Week Eleven

On Monday, we went to Cabarfae for our last ski day. It was sunny and like 45 degrees; such an amazing day to be skiing.  The added bonus for me was that the temperature made the snow pretty slushy, so the runs were slower than the last time we had gone.  This was a big confidence builder for me.  I have to say, I think skiing is soooo fun.  I am slow and very, very cautious, but I really enjoy it.  It doesn't really bother me that I'm not that good at it.  I really hope that I can get a bit better and more confident every year.  The Nymans actually ended up coming up to ski the same day and they brought us a harness to use with Zaya.  Rob used it for a couple of runs and then I let someone else borrow it.  While they were borrowing it, Zaya wanted to go out again, so Rob took her up the chairlift and told her she had to learn to ski on her own.  She was AMAZING.  I'm not even sure that she fell at all.  She was so confident and even learned to turn and slow down on her own.  She didn't want to stop skiing.  Brooklen had fun skiing with friends and I was confident enough to spend some time skiing by myself and with my kids.  Hurley was having a pretty emotionally rough day, so she didn't have as much fun as last time, but that's okay.At the end of the day, I was actually sad thinking about the fact that winter is pretty much over.

For the entire week, Midland temperatures made it feel like spring.  The kids played outside a little, the snow on our grass melted, and I took a couple walks during the days with the little kids.  We also shopped for seeds and Rob and Brooklen started our tomato plants in the basement.  I am excited to spend more time outside, but a little sad that I can't be such a "hermit" anymore!

Zaya had a couple of playdates this week.  Jack came over on Tuesday after school and then Zaya went over to the Larsens to play with Kate and Amelia after school on Thursday.  The kids also got to pick out books at the book fair on Thursday.  On Tuesday, I was able to volunteer in Hurley's classroom.  I haven't gotten in there very much this year and it is really quite a bummer.  I love watching her interact and it makes me very happy to be in there and see that she is definitely one of the brightest and most well-behaved kids in the class.

On Friday after school, Charlotte Nicholas came over with her kids, Kyra and Evan.  Kyra is in Brooklen's class and Evan is in Hurley's class.  The kids played for a while and Charlotte and I had a great time having some adult conversation.

On Saturday, Rob had to go down to Detroit to put up some more lights in our house.  We plan to officially put it on the market on April 1st.  The kids and I headed out at about 10am.  First, we went to the Library to check out more books.  Of course, we always spend way more time that we intend to when we go there.  Next, we headed to Dow Gardens to see the Butterfly House.  It was a cloudy day, so unfortunately, most of the butterflies were hanging out near the ceiling.  The girls did catch two butterflies and we had fun, but we will probably go again on a sunny day so we can have a better chance at holding more of them.

After we left Dow Gardens, we ran home to pick up the stroller and I quickly made some peanut butter sandwiches.  Then, we went downtown for a Pi Day celebration.  15 of the merchants were giving out pie samples and then the public could vote on their favorites.  The kids loved it, although I didn't think about how much sugar they were going to be consuming!  I didn't try most of them, but I did sample a pasty pie.  I've been wanting to try one of these UP treasures, and I'm glad I finally did.  The kids loved it, and when I came home, I googled some recipes and put it on my menu for the week.

Afterwards, we headed to the mall.  Younkers is apparently trying to inquire new customers and they had sent me $100 in coupon cash.  $100 of $100 in purchases!  So fun!  I bought Brooklen a Nike shirt and a Puma shirt.  He is getting into wearing athletic apparel and it is so cute to have him want to be involved in choosing his clothes.  Afterwards, we walked through the mall and Brooklen saw a baseball card booth.  He has really been in to reading biographies lately and he recently read the biography of Jackie Robinson.  He found a Jackie Robinson card and bought it for a quarter.  He was so proud of his purchase.  When we got home, he asked to google it.  He was super stoked to find out that people were selling the exact same card on ebay for $1.99!  I just love how much joy he has.  I hope he never changes; he is such a happy kid.  His teacher emailed me this week the following message:

Good Afternoon,
I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy having Brooklen in my class.  He is having a fantastic year.  He is doing a great job in all areas.  If you have any questions or concerns please don't hesitate to let me know .

Thanks,

Mr. Staley

My heart just bursts with pride for my little family!