Mt. Pisgah

On Monday night, we planned on soaking up the last bit of blissful weather and walking the pier at Holland State Park. We detoured and decided to climb the new boardwalk up Mt. Pisgah. The new project was just completed last Saturday and is surely to be a popular spot in Holland. Of course we forgot our camera in the car. We plan to go back in about a week when the colors have peaked. It's also an added workout if you strap Jake in a backpack on! I can't wait to take my Dad out there. He climbs Rosy Mound in Grand Haven with some guys from work every day during the week. His legs are made of steel and he could definitely out climb me on any given day. So Dad...maybe I've found my new found challenge - to beat you! Watch out.

Fall

Jake got to see his cousins this weekend. He was surrounded by girls! We had such a good time. We spent yesterday at Post Family Farms in Hudsonville. We had a hayride out to the pumpkin patch (stopping at the corn maze on the way - thanks for leading the way Sydnee). Another highlight was the fresh made donuts. YUM!

I love the last picture. These goats stand at the top of this wooden structure waiting for food to be cranked up. Kids can fill the tin cans w/food and turn a handle and watch their food climb it's way up to the awaiting goats. The amazing thing is the small planks that connect the platforms that these goats walk on. I would've paid for the $6 wristband just to see this debut.

Bundle Up

Jake and I went for an early morning walk this morning. I always think he looks so old when he wears a hat. As much as I love summer, I really do look forward to putting the hoodies on and snuggling under a blanket.

I'm glad I went for this exercise jaunt this morning. The day brought forth some unplanned emotions. A 7th grade boy from Harbor Lights was killed on the way to school today riding his bike on Riley Street. There were a lot of tears in the school today. Please pray for these students, teachers, and the family of this boy.

Following the lunchrooms, I met with a former middle school student of mine. She is the coolest girl who has had a lot of heartache in life. She told me today that there is not a day that goes by in her life that she doesn't think of her Dad that ran out on their family several years ago. The upside of this conversation was that she loves Jesus and knows that God is her ultimate Dad!

When I have days like these it makes me hold Jake a little closer and be thankful a little more!

Coffee anyone?

So this morning Jake started our day at 5:30 a.m. He was particularly rambunctious today. Into EVERYTHING! He's obsessed with pushing the buttons on our T.V. We've tried all tactics to get him to stop. If the bathroom doors are left open he lifts the toilet seat and has splash time. On a daily basis he eats as if he's been deprived of food and Caveman comes to mind. Trying to get ready in the morning is not getting any easier. The final straw this morning was when I was writing a check and turned around to see my son standing at the kitchen trash can, face covered in coffee grounds. Yes, his fists were full and he was chewing awkwardly and making faces. I screamed and scooped him up while trying to do damage control. My Mom watched him today and she said that trying to change his diaper was like wrestling an alligator. I told her that it might be the coffee he had this morning!

This past week

• On Tuesday Jake got his first official haircut. The curls are gone! He did pretty well. He now looks like a little boy and the baby stage is officially over. Of course I didn't have my camera.
• I continued on my diet but last night Scott and I went to G.R. and I caved on every account - appetizers, dinner, and dessert. Tomorrow is a new day.
• We got new phones on Saturday. No more NEXTEL! As much as we wanted the iPhones we decided we can settle for the Sprint Instincts (a knock-off of the iPhone). So far, we're having a lot of fun with them!
• Jake got his halloween costume from Aunt Kate. Looks like he'll be a monkey this year. It's appropriate because he loves bananas. He eats one everyday. I can't wait for Halloween.
• We attempted to take Jake's pacifier away this weekend. It wasn't very well thought out though because he was staying at Grandma and Grandpa's house on Saturday and we weren't going to make them go through this. Maybe we'll try again later this week.
• Scott turned 32 on Wednesday. We went out for dinner with family and a couple friends to celebrate his birthday!
  

Fair

We had such a fun day today. Grandma and Grandpa picked us up this morning after church and we headed to the Allegan County Fair. We toured the animal barns, had lunch, and people watched (enough said). Scott and Grandpa got suckered into paying $1 to see a 75 lb. rat. To their disappointment it didn't look like a rat at all. It appeared to be a giant rodent resembling a hamster. For some reason my favorite barn is the cows. I think their cute for some reason when they're all cleaned up and shiny. I like the light brown ones with a block head and wrinkled neck. As much as I love them, I felt zero guilt for eating a fat burger the night before. My least favorite are the chickens. I have a secret fear of the Asian bird flu. After strolling through the aisles of these cluckers, I do get disgusted by eating a chicken breast. Jake was very intrigued by it all. He fell asleep in the car before we even got out of the parking lot (o.k... the parking field).

A Weekend Home

It's good to be at home this weekend. Finally a Saturday that we could go to the Farmer's market and casually walk downtown without being in a hurry. Scott played golf this morning and Kate and I ventured out this mid-day. Apparently there were hundreds of other people who also had the same idea. We bought tomatoes, peppers, onions, apples, and peaches. The tomatoes were huge. My favorite thing to eat these days is a piece of toast w/mayo and salted tomato slices. If I had the motivation I'd make some bacon also.

It's good to slow down and love up this weather!