wii have fun

Now that I've got a whole new living room set up in the basement, that means I've been able to pull out a bunch of stuff that had been in storage for the past five years- including my video game systems!  I took out all of them- every Nintendo system that has ever been made (except WiiU, I never bothered with that one...).  Once I had them all set up I figured I'd give 'em a try, right?  I started with the Wii, cause that one was the most fun.  As I was setting it up Ledger came down to see what I was up to.  Oh buddy, have I got something to show you!  We dusted off the ol' Wii Sports and I showed him how to play Wii bowling.  He was so excited to try it for himself!  I remember how awesome it was when it first came out, lo those 14 years ago (wow, has it really been that long?!?).  Having never seen it before, Ledger was just as amazed as I was back then!  He was giddy with excitement as he threw each ball!  He called up to Mama to come see this incredible thing!  We played a few games and by the end of his first game he totally got the hang of it.  In fact, by the second game he was doing better than me!  Wow, he's only seven and he's already better at it than his dad...  Eventually we went through and I showed him some of the other Wii games I have in the collection.  There were a couple that he liked, but nothing quite compared to the fun of bowling.  You know, I always felt the same way...
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real life rolly!

The last Christmas present finally came.  Ledger knew this one was coming, so he's been anticipating it for a while now.  Ledger has this character that he loves to draw, his name is Rolly and he's a donut with wings.  He's been drawing him and his adventures for almost three years (not that long, granted, but that's almost half of Ledger's life!).  Way back in October we came across this website that takes a child's drawing and turns it into a stuffed animal.  As soon as Ledge heard about that he wanted us to order him a Rolly.  They are very expensive and take a few months, so we told him maybe.  Hoping it would come in time for Christmas, we decided to do it.  Ledge drew us a nice big picture of Rolly and we had him color it too.  We took a picture of it and sent it in for them to work their magic on.  We didn't quite get it in time for Christmas, but when it finally came he was beyond excited!
We brought it in and all sat around him while he opened the box.  We unwrapped the tissue paper and there he was- in the flesh! (or, more accurately, 'in the plush').  It looked fantastic- exactly like he was supposed to!  Now our boy had his very own Rolly in real life!
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the captain

posted here without comment.

snowmans!

Ledger's one demand each winter is that he gets to make a snowman.  Every time it snows he asks 'can we make one today?'  The opportunity doesn't come around very often, usually the snow is bad for packing or there isn't enough of it.  Well, today the snow was perfect, so off we went into the front lawn to make a new friend!  He had gotten a cool snowman kit from grandma last Christmas, so he was eager to use it.  We tracked it down in the basement and got to work.  The snow was absolutely perfect for packing, so it turned out really great.  We went to the backyard and found just the right branches so he could have arms.  On went the different pieces of the kit, and voila! A snowman!  Our boy was delighted, as you can tell.  We stayed out there and played with him for a while and eventually came in to warm up.  As he was at the table enjoying a hot chocolate, he kept peeking out the window to admire his handiwork.
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goodbye, cousin

As always, it's hard to say goodbye.  Ledger had so much fun with his cousin that it was really hard for him to say goodbye.  Tavish is about two years older than Ledger, but he's so patient with him and thankfully doesn't see him as a 'little kid', which can happen so easily at that age, so we were very proud of the two of them and how well they got along together.  It's so unfortunate that they live so far apart that they only get to see each other two or three times a year, but those times are always a treasure for Ledger.
Hopefully we will see you again soon!
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having a bowl

When we first went to South Bend for Christmas we knew Tavish and Alanna were there, so we wanted to let Ledger stay as long as possible so he could have tons of time to play with his cousin.  So we drove down together and I left to go to the cabin, but came back after the trip.  Now, with the rest of the weekend ahead, we got to just sit back and relax with the family.  Well, we didn't relax too long before we wanted a little adventure!  We made our way over to the fun bowling alley in town.  Ledger was really excited, he had never gone bowling before.  We met up with one of Alanna's friends (she's got three kids around the same age, so they all had a blast!).  The place was packed, but we eventually got a lane and did some good ol' fashioned bowling!  After the first ball, we realized that the kids really needed the bumpers up.  Once we had those in place, then everyone was having a great time.  Ledge really enjoyed himself with bowling and playing around with all the other kids!  The place was pretty awesome, it had a mini golf course and carts to race.  The boys were in heaven!
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off to the cabin!

Cabin time!  It's that annual tradition here again!  Every year a bunch of us guys go up north to the cabin and hand out together for a couple days.  We've been doing this so long that we've almost been doing it more of our life than haven't.  That's crazy.  Some friends have come and gone, but there's always a wonderful togetherness when we go up.  Last year Jon wasn't able to join us, but this year he made extra sure that he would have the time off without excuse!  Aaron, Jon, and I met up with Dusty in Big Rapids and, after a delicious lunch, made our way to the ol' cabin.  We never really know what to expect, some years we've had so much snow that we had to park at the road and hike in, other years we've had no problems.  This year there were a couple big trees in the way of the path!  fortunately, with a little team work, we got the path cleared with only minor delays.  We settled in and did a little big of catching up.  Unfortunately, we see each other less and less these days, so for some of us there was a lot to catch up on.  Even though we don't hang out together as much as we used to, the old friendships don't take much to rekindle.  Before we knew it we were having a blast like usual!  Of course, we did our usual Sporties visit, game playing, and deep talks.  The details of which will forever be shrouded in mystery due to the blood pact we have to make each time we go to the cabin, but it's totally worth it.
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gingerbread house contest

After the gifts we had a competition lined up: gingerbread house decorating!  Diana and Barbara had worked hard assembling a bunch of gingerbread houses for us so we could each have our own.  Everyone picked a house and we got to work.  There were a bunch of different candies and icings to choose from, so everyone had the chance to make whatever sort of creation they wanted.  It was really fun to see the different approaches to the challenge.  Some people were very focused and methodical, while others were more haphazard with their process, putting whatever they wanted wherever they wanted!  I'm sure you can guess which one of those describes Diana and which one describes Ledger...  The finished products looked quite impressive!  We couldn't decide on a winner, so everyone tied!
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South Bend Christmas

With Christmas falling on a Wednesday this year, that meant that we got to have an extra long visit down to South Bend- and Tavish and his mom were back in town too!  We drove down Thursday morning to see everyone and have our Christmas together that night.  As always, Diana's dad was able to come over for the festivities, as well as Barbara and James- even Miranda stopped by for the fun!  The boys were so pumped to see each other that they almost forgot that they were going to get more gifts... almost.  The prospect of getting to spend a long weekend together and get lots of toys was almost more than those two boys could bare!  One of the things that Tavish got earlier for Christmas was a VR headset for his PlayStation 4.  This was a source of a ton of fun for the kids- and the adults too!  Everyone got in on the action- even Diana's dad (which was hilarious!).  After a bit of gift giving and a ton of laughs, we were all exhausted and called in a night.
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christmas morn

Ledger excitedly ran into our room, 'There's presents under the tree!' he exclaimed!  Christmas day has begun! Diana and I pull ourselves out of bed, trying to mirror his excitement.  He is so pumped that it is actually pretty infectious.  Now that we are both up, we are all looking forward to the fun that is Christmas morn!  As has been our family's tradition, before we do any gifts we make a special breakfast: cinnamon rolls!  We really only make them on Christmas morning, so for Ledger it is what Christmas smells and tastes like.  We sit down, well as much as a wiggly Ledger is able, and have the delicious food, and then it's time to dig into the bounty under the tree.
We do it in our usual style: one of the gifts is opened and then we take time to play with it and enjoy it before we move on to the next one.  This gives us a chance to actually appreciate each gift and it spreads out the festivities till almost noon!  Gift after gift, Ledger was very excited and pleased with his loot.  This year Ledger had gone out and even picked out gifts for Diana and I too, so he could also be a part of the gift giving, not just the receiving.  For the first time in several years, Diana and I actually agreed to give each other something a little bit more than usual.  I had been looking for the past few weeks and found a few special things for her and she had gotten me some thoughtful gifts as well.  We figured that Ledger is old enough that we should try and instill in him the reality that Christmas is about more than just him getting gifts- other people get gifts too!
Finally, when the very last gift was opened, we exhaustedly took stock of everything and knew one thing above all else was true: it was time for a nap!  Diana and I slinked away to catch a little extra sleep while Ledger had a blast playing with his new stuff.  We knew we could rest easy having had another successful Christmas!
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the night before

Back home from Christmas with my side of the family and boy are we tired!  But even with exhaustion, we've still got some important matters to attend to, namely, we need to set out a treat for Santa because tonight is the big night!  Ledger was super excited about all the excitement that was going to happen the next morning, but actually fell asleep surprisingly quick.  Diana and I were thankful of that because we had a lot of gift wrapping to do!  Once we were certain that he wouldn't be poking his head around the corner, we pulled out all the gifts and wrapping that we had gotten for him- and wow was it a ton!  Diana always yells at me because we get our boy too many presents.  All right, I'm guilty of spoiling him with gifts, that's for sure.  I told her that every year I want the tree to look like it does when I used to wake up on Christmas.  She helpfully reminded me that in my family there were three kids worth of presents under the tree and we've only got one.  Oh, right.  Oops.  Well, it's too late now, huh?  I guess we will just have to spoil him this time...

brinkmas 2019

This year for Christmas we got together on Christmas Eve at Jill and Tim's place.  We promised- promised!- each other that we were going to take it real easy on gifts, only getting stuff for the kids.  Of course, that apparently went out the window immediately!  We got there and started snacking on the delicious appetizers Jill and Mema had made, and enjoying a bit of mom's famous slush.  The kids started by playing a fun game where they could earn different fun toys and gift cards when they got right answers, a silly game that Mema put together.  The kids loved it, especially the prizes!  Soon after, we all gathered around the dinner table and enjoyed some delicious food together.  It's always nice to spend some time with the nieces and nephew- they are getting so old!
Finally it was time for the main event: gifts!  We took turns giving out different prizes to the kids, interspersed with a gift for mom and papa as well.  Tim and Jill didn't follow the rules, of course, and got Diana and I something.  I shook my fist at them because now we feel stupid for actually following the rules and not getting them something.  One of these years we will learn that the rules are never followed...
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christmas lights tour

For decades they have been doing a special Christmas light display at the minor league baseball field in Grand Rapids.  I've always kind of wanted go but have never gotten around to it.  Last year I brought it up to Diana and she thought that would be fun, but we still didn't make the time to do it.  This year I wasn't going to make the same mistake!  We made plans with Savannah's parents and invited her and Matheson to come with us to enjoy the lights.  We were not disappointed!  The ride up was fun because Ledger and Savannah were being so silly together in the back seat.  Matheson, who's five year older, would just roll his eyes, but laughed along too.
The lights themselves were pretty cool!  There was a long and winding path created in the stadium's parking lot.  It was filled with scenes and displays of winter events and characters lit up, blinking, and glowing to fill the night!  There were 'ooh's and 'aah's the whole way through- the kids loved it!  After the light display we took the kids to pizza hut and chowed down together.  The kids were even more boisterous and silly than before, having so much fun just being together!  At the end of the night we reluctantly returned the kids home and concluded our late night adventure together.  Someone is going to be exhausted in school tomorrow...
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oh christmas tree!

We finally found the time to pull out all the Christmas decorations so we could Christmas up the house!  It took everyone a little longer than usual to get in the mood enough to put up the tree and everything.  This was our first year decorating this house and we were initially worried that our little apartment tree might be too small for our huge living room, but as we started to put it up we realized that a smaller tree looks just right in front of the windows!  Ledge has continued his recent trend of going shirtless... but now with a santa hat!  The cool disco lights on the top of the tree don't look quite as cool as they did when we had a twenty foot ceiling, but it'll do.  Now we are ready for all the holiday fun!
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christmas movie night

An important Christmas tradition in our household is watching the Muppet Christmas Carol movie- it's our favorite!  Now that Santa has visited our town, that means that we are totally allowed to watch it.  We made plans to have a holiday movie night together and watch it (for the first time this season, we usually watch it more than once...)  We all got cozy and had a ball- singing along with all the songs and getting ourselves in the proper christmasy mood!

the basement project

The unfinished basement has been serving as a storage area for us since we moved in.  We would go down there if we needed something, but otherwise it went unused.  I've been saying for months that I would organize it all and make a nice cozy place to hang out down there once I got a new tv.  My plan was to take the old tv and bring it downstairs and build an extra living room down there.  Once the tv is set up, then I would be able to take my time and organize all the stuff down there.  Well, now I've got my new tv- that means the next order of business is to get crackin' on that basement!
I talked with my brother-in-law about getting some spare carpet scraps (he's a carpet layer) from him and temporarily carpet as much of the place as I could for now until we get around to finishing the basement.  He came through with a bunch of really great scrap pieces- enough to cover almost half the basement!  I laid it down and set up the tv and blu-ray player so I would have something to watch while I got to work organizing!  The place is already starting to take shape!  Now we've got a nice corner with the old couch and a table as well as a carpeted play area for Ledger.  Pretty soon Diana won't ever see me again because I'll always be hiding out in my cold basement cave- especially in the summer!
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santa came to town

Every year our little town likes to welcome in the holiday season the right way: with a parade and a visit from Santa Claus!  Ledge and I braved the cold to be a part of the celebration.  We went downtown to watch the parade and happened upon a bunch of friends from his school!  We found a nice cozy spot next to them and cheered on the parade as it passed through town.  The parade path ends down by the boardwalk, where we get a chance to line up and see Mr. and Mrs. Clause.
Now that we've got that taken care of, let the holidays begin!
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a very special day

This.  This was a very special day.  One of the things that Diana and I had talked about when we sold the rental property and had a little extra money that I would be able to get a new tv.  I was excited, but knew I should wait until we found a house because I was not interested in moving it from our apartment on the 3rd floor...  Once we moved Diana said I should get the tv.  I wanted to make sure we could take care of our bills first and get ourselves a few necessities like a couch and bed.  Now that we got all that stuff squared away, it was finally time.  I waited until there were some great deals after thanksgiving and finally pulled the trigger.  It was finally delivered.  This was a very special day.  I got for myself a giant 75 inch tv for the living room, and boy am I excited about it!  our last one worked very well, but it was so tiny (55 inches) that there were times I could hardly see it from the couch.  Now though, now we are all set.  I also got a wall mount for it so we can take the whole setup out of the living room and make our huge living room feel even bigger!  Once it was all set up I pulled out Avatar, the same movie I had christened our last tv with, and boy did it look good- I was not disappointed!  Diana still shakes her head every time she looks at it, but she's starting to get used to how big it is.  This was a very special day.  Maybe in another 8 years I'll get another one that's 20 inches bigger...
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lets set sail

One of my goals during this trip to south bend was to round up and bring home all the stuff we still had in storage at Diana's mom and David's house.  We lived there for a little while after we left Griffith, Indiana, and since we hadn't had our own house since then we hadn't been able to take back everything that we had put in storage.  Well, now that we've got our own house, it was time to change that.  I made many trips up and down the ladder in their garage and brought down almost everything (I've still got my comics up there, but I'll be able to get those during the next trip).  One of the things I found while bringing everything down was a really cool playmobile pirate ship set.  We had actually been given it from a friend in Indiana who's children outgrew it.  At the time Ledge was too little to handle all the small parts, so we tucked it away and forgot about it.  When I took it out and brought it inside, Ledge and Tavish thought it was so cool!  They spend the rest of the day checking it out and playing with it together!  When we finally came home we brought it with us and Ledger continued to play with it for the rest of the week- all by himself!  That thing was certainly a hit!
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a visit with chuck

We were trying to think of something fun we could do with the boys while everyone was visiting.  At first we thought about going to see a movie, but their wasn't much in the theater that the boys were excited about.  So instead we went with the old classic: chuck e cheeses!  They were all about that!  I don't think we had ever been do this particular location, but that didn't slow us down.  We headed over there with them and got them all set to play a bunch of fun games.  The two of them had a blast together jumping from one game to the other collecting as many tickets as they could.  The adults might have slipped in an occasional game too, but just to pad out the ticket count, I assure you...
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