Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone, we are thankful for all of you!

Max rocks it out!

Traverse City

Saturday we went to Traverse City. Jason and I started our day with a 90 minute couples massage. That was heaven. We then met up with our friends at our hotel and hit the Old Mission vineyards. It is so breathtakenly beautiful up there. If I ever become a multimillionaire, I would love to have my own little hobby vineyard. We got to taste a lot of great wine and I restocked my supply. After our vineyard trip we all went out for dinner. It was a great time. We hit up some of the local establishments after dinner and then were all in bed by midnight. What can I say, we're getting old. It was a fantastic trip. On the way home Jason and I went to see New Moon. It was okay. The book is just so much better.





Jeff and Sarah. This trip was in honor of Sarah's 30th birthday. Happy birthday Sarah!

Aaron and Melissa. I don't know if this compared to the vineyards they were just visiting in Italy but they didn't complain.

I love this metal art!

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This is Cooper. He has his own wine label. He apparently really likes chips and was pouring on the charm hoping that Mark would give him one. It was adorable.

Peninsula Cellars is in this old converted school house. It was great.

The crew. Jason and I, Jeff and Sarah, Aaron and Melissa and Jeff's sister Andrea and her husband Mark. Its hard to not have a great time when you are with great friends!

Dinner with friends

Last night we went to a Japanese steakhouse for my birthday. Our friends Mitch and Cynthia, Sharpy and Melissa were nice enough to grace us with their presence. It was a lot of fun and the food was so good. It was a great night and a great birthday. Thanks everyone.

daycare problem

I think our daycare problem might be solved. I think Jason's sister Kate is going to start watching the boys for us. I am super excited about this solution and hope it works out. Keep your fingers crossed for us.

Help

We are losing our daycare. We have been blessed with a wonderful daycare for the past 3 years. My boys love going there and they are lovingly cared for. I have no worries about dropping them off. I alway tell eveyone how lucky we are to have such an awesome daycare. I don't know what I am going to do. I am physicaly ill when I think about someone else watching my kids. It will be like dropping them off at daycare for the first time all over again. I can't even take Micah to the nursery at church. I drop him off every Sunday and every Sunday I have to go get him because he won't stop crying. Jamie's house is the only place he will go and not cry. I just don't know what to do.

Someone turned in our daycare for being unlisenced. There were no complaints about childcare just that it was unlisenced. So Jamie has decided to close her doors. She doesn't want to stop watching my kids and I don't want her too but she doesn't have a choice. If she gets licensed, she can only watch 3 kids without hiring someone. She has 3 girls of her own and hiring someone to help doesn't make sense financially. I am furious that the government can tell me who can watch my kids. How dare they. I understand that some regulation is needed but the republican in me is screaming mad that government is interfering with my life and my kid's lives. I know it won't help but I will be writing letters. I don't know what else to do.

I just feel so lost. I don't know where to go. I don't even know how to start looking for a stranger to care for my children. I just don't think any place will be good enough. If you know of any place will you let me know?

Don't cry over spilled..................

I know the old saying, don't cry over spilled milk but what about spilled wine? What a silly thing to be crying about right? Well, last night Micah pulled over my wine rack. It held six silly bottles of wine. One of these bottles I hold dear to my heart. I know that in itself sounds ridiculous. This bottle of wine was a gift to me the last time I went to Spain. It was given to me by my friend Blanca's dad. I don't know how much it cost or how good it was but like me it was starting to get some age on it. It was from 1998. I know in wine years that isn't a lot but I was planning to save it for a long time. I kept telling myself that I would save it for a special occasion. Many great occasions have come and gone and I just couldn't bring myself to open it. Well, Micah sure opened it for me last night. It shattered into a million pieces all over the floor. The poor little guy stood in a pool of Spanish wine soaking up what he could with his socks. I was not upset with him but my heart did sink a little when I saw that the only bottle of wine broken was of course the one that I didn't want to be. Perhaps it was a precursor to today being Friday the 13th, or perhaps its just a lesson to enjoy life when you have the chance because who knows when that chance will be gone.

Go Micah Go.

Outside

These came off of a shrub in my front yard. Does anyone know if they are poisonous?

Happy Birthday Grandpa Don!

Grandpa, Max and baby Blake

Micah kept this on his head for a long time. He would cry if you took it off. What a little wierdo, but I love him.

Happy birthday Grandpa!

oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, OH MY GOSH!

Tomorrow is actually Grandpa Don's birthday but we celebrated yesterday. All Grandpa has talked about for the last 6 months is a play station 3. So we all pitched in and got him one. He was a very happy grandpa. We then proceded to eat a lot and watch blue ray, crystal clear movies. Great day!

A surprise party

some of us lovely ladies enjoying ourselves at the party.

Saturday evening we went to my sister's house for dinner and then she kept the boys for us for a couple of hours so we could go to a surprise party for our friend Randy. We were all gathered in the living room waiting to spring our surprises on Randy and he walked in and started checking out the new blinds on the windows. It took him about 3 minutes to realize we were all there. Classic. It was a nice time. The boys had a ton of fun at my sister's house too. My sister called me yesterday to let me know she found batteries in her tissue box. What my boys get into.

A visit with the Nelsons and Shaws and Priests

We went to visit the Nelson family Friday evening. Carol, Dan and Amya are here visiting so all of the Nelsons (minus Bryce and Suria) were all gathered at Cheryl's house. It was so nice to see everyone. We had a lot of fun and the boys had a riot too. Its funny how you can find such comfort in chaos. Anytime you have that many kids together, there is bound to be chaos and its so great. We would have loved to stay longer but Micah wasn't feeling good. Great to see you all!

Danielle and adorable Willow.

Dan didn't know I was taking this picture, sorry Dan.

Carol and Amya are both so pretty!

Burt taking it all in.

Max had so much fun playing with Bear. They went from wrestling to pattycake.....funny.

Max also had a blast rough housing with John.