The Bellangers

Happy Birthday Alex!

2011-10-05T10:04:00.000-04:00

Our little man is 9 as of yesterday. How time flies! He spent his day going to pottery class, eating lunch at McDonalds, spending his birthday money at Toys R Us, and going to the video game store to get his gift from us, a Playstation 2. He was happy above happy and I think it was a great way to spend his day. Tomorrow we are going to ZapZone, a local lazer tag place to have fun with two of his friends and his brother. Good times! Here is a photo he had me take of him enjoying his "birthday burger" :)

Camping Horrors

2011-09-20T17:15:00.001-04:00

We went camping on Wednesday, a day later than we had planned and boy howdy, was it cold! We went up to Hayes State park in Irish Hills, which is just beautiful by the way, and had a great drive up. We took some photos, saw some deer, went on a nature walk and started a fire. Then it rained. And rained. And rained some more. It started about 5:30, just are we were roasting our weenies and didn't end until about 11pm. That wouldn't have been bad, except the temperature plunged down into the low 40's high 30's overnight. Despite the huddling, the extra blankets and the jammies, we were all popsicles by the time dawn came. Did I mention that Carl was sniffling and fighting a sore throat this whole time? So we did what any sensible American would do. We went out to breakfast, warmed up and packed to go. We were home by noon and we regret nothing! Here are some of the shots we got during our short trip.

These deer were only about 10 feet from us. So beautiful!

You should be able to click on these to make them bigger. If you do, you may notice that these enormous birds are indeed vultures. They were rright above us in the abandoned twin towers as we shot our new blog family photo. They were enormous! You could hear them walking around on the railing 50 ft. over our heads. Added nicely to the creepiness of the building.
This trail was behind our campsite. Made for a great nature walk!

Some fungi growing on a log.

Rain...

This was the little screened in space in front of our tent . By the time morning came, it was full of water.

Vacation Adventures!

2011-09-11T21:35:00.001-04:00

Today we went to the Henry Ford Village as part one of our vacation. Carl is off work for the next 8 days so we are making the most of it by going and doing something each day. Especially since we helped his Aunt move yesterday, the first day of his vacation and we are helping again tomorrow. Today there was a classic car show. It was one of the neatest I have been to because all of the cars were pre-1940. There were wooden motorcycles, old bicycles and this cool car which was my personal favorite!

Alex took that shot with his new camera, along with this one of a "huge" turtle that was in one of the ponds. He thought it was funny that he caught a picture of the turtle and a hot girl at the same time. A fabulous mix of the child he still is and the man he is trying to become!

Homeschooling 2011

2011-09-09T13:18:00.000-04:00

Hooray for homeschooling! Both boys are staying home with us this year. (We have had Alex home since February) We are excited to start this new year with some new ideas and a bit of experience under out belt. We figured out what works, and what doesn't, but I am sure there will be many things we will be adding to that list as time goes on. At this moment, the boys are outside on a photo scavenger hunt. They each received a camera at the beginning of this year and are going to complete a few photo projects over the year. Today we decided to let them do some practicing by finding objects around our neighborhood they could photograph. Some things on their lists are two trees together, the left one shorter than the right, a bench, a purple flower and a mushroom. I am excited to see what their creative minds come up with. They may find a mushroom growing, or find one on a garden sign. Their possibilities are endless and that is what we love most about homeschooling our boys. There is a whole world for them to explore and we are excited to be part of the tour!

Some upcoming activities we will be posting about are the camping trip we leave for on Tuesday, projects from their upcoming pottery class and our trip down to Ohio next weekend. Also in the future, our Homeschooling Halloween Party we are hosting, A homeschool adventure at the Toledo zoo and once we find the right studio, martial art lessons.

Trip today!

2011-05-23T06:18:00.000-04:00

Jacob and I start our 4 day long trip to the U.P. today! (Upper Peninsula for you non-Michiganders) He is super excited and so am I now that I am done packing and am pretty sure I haven't forgotten anything. I had my birthday party last night with Carl's family and I got pretty stocked up for today. Some new shirts, a new wallet, sunglasses, a hat and some spending cash to buy fudge in Mackinac. Yum! Tell y'all about it when we get back!

Talent Show!

2011-05-19T09:58:00.000-04:00

Jacob is participating in his school's talent show again today. He is doing a violin duet with his violin teacher. We are super excited. I am going to take some video with his new camcorder, so when I get the video uploaded I will post it here. :) Show starts at 12:15 if anyone is looking to go to the most wonderful, awesome and humbling talent show ever known! Watching these kids get up and perform their hearts out with no fear or pride brings a tear to my eye every time. Getting me a little choked up right now to be honest! So, Burger School, Garden City, on Maplewood, East of Merriman, North of Ford. Be there or be square!

A general update

2011-05-15T07:45:00.000-04:00

Things have never been so crazy at our house! We are homeschooling Alex, Carl has a really unpredictable schedule for half the week, Jacob is taking violin and soccer, Alex is taking guitar, all three men have scouts on Tuesdays. I am starting school soon, just started a new blog chronicling my efforts to lose weight, volunteering all this week setting up Jake's talent show at school, then the next week going on a four day trip around Michigan with him. Park days, field trips, shopping, teaching...Let's face it, these past two months have just been hectic! I don't really see an end to the craziness until school is out in June. Then we may get some peace, but not likely! Once, Carl's sister Mandy came over and said that there were only a few days on my calendar that were empty. She should see it now! So, I will try to be more vigilant about keeping this blog up to date, especially since I have not been on facebook more than a handful of times in the past two months. Wish me luck!

Homeschoolin!

2011-05-11T09:47:00.000-04:00

I know, I have been less than blog like as of late, especially after my vow to blog more regularly. But with Homeschooling and soccer and music lessons we have been swamped with little spare time for me to blog. So, I will try to be more vigilant in the future and we'll see what happens! ha

So far everyone is alive and kicking in the homeschooling front. We have joined up with a great online group that gets together for field trips and fairs often. Infact, we are going to a homeschool chess meet in an hour that is every other week at the Novi library. We are really having such a good time! Our main concerns so far seem to be getting Alex to focus and be more self motivated. But we have a lot of hope for our future. After all we are all still de-schooling!

Mommy N' Me

2011-01-26T20:02:00.000-05:00

I thought I would do my next shout out to my sister Jill and her awesome store, Mommy N' Me. It is located in Rexburg, ID and is a consignment kids shop. She runs it with the help of her daughters, Ashley and Chelsea. I had the pleasure of working in her shop a few days over the summer and let me tell you, she has got a great place! The shop is located in a lovely house with the most amazing woodwork! She has all the rooms set up for different age groups and sexes. The best part as far as I am concerned is that it is not just consignment, but new and handcrafted items also. After working in her shop a few days I can testify to her high used clothes standards! If there is even a tiny hole or stain, it is rejected. Those items that are left behind if they can't be sold are then put in to the largest 25 cent sale you have ever seen my friends! Boxes and boxes of clothes, blankets, shoes and maternity wear, all for a quarter each! Again, the highest standards. You would be hard pressed to find the stain on these items. She does it during the warm months, so save up your loose change!

I have added some pictures, although not the best ever, the first shows you a bit of the shop, and the second shows you the faces that were not captured well in the first shot. This is my sister, and her grandson Broxton. Such a cutie!!! He sits in his little chair right up at the register and checks everone out. That is when he is not playing in the toy room. It's good to have connections, right Broc?!

Moving update, plus our week in general

2011-01-21T09:20:00.000-05:00

Ok, I have realized that a goal of everyday blogging just doesn't fit in with my lifestyle, so...I am going to do it as often as I can. Especially since we now have even MORE family away from us...way to go Mandy...lol

Ok, so here is an update on the whole moving story. Last time we left off on Monday when everything was supposed to be fixed. The early morning swap that they were promised never happened. In fact, it was quite late in the day before they got their stuff moved over at all. I believe Mandy and Franchot finally were able to get ahold of someone about 9 am, but after that it became a game of phone tag, a new person always answering the phone and no one knowing what was going on. Finally the truck company decided that they would tow the truck to a nearby facility so that they would not have to have all their personal affects drug out in the middle of a motel parking lot. Seems thought, that their idea of close was Southfield, which is about 40 minutes from the hotel they were at in Romulus.

So the truck was towed to Southfield, everything was shifted over, they drove back here, got Trey, Lauren and my in-laws and finally left out about 4 I believe. By the time they all got to Ohio, it was so late that they all collapsed, without moving a single thing but blankets, a few top mattresses and pillows. Of course the standard run to Wal-Mart was in order since all the toilet paper was packed, and food needed to be purchased. The next day was no better since they had to off-load the whole truck and then drive back to Michigan. (Mandy had an appointment for the kids. Shots and stuff for school.)

We spent Monday night at Jacki and Carl's to watch the pooch, so we decided that they would appreciate some dinner when they got back in town the next day. So we made what I would call a "vat" of spaghetti and some garlic bread. You would have thought I had made something better than that the way it was praised. Hungry tired bellies will eat anything! And so the next day, the Washingtons made their final trip back to Ohio and there they have stayed! They will be back up next weekend to get the rest of their belongings and then it will be final. I am sad they are gone, but I am so glad that this moving experience is almost over! I think everyone's nerves were frazzled!

In other news of the week, Jacob got to go on a field trip to McDonalds (I know right?), we spent a day doing our taxes (whew!), and Carl and I discovered an awesomely terrible game called Trailer Park Zombies! You just have to play it, there is no description...ha! Today is a half-day for Alex. A friend of mine has a daughter that goes to the same school so I am getting them both off the bus and watching her this afternoon. Should be interesting since most times they just don't get along, but it's been a while since they have spent a lot of time together so...

And this weekend is the Plymouth Ice Festival! We are going sometime this weekend and highly recommend it to anyone in the area. But dress warm!!! They do ice sculpting demos in the park and serve things like hot cocoa and roasted nuts. Yum. Every day of the festival is something different. We try to go every year. I will post some pictures when we go.

Moving Delay

2011-01-16T09:10:00.001-05:00

My Sister- in-law and her whole family were planning to move to Columbus yesterday. They packed up the truck, emptied the house as much as they could in one trip and off they went. Only they never made it any farther than I-94 and Merriman Rd.! The transmission on the truck went out right on the freeway. So, instead of the original plans, which were them driving down with my in-laws, doing the happy dance in their new living-room, all spending the night, then coming back up the next day to finish up last minute business, they got this instead: A pad lock to lock up the truck so nothing would get stolen, a tow truck to get the truck to the hotel they were being furnished with, small beds in the tiny hotel, and a dinner stipend generously given by the truck company of $22. Really? Who can feed a family of 4 at a restaurant for $22?! Barely can do that at McDonalds!
So Trey, our nephew, came to our house for dinner and to spend the night. Lauren, our niece, crashed at my in-laws and Mandy and Franchot got the tiny beds at the hotel! To make it worse, no one packed a day bag, since they were just going 3 hours then unloading. So no one had toiletries or pajamas. Luckily we are all family! ha
Today the truck company is sending a new truck and professional movers to move all their stuff from one truck to another, and then they can attempt to hit the road. That should be interesting in the middle of a hotel parking lot! Funnest part is the truck they got was not quite big enough, so now they have to do this all again next weekend. Sigh. Good luck guys, I hope that this day is the day for your happy dance!

Busy, Busy, Busy!

2011-01-14T11:57:00.000-05:00

Ok, now I have gone and done it, 2 whole days skipped! Well, no one is perfect, least of all me. :) We have been pretty busy this week. Wednesday Carl worked the late shift, so the boys and I had tacos and watched Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. If you haven't read the story book that inspired this movie, they boys and I recommend it. So that was super fun. I also watched Sweet Home Alabama for the first time ever. :)
Yesterday we had the missionaries over for a lasagna dinner. These 19 year old boys donate two years of their "prime of life" stage to serve the church, so the least I can do is feed them and let our crazy kids entertain them with dinner questions! After that, I had dinner AGAIN! Went out to Logans with my friends Kristi and Senta. It was a great girls night out! :D But needless to say, my belly was uber full and I don't think I will be seeing a downward trend on the scale this week!
Last but now least, tonight we are going back over to my Sis-in-law Mandy's house to help them pack up. They are moving tomorrow to Columbus Ohio. We are so happy for them, that they get to move to a new place, and have an even larger house and new friends, but we are going to miss them so much. The boys are not happy about it, but they do like the idea of going down to Ohio once a month to visit and spend the night in their super sweet basement. So, here is to new beginnings. Good luck Mandy, Franchot, Lauren and Trey!

Our favorite movie

2011-01-11T21:42:00.001-05:00

Carl and I watched one of our ultimate favorite movies today, The Fifth Element, starring Mila Jovovich, Gary Oldman, Chris Tucker and the ever awesome Bruce Willis! This movie is quoted quite frequently at our house, some of our favorites being, "mmmmmmm, chicken!" and "multi-pass". If you are wondering why in the world these odd statements would be humorous, well then you will just have to watch it! It's on tv pretty frequently and since it is older you can usually find it in the $5 bargain bin at Wal-mart. We highly recommend it! Click here for a link to the trailer :)

Texting Madness!

2011-01-10T12:46:00.000-05:00

Every month I like to go through our wireless bill with a fine tooth comb. Our first cell phone experience was less that pleasant, with our first bill topping over $1,000.00, so we are especially careful now that everything we ordered is as it should be! As I was going through, I noticed something that was very humorous to me! Here is the back story...

About a year ago, Carl and I decided to get Jackie, Carl's mom, a line on our account. She had a pay-by-the-minute phone, but it was never on and we couldn't get a hold of her. We got her the same model as mine so I could teach her the ropes of texting and general usage. We didn't even ask her, just got it and hoped for the best. Now let me make this clear, my mother-in-law is no dummy! She's a great lady, super smart, really funny. But neither of us thought that she would take to texting. We figured that we could at least get her a message if it was an emergency, or she could call us if there was a car problem. We have since then been pleasantly surprised that she is a top notch texter and uses that ability to keep in touch with Carl's sister who lives out of state.

Now, back to the part that tickles me. I am a texting fiend in my opinion. I text Carl all the time at work, I have numerous friends and family members who I text as well. I average about 700 outbound texts a month, which works out to be about 23 texts a day on average. (all you teenagers like my nieces, mock me not, I know that is lame to you, but to a 30 year old mom, that is a lot!) So imagine my surprise when this month I open up my bill to see that my Mother-in-law has surpassed me with 871 out-bound texts to my 862! Now I know that is not a wide margin, but what is even better is that I received 595 texts and she got a whopping 873! No wonder my Father-in-law hates "the stupid thing"!! So I called her and congratulated her on her arrival into my level of crazy. I guess I am going to have to join in her circle of acquaintances if I hope to pass her up again! Love ya Mom, welcome to the crazy club!

Parmesan Fries

2011-01-09T19:25:00.001-05:00

Missed it again! Well, here is my post for today, the one about yesterday is below. Ha!

Tonight I made these awesome parmesan fries to go withour dinner and I thought I would share the recipe with you all so you could try. They are super simple! This is from Kraft Food and Family and it suggests you make this along side a pork roast, but I just made it on it's own. :) Enjoy!

1 egg white, lightly beaten
1/4 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 tsp. garlic salt, divided
1-1/4 lb. Yukon gold or russet potatoes (about 4), cut into thin wedges

1 pork tenderloin (1 lb.)
2 Tbsp. KRAFT Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
1 Tbsp. honey

HEAT oven to 425ºF.

MIX egg white, cheese and 3/4 tsp. garlic salt in large bowl. Add potatoes; toss to coat. Spread onto large greased baking sheet.

BAKE 15 min. Add meat to baking sheet with potatoes; sprinkle with remaining garlic salt. Bake 20 min.

MIX dressing and honey; brush onto meat. Bake 10 to 15 min. or until meat is done (160ºF) and potatoes are tender, brushing meat occasionally with any remaining dressing mixture.

Canton International Festival

2011-01-09T19:15:00.000-05:00

Saturday the boys and I went to the Canton International Festival at the Village Theater on Cherry Hill Road. We have always wanted to go into this theatre because it is in such an interesting part of Canton. All the houses are painted unique colors and there is just a little shopping center with this theater at it's center. I read about the festival in MetroParent magazine and I am glad we did! The program was a mix of information, taste-testing, and singing/dancing performances. Unfortunately I did not bring my camera so there are no photos for this post, other than two shots I got online of an act we missed because we had to leave to get Carl, ha!

These are the Hoaloha Hula Dancers. We missed the by about 15 minutes, but it shows you what kind of performances were there. We did get to enjoy a selection of American dancers, Chinese singing and dancing, music and dancing from Sri Lanka, Italian Opera and an interesting Christian performance from New Hope church which consisted of miming and stepping. We also enjoyed treats from Israel, Mexico and Germany. The best part was that it only cost one dollar per person! We are making sure ALL of us get to go next year, and for the full time. What a great experience for our family!

Gator Jacks

2011-01-07T13:12:00.000-05:00

Not much going on at our end today, so I thought I would give a shout out to my brother James (Jimmy to me) and his AMAZING sandwich shop Gator Jacks! He has two locations now, one in Rigby, Idaho and a new one in Rexburg, Idaho.

I have to tell you that during our trip out to see my family last summer, I couldn't get enough of his sandwiches! I didn't get to go half as often as I wanted to, and to be honest that is probably a god thing since he lets me eat for free and I would have eaten up all his inventory! ha ha My favorite is the Cluckin' Nuts, both for it's hilarious name and that it has to be the best chicken salad ever! Top it with some potato chips and you are going to be in heaven! An extra bonus? Chocolate chip cookie with every meal! Who wouldn't want that? His most popular is De' Muder in Law, which is turkey, bacon, and avocado.

Here are some pictures that we took on our trip out. This is the Rigby location.

And here is a shot of Gator Jack himself in front of the new Rexburg location. He built this up from an empty space, adding all the equipment and seating. He even had an enormous concrete cypress tree made to complete the bayou theme!

So to all you Idahoans, if you haven't eaten here yet, do it! To all my Michiganders who are occasionally dropping their kids off at BYU-I, get one for yourself, and pack four to bring home to us! Tell James I sent you!

Ten Things I Love About My Husband Carl

2011-01-06T13:18:00.000-05:00

1. He encourages me to go to Ikea for breakfast with my friends because he wants me to be happy and social.

2. He has this amazing smile and giggle when I manage to reach his tickle spot when we're being silly.

3. He is knowledgeable about almost everything and keeps me up to date on all the latest news and happenings since I can't really watch the news anymore.

4. He has the BEST plans for the future, any you can think of.

5. I can tell Carl about anything and he will still love me and think I am awesome.

6. His eyes crinkle up when he smiles and he gets a crease across his forehead when he is frustrated.

7. He volunteers his Tuesday nights to work with the Webelos.

8. He doesn't think like an "American" and rants about those that do.

9. He is always willing to throw down with a good board game.

10. He still chooses to share all his awesomeness with me.

Already slipped up!

2011-01-05T19:40:00.001-05:00

When I said I would blog everyday, I was serious! Suprised me that it only took 4 days to slip up! So to make up for it I am doing two posts today, the one I should have done yesterday, and the one from today. So, here is the first:

Chicken Enchiladas!

Yum, yum, yum! Carl has to work late every Wednesday night and so the boys and I try to have something that he doesn't particularly enjoy or won't miss eating. So tonight we made enchiladas. I wish there was a recipe to share, but it's really just a combo of a few different things. I add diced, cooked chicken, any kind of salsa you like and green peppers sauteed in butter. Roll those up in tortillas and top with enchilada sauce and cheese :) You'll just have to figure out the proportions yourself if you are interested in making it up for your family. You can even omit the enchilada sauce. Enjoy :)

Bram Stokers Dracula

2011-01-05T19:18:00.000-05:00

Since I was a teenager I have been interested in reading all of the classics. My latest jump into classical fiction is Dracula by Bram Stoker. I was able to download it for free on to the iPad, so I thought I would give it a try. All I can say, is wow! If you haven't read this, I would highly suggest you do it, but in a well lit room, with company! You may think that because it is old, it is boring, but that is not the case! I have found myself many times looking over my shoulder as I stand in a room alone. :) I have only seen a few movie versions of Dracula, but what I find most amusing is that the closest version I have seen happens to be Mel Brooks Dracula Dead and Loving It. Ha ha

Babysitting, and why it reminds me I am already too old for another baby...

2011-01-03T21:50:00.000-05:00

I had my friends son today for about eight hours. I've done this a few times now and I am grateful for each new time because it makes me feel just a little less bad about not having more kids! Let me tell you, going from having and eleven and eight year old in the morning, then moving onto an almost one year old is a vast difference! The highest form of communication is pointing and crying, the walking is unstable at best and he makes a terrible mess and I can't even force him clean up after himself! Ha Really though, he is a super cutie, and I really enjoy having him. Even though I don't think I would be able to handle one of my own so well, it is nice to have a loaner every so often. So thanks Jen :)

P.S. Tried to upload a picture of the two of us from this afternoon, but it just won't work on the iPad, so if you feel the need, it is on my Facebook page, in the folder mobile uploads. Enjoy!

This time last year!

2011-01-02T19:29:00.000-05:00

Found these shots in the computer files and I thought I would share them. Not sure that they ever got on here before. My how the kids grow!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T12:34:00.000-05:00

A very happy new year from us to you! One of my resolutions for this year is to do a blog a day. That will include humorous stories from the kids, news on our daily lives, photos and just general complaining I am sure. :)

I thought I would use this first day to wrap up our 2010 and our goals/plans for 2011.

Carl

Carl hit his 5 year anniversary for the Hope Depot this last year. He is team captain for several groups at the Depot. He also switched positions and is not the Opening Freight Team Department Head, but Department Head of the paint department. Yay Carl! This means he doesn't have to go in at 4 am each work day, but he does have a rotating schedule and that has been hard to get used to again. Every Tuesday night, Carl is the Webelos Den leader for our ward. He has found a lot of enjoyment working with the boys on camping skills, athletics and communication. He was sad to see Jake move up in November, but he still has a lot of great boys to work with. Carl's goal for the new year is to go back to school to get his associates degree finished up. Good luck Carl, we know you can do it!

Christina

Christina was released from her Secretary of the Young Women calling at the end of 2010. Starting tomorrow she is the latest 12/13 year old Sunday School teacher. This is a great calling because it will allow her to still interact with the vast majority of her YW. In fact, there are no boys in this class till July, so it will be more like her own personal YW! :) Christina has also been working on Carl's family history and has made some huge finds. We are now back 4 to 5 generations, and believe us, that is huge! She is going to continue 2011 being a stay-at-home mom to Jacob and Alex. Her goals for this year also include going back to school for her bachelors in...well..something!

Jacob

Jake entered 6th grade this 2010 at Burger School for Children with Autism. He has made new friends and has even met some cute girls! He is currently 5'4" which makes his mother wish he was still a dirty-faced tiny boy carrying around a fistful of pencils. Jacob has discovered that he really likes building and has taken a great interest in legos, previously only his brothers domain. He is also a budding author, writing his first short story, The Avatar Wars. He was on his schools basketball and soccer teams in 2010 and starting next week he will be heading back into basketball season. Jake has officially moved up in scouting and is now an 11 year old scout in Boy Scouts. No more cubs for him! Jake's goal for 2011 is to use his new video camera he got for Christmas to become a major film producer/director before the age of 12. Good luck Jake!

Alexander

Alex (or Al or Bert, whichever you choose) became a 3rd grader this 2010. He also moved schools when his was closed due to budget issues. He has done well at Hoover and really enjoys going there. It has been difficult at times making new friends, but Alex is so friendly that he is winning them over one by one. Alex has spent the majority of his year obsessing over Pokemon. He has memorized all their evolves and attacks...I wish times tables were so interesting! He has strengthened his love of reading and his favorites are Charlie Brown and the Magic Tree House series. He also loves Video games and can often be found trying to sneak a bit more time in on his DS or the 360. Alex's goals for the year are the same as every year...become a scientist and invent a machine that can take him into video games, cartoons, books and movies. (Imagine a holodeck on steroids) We know you can do it Al!

New ipad

2010-12-13T21:34:00.001-05:00

I am being a total dork and writing this entire blog posting from our new ipad that Carl won at his holiday party at the depot last night! It is pretty sweet but a right huge pain to get online for the first time. I ended up shutting our entire Internet down this afternoon trying to change security settings! I am learning a lot on this though and am having a blast. The calendar on here alone is worth it to me! I am really grateful though that we were able to win this since I know that we would have never set aside the $500 to buy one ourselves. This also solves our kindle decision, since this works just as well if not better in that area :) Carl is not taking to it to well which makes me wonder if it is just cause it has been causing so much hullabaloo Internet wise or if he is just not a mac person. Personally I am loving this setup. Just seems to make more sense to me! So I guess it is all mac for me from now on! Plus I am loving typing without having to actually push down any keys. Makes me twice as fast and amusingly more accurate, ha ha

Thanksgiving Goodies!

2010-11-24T19:30:00.001-05:00

Jake with his sweet potato pie in the right and pumpkin in the left.

Bert showing off his coconut pie skills.

Sweet potato

Scratch Pumpkin

Impossible Coconut Pie

Cherry Cheesecake

We made 15 pies/cakes today for our Thanksgiving feast tomorrow! 4 coconut pies (one was for a friendly neighbor), 5 pumpkin (2 from scratch, 3 from the canned pumpkin), 3 sweet potato from scratch, 1 lemon cheesecake, and 2 cherry cheesecakes (one of which was for Carl's work feast today)! Whew! Took about 8 hours in total!!

Carl was in charge of the cheesecakes and did a fabulous job as always! I have always been a sucker for my hunky husband and his cheesecake skills! He even made his own graham cracker crumbs in the food processor :) Alex helped me out with the coconut pies, adding all the ingredients to the blender and sprinkling the coconut on the tops. Jake was a super helper, working with me for over half the time on both the pumpkin and sweet potato pies! For the most part, I was HIS assistant! :) He peeled the sweet potatoes, measured out all the ingredients and he even took some of the pies from the oven on his own. And, special props go out to Lauren and her friend Sidney for making all the crusts for me! Thanks so much gals, I really appreciate it and they were Fabulous looking!

Now, I think I am going to go take a rest!

Ancestry

2010-11-17T22:25:00.000-05:00

I have been having a lot of fun lately trying to piece together Carl's family history. There have been quite a few suprises, some unknown relatives unearthed and names discovered. I now have him back as far as his great grandparents and as far wide as some 3rd cousins, and that is just awesome. This is where it gets tricky though, as the two main branches of his family tree come from Ireland (notoriously hard to trace) and American Indian (lots of looooooong names there brother!) But, I think that is what is going to make it the most fun! I have had the wonderful help of my ever patient Mother-in-Law Jackie and her box 'o memories that has helped tremendously! Now I think I am just going to have to roll up my sleeves and get down and dirty at the Family History Library.:)

Sick Day

2010-11-15T15:32:00.000-05:00

I am sick and not appreciating it! I told Carl that I would get back into the blogging world so that our family and friends could be informed as to what we are doing. (I certainly fell off the wagon for a while) but I am back on and sadly, on this first day all I am thinking about is being ill. Ha

But, being sick has given me the opportunity to do some things I have been wanting to do and haven't in a while, so I thought I would give you a list...

1. Lay in bed for hours during the middle of the day
2. Watch Robin Hood: Men in Tights whilst lying in the bed
3. Using all the super hot water in the water heater so I could spend 20 min in the shower
4. Sit in front of the computer and do silly things with no/little guilt
5. Wash some laundry (but only a bit..seriously, we were running out of socks...)
6. Sit in lounge pants and comfortable shirts all the live long day
7. Make myself a large cup of hot cocoa

So, here is to looking on the bright side of sickness and hoping that, while I can see the positives, this goes away soon!!

I are a college gradgiate!

2010-05-01T20:46:00.000-04:00

Well, it took 5 years to complete a two year degree, but I did it! I am an official college graduate. Yay!! I got my Associates in Liberal Arts...a nice way of saying I learned a whole lot of unrelated things. Just never found anything I wanted to specifically major in there. So, now I get to move on to eastern Michigan University for their Reading degree and if it works out, to Wayne State for a Masters in Library Science. Congratulations me!! : D

More Talent Show Goodness

2010-05-01T13:19:00.000-04:00

In addition to the solo act jake did, he also participated in his class act. His teacher Donna made them super cute firefly outfits that had little lights all over them. Here it is, enjoy!

2010 Burger Talent Show

2010-05-01T11:56:00.000-04:00

The Burger Talent Show has come and gone for another year. This time was particularly interesting as Carland I did not get to go. We spent the afternoon in the ER, trying to figure out what was wrong with Carl's back. Came home from work a few days earlier saying his back was hurting him, and by Thursday is was completely seized up. Luckily it is just muscular, but unfortunately, Carl has to sit and lay and sit and lay and sit some more. It's getting old fast!

So, since we were not in attendance, Alex was our videographer this year! He went with Jackie (Gram) and Lauren (cousin) and did a fabulous job for someone who is only 7 years old. "I didn't drop the camera at all!"

So, here is Jake "hip-hop" dancing to "Lean Like a Cholo". Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Carl!!

2010-04-25T18:42:00.000-04:00

Carl is 35 years old today! All my newer pictures are on the other computer, but I wanted the world to know! :) Happy birthday Carl!

Kite fun

2010-04-14T13:15:00.000-04:00

The boys got kites for Easter, so a few days ago we took them out for a test spin in the field by our house. Here are some of the shots we took. Enjoy!

2010-04-11T14:48:00.000-04:00

The more I push Alex to improve his writing and spelling, The more I know I am going to miss days like this. I love his little signs.

Carl's First Talk

2010-02-28T16:37:00.000-05:00

Carl got to give his first true talk in Sacrament meeting today. He has been up once to bear his testimony after he first got baptized, but never had done a talk yet. He did such a wonderful job! His topic was Forgiveness. He got in quite a few zingers while he was up there and had the whole congregation laughing. My favorite one was when he asked the congregation to pray for the strength to forgive him if he had bored them. Hee hee! Great job Carl!

Retraction

2010-02-23T11:45:00.000-05:00

In the last post I unfairly stated that the cold bug that has been visiting our family did not like Jacob. It came over for another visit last night to explain that it did indeed like and appreciate Jacob very much. So much in fact, that it came back to visit him in particular. So, I am writing this retraction in the hopes that Jacob will not have to stay home from school again tomorrow and the bug will feel appreciated enough to leave and make it's way to another family. I am also hoping it does not take revenge out on me for besmirching it's character.

Martian Death Flu

2010-02-22T20:41:00.002-05:00

As I am typing this, Alex is in the next room coughing, Carl is coughing laying next to me and I just got done coughing. "The Martian Death Flu" has come to live with us and I just wish it would go away! Alex has been sick since LAST Thursday. Yes, that would be 12 days now! He got a cold from one of his many sources and it turned into a sinus infection and bronchitis. So now he is on antibiotics. Carl went to the doctor today for what we thought was strep for all the pain it has been causing him. But, it turns out that it is just that same nasty cold, and his sore throat is from all the draining. (sorry, not a nice visual) So, now he is on a nasal spray. Jacob woke up the other morning with a nasty cough, but the cold must have decided he wasn't worth it and left thim that day. I have been hacking in the morning and evening, but my in between times are reletively cough-free which is a blessing because I get to take care of all the sickos! Here is to hoping this cold leaves soon and never comes back!

Trey's Got Talent!

2010-02-21T06:32:00.001-05:00

Trey and his friend participated in a telent show shortly before Christmas. As this is my catching up time since we were so lame, I figured I would start back at the beginning and work our way down.

We were all very proud of Trey and the great job he did! Way to go Trey!

Notice all the cheerleaders behind them, such studs!

Student of the Month

2010-02-18T15:22:00.003-05:00

Jacob was nominated by his teacher for Student of the Month! Let me tell you, he has been vying for this honor since he was born, and his day finally came. When we went to basketball practice on the 2nd, Carl noticed that Jacob was nominated. His teacher had not let us or him know since she was waiting for it to be announced over the PA in the morning. So Jacob got a huge suprise and let everyone know how thrilled he was by screaming up and down the hall and dragging all his friends out of practice to see and scream with glee some more. Congratulations Jacob!!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

2010-02-09T10:26:00.001-05:00

Seems our family may not be in the minority as much as we thought. The radio station did a survey this morning trying to see how terrible snow really is. Seems that over 40% of local Michiganders thought that over 20 inches would be awesome! We at the Bellanger home agree. We felt totally overlooked when that snow storm went right over us and on to Washington. But, today seems to be our lucky day for the most part. Winter Storm warning is in effect for our area and we could see as much as a foot by tomorrow mid-morning! Hooray!!! In honor of this occasion, here are some wintry photos we have taken so far in our measly rationing of winter snow.

2010 at the Bellangers

2010-02-01T13:20:00.000-05:00

Ok, so we have been super lame bloggers...again! Computer went kaput and we got busy.

We did have some fun though, and I do plan on downloading all the photos of it. Here is a general "how's life been" for us just to get caught up.

Carl- Depot, Depot, Depot
Chris- School, School, School
Jake- Scouts, Basketball, School
Alex- Wii, PS2, School

Yes, lame is what you call that! But, we have a goal for 2010 to be a more interesting and fun family. So, bookmark this if you haven't already. There will be many photo's to upload and new experiences to share with all our family and friends!!

A thought, by Alex

2009-12-09T07:26:00.001-05:00

Not too long ago we were having FHE (Family Home Evening for all you non-Mormons) and were talking about the perilous times we live in. Carl, who was conducting, thought that he should clarify.

"Who knows what perilous means," asked Carl.

"I do," calls out Alex excitedly

"Ok Alex, what?"

"It means you don't have any pears!"

Get it?

Pear-less? Perilous?

Yeah, took me half a second too! Carl got it right away though and couldn't stop laughing. Gotta love kids!

Cook-a-Doodle-Doo!

2009-12-01T09:31:00.000-05:00

Last night the boys and I decided to put together a dessert that they had read about in the story "Cook-a-Doodle-Doo". In it, the great-grandson of the Little Red Hen decides he is tired of chicken feed and wants to cook some real food. He finds great-grandma's recipe book and together with his friends makes the most magnificent Strawberry Shortcake. It is a super cute book, with a great story and lots of cooking facts added in, but best of all was the recipe it included so that you could make you very own strawberry shortcake. So that is what we did!

Here is the book

After they helped me make the shortcake, Alex got to add the whipped cream.

Jacob was the strawberry man

Another layer of shortcake, and then more whipped cream. Yum!

Here comes Jacob with more strawberries

At last it was finished, hooray!

Our two chefs with their creation. After we finished making it, the four of us all sat down to read the story together. They we all got to taste our creation and boy was it good!

So, I highly reccomend the book, but in case you can't get it, I decided to include the recipe for all of you to try for yourselves. Enjoy!

Great-Granny's Magnificent Strawberry Shortcake

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1 egg, beaten
2/3 cup milk
3-4 cups strawberries, washed and sliced
1 cup whipping cream, whipped

Preheat oven to 450 degrees farenheit. Sift flour, then sift together again with dry ingredients. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add egg and milk, stiffing by hand just enough to moisten. Spread dough in greased 8 X 1 1/2-inch round pan, building up edges slightly. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Remove cake from pan; cool on rack 5 minutes. Split in two layers; lift top off carefully. Alternate layers of cake, whipped cream and strawberries, ending with strawberries on top.

Our First Thanksgiving

2009-11-27T10:27:00.010-05:00

This year, Carl's family came to our home for Thanksgiving and I can honestly say that it was a great experience! I was so worried that the turkeys would end up half-cooked and that no one would enjoy themselves. But all my fears were ill-founded and we all had a great time, with fully cooked food :) Here are some photos of the day:

The first turkey is in! Yes, I ended up making two of them...we like our left-overs! Can I just tell you that I hate cleaning out all the guts?! Nasty, nasty, nasty! I now know what they meant when they said I would not really want to eat all that much after cooking it all day! ha ha

Alex volunteered to peel potatoes. I was very glad for ALL my boys help! Carl was running about like mad, even waking up before me to put the green bean casserole into the slow cooker. I love my husband!

Jake wanted in on the action as well. He peeled some after he had washed off all the sweet potatoes for us.

Here is one half of our post dinner spread. I wanted to get some photos of it all before it was consumed, but you know how it goes...rushing to get it all on the table and once that happens it doesn't stay there for long! The corn pudding is the item closest. It did NOT want to cook! Took twice as long as it should have, and then no one wanted to try it except Jacki and I! And no, that is not wine in the background, but sparkling juice. :)

Here is the rest of it. All in all we had turkey, ham, stuffing, mac and cheese, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, fruit salad, deviled eggs, pumpkin pie, cheesecake, impossible coconut pie, relish tray, vegetable tray, rolls, gravy, corn pudding, and I think that is it...there was so much, and believe me, I was not the one who made it all! My fantastic husband, Mandy, Lauren and Jacki all brought something to the table and I was very grateful!

Here is Gramps and Lauren

We had to set up the tables in the livingroom to have room. Wish I would have got a photo of them before we ate. Mandy and Jacob set them really nicely!

Mandy, Carl and Jacki. Dessert time, hooray!

Moen and Jake. (Think you squeezed a little to hard Moen!)

What's up Mandy?!
I wish that more of the pictures would have turned out...we were having some issues with the camera.

Trey trying out our new Wii. This was our main source of entertainment. We also had the game on for a bit and also played Apples To Apples, both the party edition and the junior version. :)

All in all, it was a great day and I think that everyone had a great time. We were glad that we could have the pleasure and experience of hosting Thanksgiving at our home. Next year Carl, I and the boys plan on going to the parade, so it's Mandy's turn!!

Fun with Sparklers

2009-11-18T12:31:00.002-05:00

We have been promising the kids for a while now that we would go out "tomorrow" and play with all our leftover sparklers. Well, tomorrow finally came and we all had a blast! Carl had a great time taking photos of the fun and we loved being his models. But not to fear, he wasn't behind the camera the whole time. He is the "spinner" in photo # 5 and the butterfly artist behind Jacob. Enjoy!

Halloween 2009

2009-11-12T19:46:00.000-05:00

Ok, trying to get caught up on my posts. This one will just be pictures as I need to get my sick bootie to bed now. Enjoy!

All about Jacob

2009-11-07T21:16:00.002-05:00

Jacob turned ten on the 4th of November! Double Digits as everyone at his school keeps telling him. He is very excited to be growing up and all Carl and I want him to do is be tiny forever!

The picture is from Jacob's school soccer team. Let me tell you that this was great fun! He was only able to go for half the practices due to some interesting incidents on various Thursdays, one being a pillow fight gone wrong which left Carl with a swollen eye (a post for another day) and the flu being another. When he did get to go, it was great fun. The best way I can describe it is this....picture 30-50 Autistic children, ranging from mild to severe, 9 years to teen, each with their own soccer ball...and GO! Great fun, I can tell you!! This was just a trial run to gauge intrest, and will be starting up again in the spring. Next up for Jacob, the Knightriders basketball team. This is for boys at this school ages nine to 14 I believe who are too young for the varsity team, but still have a desire to play. We are very excited! Here are some more pictures from soccer for your enjoyment!

Happy Birthday Alex!!

2009-10-04T17:40:00.003-04:00

We cannot believe that our baby is 7 years old!! Happy Birthday Alex, we love you!!

Alex visits the hospital

2009-09-30T09:04:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was Alex's scheduled appointment at the hospital for his upper GI scope. He has been getting pains in the middle of his chest when he eats. The first few times I wrote it off as him not chewing his food properly, or eating too fast. But after it kept happening, it really worried Carl and I. So, we took him to our pediatrician Dr. Ilyasov, who sent him on to Dr. Ayas, a pediatric gastroenterologist. Dr. Ayas then decided that a scope was in order to find the exact cause and that led us to yesterday. Whew!

Of course this was not a good idea as far as Alex was concerned! We did get him to warm up to the idea, but pulling into the parking structure at the hospital his anxieties started back up. He was a brave as he could be though, and took his polar bear "Smoothie" along with him for support. The staff at Oakwood Main was just fabulous though, and they did all that was in their power to keep him happy and comfortable. They seriously gave Children's Hospital a run for their money, and that is saying something! They postponed the IV till he was asleep and when Alex didn't want to drink the calming meds they brought for him, the Anesthesiologist ran back and got "medicine" shots for all of us, including himself! Of course ours tasted much better than Alex's, poor guy! By the time they came to take him back, he was calm and prepared. But, it seems that he didn't like the mask they were going to use to put him to sleep, so the same anesthesiologist said "Hey, you wanna see a magic trick?" and proceeded to wrap him up in a blanket so he couldn't move and put the mask on him. Dirty little trick, but it worked and Alex has no recollection of it happening! That man is going to be a great dad someday! ha ha

Eosinophilic Esophagitis was the result of the scope which seems to be a long way of saying that his throat is inflamed due to either food allergies of acid reflux. Sooooo, we are going to treat him for the reflux for a month, and see if that helps. He said the chance of food allergies is only about 30% and allergy testing is not fun, whatsoever! Carl knows this from experience and I certainly don't want to put him through it if he doesn't have to! So, hopefully this helps. He had a super sore throat afterward, but mostly from the breathing tube they had to put it. he was coughing and gagging for quite a while, but he was right as rain as soon as he got himself a big ol' chocolate milkshake! He even got to keep the pictures they took of his throat, stomach and small intestine, but decided at the last minute not to take them to school to show his friends. I don't blame him!

Before the proceedure

After the proceedure. That popsicle was so blue, that it stained his teeth! If you can see it, his poor face is all red and blotchy because of the tape they had to use to hold down the breathing tube. You can see his bear in bed with him all covered up with his own blanket!

Family History

2009-09-18T08:53:00.005-04:00

Lately I have felt the urge to get moving on Carl's genealogy. My fabulous father has taken our lines by storm, and I have no idea where to start with that, but Carl's is a clean slate just waiting to be done! I have been spending the past two days with his mom looking through family albums and the oldest suitcase of all time! I have been having a blast with this, and have already made a huge discovery! Carl's maternal grandmother had a brother named Charles. Not sounding to thrilling? Well it is, considering the fact that neither Carl nor his mother or uncle knew about it! I owe this knowledge to the indexing system being put in place by the LDS church. They have begun scanning in all the records that could previously only be found on films and paper, digitally on-line so that anyone can search through them. Above is the 1920 Negaunee, MI census where we made our discovery. Carl's grandmother Loretta Connors was 5 at the time. This is really just so exciting to be doing finally! We are already 5 generations back and we have only begun. I just hope that I don't lose my momentum!!

Fun FHE Activity

2009-09-15T16:48:00.002-04:00

This was a few weeks ago, but better late than never. Alex got to pick the activity for FHE and well, here it is. The boys had even more fun because Mackenzie their friend was over. Enjoy!

another random drive

2009-09-14T13:00:00.006-04:00

The fall is coming, we are so excited! Nothing better than fall on the east coast, especially Michigan! here are some more pictures from a drive we took on Saturday. We started our drive out by going to our secret bakery. If we deem you worthy, you may be given the information on how to locate it's divine awesomeness... ;) After that, we went south-west to where ever the winds would take us. This time we made sure we took a lunch!

Not too often you get to see a horse drawn carriage that is not for hire!

We thought this was the coolest tree. This was somewhere in the vicinity of Maybee.

This is what we go for, this and forest. Nothing like taking a drive in the boonies!

Okay, this barn is purple...enough said.

These folks pulled up to the 4 way stop right before us. There was a kid sitting in the backseat wearing the biggest set of earphones I have seen since the 80's! Must have been wanting to drown out the noise of the engine he was sitting on top of!

We have no idea what this building was for, all we know is that the front of it is covered in tile mosaic. Something you don't see everyday in the middle of nowhere!

At this point, we were heading back toward civilization in search of a place to have a picnic. We weren't having any luck, but as we drove through Ypsi, we found this place in Depot Town. It is called Frog Island Park. I know that some or all of you have probably heard of all this before, but it was new to us! It had a wonderful amphitheater with a stage and natural seating. Also had a wonderful stretch of river that ran through/next to the park. After we ate, we explored for a bit and then headed home. All in all a great way to spend a Saturday!

Me and the boys sitting at the top of the amphitheatre after our lunch.
This is Jacob's new trick. He shows it to everyone, no matter who they are. So, what better place to do it then on a stage. He also did a selection of Hip-hop moves for us to enjoy. :)

This was on the seating section right below is. We have no idea what it is, it's just gross and I guess I felt the need to share. Perhaps some kind of shroom?
Here is Jacob posing on the bridge that leads to the other side of the park. Wish I knew what river this is. our luck it is probably the Rouge!

Someone felt inspired to staple this to the bridge. I am glad they did!

I had Jake take this shot of us. Carl is always the photographer, so we rarely have photos of the two of us together.This was right before we took off for home. I think that this would be a great place to start off a tubing adventure!

First Day Hooray!

2009-09-13T20:39:00.003-04:00

The big day(s) came and went. Alex was the first to start on the 8th and jacob followed on the 10th. They were both super excited to start school this year! Jacob (if his school had grades) is in 5th, Alex in 2nd. Here are some shots of them:

Why is it that when boys reach a certain age, everything has to have skulls on it?!

Jake took this shot for us! Good Job Jake!

Poor Jake, his bus comes so early in the morning, just before 7 actually, that I was not able to get a shot of him that morning. But, here he is that afternoon in his favorite shirt he picked out for school this year. No, he did not wear the cammo shorts to school! ha

Disney's: A Christmas Carol Train Tour

2009-09-07T11:01:00.004-04:00

This weekend we took a trip to the Henry Ford to go to the national tour of Disney's: A Christmas Carol. We had a great time! We tried to go Friday, but the wait to get in to the train was over 3 hours! That is a bit excessive since the train tour wasn't longer than a half-hour!! So, we got up bright and early Saturday to be there by the 9am opening time. Believe it or not, we still had at least a 40 minute wait in line! Here are some pictures of us there, and if you click on the link below them, you will be directed to the official site where you can see inside all the train cars.

Us in line, woohoo!! Note the sweaters, it is getting a bit chilly here in Michigan in the mornings already.

Jake was dressed for both Christmas and September. He was super cute!

Alex was thrilled by this cup. When we filled it up for him as we waited in line, he shouted "Look, I am drinking from a CONE!!"

This was at the end of the train part of the activity. Can you tell which of us is the poultry lover?

This is, believe it or not, a theater! We went inside here after our train tour to watch an exclusive sneak peek in 3-D, which was pretty cool after learning how they made the film.

Us inside the movie. The whole thing was lit up with blue lights, so we were temporarily smurfs.

more photos

One of the highlights of our tour was being able to morph our faces into characters from the movie. Our pictures should be emailed to us soon, and as soon as we get them we will post them here on the blog! They all came out hilarious!

Pump success!!

2009-08-21T09:15:00.005-04:00

We are official pumpers as of yesterday! This is a photo of Jacob with his pump and his very last shot (unless something goes iffy or his pump breaks *gasp*) that we took yesterday morning before his last class. Things are going really well, in fact it seems too well to be expected. Our nurse we called today was pretty amazed. He was prepared to be doing some serious tweeking of the numbers and no change was needed. So, we will see how it goes and how long our luck lasts! ha So, wish us luck!

All in all this is pretty fun and a lot less stressful that at least I thought it was going to be. Plus, Carl came up with a fabulous alternative to combo bolusing for the pizza we had for dinner last night so that has made it even easier for us! (combo bolusing is a bit confusing for us right now and even more confusing for you I am sure) We will keep you updated on any new interesting pumping action!

Ice Cream Review

2009-08-14T08:31:00.002-04:00

Carl came up with a pretty fun and delicious idea, for our blog. He thought that we could spend the rest of what is left of the summer trying new ice cream stands and letting our friends and family know whether they should go there as well. So, he decided to make our first one, our favorite place.

King Kone is located on Ford Rd. just east of Merriman Rd. We used to live across the street from it when we were in our apartment and would go there all the time in the summer! They have very inexpensive prices and creative ice cream concoctions. They sell these frozen cups of mixed up milkshakes and flurries that people order and they mix wrong. They are called Mystery Bars, are super cheap and fun since you never know what will be inside!

On this trip, Alex got a double scoop of Superman ice cream. This stuff is so nasty, it tastes like a nutty fruit mess. I am assuming that kids like it because it is blue and it is ice cream and it is called superman and those are the only reasons, cause it tastes terrible!!

I got a single scoop of one of my all time favorites ,Mint Chocolate Chip. Yum!!

Jacob does not like cones because they are "too crunchy". So he ordered a Sundae. Unfortunately I cannot remember which kind, but they have at least 10 varieties, so it is easy to get them mixed up!

Carl was not feeling the need for some deliciousness that evening, so he passed and was once again the photographer of our journey. I did get a shot of him this time, but it was a pretty silly one and I think I may get in a bit of trouble of I post it, so needless to say, he was there and having a fun time too! So, there is our trip to King Kone. I love them because they have hand-dipped ice cream. That is always such a nice change from all the soft-serve sameness!

This is just a bonus photo from another of our drives. It should speak for itself.

long drives to nowhere in particular

2009-08-12T07:23:00.004-04:00

Owning a car that can go more than 10 miles reminded Carl of an activity that we love; namely taking really long drives in random directions, hopefully getting a little lost and then making it back home again! This always proves to be great fun and we have seen some pretty amazing things on our drives. I thought as my first "real" blog return I would chronicle a few of them for you. We always take our camera with us on these adventures. The trick is actually remembering to use it!

This is Jacob, Me and Alex at the Plymouth Art in the Park eating a HUGE plate of sour cream and cheese drenched butterfly fries. They are pretty much potato chips that are all connected. Really the most ridiculous thing to eat as they make a terrible mess and you get it all over you. My shoe still has a cheese stain from this trip! :) We found this taking one of our random drives. The amazing thing is, Carl has lived here all his life, and had never heard of this festival but it has supposedly been held annually for over 20 years! We had a great time.

These next photos are from the same day but earlier in the trip. At this point we were around 6 mile and Eddie Hines. The kids saw this park and wanted to stop. Turned out to be a really awesome park with lots of fun spinning things on the jungle gym and a sweet little river running along side of it. I regret that Carl is never in any of these photos, but he the family camera man, so it is the price we pay I suppose.

I cannot remember what city this restaurant was in, but I just had to take a photo of the enormous moose that was on the side of the building. Of course, judging the speed of the car plus the speed of the shutter and also the general speed of me is not my strong point, so not a real great shot. Ha

Carl stopped the Car so we could take a good shot of this one. We were far out in the boonies on this day and we really couldn't resist snapping a photo of this rooster sculpture that was decorating someone's front yard.

A dream house we passed...oh to own this and make it my own...

I simply love this shot Carl took. This view is what the drives are really all about. Dirt roads like this are a huge reason I love living in Michigan. I haven't had this kind of foliage since I left Northern California. This was one of our best drives, but in the middle of it we had a bathroom emergency and had to head back to civilization. This area had endless possibilities for happiness! The woods went right up to the edge of the road, wildflowers everywhere. We have been trying in vain to find our way back to this spot, but have yet to find it. But that is what makes it fun we know, so we keep searching!

There are a few new places we have found in this state as well. There is a community on Cherry Hill road in Canton where all the houses are painted bright colors, making you think you may have accidentally driven into a movie set, or San Francisco. One one trip we ended up getting so lost that we had to buy a map. Almost ended up in Ohio, about 10 miles from Lake Erie! Funny enough, we were heading south trying to find I-94, ha ha! Neither of us have been that disoriented in a long time!! On that trip we went through the town of Maybee which according to their sign, they "Maybee the best little town in Michigan" hee hee! We also went through Raisenville which is located next to the Raisen River, so that explains the name of the town, but not the river... We also drove through Paris and Milan, how continenetal.

So we have had fun with our drives over the past few months. We can't wait until Fall when our drives will be even better. Nothing like Michigan foliage in the fall! Hope to see you out on the road!

Catching up

2009-07-03T15:31:00.002-04:00

Since we were out of the blogging world for so long, there seems to be a lot to catch up on. Not sure if I will be able to do it all, so you should be sure to check our flickr page for a ton of updated photos.

Jacob is getting a pump!

2009-07-02T16:07:00.002-04:00

Well, our little boy is growing up. We have passed our Diabetes year mark with no complications and are now eligible to get Jacob a pump. The paperwork is pretty intense, so we won't be getting it for a few months, but Jacob is really excited! His endo nurse fitted him up today with the tubing that he would wear every day with the pump. He is supposed to wear it for two days to make sure there is no problems with the site where it is injected. so, if all goes well he will be starting out the next school year with a new device to wow the school nurses with. The one we decided on was the Animas Ping shown above. Of course he will be getting a blue one, not a pink, ha!

Welcome Back!

2009-06-29T08:38:00.002-04:00

Ok, it has been a horrifically long time since our family, well me really, has blogged. But, I hope that this is a permanent comeback as I have always enjoyed sharing our photos and tales here for our family and friends. So, welcome back Bellanger family, we've missed you!

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-12T09:23:00.007-04:00

Carl and the boys outdid themselves again this year for Mother's Day. I was told that I had to stay in bed so that I could have my breakfast delivered, but I was awoken by Jacob insisting that I had to go downstairs because "Dad was burning the sausage," and that he needed help.
Um, ok... "Did he send you up here?"
"Mom, he needs help!"
"Ok..."
I am very wary coming down because I know I will get into trouble for peeking, but my fears were gone when I came down and saw Jacob flapping in his excitement. They (Carl) had decorated the kitchen, complete with cards from all and a vase of handmade roses. What a great way to wake up. Plus, the sausage was just right, no horrific burning. Carl told me later that he had indeed sent Jacob up but told Jacob not to let me know that. I am so grateful for my boys, all three of them and their love for me. I am so glad they are mine!

Here are all my cards that I got at various times during the week and the morning of. The heart baskets are from Church and the huge green one with the vase is from Jake at school.

This was my wall "Quote" the bottom says "Daddy, Jacob and Alex, 2009"
It really takes up most of my kitchen wall, so don't let the picture fool you, it is humongous!

Here are my beautiful roses. I love them Carl, thank you so much. They are so much better than real ones, because I can keep them always!

Here is my portrait that I got from Alex during his Mothers Day dinner at school. he also got me a lovely necklace and made me cookies in the school kitchen all by himself!
Jacob, along with his card from school grew some flowers in a planter for me and brought them home on the bus. I will post a photo when the bloom.

Our garden

2009-05-03T20:41:00.005-04:00

We spent our weekend cleaning out the mess that was our backyard "garden". Seemed the only thing it had grown for the past few years was rocks. So, with Carl, myself, the two boys, 5 bags of topsoil, 4 bags of mulch, 5 bushes and 2 flats of flowers we transformed our rock garden into one that will actually grow something!

The before picture...this was after we had donated half the rocks to our elderly neighbor.

Jake was ready to be a gardener. We helped him plant the bushes and the flowers he picked out. Note my nifty new haircut!

I love this photo. My two boys.

This is how it looked at the end of Saturday. We could NOT do anymore! Gardening makes a body tired!

The final product. We still have a half a flat of flowers left and I think that they will got in the pots we have or in the front. We are glad to be done, but more glad that we did it. We have been staring at those ugly rocks since we moved in here a year and a half ago. Now we actually want to spend time in the backyard!

~Carl~

2009-04-13T15:36:00.004-04:00

How could I not love this man? It is impossible!! Thank you Carl for being the greatest (and most delicious) husband this girl could ever have. I love you.

Good Job Dad!

2009-02-23T15:38:00.001-05:00

This has to be one of the coolest recognitions I have ever seen. The best part is that it is for my own father. Proud of you Dad!!

Our "new" car!

2009-02-17T20:51:00.003-05:00

The search is over; we bought a "new" car! It is a 2002 Dodge Stratus, so it's not really new, but new to us. The car itself has 85,000 miles on it, but it has a brand new engine with less than 600 miles, so that is a bonus. It is super roomy inside with black leather interior. It also has a sunroof, but I keep calling it a moonroof. ha ha The sunroof was a big hit with the kids. They especially loved it when we went through the car wash this afternoon! All in all we are very happy and excited to own this car.

Ta-da!!

Very posh faux woodgrain!

The back seats complete with the garbage bag Gram bought the boys to keep the car nice and neat.

Yes dear, that is our camera bag laying in the middle of the neighbors parking spot. :)

The 2009 Burger Talent Show

2009-02-13T07:45:00.003-05:00

Talent show time is here again folks! Now this really is my favorite Jacob day of the year. I always get so teary eyed watching these beautiful children get up and sing and dance without the slightest bit of fear. It makes me so much more grateful that Heavenly Father blesses us with these sweet spirits. They always do a great job!

I was also excited because we were able to get a digital recording of him this year with our new camera! So, without further ado, here he is!

Pinewood Derby...the second attempt.

2009-02-13T07:18:00.005-05:00

Wow, first of all, what I loser have I been in the blogging community as of late. I haven't even checked other peoples blogs in weeks, which used to be my favorite way to start the day! Oh well, here is my chance for redemption!

Jacob's Pinewood Derby was two Wednesdays ago. As most of you will remember, "Speedy", his last car, was not so...well...speedy. This year I am afraid to say was a total flop as well. Jacob, Carl and I are just not made out for racing! Jacob is the designer, and we are the elbow grease for the most part. We got some tips for the next time, but we were dead last this time. Every race he was last. Not a happy camper. At one point, he again had come in last, but the winner of that heat was Jacob! Jacob H. that is, not Jacob B.. But, they got him to believe that it was him anyway, just so he wouldn't be so sad and disappointed. Poor guy!

The start of the race! Jacob's is the "Silver Bullet" on the left. The one that looks like a rounded off chunk of wood? Yeah, that's the one.

Jacob losing the race. This is how they all went. Do you see the blur next to the Asian kids face? Yeah, that is our car. Oh the trauma that is Pinewood Derby!

Christmas Eve photos

2009-01-12T08:33:00.003-05:00

I didn't get any photos of Christmas with our camera, but Carl did get some of Christmas Eve. Here are the boys in their new PJ's hamming it up in front of the tree. I think that Mandy did get some Christmas day one's though, so I will post those here ASAP.

New Years Eve

2009-01-12T07:30:00.005-05:00

I still haven't uploaded my Christmas photos...I haven't been feeling too well this weekend. But, my niece Lauren got a new digital camera for Christmas and took a few shots of us when they came over for New Years Eve. Thought I would share them with you all.

You break my heart!

2009-01-07T07:22:00.002-05:00

Ok, I know it has been a VERY long time since I have posted, but I have to tell you that the thought of posting all about the holidays has been daunting so I have avoided it. So, I thought that this would be a great way to get back into the swing of things again.

As most of you know, Carl's new position at work requires him to be up and leave at 3:30 in the morning. So, he is in bed most times by 8. Last night I was so exhausted that I was in bed with Carl before the kids were even asleep. Of course they kept waking me up, and finally at 9:30 I got up and made Alex go to bed.

So, here I am in grumpy zombie Mom mode trying to get Alex to say his prayers and go to sleep. The catch is that he has a hard time going to sleep lately because he gets scared of being alone at night. It's not the dark, because he wants it dark as can be in his room, it's just his imagination goes wild. So I usually sit with him for about 5 minutes until he is asleep or close to it and then go bed myself.

I tell you, last night I was about to pass out on the floor, and I was trying not to lose my cool or fall asleep and he kept goofing off and plying me with love, so I snapped at him a little. When I did, he laid back, looked me right in the eye and said, "Mom, you break my heart sometimes." Ugh!!! How horrible! So of course, I accepted this as my being snappish and apologized, reminding him that I was SO tired and needed him to go to sleep. I then get, "You break my heart all the time. You break it because you are so beautiful, and good looking." Well, how can you stay grumpy and sleepy after that?! Ha ha He is going to make a wonderful husband someday. Of course he gets it from his Father, which makes it even better.

You are getting sleeeeeeeeppy.....

2008-12-15T07:30:00.004-05:00

Last night was Carl's Home Depot Christmas party. They held it outside the store this year, at The Summit in Canton. Very nice place! They had a buffet dinner for all the guests, and prize drawings for things like a Wii, flat screen TV, xbox 360 and other cool stuff. Of course we didn't win any of it cause that is our luck, but that is alright.

So, the highlight of the evening, in everyone's opinion I am sure, other then the winners of all the cool stuff, was the entertainment. The company hired a hypnotist.

Ah the power of suggestion. It's a huge thing isn't it? Well, combine that with pure relaxation and you don't have anything more entertaining! Because really, that is all that hypnosis is I found out. In the beginning he had us all do a group exercise where we relaxed our entire bodies. I have done this before and I love doing it! So I was at a total blank, no worries, no stress, no anything. He had us memorize 25 things in sequential order. Took only a minute, but I can remember them still this morning. So, then he brings us back out of the relaxation and looks for volunteers to help him with the rest of the show. I had already told Carl that I would be volunteering, so up my hand shot.

He started with another gal first and poof, out she went, all slumped over in her chair. And I STILL wanted to do it! ha ha So, then he comes over to me. Now, remember, this is in a swanky banquet room, with almost every Canton Home Depot employee and their spouse/significant other. So here he comes up, talks to me for a second, and then places his hand on my forehead. Boom, there goes Chris! I can remember all of it now this morning and it is just hilarious. I have a feeling that it must be like getting drunk. I was doing ridiculous things, I knew I was doing them, I could hear everyone laughing at me, and at times, I laughed as well, yet I had no inclination to stop. I was totally free of all embarrassment!

So. there were 10 of us I believe in the grand finale at the front of the room. During the show I drove my car to the beach as my teenage self, put suntan lotion on my neighbors back while my other neighbor put it on my butt, fended off bees, put poo on my face danced like a ballerina and danced to an Elvis song. There were other things a well, like when I got "pulled over" by a policeman and was asked why I was speeding. My answer? "Eric was talking to loud." Yep...By the way, Eric was a fabulous friend I had in highschool. Just in case you were wondering who he was like the people at our table did. ha ha, I guess they were hoping for some secret lover to surface!!

So, I did leave having had an experience, which is why I wanted to go to the party in the first place. So, my parting words...Hypnosis is real, so make sure you go under with a reputable hypnotist! Oh, an don't go into a hypnotic stupor in a puddle of spilled drink on the floor like I did. Then it just makes you look like you were too relaxed...

Update on Dad's trip

2008-12-15T07:25:00.002-05:00

My dad made it back to the grand old state of Idaho this week. He had a fabulous trip and says he was interviewed, filmed and had snapshots taken for 2 straight days. It's like he's a movie star! They are having a "Movie Night" on the 18th of this month to preview the film my father will be in. In fact, he will not only be in it, but narrating it it seems, so that is pretty fabulous. They are putting it out as "a never before seen preview of personal narration of the process by one of the actual men who were there at the time, working on the unknown." Very cool!

Alex's Christmas Program

2008-12-09T08:51:00.005-05:00

'Tis the season for holiday programs. Alex's school had their show last night and it was awesome! All of the kids did very well and sang in nice loud voices. The show started at 7, but by 6:45 when all the kids were supposed to come, there was standing room only! They must have been letting people in at 6 for the amount of families that were there. All in all though, it was a success. I did think it was funny that they sang "Away in a Manger", a song about the baby Jesus, and felt compleled to change the line "the stars in the heavens" to "the stars in the sky". They can sing about Jesus, but not Heaven? ha ha, Whatever! So, here are some photos and two of the four songs he sang. I really wish Carl would have gotten his last performance. His facial expressions were just killing me!!

C-O-N-spiracy

2008-12-08T07:16:00.009-05:00

When my parents were first married, my father worked at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory, which was a nuclear reactor located in Southern California. Over it's history, it is said to have has at least 9 "nuclear accidents". In 1959, when my father was there, it had a partial meltdown.

You've heard of 3 Mile Island right? This meltdown created an estimated 250 times the radiation. So why haven't you heard of this before? Well, that is the question.

This has been a story that I have known since I was small. My father helped with the cleanup there, wearing nothing more than his street clothes, a cotton jumper, and his boots. The Secret to absorbing all the spilled waste? Kotex pads...seriously! They actually removed the melted core by hand, looking down directly into the reactor! This whole incident became classified and there was no public notification. Here is where my Dad comes in. Being the smart and insane young man he was, took a camera into the site and took pictures! He has carried around proof of this reactor and it's secrets for the past 50 years. Here is part of the story in his own words:

"If you want to fine information on the Web on the reactor that I worked at in 1959.... look under SSFL, SRE Sodium filled Reactor, Santa Susana Field Lab., 1959 SRE Reator Melt down, Santa Susana Field Lab. area 4. Just remember I worked at the SRE Reactor, in Area 4, in the Santa Susana Mountains for Atomics International / Rocketdyne.

All this was happening when mom I were engaged to get married and a short time after we were married in 1959. It was top secret what I was doing at the time and could not talk about it to the public or even mom. She had no idea really what I was doing at the time she knew I worked for Atomics International and had a good paying job, and worked at Atomic reactor as an assistant Operator. She knew I was doing some clean- up with Kotex for a sponge and had a lot of safety pins from them in my glove box in my car. She did not know how bad the danger that I was in at the time I worked there.

We were young at the time and did not think to much about it....the main thing I was making good money at the time... we had a new house and we were married and on our own.

She did notice when I came home with holes in my cloths from cutting out hot spots of radiation in my cloths and soles of my shoes. she knew the reactor had problems and we were trying to repair it.

Then we never thought about the fact that mom having 5 miscarriages in 7 years could be the cause of working at the Reactor. Just young and did not think about it....and I could not talk about it to the Doctors anyway at that time...it was top secret during the Korean War time. the Government was over seeing the project we were working on. the Government was using the uranium from the Fuel Rods for Atomic Weapons. There was a hot lab also in the building that messed with that sort of thing. It was quite an operation.

I worked there 9 Mo. before I was layed off. It was a month after were were married... "

Here is a film about the reactor. My Dad says "I am in a lot of these clips. It would be hard for you to recognize me, I was 20 years old at that time. There is two scenes that you maybe able to find me.....they show in a scene helping to turn a large round spoke wheel (looks like a wagon wheel) I am in the upper left corner leaning over pushing. The other is where I am down in a hole bent over painting with a paint brush. The hole I was in was highly contaminated it was right next to the reactor core. In the hole was the new pump that was replaced. This pump is what caused the reactor to heat up and caused the melt down when the old one had leaky seals."

This is a shot of him looking down into the rector to remove the melted core pieces. Note his hat. It says "Your safety is our business, Atomics International."

Aerospace Cancer Museum of Education

Tomorrow, my Father is being flown out to LA to become a part of a museum that has been created to bring awareness to this and other reactor plants and their misconduct. He will be meeting with a member of the EPA and the DTSC (the Dept. of Toxic Substance Control. Can I just tell you how proud I am of him! He has worked a long time trying to get someone to listen to his story, and he has finally been heard. I wish you all the luck in the world Dad!!

My day with Alex

2008-11-26T16:12:00.004-05:00

There was no school for Alex on Wednesday due to Thanksgiving, so he and I spent the day together. We played a lot of games and had quite a bit of silly fun, but there were 2 things from the day that really stand out.

At about 9:30 in the morning, Alex came up with an idea for Jacob. He took the stocking that he had made the night previous in scouts, labeled it with a note underneath, and put his only tiny Bakugan in it to give to Jacob for "keeps". Now, I don't know if any of you that read this have young boys that are into Bakugan, but let me tall you, it is like furbies all over again!!! You can't find them in the stores at all this season. Even Santa Clause is going to be hard pressed to find any if you know what I mean, so this is a huge deal!! He put the whole thing together and then began waiting by the door for Jacob's bus to pull up. I had to convince him that Jacob's bus would not be home for 6 more hours and that he shouldn't wait there that whole time! ha ha. It was very sweet. Jacob certainly appreciated it when he got home!

Can you see the note underneath? So cute!

Of course, perhaps I should have left him waiting by the door all day. Alex decided later in the afternoon that he wanted to make a pool for his toys, complete with water slide. We got him a bowl and some things to make the slide and put them in the sink. We used our water filter tap as the continual water slide water. Well, as soon as he got this set up, we needed to run to grandma's house for a bit, so he was disappointed, but I told him that we could start back up as soon as we got home. When we did get home, plans changed for the worse! These pictures should tell you most of the tale....

He added half a bottle of soap to the sink full of water because he must not have gotten the concept that dish soap doesn't instantly foam. The ENTIRE bottom of the sink was full of soap!! These pictures are from the 3rd sink fill up. The suds lasted a very very long time indeed! It seems that he wanted a bigger pool, and then I guess a bathtub? Oh Alex... All in all it was a super fun day and I was glad that I got to spend some alone time with my baby. He is growing up too fast!

Q & A with Jacob

2008-11-17T17:44:00.004-05:00

Here are the answers that I got from Jake.I put them down verbatim, so some of this in going to be in something we call "Jacob". Believe me, sometimes he has his own language.

1. What is something mom always says to you?

"I love you." (Go me again!!)

2. What makes mom happy?

"Thank you cards." (True)

3. What makes mom sad?

"Well, one time you cried about fighting with Dad." (What can you say to that?)

4. How does your mom make you laugh?

"Taking me to the clown circus." (I didn't even take him and I got credit, YES!)

5. What was your mom like as a child?

"You haded hair and little small body." (Good description.)

6. How old is your mom?

[shrugs] "mom, just tell me!" (I knew one of them would do this, I just didn't know which!!)

7. How tall is your mom?

"Maybe 65 inches." (good guess!)

8. What is her favorite thing to do?

"Being with the family."

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?

"Maybe you rest?"

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?

"Um, let's see, um bestest fashion clothes." (Um, ok...)

11. What is your mom really good at?

"Hmmm, good at coloring stuff."

12. What is your mom not very good at?

"Um, giving Alex what he likes. You always give him healthy cups and it makes him sad." (Ha ha, favorite answer!)

13. What does your mom do for her job?

"To take care of our family. I know that cause you got fired at Joann's." (This started a big argument between him and Alex. Alex said I did not get fired, I quit, which is true.)

14. What is your mom's favorite food?

"Asparagus." (WHAT?!?!)

15. What makes you proud of your mom?

"I like your hair." (Always a point of pride...)

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?

"Mighty Mom."

17. What do you and your mom do together?

"Play catch in the summer. "

18. How are you and your mom the same?

"We have the same last names."

19. How are you and your mom different?

"Well, our bodies in places and our ages and your weight." (What are you sayin' Jake?!)

20. How do you know your mom loves you?

"Let's see...write me thank you cards. Sometimes you make me, like me cause you sometimes give me a break on Wednesdays for scouts." (I don't even know what he is talking about! ha ha)

I tag Jenn (with Delia) and Francesca (with Noah)!

Q & A with Alex

2008-11-17T07:35:00.006-05:00

I got tagged by Penny, so I thought I would ask Alex since he and I have the most alone time in the morning. I'll try to get Jacob this afternoon, and perhaps I can get Carl to do this as well. It was pretty funny to hear the answers that he provided.

1. What is something mom always says to you?

"I love you!" (Go Me!!)

2. What makes mom happy?

"Me" (My favorite answer!!)

3. What makes mom sad?

"Sad stories"

4. How does your mom make you laugh?

"Hmmm...I don't know. I don't remember" (Obviously not too funny...)

5. What was your mom like as a child?

"You were like, smaller than you are now." (hee hee)

6. How old is your mom?

"I think 29" (He thought long and hard about this one and he is only off a year!)

7. How tall is your mom?

"You are 10 feet" (Wow)

8. What is her favorite thing to do?

"Your favorite thing to do is read a book." (What can I say, the child knows me!)

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?

"You hang with Daddy" (nice use of slang)

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?

"You would be famous for some money. For the allowances" (He just earned his, so it is fresh on the mind)

11. What is your mom really good at?

"You are really good at fighting Daddy" (This is a reference to my ability to wrestle with Daddy for long periods of time)

12. What is your mom not very good at?

"You're not very good at running" (So true, love!)

13. What does your mom do for her job?

"You are, I think you are the seller from the girl job." (He must still think I work at JoAnns!)

14. What is your mom's favorite food?

"Your favorite food is chicken." (This is actually his favorite food! ha ha)

15. What makes you proud of your mom?

"That you love me!" (Good job Mom!)

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?

"I don't know. Like Katara? No, actually you are like Panini." (I'M NOT YOUR BOYFRIEND!!!)

17. What do you and your mom do together?

"We play together."

18. How are you and your mom the same?

"We are the same because we both love each other." (Awwww)

19. How are you and your mom different?

"We are different because you are a girl and I am a boy." (Clear and to the point)

20. How do you know your mom loves you?

"Because we both hug." (Each other)

Well there you go...

2008-11-12T07:20:00.001-05:00

It seems that Jacob doesn't even have to wait to be the president! Thanks a lot Grandpa. You made Jake's face light up!

2008-11-11T18:01:00.009-05:00

Hello, Carl here:

In my quest to become, at the very least, an amateur photographer I have been practicing a lot with lighting. I am terrible in low unnatural light.

BUT... I have developed a new appreciation for my three most beautiful (and overly eager to help) models. So here is a tribute to them to say thanks!

Jacob's Aspirations

2008-11-11T08:44:00.002-05:00

Up until a few months ago, it was Jacob's dream to be a cashier, namely one at Aldi's. Why you ask? Well, it's because they get to sit down while they work of course! Well, now he wants to become a nurse, so he can help other kids with diabetes. :) But, this morning I found this in Jacob's backpack and it seems that he might be reaching toward some higher goals. Of course the reasoning behind it seems to be from the less noble side of Jacob we are used to! ha ha

Poor Man, we hardly knew you

2008-11-09T20:57:00.005-05:00

For Jacob's birthday as previously noted, he got a tank and 3 fish from the Williams'. He was super excited to be able to feed them and take care of them. Well, after a whole lot of hullabaloo, we convinced him that they shouldn't be fed until morning. Well, he got himself up and fed those fish before we had all come downstairs the next day. The problem was, he was a bit too generous with the food. I thought it would be ok since he had got a bottom feeder. Figured he would take care of the extra that fell to the bottom. Well, this morning we woke up to find that the water was all cloudy and gross. We had to run to church, but I was planning on cleaning out their tank as soon as we got home. Well, that didn't happen until later in the afternoon and by that time it was discovered that Man was dead Yes, he named him Man. The others are Friend (or Fred depending on which child you are asking) and Buddy. Well, let me tell you there were a lot of tears shed by both boys. Turned out to be a great time to talk about the Plan of Salvation and resurrection though!
Grandma and Gramps were coming for dinner and so we postponed the funeral until they got to our house. Jacob was appalled by the idea of a toilet burial so I dug a hole outside in the back and we made a headstone. It reads,

MAN

Beloved Fish

I think that the cutest and saddest part was Jacob saying his final words to the poor fish that he hardly knew and his brother patting him on the back the whole time to comfort him, tears streaming down their faces. They didn't even notice that my Father-in-law was laughing the whole time! They got me though and I actually shed a tear or two in Man's honor. Now I hope the others last more than a day and a half!

Jacob's Birthday and Party

2008-11-09T20:42:00.004-05:00

Jacob's birthday was on the 4th of November, and since that was Super Tuesday we decided to have his birthday on the Friday following. On his actual Birthday we took him to a few fun places. Jake, Al and I met up with the Williams' at the fabulous new park that is in Westland for a picnic. Then after Carl got home from work, we headed out to the Henry Ford Imax theater to see "The Miracle of Flight". It was a film about the Blue Angels and was really interesting when you weren't dzzy from all the spinning! After that we went for a spending spree in the bulk food warehouse, then onto Pizza Hut for dinner. It was a super fun night!

So, Friday we had the actualy party. Jake invited a friend from school to come. The funny part was that he didn't tell me about it! So, when his friend called for directions, I was a bit suprised. But, we worked it all out and Brad was able to join us after-all. jake got a lot of cool stuff. 3 new games for his DS, a few board games and even fish! It was a super fabulous night.

Jacob's party was Spongebob themed, so we made a cake that looked like Spongebob. Carl has the idea to make it a neopolitan cake, and I think it turned out really wel!

Jake with one of his DS games he got.

Jake and Bradley. Jake pulled the glass up right before Carl shot the picture. I think it looks really cool myself!

Goofing around with the camera

2008-11-09T20:37:00.003-05:00

technical difficulties

2008-11-04T07:35:00.002-05:00

Seems the link I sent was bogus, but not to fear, here is the legit one. Sorry about that!!

Gator Jacks Sub Shop

Sisterly Pride

2008-11-03T07:22:00.002-05:00

My brother's business is flourishing! I am so proud of him and his Family. THey have had to put a lot of hard work and sacrifice into starting up their own restaurant. I wanted everyone to know that they now have their own website, and while it is still "under construction" I think that it looks really great! So, here it is, and for those of you back in Idaho check him out and tell him I sent you!!

Gator Jacks

New Freezer

2008-10-31T07:18:00.006-04:00

Hooray!! New freezer for me! I am so excited, and I think that is a little sad! ha ha But, either way, we have one now and I am well pleased.

We got it from Home Depot (of course). We had Carl's folks drive us to go get it with their Durango. Well, we got out to the depot, only to find out that they were all out of the particular size we wanted (7.2 cubic feet)! Ugh, so I drug my in-laws to the South Canton store where they did have one. Carl suggested we wait, but I know us, and we needed to get it while the money was in our grubby fists because we have "waited" for about a year now! So here it is, waiting to be filled with deliciousness. Now all I need to do is head to the grocery store!

A view through our food storage shelves

THis picture will just not cooperate, but this is the inside.

This is a picture of the whole set-up. We bought a new shelf while we were there as well, so now we have created out own mini-grocery store! Of course our shelves are a bit bare, but it won't be that way for long!

Halloween Party

2008-10-28T07:22:00.004-04:00

Carl and I were invited to our first Halloween Party last Friday. We had a blast. It was at Francesca and Daniel's house. There were lots of friends from the ward all dressed up and everyone had a blast! Carl dressed as a "Chick Magnet" and I was French, although I was supposed to be a mime...white face makeup is not comfortable! Came off within minutes of my putting it on! I only added a few pictures on here, but Francesca's blog has a bunch. Also, seems that some of the photos are too big, so if you click on them you can see the whole image.

Our hosts Starsky and Hutch

Oooo-la-la, I am with the handsomest man here, no?

The Chick Magnet and his French babe encounter Joseph and Mary

Hey, It's SUPER.... uhhhh.... is that a chicken??

2008-10-26T08:13:00.001-04:00

2008-10-23T07:34:00.002-04:00

Hooray, it is my month to shine baby!!!! Well, not really it seems since I have been so busy doing everything under the sun it seems. So today I have designated it, "Christina Day" where I will be doing at least SOME of the things I WANT to do today, instead of ALL the things I HAVE to do today. So there!!!

First item on the list, make cinnamon rolls for breakfast and enjoy them. (this was actually Carl's idea, and I thank him greatly for it!)

Second, update the poor blog with something...hence this whole odd rant...

Third, make curtains for Alex's room. I have been wanting to do this for a few weeks, but have just not made the time to do it.

Fourth, look through all of my fabric. yeah, to you non-sewers, this sounds a bit weird, but I want to take inventory for Christmas projects. Plus, I just LOVE fabric!!

Fifth, hang out with Lindsey and Carl and just be dumb!!!

So, there you go folks...my day is today and I am going to try to enjoy it! (That is before 3:00 when the kids all come home and then I have to take Carl to the doctor and make dinner and the Home teachers come over and etc... ha ha)

Our Weekend of Long Missed Friends

2008-10-11T19:32:00.003-04:00

Elder Robins, Carl and Elder Tamms

Today I was invited over to the Williams's to participate in a Missionary discussion with our ward's newest member. The boys and I walked over, leaving Carl at home since he had only a short time before he had to head off to work. I walked in not really paying attention to anything but getting the pitcher I was bringing back to the kitchen when I heard the missionaries say something about me not being very observant. "Well, what did I miss?" I thought as I turned around. Nothing I could see, but then again I heard, "Well, she'll notice eventually." Now I was really perplexed...what had I missed?! As I peeked over at the half wall to confront the missionaries, I saw none other than Elder Tams! Hooray! I have a big soft spot for this young man. I tell you, I honestly wept huge tears when he got transfered over 7 months ago. I can't tell you how excited I was to see him in the flesh again! It was also a wonderful thing since I had lost track of his address a few moths back and had no idea where he had been transfered to. So, of course I phoned Carl right away and told him to get his keister over to Lindsey's fast. He was really happy to see Tams again as well. What a blessing!

Now the weekend gets even better because Elder Robins is coming for a visit with his parents tomorrow. He finished his mission on Wednesday and has been traveling the greater Metro-Detroit area visiting all the families he has been with over the past 2 years. We are the last stop on the Robin's express and are so excited to see him tomorrow. I am expecially excited to visit his mother that I have been in contact with since Carl was baptised. So, our weekend is a joyous one, with lots of memories and happiness.

Back to school!!

2008-10-10T15:36:00.004-04:00

The strike is over, according to a judges ruling, so back to school we went today. It was supposed to be picture day, but the school figured that not too many people would be coming in for the one day since it is a Friday. So, they moved picture day to the 22nd. Since Alex was all done up with nothing to show for it, I decided to take some shots of him. I think they turned out pretty nice, even though it was pretty shady. But in truth, there are not too many places in this complex to take a photo where it doesn't look like you are standing next to a condo!

Enjoy!

Day 3 of the STRIKE

2008-10-08T15:47:00.002-04:00

Well folks, it has been three days since the Wayne-Westland teachers decided to strike. This has proved to be a good reminder of how much I love my alone time. Of course I won't be getting as much of that since Carl's work schedule has changed and he will be home after 8 am everyday now. But, I suppose the difference is that Carl doesn't require constant entertainment.

So, here we are. Alex did get to go to the dentist today without missing any class time so I suppose that was a bonus. No cavities, Hooray!! We spent the rest of our day window shopping to kill time and playing with homemade play-doh at the William's house. Who knows what we will do tomorrow!!

Happy Birthday Alex!

2008-10-06T16:50:00.004-04:00

Alex's birthday was on the 4th. So, since Carl had to work on Saturday, we had his party on Sunday. Alex had a great time, of course, and so did everyone else (I hope!). Not too much time to go into the details right now, but I thought I would post some photos. Above is Alex's cake. The figure next to his name at the bottom is Darth Vader as done by Dad.

Blurry, but only shot of Alex getting his long desired Pokemon book. It has every Pokemon in it!

These must be painful balloons!

The new skateboard that I am sure I will regret getting sooner or later.

Admiring his flaming cake.

Jacob's Etch-A-Sketch talent

2008-09-14T14:10:00.002-04:00

Jacob has been using the Etch-A-Sketch a lot since he found it in the basement yesterday. Seems that he has aquired the talent of actually making a picture, not just stairs like his mother! Try to ignore my reflecttion in the photo. Darn shiny surfaces!!

He says that this a a fancy kitchen. Note the actual door knob and things on the counter!

What is with all the critters on our windows?!

2008-09-12T19:54:00.002-04:00

Seriously, this slug is just ridiculous!!!! But, the neighborhood kids seem to enjoy him.

Our after-school visitor, a present from Idaho and tricks we learn from our fathers...

2008-09-10T18:10:00.003-04:00

Yes, a long title, but appropriate for our day. When we got home from school, there was an enormous praying mantis on our kitchen window. He was a pretty awesome site, especially since Alex had just learned about them the day before at school.

A package came from Grandma and Grandpa Pace today and it had Jacob's baptismal gift in it. They got Jacob his own mini-quad with his name embossed on the cover. He was super excited! Thanks Gram and Gramps!

Last but not least, these pictures were taken at the conclusion of our spaghetti dinner. Sweet trick Dad, thanks for teaching it to the boys! ha ha

Jacob's Baptism

2008-09-06T22:03:00.003-04:00

Well folks, today was the day. My first born is now a full-fledged member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Whew!!

The baptism went really well. I would guess that there were about 40-50 people in attendance, including Carl's parents. We were so glad that they came to share Jacob's special day. Carl did the baptism...3 times! ha ha His poor little legs kept going out from under him, so his feet kept popping up! For those of you who don't know, we Mormons do baptism by full immersion. So, all parts of the body have to go under, and Jacob's feet were not having it! Well, third time was a charm, and he was good to go! Bro. Davis did the confirmation. Carl has not gotten his Melchizedek priesthood as of yet, so Jacob decided that was who he wanted to do it for him.

So, everything we fabulous, even though both Carl and I were really nervous about it going otherwise! Jacob was excited because he received a new Journal from the Primary, along with a card that has the Articles of Faith written on the back and his Faith in God book. His Primary teacher Sis. Thomas also gave him the "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader" card game. Today we have proven time and again, that no one in this house, nor in the Williams' house is smarter than a 5th grader! ha ha

Well, here are a few more photos of us from today. Hope you enjoy!

And then they were gone...

2008-09-04T07:50:00.002-04:00

Today I am all alone!!! Carl has to work until 3, Jake and Alex have school until 3:10 and I am free!!!!! Woohoo!!!! I am sure that eventually this will not seem so spectacular, but seriously, this is a day that I have been waiting for since Alex turned 2! ha ha

So, here are some photos of Jacob getting ready to start his new school days. Note the loss of the Mohawk....sad days for Jacob at our house folks, sad days...

First Day of School

2008-09-02T12:24:00.003-04:00

First Day Hooray! We walked to school with our friend Lindsay and her daughter Mackenzie. Halfway there Alex decided that it was too long of a walk and needed a piggyback ride. I guess it is quite a walk though, 1 mile round trip. Eventually we'll get in the swing of it! No problems with leaving us though. He went right into line and chatted with the kid in front of him. Of course I think he was a little nervous since he told me that he loved me at least 10 times as we stood there. And how have we spent our exciting day? Going to the bank, the library and grocery shopping...woohoo! Thursday will be Jake!

A Day with the Jess's

2008-09-01T16:35:00.003-04:00

Carl's sister Jenn and her family came up from Illinois to visit this weekend. We spent the whole day Saturday eating, swimming and hanging out. Everyone had a blast! You can see all the pictures on our Flickr page.

Delia, Lauren Jake Jocelyn Alex and Trey

The girls
Delia, Lauren and Jocelyn

The boys
Jacob, Alex and Trey

Mandy and Jenn

Mandy, Me and Jenn
(we made Lauren take this from the chest up...no bathing booties for us!)

Hooray, School Tomorrow !!!!!

2008-09-01T16:30:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow is Alex's first day of 1st Grade!! Can I tell you that I am just as excited as he is! He has grown into such a smart boy with a vivid imagination that rivals any I have seen before. He is definitely going to be somebody special in this big old world!

Alex giving the stink eye