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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first day of 2nd grade

It's the big day and our little one was quite nervous.  He actually coined a new term the day before: 'extervous'.  Ledger said that there wasn't a word for how he was feeling so he had to make one up!  Its a combination of excited and nervous.  He was looking forward to the start of his 2nd grade year, but was very nervous about starting it at a new school without knowing anyone.  He got up and had breakfast, asking questions the whole time about what he could expect.  We weren't exactly sure either, but we reassured him that it would go well and he would make friends easily (he's the funny kid in class, everyone likes that kid!).
Diana and I walked him to school together (which is really cool that we are that close!).  We had him say hi to his teacher and showed him what door to go in.  He was feeling a bit more comfortable and went off to play on the equipment.  We stuck around a few more minutes so we could wave to him as he went in after the morning bell rang, but then he was on his own, starting a new year at a new school.  Good luck, kid!
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visit at the lake

One last outing before school starts!  Jill, Savannah's mom, invited us to join them at the beach and do some swimming.  Diana and Ledger met up with them around noon.  I joined them out there after I got out of work around 1pm.  I had never been to that beach before, there isn't much beach to speak of, but its a really neat park with a beautiful lake!  Everyone else took advantage of the gorgeous water and swam but since I didn't have my bathing suit I just lounged around with the ladies at the shore.  Everyone had such a fun time we will definitely need to come back next summer!

a new school

Diana and I had a big decision to make for our boy when we moved.  The new place is actually in a different district for elementary schools, so we had to decide if we are going to switch his school or keep him in North Ward.  There were a bunch of pro's and con's to consider, he would be saying goodbye for now to many of his friends (they all go to the same junior high and high school, so he would see them again soon), but he could make friends around our neighborhood at the new school.  We struggled with this decision for a while.  Neither Diana nor I had ever changed schools when we were growing up, so we asked a few loved ones who had gone through that transition when they were younger.  We got a lot of encouragement about changing schools being the right choice.  We set up a meeting with the principle of the new school and toured the building and talked with her.
So, with everything considered and much thought, we decided to switch him over to West Ward Elementary.  I think it will be the right choice for him and after we talked with him about it he is very excited about it too!  He got really excited about it when West Ward had an open house before the school year started and he got to meet his new 2nd grade teacher: Mr. Nash!  All right, now he's all in!

mowin the lawn

One thing I was lucky enough to avoid for the past three to four years has been mowing the lawn.  It has been very nice to skip out on this, my most hated of tasks.  I always hated it when I was growing up and never enjoyed it while I lived at the duplex in Indiana.  But the reality is now that I'm a homeowner, I'm also a lawn owner.  Ugh.  Diana's dad was kind enough to offer us one of the spare mowers he had, so that means I have no excuses now!  I finally forced myself to go out there and take care of business.  Diana knows how much I hate it so she was impressed enough to come out and take a picture!
Needless to say, the lawn looked amazing after I was done.  I may hate it, but I still make sure I do a good job!

ledger's new room

For a few months now Diana's mom and David were planning on going to visit some of his family on the east coast.  They were going to spend some time with Alanna and her son Tavish- Ledger's favorite cousin!  They invited Ledger along for the trip and he was super excited about it!  It just so happens that it's the week end after we move to the new house!  Since we were so busy that week with the move, Diana's mom offered to come and pick him up a day early.
Ledger has been a little apprehensive about the whole move thing and has been very nervous about getting a new room.  He said that he's going to miss his old room so much.  Diana and I really want him to love the new house and his new room, so while he was away we decided to go all out and do something special for his room.  He's always wanted a desk in his room and also loves the bunkbeds at Grandma's house.  We figured we'd put those two things together and miraculously found him a really cool bed/desk combo!  I went and picked it up and we set it up for him, got an area rug that fit the desk perfectly too.  One of Ledger's favorite things to do is play a drawing game on the white board Mema got him for his birthday last year.  I figured it would be pretty cool if we took that idea up a notch and got him some big white boards and put them up on the wall in his room!  The company store where I work sells them for ridiculously cheap, so I picked up a few (for a dollar each!) and we hung them on the wall under the window.  We stopped and picked him up a couple other little things for his room and got it all set up.  I think he will be pretty pleased when he sees the cool new room that's just for him!
(more pics, and his response)

the big move

The time has come: it's time to leave this beautiful apartment we've called home for the past three years.  We've been packing the place up for the past couple weeks in anticipation, but now we've finished all the paperwork for he house and the previous owners are moved out so it's ready for us to move in!  Ledger is a little big uncertain about the whole thing, this is the only home he can really remember, so it's a bit challenging for him to understand how this is going to change everything.
In order to do this move as quick as possible we rented a u-haul truck for the day and enlisted the help of Savannah's two big brothers.  They stopped by with Savannah and their mom, who figured they'd just stick around and help too!  Miranda came by for the day to help out too- we are all set with getting this thing done!
It took two u-haul trucks full to get everything over to the new house.  We stored most things in the garage for now so we could make it all happen as fast as possible.  Diana was concerned about the hardwood floor and scaping it up, so she didn't want us to bring anything in until she cleaned it and put protector pads on everything we brought in.
It was really strange to see the apartment empty.  We were really glad to get our new place, but we did take a minute or two to appreciate the place we had made a home for the past three years.  We said our goodbyes to the apartment and are looking forward to the new adventure of living in our own place as a family!
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rolly comics

Recently we were in Kalamazoo for the afternoon doing some shopping.  we had gone to a few places just for Diana, so I figured I could suggest a place to go just for me: the comic book shop!  Well, it turned out that it wasn't just for me, Ledger was all about that place!  We walked in and he was amazed at all the cool stuff that was there!  He did his usual thing of talking way too much to people who are working at the place and struck up a conversation with the guy behind the counter.  He asked 'do you have any of my Rolly comics?' (a brief side note, Ledger has a character that he's been drawing for a while named Rolly, he's a silly character who is a donut with wings).  Ledger has been drawing some Rolly comics lately and figured if they sell comics, then why wouldn't they have the ones he's been drawing? (there may be a slight lack of understanding on his part when it comes to how publishing works...).   The man behind the counter humored him and asked him a bit about Rolly.  Taking it all in stride, Ledger said 'well, it would be easier if I just showed you.  Do you have a pen and paper?'  Talk about assertive- look at this kid go!  The employee was really interested and asked him a few questions about Rolly and then told Ledger that he would love to see a Rolly comic.  he then handed Ledger a blank comic book for him to fill in!  I didn't even know there was such a thing!  Oh this pleased Ledger to no end- as soon as we got home he ran straight to the table and started planning out Rolly's big comic book debut.  I happened to notice on Facebook that the comic book store had actually scanned in Ledger's picture of Rolly and wrote up a little bit about him, saying they were pleased to announce the debut of West Michigan's newest comic book creation and artist.  I showed this to Ledger and he was so proud of himself and was even more determined to create an awesome comic book!  He figured when it was done we could bring it back and he could sell it, beginning the Rolly media empire that Ledger dreams will one day happen!