Festivals, parks, and parties oh my!

We had a beautiful Saturday here in Michigan and we enjoyed every minute of it outside! Downtown Farmington was having their harvest moon festival so we headed downtown to check out the activities.



Chase couldn't contain himself when he saw the bounce houses. We made it just in time for the barn animal show.









It was such a cute show and kept Chase's attention all the way to the end. After the show the kids hit all the "rides".









They even had a hay maze set up for the kids to play in...






After our morning out we headed to our next stop, a birthday party at the park. It was the perfect day for a party outside and the kids enjoyed every moment of it.






and the birthday girl....



Happy birthday Sarah! After the party we headed over to a friends house for dinner and more playtime. It was quite a day and we enjoyed every moment of it!

T-bird car show

So I am a little out of order in our chain of events but I thought this all T-bird car show Kevin was in a couple of weeks ago was blog worthy.



It was held at a really neat old dairy barn. It was a beautiful day for cars and fun.



The previous years winner circle...



There were plenty of T-birds old and new....











And of course there was our favorite T-bird...



I'm kind of sad we won't be back for this show next year. It was neat to have these Thunderbirds together in one location.

Scooby Doo... Where are you?

September is a CRAZY month for us and I have been feeling the pull of all the craziness. This past Saturday was a fun part of our craziness, it was Chase and (somewhat) Leah's birthday party. Chase and Leah's friends are the same for now so we thought it would be silly to have two parties inviting the same people. Chase, being older, we themed the party for him and then let Leah go along with the flow. This years theme, Scooby Doo. First some before pictures so you get a better idea of the complete chaos that takes place when you have 16 kids in one house.






Dog bowls to hold the food for the Scooby effect. You can't have a Scooby Doo party without having a mystery on your hands. When the kids came in we made sure Chase directed them to the coffee table to place their presents. Once everyone arrived we headed downstairs and let the kids have a little fun making dog bones and puppy paws....






When the kids were done with their cookies I gathered them together and told them we were going to start the party with opening presents and sent them back upstairs to where they left their presents. Well when they all got upstairs where the presents once were they were missing and all that they found in their place was an envelope...



In the envelope the clue read, "I've taken your presents, you won't get them back without some work and a plan of attack. Find Chase's "mummy" who's waiting for you, she's got the rolls and knows what to do." The kids came racing down the stairs accusing me of stealing their presents. I quickly explained to them that I didn't have them but I had a clue to help them find them but first they had to turn me into a mummy...






Once we were sufficiently "mummified" I read them the next clue. "Doggie, Doggie where's your bone? When you find one there might be a clue, bring it to me to help Scooby Doo." The kids raced upstairs where they went on a scavenger hunt for doggie bones.



Attached to the bottom of one of the dog bones was the next clue. "Scooby's getting hungry! Let's find him a treat! Using only your mouth grab one to eat."
They once again raced back down stairs to me and as soon as they saw the buckets they told me they were only allowed to use their mouths...



After each kid had grabbed their snack they looked underneath and found the next clue. "Scooby's hanging around waiting for you, he's got loads of candy and I bet a clue too." It didn't take them but about a second to run over to the pinata...






Luckily we didn't have to bust out the bat this year, the strings worked. There is nothing scarier than 4 year olds in a small room with a bat in their hands.



They collected their candy and found puzzle pieces that they put together to get the next clue.



The kids raced upstairs and followed the "foot prints" to find their presents...






Of course once presents were found, they were opened.



After presents were opened everyone enjoyed some dinner and playtime.






Ummm, I guess next year we need more adult seating. After food there was of course cake...






The party was so much fun and the kids had a great time! After some of the chaos slowed down Leah opened her presents.






What an exciting afternoon! Thank you everyone for celebrating with us!

This if for you Aunt Steph

We all have things that completely gross us out and Chase LOVES something that will make Aunt Steph gag...






He LOVES chips with ketchup. I have to agree with you Steph, this is pretty gross!

New beginings

Life has been beyond crazy for us lately but we have been having a good time in the midst of our craziness. Last Monday morning was Chase's first day of preschool.



All of Chase's good friends from last year are in his class this year. I feel bad for their teacher. Four highly active boys who are already good friends, which means they not only have a good time together but also know how to fight well together. To top it off, they all kind of look alike. Chase was so excited for his first day.



He had a great day and enjoyed being in school with his friends. Tuesday morning Chase had another first, his first swim lesson.



He opted to take the water basic class which means he basically just gets to play in the pool. He had a great time and hopefully by the end of the class he will be ready for a little more swimming and a little less playing.

The surprise!

With all the planning and anticipation leading up to the big surprise dinner for my mom, we were so nervous waiting on her to arrive at the restaurant. Nick (my brother) had just returned from a deployment in Peru the week before to his home in Las Vegas. He had flown into Charlotte Wednesday night and spent the evening/night with Cameron's (his wife) parents. Dad left for "work" (he really had the day off) Thursday morning and picked Nick up and spent the day with him. Around 4:00 pm Dad dropped Nick off with kevin and I and headed home to pick Mom up for dinner. Laura had "plans" that evening keeping her from joining them out to dinner. Dad had told mom that he was taking her out of town for the weekend to make sure she did not have to work on Friday or for the rest of the weekend. All the plans were set into motion and we were headed to the restaurant....


We all waited nervously...



A little table decoration...


Finally they arrived and the hostess showed them back to their table....



She had no clue and she cried...



It was a great surprise! After dinner she was embarrassed with a little happy birthday song and cake...



It was an amazing evening for an amazing Woman! The fun did not stop with dinner, she was stuck with us for the next day and a half! Us adults stayed up way too late playing cards making it hard to keep up with the kids the next morning...



Everyone can have fun with play dough...



Chase sat himself down in Grandpas chair and just like giving a mouse a cookie, he quickly asked for the TV to be turned on, then Grandpa to watch it with him, then of course if you are in Grandpas chair watching TV you have to have a Popsicle...



Daddy and Grandpa took the kids to the park and afterwards Grandma took the kids shopping to pick out birthday presents! Chase was so excited about his new "light up" backpack and his new spiderman gear...



Leah would not put down her new hello kitty cup and loved her new "pretties"...



Wow! We had such a wonderful time we were so sad that it was so short and went by so quickly.






Happy Birthday Mom! We love you! Before we departed we grabbed some family photos with the kids...