its size. This allowed them to offer so many more programs and activities, which are an awesome addition to the charm of our little town. Ledger and I spent a lot of time at the library as he was growing up, taking advantage of their different kids programs and amazing books. In the new addition they added an incredible tech room, it's got huge top of the line drawing tablets, 3D printers, and VR sets! When it first opened, 8 year old Ledger thought it was so cool, unfortunately there was a restriction to go in there: you had to be 10 years old. Poor fella was crestfallen! Over that summer he must have sweet talked the librarian in charge there, because he would let Ledger come in if there wasn't any other kids in there. Ledge had so much fun playing with all that stuff, especially the drawing tablets. We went a dozen or more times that summer and he loved every minute!

It's been a while since we stopped by the library, so the other day when he suggested it I was delighted at the idea. We've recently had some free time, so we've gone a couple times in the past week. He makes a quick b-line straight for the tech room! He still likes the drawing tablet, but now that he has one of his own at home, that doesn't quite hold the sway over him that it used to. Instead, he's all about the VR! There are a couple of games that he really loves, one of them he was telling me about has something to do with monkeys? I don't know, but he loves it. He spends an hour or so in there while I find a good graphic novel and find a cozy seat until he comes and finds me, ready to go home because the VR made him motion sick. Poor guy gets sick, but still wants to play!

Horse Play

One of the ladies that Diana works with also has horses and barrel races them. What? That's awesome! So, of course, she asked if she could come and watch some time! It just so happened that she was going to be having a competition coming up. Well, we made plans to attend. Diana was talking to Miranda about it and she was interested in going too! Lissa was visiting this weekend and was pumped to check it out too. The four of us, Diana, Lissa, Ledger, and I, met up with Miranda and Frank at the stables it was taking place at, and had a grand old time watching the competition.

All of us loved to see the different participants try to do the different horse events. Ledger, of course, was much more interested in the potluck table in the stables... He found another kid there and made a friend. We cheered along for an hour our two, but then it was time to go out for dinner. We filled up at the Mexican restaurant in Gobles, which is always delicious. Ledger and I headed home while everyone else wanted to go to the apple orchard to pick some apples. Overall, we had a lot of fun!

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My First Day

Movin' on up! I quit my last job recently. I had been unhappy there for quite a while and was looking for something else. The last time I had to go in after a full day to cover a 12 hour night shift because someone called in, I started actively looking for a new place to work. You know, one that actually has enough staff willing to stay because they like it... Anyway, I was looking online for a few months and finally found a place that was interested- and it just so happens to be here in Allegan! When I got the job offer, I was thrilled! I waited a little bit before I told my old job, since I wouldn't be starting for three weeks after I accepted the offer due to their training schedule. I put in to use all my vacation time, and after it was accepted, then I submitted my two week notice. It worked out perfectly because I was able to have a week off in-between the two jobs without missing a week of pay.

Getting ready the morning of my first day was a bit exciting. It's always a big nerve wracking getting ready to jump into a new job and a new environment, but I had heard so many good things about the place from people who work or worked there that I wasn't too worried. Of course, I had to get a picture before my first day- the third in the family in the last two weeks! Ledger started a new school year, Diana returned to work after the summer off, and now I am starting a new position as well. Both of them are doing great and loving the change, so I am hopeful that I will find the same positive result of the change!

Share A Favorite

I've been working hard these past several years to instill in my son a firm love of movies and especially going to the theater. I've taken him to basically every single kids movie that's been released in the last 6 years, plying him with candy and popcorn. You know, just basically associating positive things with the theater going experience. I've also been exposing him to some of the family movie classics from when I was growing up, like 'Honey, I Shrunk the Kids', and 'Flight of the Navigator' (both of which he loved, by the way). As he is growing older I am trying to navigate when to show him some of the 'bigger kid' movies. Recently the theater forced my hand by rereleasing 'Jurassic Park' on the big screen for it's 30th anniversary (gah, I'm old...). Well, I guess that means it's time for Ledger to be welcomed to the Park!

Jurassic Park was a very important movie for me growing up, I was already obsessed with movies by that age, but this one was such a big cultural event that everyone seemed to be excited for it in a way that hadn't happened since 'Batman' in 1989. In preparation I read the novel by Michael Crichton, so my little 13 year old self was ready and eager! It came out the summer between middle school and high school, so I was exactly the right age to be sucked in and love it! On the Friday it was released, my friends and I made sure to get tickets to the first showing of the day so we could be the first ones to see it. We loved it, of course, and when we were leaving the theater, there was actually a local news station there to interview those who saw it first. My friends and I gushed about how amazing it was and actually ended up on the 5 o'clock news because of it! Over that summer we went on to see it six more times in the theater. It was kind of like one last hurrah of my childhood before we became high schoolers, so needless to say, the movie holds a very special place in my heart. And now, I am able to pass some of that joy down to my son as he watches it in the theater for the first time! Oh- and it's in 3D!

We made a special father/son day of it and had a good time chatting and being silly on the way there. We loaded up on snacks, and experienced the magic in the theater together! Did he like it? yeah, but not as much as me. I'm ok with that; he doesn't have to love the same things as me, but I want to at least provide the opportunity for him to. In the end, even if it didn't blow his mind the way it did for me and my friends at his age, at least we had a great afternoon together doing something fun!

Labor Day Family

 Time again for a good ol' fashioned Sunday dinner at Mema and Papa's! Labor Day always signals the end of summer, and for three decades of my life, that meant the last weekend my parents were out at Sandy Pines. Since they sold their place out there, I still feel a pull to get together with the family for one last summer fling! Mema felt the same way, so she invited Tim, Jill, their kids, and the three of us over for a big summer feast.

It was really great to catch up with Jaidey; it was the first time seeing her since she went off to college for her freshman year. She shared how much fun she is having and how she is doing adjusting to college life.

First Day Dinner

Knowing full well that it was going to be a stressful day for Ledger, we had planned to get a special celebration meal for dinner after his first day of school. It being a big day for Diana too made it all the better. It's a good thing we planned on something special because Ledger needed it. Diana and I walked the the middle school to pick Ledger up at the end of his day and when he came out it was pretty clear that things did not go very well... He was not happy at all. He didn't really want to talk about it, so I handed him his scooter and he took off as fast as he could toward home. Oh well. Diana and I watched him scoot off into the distance and just enjoyed our own little walk home. When we got there Ledger was a little more open to talk about the day. He was happy to see all his friends and meet a bunch of new ones, but he was so mad about his locker! He shared his frustration about having to try and open the lock on the locker and how he failed time after time. Poor kid, those twist combination locks can be really tricky! We assured him that he would quickly figure it out and by this time next week he would have gotten so used to it that he would be able to do it without even thinking about it. He was skeptical... Fortunately we got to finish the day off with some delicious pizza and pasta from the Hut, which made everyone a little bit happier! 

Diana's First Day

 It was Ledger's first day of school, but it was also Diana's first day of work! Last year she joined the staff at Ledger's elementary school as one of the recess and lunch room helpers. Even though she wasn't sure she would, she decided to go back this year! Ledge wouldn't be there anymore, but she still wanted to help out. There were a few times over the summer where she contemplated not going back, but she figured she would at least give it a try. We had to cut our traditional 'first day of school' breakfast tradition. Usually we go out to a sit-down breakfast place to celebrate Ledger's first day of school- without him! This time we had to opt for a quick McDonald's drive-thru breakfast because she needed to get home and start getting ready. Since we take a 'first day of school' picture, we are also in the habit of taking 'first day of work' pictures too! She got all dressed up and ready, took a good deep breath, and off she went! You are going to do great, honey!

Hmm... This is weird, now I'm home alone. This doesn't happen very often!

First Day of 6th

The start of the summer was a hard one. Both Diana and Ledger struggled with saying goodbye to elementary school. Closing a chapter in his life was a challenge. The reality that he no was no longer an elementary school student was weird and he didn't like the prospects of summer without all his friends. Sure, he quickly got over it and loved the freedom of summer, so it wasn't that big of an issue. But now, here he is, ready to start the next chapter as a middle schooler. Yikes- he's getting so big! 

We all three woke up together and got him ready. It had been a while since he was up and at 'em for breakfast! I got those good ol' waffles ready and he played a little bit on his tablet as time drew closer. He got his clothes on for the day and, of course, I had him go outside the front door for the annual 'first day' pictures. Once he was ready, we hopped in the car to bring him to school. 

We had gone to the school's open house last week to get him familiar with the place, but it was such a maze that we left more confused than when we arrived! But at least Ledger got to see his locker, walk through his schedule, and see his classrooms (and friends). We pulled up to the school, making sure we were nice and early so he could talk with all his friends and everything before class started. He walked to the door, ready to start his big 6th grade adventure, making sure to look back and wave at his loving parents before going in the front door as a middle schooler.

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Movin' On

And that will be enough of that. When I initially took this job I was really excited- I was moving up the corporate ladder! Where I worked before I had kind of gotten as high up as I was going to go, so if I wanted to keep moving up I needed to go somewhere else. This job afforded me that opportunity, unfortunately it was not a good fit. The 45 minute drive each way, the all consuming stress of the job, and the near constant fear that someone would call in and I would need to drop everything to go in and cover them. Finally, after 18 months of trying to juggle all of that, I decided enough was enough. It was a difficult decision because I really liked my boss, but I like my sanity and wellbeing more... I've lost almost 80 pounds while working there, and it wasn't because I was working out or eating better, it was purely due to stress! I submitted my two week notice and a heavy weight was lifted instantly off my shoulders! Ahhhhhh! I appreciated the opportunity they provided, but it's definitely time to move on. Goodbye!

Meanwhile...

The family was out having a great time spending a few days at Michigan's Adventure, but what about that furry little fella we left behind? Well, he was having an adventure all his own! We booked a dogsitter for her through a dogsitting app. The family that he was going to stay with was only about 15 minutes from home, so that made it really easy! I dropped him off the night before we left because it was going to be too early of a morning to bring him then. The place he stayed was nice and the family was fantastic! They showed him so much love! One of the kids had a birthday party while he was there and they even included him in the festivities. It was so fun to periodically get a picture from them of the fun Wiggins was having as we were at the amusement park having a great time ourselves! When we came home and picked him up they told us how much fun he had- and based on the pictures, I believe them!

Check out the pictures they sent us here! 

A Michigan's Adventure Adventure!

With the summer winding down, Diana's mom and David wanted to get together for one last time. David wanted to do something a bit special, and boy did he! With Alanna and Tavish in town, we were all invited to Michigan's Adventure for a couple days! Yes please! David was splurging on us and paid for two day admissions for all of us as well as hotel rooms so we could stay together for a couple nights. Wow, he really spoils us, huh?

We headed up there nice and early on a Wednesday to meet them up there. We got going on time but everyone else was running a little late, so we decided to stop and get some breakfast. It was a bit of a fiasco, but we got back on the road and made it up to the park right around the time they opened. About 15 minutes later everyone else showed up and we made our way into the park.

Mom and David had rented out a cabana in the waterpark area, so we headed over there to check in first. Along the way we walked past a bunch of different rides and the boys got more and more excited with each step! After we got them settled in, we went back out and finally got a chance to go on the rides! We started with the corkscrew roller coaster and hit each and every ride along the way. David had sprung for the 'fast pass', so we were next in line on almost every single ride we went on! I think the longest wait we had was about 3 minutes. He spoiled us so much! The boys were amazingly brave, riding every single one in the park- better than both of their moms... We went back to check in on Mom and David and got some food to eat, then we went right back out into the park to finish the rest of the rides.

By the end of the day were were all exhausted and shell-shocked by the wooden coasters, so it was time to check in at the hotel. We settled in and ordered some pizza. After that, everyone was ready to call it a night and went to sleep. 

The second day was the water park! Diana wasn't feeling very well and Mom & David had planned a day together in town, so it was just Alanna, the boys, and myself. We had a great time getting wet and doing the water slides! At the end of the day we went back to the hotel and I had to leave to go to work the next day, but the rest of them were able to stay one more night. They took advantage of the pool in the hotel that night and went to to the sand dunes the next day- which they all loved!

Everyone had so much fun- what an amazing way to finish out the summer as a family! Thank you again, David for spoiling us so much and getting a chance to have such a great time together!

(More pics: 1, 2, 3, 4)

Chad's Moving Day

For about two years now, we have had a basement full of my brother's stuff. A few years ago he was stationed in Missouri, but was being restationed in Washington state. Instead of bringing all his stuff with them, they asked if they could store it in our basement. Our basement is huge; tons of space. I told him 'no problem!' When it was time for the move, they drove all the way here with their trailer full to the brim with stuff that they weren't going to need for the next couple years. We packed in the extra rooms of the basement with all the stuff and shut the door and forgot about it. Seriously, with the big basement we haven't even noticed all his stuff!

Now that he's retired and found a new house, it's time to get all his stuff back and bring it into their new home! The whole family showed up to help! The boxes and everything were a lot easier to bring downstairs than it was to bring it back up! Still, we had so much help that it only took about an hour and a half to totally clear out his stuff. We did a good job using our Tetris skills to pack it all back into the big trailer- and now he's off to the Upper Peninsula to bring it into their new place. Poor guy, he's got to unload that all himself!

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Back to the Vet

That dumb dog did it again! Ever since we got him three years ago, he's been a bit of a magnet for injury. The first night he spent with us he gobbled up one of his toys and we had to force him to throw it back up! This time he tore out another one of his claws by accident. He saw that pesky neighbor dog in our yard and wanted to go out and chase after him. We opened up the back slider and off he went! When he came back his back paw was bloody- he tore out another claw! At first I was really mad at the other dog, but then we spotted a bit of blood on the deck and I assume his injury was from getting it caught between the planks of the deck and not in a fight. Still, it meant we had to take him in to the vet again and get him looked at. Yup, he tore it right out and needed to have surgery on it. Well, that's what you get, dummy!

Now he's stuck wearing a cone for the next two weeks. He's still pretty cute though, huh?

Chad's Party

It's been so long since Chad was in town that it's cause for celebration! We've gotten the chance to see Chad and his family a few times now since they've returned, but the rest of the family hasn't! A few of my aunts decided that they needed to throw a whole big ol' party for him since he hasn't been around much for the last 20 years. My mom's side of the family used to get together every year for Christmas, and often times we would get together in the summer at a park as well. That side of the family has always been big- I have 16 cousins on that side! Now, with most of them married and with large families of their own, its way more people than can fit into any house. When the numbers started getting too big, and grandparents started to pass away, we stopped getting together with the whole family. With Chad in town, it just seemed like a good enough reason to gather the whole clan and catch up. It was really fun to see all my different aunts and uncles, cousins, spouses, their kids, and everyone- some of these people I hadn't seen in decades- or had never met at all! Chad, of course, hated all the attention, but the reality is that he was only the excuse for the get-together. The food was good and catching up with everyone was a delight! Ledger got to meet a whole bunch of random people that he's related to, which he rightfully thought was kinda weird...

Xylophone Fun

The trombone wasn't exactly a hit. A couple months ago we got Ledger a trombone for his birthday; he is starting middle school next year and one of his options is joining band. He had his heart set on playing the trombone in band class. He had never tried it before, but it's just the one that caught his eye. We got him a used one to try out to make sure he was actually interested. He played it for a week or two and decided he didn't really like it as much as he thought he would. No problem, that's exactly why we got him an inexpensive used one to find out. His latest interest is the xylophone. Alright, lets give this one a try! He spent the last week at his grandparent's house, so I went searching for an inexpensive xylophone to surprise him with when he got home. I found a good one and picked up some mallets for it.

When he got home he was totally surprised and thrilled! He spent the rest of the day plunking away at it! I've got a feeling that this one won't last either, but he's having a good time with it now!

Date Night Barbie

I'll go see basically anything in the theater, but Diana is a lot harder to convince. Well, she has been pestering me about wanting to see the new Barbie movie for months before it came out. It's finally here, so we went opening night to see it at our beloved local theater. My favorite place in the world is at the theater, so I'm always excited when I get to take my favorite person in the world there- and she demanded it! (please note, I am wearing pink and she is not...)

The movie itself was delightful and hilarious- it instantly shot up into the rarified air of Diana's favorites along side Clueless and Romeo + Juliet. She has actually gone back to see it in the theater twice more with friends! I guess she just likes to be a Barbie girl in a Barbie world!

Dinner with Chad

I had dinner with my brother. Over the years my brother and I have had a pretty up and down relationship. When I was little we shared a bedroom, we slept in bunkbeds, him on the bottom and me on top. Eventually we put our beds on opposite sides of the room. Most days he would ignore me or rib me, as an older brother does. Eventually it got so bad I moved my bed into the closet just so I could have my own 'room' (yes, this actually happened). He liked it and so did I! When my parents finished the basement, they built in another bedroom so he moved down there. I loved it because it gave me my own room for the first time! Eventually I went off to college and he stayed in the basement. We would really only see each other when I was in town. Our relationship wasn't great, but we never had any animosity towards each other, it was more like 'yup, that's my brother.' He joined the military and for the next twenty years we would see each other, at most, once a year. This worked quite well for us actually! I got married, moved jobs, had a kid. All while he was doing the military thing. Recently, he retired and moved back in temporarily with Mom and Papa while he and his family find a new place to live. With him in the area again, I figured it was time to call him up and share a meal and chat, just the two of us. I gave him a call and he was up for it! We met up at a nice restaurant in Allegan and spent a couple hours catching up, just talking through what we've each been up to for the last 20+ years. It was really strange because we are both such different people than we were the last time we lived under the same roof! We got a chance to talk about life, fatherhood, jobs, faith, and family. It was so normal and yet so absolutely strange... We are in such different places, he and I, but it was so nice to catch up with him while we are in the same place- for probably the first and last time in our lives!

Whitecaps Game

Each year my work has a special employee appreciation event. Last year we got passes to go to the zoo (which I wrote about here), and this year we had a special reserved area at the local minor league baseball game! Though I've lived in the area most of my life, I've never actually attended a West Michigan Whitecaps game. Well, I guess this is my opportunity to fix that! It was a Sunday afternoon game with lunch being provided, so we made sure we would arrive hungry.

Having been our first visit to the stadium, we tepidly made our way inside, asking the ticket taker where our seats were. 'All the way round the whole stadium'. Of course. The walk around was fun though, seeing all the different fans and crowds as we made our way. Finally we got to the special reserved deck behind outfield. I saw a bunch of coworkers, so I knew we were in the right spot! We found ourselves a picnic table and I went to say hi to my boss, introducing the family. He was delighted to see that we came and directed us over to the grill and food that was reserved for us. We all piled up our plates full of 'ballgame food', and settled in to watch the game. The whole thing was pretty neat, seeing the crowds, the players, and the whole Sunday afternoon sporting spirit! After about a half hour we decided 'that'll do', and got out of there. Sure it was nice, but none of us were even remotely interested in staying any longer!

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Back to School Shopping

We knew Ledger would need a bunch of new clothes and stuff for the upcoming school year, we decided to get ahead of it and start the school shopping early.  We made the plan to go shopping in Holland, so we headed up there. Whenever we go out shopping, Diana and Ledger's favorite part is usually the part where we go out to eat! We were driving by Russ', which caught Ledger's eye, and he got really excited about going there for lunch on our way to shopping. I honestly have no idea why Ledger likes that place so much... For those who don't know about Russ', It's a local chain that's really popular with Dutch people over the age of 70. And Ledger, apparently. 

It was always my grandma's favorite restaurant, but she always pronounced the name wrong. The place is called Russ'. Please note the apostrophe, there by stating that the name is supposed to mean that someone named Russ is the owner and it belongs to him. When speaking, it correctly would be pronounced 'Russes', so show ownership. My grandma didn't seem to understand that and would always call it 'Russ'. She would say 'Lets go eat at Russ'. This delighted me to no end!

Anyway, after a delicious meal, we made our way to a couple stores and got the boy a bunch of shirts, shorts, and pants. We just need one more trip out this summer to get notebooks, folders, etc. and we will be done with his back to school shopping!

A Boy and His Dog

Over the summer our dog seems to have made a big turn around on Ledger. The two of them have always gotten along, Ledger loves that dog a ton! Wiggins though, on the other hand, was a little tepid about the boy. Wiggins would come over to Ledge and get petted or play, but the dog would never seem to seek him out or lay by him. That's changed in the past month or so. When Ledge is on the couch watching TV or playing on his tablet, Wiggins will eagerly jump up and snuggle with him. Maybe Ledger is a little bit more calm with him, or Wiggins just decided he trusts him, but either way, both of them are getting along smashingly these days!

Both of them are so cute in this picture, so be sure to check out all the other random pictures of Ledger and Wiggins!

Haircut Again

I know I thought the last time I grew out my hair would be the last time, but I kinda snuck another one in... I've had my hair styled back since I cut it a year and a half a go, so its been a little long on top, but I've always been sure to keep it short on the sides and back. I kind of got a little lazy with the haircuts, and it all kept growing out. Diana trimmed up the back once or twice, but before I knew it, the (thinning) hair on top was about  10 inches long! I always love having long hair, but the evil villain called 'male pattern baldness' keeps thwarting my plans! The day finally came where I finally accepted my fate and told the wife to grab the trimmers. Off it came, and this time I didn't try to keep it longer on top- buzz it all!

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Allegan on the 4th

 Now that Mema and Papa no longer have a place at Sandy Pines, we were unsure what we should do or where we should go to celebrate the 4th of July.

We live in Allegan, so we figured we could just go downtown and watch the fireworks with our fellow Alleganians! They had a bunch of events scheduled downtown all day, but we just wanted to see the fireworks. We rolled in around 8:30pm. It was already pretty busy, so we had to park pretty far away- all the way over in the parking lot of the Frugal Hoosier (that's what Diana and I call the local grocery store). We brought chairs so we could have a place to sit to watch the show. They are currently doing a lot of road construction downtown, so most of downtown was filled with orange cones and caution tape! We were still able to find a pretty good spot to sit over by the gazebo at the park. The line to get drinks was so long and so expensive, that I actually just walked back to the gas station and got some fountain drinks for us at a fraction of the cost! Even with the long line, Ledger wanted to get a fried snack. He was willing to wait, so I gave him some cash and let him wait by himself. Eventually he brought back deep fried Oreos! He was very pleased with his treat and gobbled them down, kindly giving Diana and I a small bite each.

At dusk we settled in to our seats and got ready for the big show. The firework show was great, probably better than the Sandy Pines fireworks, so we were very pleased with our decision. Afterward we gathered up our things and headed home, pleased to participate in our little town's celebration!

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Strawberry Cookie Plush

My boy's favorite game for the past couple months has been Cookie Run Kingdom. I have no idea how to play, but he loves it. Actually, he doesn't play it that much, instead he loves the characters in it! The style and design have inspired him and his animation so much that he just loves to draw the characters and animate them. One in particular has become his absolute favorite: Strawberry Cookie. He loves plush characters, so of course he has spent time online looking for a plush version of his beloved Strawberry Cookie. He found one, but unfortunately it wasn't going to be released for another month! A month later he still desperately wanted it and actually talked his grandpa into getting it for him! When it finally arrived he was so pleased! He tore into that packaging and was elated to finally have it all this time later!

It's been a while now since he got Strawberry Cookie, but he still loves it just as much!

Greg's 70th Birthday

My best friend Greg turns 70 this year! His son Adam invited me and Aaron to a special birthday celebration to honor the milestone. Aaron and I were the first ones there and got to help Adam set everything up in preparation for all the guests. A few years ago we had a special celebration at Greg's for his retirement. He spent his career as a philosophy professor at Calvin College and has really been enjoying his retirement. Adam invited a bunch of Greg's friends over to celebrate. After chatting and laughing together, we filled up plates from the delicious spread, and gathered in the living room. Adam suggested that we should go around the room and each share a special memory of Greg to celebrate him. I spoke of the time he brought Adam and I to a Star Trek convention back in middle school and how much fun we had while he just hung back and listened to a football game on his headphones. It was really fun to hear all the loving stories from everyone else who was there as well. I'm certain Greg felt the love and appreciation we all have for him on his special day!

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Father's Day

We were invited to join the whole Brink family for a special Father's Day meal at Mema and Papa's. We got ourselves ready and headed over there, making sure we weren't a half hour late like last time! We got to celebrate Papa, Tim, and myself for Father's Day, and for the first time Chad joined our ranks!

For the first time ever we had the complete family now that Chad's son is joining us. Since I've got 11 years of experience, I made sure to impart my vast fatherhood wisdom... Actually, my advice to him was to take as many photos and videos of his son as humanly possible. I've always found that I never regret taking pictures and videos of my son, and now that he's grown up so much I wish I had taken more while he was little!

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Game Night

Diana has never been much of a game person, and Ledger feels the same. Sure, Ledge is always up for playing video games, but board games or card games have never been his thing. There are a few games that Diana enjoys, she likes Yahtzee and a couple different card games, but that's about all. I have been pretty busy and stressed from work lately, and I think Diana was starting to notice. She asked if we should maybe do a family game night to give all of us a relaxing and fun time together. Great idea! I went down and grabbed a few different games that I thought we might like to play: Yahtzee, Uno, Life, and Skip-Bo. She opted for the last one, so we all three sat around the table to play. Ledger had never played it before and it had been quite a while since I had played. Diana said that Skip-Bo was one of the games that they played growing up all the time, so she brushed us up on the rules and got us up to speed. We spent the next hour playing it a few times and having a good time laughing and relaxing. Ahhh, I needed this more than I realized!

Grandparents Summer

Now that summer is here, the first thing on Ledger's list of things to do: go visit Grandpa and Grandma! Wouldn't you know it, its the first thing on their list too! We made plans with them for Ledge to spend few days with them. It's about an hour and a half 

to get to their place, so Grandpa offered to meet us half way. We handed him off and Diana and I got to have a few days with just the two of us! Granted, I still had to work, but it was nice to have our evenings to ourselves for a couple days. We went out to eat together, went for late night walks, and just generally enjoyed each other's company for a while. We love being parents, especially to such a loving little boy, but it's still nice to have some time with just us adults!

While Ledger was gone a package showed up at the house. Not sure what it was, I brought it with when we went to go pick him up. We met up half way for a quick dinner at Burger King and we found out what the package was: Ledger had talked Grandpa into getting him a stuffed animal from one of the games he plays! That kid, he can sweet talk his grandparents into anything!

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Jaidey's Open House

They keep getting older! Our dear sweet little Jaideyn is graduating high school and had an open house to celebrate. We made our way over there on this unfortunately rainy Sunday to congratulate her. Tim and Jill had the whole place decked out, complete with a few tents in the driveway so we could stay dry. It was run to look over all the pictures they had on display- we were even in a few of them. She has big plans to go to Trinity College in Chicago next year to play soccer and begin her education in nursing. Part of the fun was seeing all the extended family members as well- Ted and Joni, Aunt Marlene, and all the rest!

Congrats, Jaidey, and good luck becoming a Troll! (that's the mascot of Trinity College)

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Baby Brink

Finally we get to meet the newest member of the family! My brother and his family made the long journey across the country from Washington state to dear ol' Michigan. He's now retired from the military and came back to live with Mom and Papa for a month or two while they look for a new home. Lucky for us, that means we get to see their little one!

We had been planning ahead for his arrival- Diana enlisted her mom to make some really cute crocheted items for him and we were finally  able to give them the amazingly made gifts!

It was really nice to see my Chad and Myuki as well as their amazingly cute little fella. Now that they are in town (for now), we will be able to visit a bunch more!
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Last Day Picnic

It's finally here- 6 years in the making. The last day of Ledger's elementary school career! He's pretty pumped to be done with school this year, but he's also a little sad. It's been a good year for Ledger and his class as the biggest kids at the school. He got to do some extra curricular things, he got to do safety patrol, go on a bunch of fun class trips, and even have his mom as the lunch room and recess helper! Though there were a bunch of fun things, there is also the sad realization that this is the end of something important. He's been excited for the year to be over, but leaving West Ward for the last time was hard for him.

Fortunately, they had one last blowout! Every year the school has a half day picnic on it's last day. All the parents and families are invited to come and join the students for lunch. In years past, all the parents were invited to bring food for their kids and eat out on the lawn. This year the school had Pizza Hut host the event and we could buy personal pizzas and drinks for cheap. They were the perfect size, and it took away the hassle of trying to find something ourselves. After eating, all the kids were invited to play a game of kickball against the teachers. That only lasted about 15 minutes before it broke down into just a chaotic mess of kids running around. Eventually, the teachers gave up on trying to wrangle everyone and dismissed the kids to head home for the year.

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Elementary Graduate

Its a pretty big day: our son graduated from elementary school! He's still got one more day of actual school, but the ceremony is tonight. There's a bunch of different stuff rolled into the ceremony tonight, including a song from the fifth graders and awards given out recognizing each student's strengths. We all dressed up a little bit for the celebration (not too fancy though, I'm still wearing my sandals). We got there and found seats near the front and Ledger went over to the student section and found his assigned seat.

The whole thing started with a video of pictures from their years there, even some super cute photos from kindergarten and first grade! Next, the kids came up and filled the risers so they could sing the song they had been practicing in choir. It was really cute and Diana certainly shed a tear or two. Next, the fifth grade teachers came up and called out each of the students to recognize them for a special aspect of who they are. Ledger, not surprisingly, was given the 'Art Super Star' award! Next, each child was called to receive their certificate of graduation from fifth grade. When Ledge got his we cheered loudly!

He's pumped to be done with elementary school, but the prospect of going to a different school next year for middle school is a little bit scary to him. He'll be fine- he's got so many friends and buddies that he's not going to have any problems at all next year. He is the funny kid, after all, and everyone likes the funny kid!

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Finishing Yard Projects

It doesn't happen very often, but every once in a while I get the urge to do some yard work! As the weather gets a little warmer (not too warm, mind you), I decided to get out there and do a bit of cleaning up around our palatial estate. I even wrangled Ledger to come out and help as well! We put in a deck a couple years ago and I had grand plans to put some landscaping around it to make it look nice. I had put in a plastic edge and stepping stones last year, but I never got around to filling the space with woodchips. Well, I corrected that issue and got it looking really nice. Also, a couple years ago Ledger and I tore down the rotted out shed in the back yard, but we left the floor of the shed. We finally went out and tore it apart and uncovered a big cement slab that it was on. All together, the place looks so much better! Both he and I were all sweaty and dirty by the time we were done, but it was worth it to finally finish those two projects.

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Miranda's Open House

A few months ago Miranda bought a house. She had been looking for a while and finally found one she liked that was in her price range and an area she wanted to live. We've been over there once or twice, but she decided that she wanted to have an official 'open house' and invite everyone over to show off the new place. She's been working hard over the last couple months repairing and updating it to get ready.

David and Mom were invited to see her place as well, so we met up with them for lunch together and then went to see Miranda. Her family was there and we got to celebrate her beautiful house together!

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Bronner's Christmas

 One last stop before heading out of town: the famous Bronner's Christmas store! I've always been curious to check this place out. Before going on this trip, the only thing I knew about Frankenmuth was that they had a huge Christmas store. Bronner's has a ton of billboard advertising all the way over in Grand Rapids and Holland- I've even seen them in Indiana! Ledge was excited to see it all, so we stopped over before we left.

It certainly lives up to its claim- the place is humongous! We went in and started walking around; once we found the end of one room, there was another huge warehouse sized room right next to it! Most of the space is filled up with different crazy styled ornaments. There were a few fun displays of different Christmas stuff too. Ledger loved the enormous snowman, which he dubbed 'The King of Snowmans'!

We found Ledge a cute ornament to put on the tree next year, and I found a penny cruncher, so I was pretty pumped! Eventually we found our way out and headed home. Truly a fun trip. Thanks again Lissa and family!

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Frankenmuth: In Town

 One of the days we were in Frankenmuth we went into town to check out the touristy sights. It was really easy, the hotel had a shuttle to town, which ended up not being very necessary considering it's only about a 10 minute walk! We got there and wandered around the shops, checking out what they had to offer. My favorite was a Celtic shop that had kilts! I've always wanted one and tried one on- I loved it! I came really close to actually getting one, but couldn't really think of any time in my life when I would actually wear it, so I reluctantly (regrettably) put it back on the rack.

On the sidewalk they had a xylophone that anyone could play, which caught Ledger's interest! The rest of the group moved on to the next shop, but I stood there and Let Ledge play his heart out! He was rockin' those mallets for a good 15 minutes...

Eventually we made our way to a pizza shop and had a delicious lunch together. We wandered around for a bit more, but then made our way back to the hotel. This town is pretty cool!
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Bavarian Inn

 The hotel in Frankenmuth was really cool! Lissa's family had booked us in the biggest hotel in town: the Bavarian Inn. It was partially under construction, so the whole parking situation was pretty dire, but we found a spot eventually. Apparently there was a big dog convention in town and this hotel was dog friendly, so there were tons of pups wandering the grounds and halls!

The room was nice and had access to the balcony (with a great view of the construction...), but the best parts were the pool/water park, and game area! We hardly left the hotel because there was so much to do!

We spent three nights there and it wasn't enough, we just kept going down to the pool and game room- we didn't even have time to check out the second pool or mini golf course.

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Frankenmuth

Lissa and her family wanted to celebrate Andrew's birthday by going to Frankenmuth, and they invited Diana, Ledger, and I to join them. Sounds like fun! Diana and I had never been to Frankenmuth, but I've always heard that its pretty cool, so we took them up on the offer. I got the time off of work. We packed up and headed up to meet them there. They had booked rooms for us at the Bavarian Inn hotel. We got up there a little bit before Lissa's family, so we checked in and unloaded the car. When they got into town they let us know and we met up with them at a great restaurant. It was really nice to see everyone- it had been years since I've seen some of them. Diana sees them all the time, but I usually can't go because of work, so it's really cool that I can tag along this time. When we walked in and sat down at their table, Diana had to introduce me: 'See, he does exist!'

After filling our tummies with a great meal, we went back to the hotel. Everyone else checked in and we eventually met up together in our room and went down to see all that the hotel had to offer- and it was a lot!

Brian Regan Live!

Back in college, my friends and I discovered the comedian Brian Regan. His album was hilarious and we listened to it regularly! At one point I was home and going on a short road trip with my dad and convinced him to listen to it on our trip. He had the same response as I did- he was howling with laughter! Ever since then he and I have referenced those jokes and enjoyed a couple other comedy specials of his on TV.

Fast forward 20 years and Papa calls me out of the blue saying 'Brian Regan is going to be performing live, do you want to go?' Of course I do! So when the date arrived we met up and drove down to the theater in Indiana. It was pretty great to take a little road trip, just the two of us. It's been a long time since we got a chance to chat and connect. We stopped for dinner and fueled up for the evening of fun. We got to the theater a little early and found a good parking spot. We went in and grabbed some snacks and drinks before heading to our seats. The show itself was as hilarious as we had hoped! Brian Regan is so funny! His jokes are good, but its all about his delivery. That voice and facial reactions are what make him howlingly funny!

After the show was over we had a great ride back, chatting and recounting the great punchlines from the show. My favorite part of the ride back was when Papa and I took turns sharing some music favorites with each other on the truck stereo. He dropped me off and I thanked him again for such a fun and funny night together!

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Torn Up Yard

We got a heads up a couple weeks ago, but it was quite a surprise today when our lawn got torn up! Apparently our town is going through and methodically checking all the different water pipes in town to replace any of them that are too old or made of the wrong material. This means that they need to check everyone's pipes to see if they need to be replaced or not. The problem, of course, is that the pipes are underground, so they have to tear up a lot of lawns. Fortunately I don't care at all about the lawn! Tear away, boys! They came to the door to give us a warning that they would be doing it, and then dug right in- literally! They got the crane unloaded and got to it, tearing up about an 8 foot patch, going down five or six feet. After about 20 minutes, we got the 'all clear' and they started refilling the hole. Our pipes do not need to be replaced, but now our lawn does!

Swimming Time

Ledger's school had a special event for all the kids to go to the Allegan Aquatic Center for some free swimming! Now that we no longer have access to the pool at Sandy Pines, this is about the only opportunity he has to swim. He and I headed over to the pool for some watery fun with friends. There were a few classmates that went as well, so he was able to play around with his buddies for a while. They have a couple different pools, so he was going back and forth, having a blast! His favorite, of course, was doing silly dives off the diving board!

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Birthday Pizza

 With all the birthday celebrating over the past week, we had to have a party with my side of the family too! We all met up for a joint celebration of Ledger and Diana at the local Pizza Hut. Jill and the kids came too, which made it extra special! We all chowed down and had a great time chatting. Most of the chatter was about the newest addition to the family, Chad and Myuki's baby, and how we couldn't wait for them to get here at the end of the month.

Egg Hunt

 Easter is here! That means that the eggs getting filled with candy and the boy gets to do a little bit of hunting. Earlier in the week I got a few different types of candy to fill up the plastic eggs for the morning hunt. Loading them up the night before, I snuck around in the dark of night and found good hiding spots for all 35 eggs. They were scattered around the living room, dining room, and kitchen for Ledger to find. I made sure to put some in easy obvious spots as well as a few tricky hiding spots. When we woke him up Sunday morning we reminded him what day it was, and he hopped out of bed (pun intended) and grabbed the Easter basket- the hunt was on! Most of them he found pretty quickly, as intended, but the last couple took him 10+ minutes to find! He kept asking for clues of the last locations, but I refused. He's got to work for his sweets! Later we headed over to Mema & Papa's house for a great time and delicious Easter dinner with Jill, Tim, and the kids.

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Super Ledger Bros!

We didn't have a big party for Ledger's birthday this year, but we still made plans for something special. The Mario Bros. Movie came the Wednesday after his birthday, so we had him pick a few friends to invite to go see it with him! He picked three friends and we talked to their parents and we were all set.

Saturday afternoon we all met up at the theater (we picked up Karson on the way), we were thinking ahead and bought the tickets in advance- and its a good thing we did because the line was huge and the show sold out! We loaded them up with popcorn, drinks, and candy- now we are ready for the show!

We got to see it in 3D, Ledger's first theatrical movie he's ever seen in 3D. Diana wasn't all that interested in going to see this one until she found out it would be in 3D, then she was all about it! Through out the movie I kept looking over at the boys and they were grinning ear to ear and having a blast. Ledger absolutely loved the birthday movie and getting to joke around and laugh with his friends, and the whole event was a big hit with all four of them!

After the movie we stopped at a park in Otsego so the boys to spend a little more time together and get some of that sugared up energy out!

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