Progress on the Deck

Lest we bore some of you with too many details about the deck progress, I will just post pictures for now. It is coming along! You can see three pergola top boards by the deck door to the living room. That pattern will continue across the deck. The boards are spaced about every foot. The other new thing is the addition on the front for the grills.

We've Begun the Deck!

Over the weekend Mike started building the deck off the kitchen and living room. It is very exciting to see progress. Almost all the deck boards are on (some need to wait until the posts go up) and work has begun on the pergola which is going over the deck. The pergola will extend from the overhang out to a foot past the edge of the deck. There are some challenges to building it, including attaching to the house. And then the pergola has to built around a gutter that runs along the edge of the overhang. Mike is up to the challenge, though, and is making good progress after Labor Day weekend.

Here is a site that gives you a sample of some pergola designs. A pergola is basically a structure that provides some shelter and shade (not water-proof) for an outdoor area.

http://www.gardenstructure.com/page/custom_pergola_plans.html

We are also planning on adding a larger concrete landing and a pergola by our front entrance. This will coordinate the exterior and add a better transition into the house (plus give a nice spot to sit outside and observe activity in the driveway). When this happens, we're not sure, but it's in the plans. The back deck will not have a pergola. It will be nice to enjoy the views of the pond from the deck once it is finished.

First Day of School

School finally started today!! The anticipation nearly killed all of us. Emily (in seventh grade this year) was the earliest to rise, getting up at 6:15. The middle school she attends starts at 7:40. It is located right up the street from our house, and her and a friend across the street will be walking together. She was out the door before the boys were up at 7:20. Avritt started second grade today and seemed to have a good day. We always get fewer details about his day. According to him, the only thing he remembers doing is running around the gym during P.E. Isaac and I attended his first day (afternoon young-fives program) together. We were introduced to the classroom, all the policies and procedures, and met half of his class (half of the class went at a time). He seemed to hit it off with a couple of other boys and played with matchbox cars and a parking garage (the kind with cool trap doors) in the classroom for awhile. He will be picked up by a pre-k/kindergarden bus at around 12:15 and then ride home on a regular bus with Avritt after school. Avritt will faithfully fulfill his duty of helping his brother get on the bus and sitting with him -- but only for a couple weeks. Ginger and Isaac will have time to do some fun things in the mornings (like relax and snuggle on the couch after everyone else is gone, library story time, playing Uno -- Isaac is on a 3-0 winning streak, and just enjoying a little peace and quiet). Summer vacation is always enjoyable with its lack of structure and relief from the grind of school every day, and fall is always a relief from too much unstructured time with its return to a daily routine. And time passes...

Many thanks for the presents!

Isaac received a pair of spy binoculars (spy equipment is a hot thing around here right now) and a game for his Leapster from his Grandma Pat and Grandpa Ted. Thanks!


Thanks, Grandma Marcia and Grandpa Jay, for the Playmobil Golden Knight and book.


Introducing...the newest Jedi Knight ready to wield the force! Thanks, Amber and Devin.

Isaac's Birthday

Isaac turned five last Saturday. He had a party at a local pizza/arcade place with three of his friends from school last year. He had a great time with Mike playing games -- his favorite was an off-road race car game. Unfortunately, he caught a virus and had a fever for a couple of days, so he didn't have quite as much fun as normal. You can see his Batman-themed cake in picture. His favorite present was a Batboat that turns into a Batplane. Thank you to all the family and friends that sent him presents.

Isaac Learned to Ride a Bike!!

A few days ago Isaac learned how to ride a bike. He just barely slipped it in before turning five on Saturday! A few weeks ago Ginger took him out and they just didn't have any success. But this week, it was a different story. After just about 15 minutes of practice, Isaac was riding by himself. He still needs to work on stopping and starting, but he almost has that down already. He is enjoying being able to ride with his brother and mom around the neighborhood and up to the school where he will be going next week. Since he will be riding his brother's old bike, he got to go to a local specialty toy store and pick out something. He chose a Playmobil trebuchet and knight set (the trebuchet actually launches the rocks). Isaac and Avritt have been playing knights since then. With only 5 more playing days until school starts, they are making the most of their time!

Fall is Drawing Near

School starts soon and summer vacation will soon be a memory. The kids are gearing up for the new year--after a visit to Office Max. We are counting down until August 30th. Ginger starts teaching a college math class next week, though, so she is busy trying to get ready while wrapping up plans for her sister's baby shower this Saturday. Mike, who is over Information Systems at a local college, is swamped with preparations for the fall semester. Laptops are handed out to all freshman, and juniors, staff, and faculty get their two-year-old machines renewed. Emily will be in 7th grade this year and will start at a new middle school. Avritt will be in 2nd grade and Isaac in a young fives pre-k class at the same elementary school. They will ride the bus home together. Ginger will enjoy having every afternoon available for teaching/prep responsibilites and also the occasional dentist appointment without having to get a babysitter (the first time in twelve years). Soon the warm summer air of this picture will turn into a cool autumn wind that will chill all that has been sun-baked over the last few months, something a post on a weblog will not stop.

Summer Fun

Avritt and Isaac have been busy playing this summer. One day they built boats out of pillows, chairs, and egg beaters for the motor. Isaac is wearing a "scuba-diving" mask. Other things they have enjoyed is light-sabering, bike riding, scooter riding, swimming in our neighbor's pool, and of course, there's always driving each other crazy!

Avritt has been taking swimming lessons this summer and has learned a lot. He can now do the freestyle (with the side breathing and everything), elementary backstroke, back crawl, and sidestroke.

Emily is taking part in a band camp at a local college this week. She plays clarinet in the band and is part of a solo performance class. She also signed up for a piano class, an instrument that she previously played and has enjoyed returning to this week.

Grandma Pat and Grandpa Ted visit

We enjoyed a visit by Grandma Pat and Grandpa Ted a few weeks ago. They brought a building set that Avritt and Ted used to build a space ship and a tow truck. We went miniature golfing and got rained out. Then we tried to go back, and got rained out again. After going for ice cream, we tried again and finally got to finish our game. Avritt got several holes in one.

Horseback Riding

Last week we went horseback riding. Emily went to this ranch a few years ago with some friends and has been asking ever since. The kids had a lot of fun. We took a friend, Jackie, with us and went on an hour ride. Emily's horse was named Flickka, Avritt's was Chief, Isaac's was Dewdrop, Ginger's was Beauty, and Jackie's was Redbird. Isaac and Avritt both rode their own horses, which were led by our guide. The horses were allowed to trot three times along the trail, which was pretty fun. The boys managed to stay on the horses for the whole hour. We then ate at a local diner and headed out to the Lake. It was very cold, but a stream running into the Lake provided us with a little warmer water to play in. The kids didn't mind freezing.

Mike and the boys on the beach with their castle. (Emily helped, too) 

The kids at the nature center. 

Avritt at the campsite. 

Isaac in his camo. 

Emily riding bikes. 

Hiking down the trail. 

The beautiful Lake. 

Sitting around the campfire. 

Camping Trip

We are back from camping today! We had a very good time together as a family and with some friends who visited over July 4th. Some of the highlights:

Swimming at the beach
Building sand castles
Sitting around the campfire
Great camp food including some roasted apples stuffed with raisins, butter, and cinnamon sugar
Riding bikes
Visit to the nature center at the state park
Butterfly catching
Owl prowl (a local expert on owls took a group through the woods looking for owls)
Climbing a huge sand dune and running down
Flying owl kites on the beach
Walking on trails through the woods

We had heavy rain the first night we were there, and then a beautiful 3 or 4 days of perfect weather. Unfortunately, the weather on the 4th was lacking and we packed up damp this morning. The first two or three nights were so warm we didn't want to get into our sleeping bags. Then, one night the temperatures dropped into the 40s and we were glad we had them with us. Mike and Avritt managed to catch some nice waves on boogie boards one of the days. We caught tadpoles in the stream that runs into the lake. We saw a bard owl flying around the woods and one night it interrupted our sleep late at night with its loud hoot. It was a great time with the kids. They enjoyed being able to ride their bikes around the campground, the snacks that I don't usually have at home, and s'mores.

Emily's cool desk chair. (She wouldn't pose for the picture due to her still being in her pajamas at 5:00 p.m. Ah, the fun of summer!) 

The chair when Isaac needs some privacy. 

Isaac's egg chair. It spins and the top folds down. It's deeper than it looks here - he usually climbs up into it, but wasn't very cooperative for the picture. Oh well. 

Avritt as Darth in his new hanging chair. Notice Isaac sleeping in the bottom bunk on the left. He can sleep through about anything when he's really tired. 

The boys at a going-away party for their friend, Matthew. It was over 90 degrees that day and the kids were outside for about 4 hours. They got wet to stay cool. 

Summer has begun

Summer vacation has now arrived at our house.

The good things:
1. sleeping in until at least 8
2. kids are home
3. no need to shower until right before Mike gets home
4. swimming in our neighbor's pool
5. Isaac has playmates
6. sunshine
7. Emily has been making lunches

The bad things:
1. kids are home all day together and they drive each other crazy sometimes
2. it has been hot here in Michigan lately (we now have air conditioning!)
3. too much free time if we don't structure our day
4. kids don't get to see their friends as much
5. the house is rarely quiet anymore

We are enjoying our air conditioning because it has gotten hot here in Michigan. We had a good Father's Day with Mike. He received a Star Wars music CD from the kids and wireless headphones from me so he can watch TV in bed and not have to string a cord across the room. Mike requested Grilled Salmon with Ravigote Sauce (freshly chopped tomatoes, onions, green onions, parsley, oil, and lemon juice) over couscous.

We took a trip last week to visit our friends who recently moved and then drove to visit my sister and go to IKEA for some bamboo blinds for the house. The kids also got to pick out one thing each. The pictures show the fun things they got. We apparently had a chair theme. Avritt is Darth in the hanging chair. The kids have discovered that if you wind it up by spinning it in one direction and then let go, it spins really fast (amazingly fast, actually) and is a fun ride. Isaac likes his egg chair because he can pull down the cover and disappear. Emily chose a desk chair for her room.

Emily was not excited about me taking her picture. This was an inning before the collision with the softball. 

Mike coaching. 

Ginger's Dad is Home and other news about the kids

Ginger returned home from Iowa City on Sunday night. She was glad to be with her parents during her dad's surgery, but it was good to come home.

Ginger's dad is home from the hospital tonight. He is doing quite well considering he had brain surgery last six days ago and a mild stroke 5 days ago. He will need to continue to work on his balance and coordination and speech, but his doctors are confident that he will regain what minor setbacks he experienced.

As far as the kids go, Emily had her last softball game tonight. Emily was sliding into home plate and got bopped with the ball and now has a black and blue nose. Her team had a good season, and Mike enjoyed coaching her team this year.

Avritt has his last game tomorrow. Hopefully it won't be as hot as today. It was 88 degrees at 9:00 p.m. It was suffocating weather for a game.

Isaac and Ginger went outside this afternoon for a water gun fight. It was refreshing and a lot of fun. Ginger used a squirt bottle (which actually worked better than the water gun) and had a blast chasing Isaac around the yard. They used play shields to try to block the attacks. Our house had air conditioning, but Mike still needs to run a circuit before we can use it. The house was 85 degrees inside today.

More News

Jay is out of Intensive Care today. He is doing well considering all he has been through. He has been struggling with nausea today, but managed to sit up twice. His balance will take some time to come back. His brain has to relearn to orient itself and balance after the surgery. We're hoping that tomorrow he will be able to stand up. Please pray that Jay will have a positive attitude, be patient, and take his recovery one day at a time.

Ginger's Dad is Doing Great After Surgery!

Great news from Iowa - Ginger's dad is doing well after about 8 hours of surgery today to remove a tumor from behind his right ear. The doctor reported that the tumor was not entwined with the nerve that controls facial muscles, and so that will not be a concern for recovery. They do not expect him to have problems with balance, either. They were very pleased with the surgery. The tumor turned out to be 3 cm wide at the largest place. This type of tumor tends to stick to tissue, and although it didn't stick to the facial muscle nerve, it was pretty sticky on the brain stem. They took as much as they could get and cauterized what was still there. They are not expected the tumor to grow again, but will keep a watch. Jay has been moved to intensive care and will most likely be moved to a room tomorrow. Please pray that his blood pressure will come down. It has been high since this morning. God has answered many prayers over the last week, including providing a room for Ginger's mom in the hospital. Ginger's sisters and other friends will be travelling over the next couple of days. She will be coming home on Saturday. Mike is home holding down the fort and doing a great job!