Jumping in the leaves!!

Joshua didn't have school today as the teachers are attending a conference. So what were we to do with the extra time we usually don't have on Thursdays? He loves playing outside so that was a definite at some point today. I got to thinking and realized that Joshua has never played in a pile of leaves! Let me explain lest people think we have deprived our child - we lived in a subdivision that pretty much cleared out the trees so we planted fast growing trees when Joshua was born, but the leaves that dropped were little in size and didn't amount to much of a pile when raked - thus no leaf jumping possible. So, what better thing to do on a beautiful fall day than to rake up the leaves and jump in them?!?! Joshua didn't quite know what to think when I told him to jump in the pile of leaves I had raked up, but one time was all he needed and he was hooked on the fun! I think he spent almost 2 hours today, between this morning and this afternoon, jumping and rolling in the leaves and throwing them! I had to get in a few jumps myself, which Joshua of course found hysterical! Glad he could finally have that simple childhood pleasure of jumping in a pile of leaves. As usual I had to bring the camera out and capture the moment!

Goofy!



Throwing the leaves!

JUMP!

Having fun together!

This look of glee was plastered on his face permanently!

Taking a break from jumping.

The Zoo Goes BOO!

Saturday we attended the annual Zoo Goes BOO! event at John Ball Zoo. It was a perfect fall day for this fall activity. Since Cory wasn't home we invited Papa to join in the fun. We arrived right when the zoo was opening up so the wait to get in was minimal and the crowds hadn't arrived quite yet. We saw a few animals before we met up with Shawn, Erin and Owen to hit the "kooky, not spooky trail" where the kids could collect some treats. The treats were great this year - activity books, crayons, a few pieces of candy, spider rings, and cookies (just to name a few). After the trail we had to visit the petting zoo of course and then peruse the rest of the zoo. We finished up around lunch time when the zoo was getting much more crowded. The short video below captures some of our fun Saturday morning.

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More house progress. . .

The progress made this week on our house can mostly be seen from the outside. They have put the shingles on the roof, put the front door on, put the trim on the front of the house and put all the windows in. It's actually looking like a house! Hopefully this week will bring as much progress as the last one did!

Daddy's home!

After four days of having Cory gone at a conference both Joshua and I were ready to have him come home. Being a single parent doesn't thrill me, nor does it thrill Joshua as I think he gets sick of being with just one parent for days on end. So off to the airport, for the second time this week, we happily went last night. We headed straight up to the observation deck hoping to see the plane landing, knowing Cory's plane would be there any minute. We were able to see the plane come in and stop at it's gate. Then we raced downstairs so as not to miss daddy coming off the plane. Once Joshua spotted Cory it was a full-fledged running hug into daddy's arms! Needless to say, the rest of the evening I was chopped liver and daddy was the apple of Joshua's eye! We are very thankful to have Cory back home!

Fall Fun on a Friday

Friday morning Joshua and I decided we would visit Koetsier's Greenhouse. Every fall they have a wonderful area of kid's activities set up, with new things being added each year. It is $5 per child for any child over 2, but adults pay nothing. This year they had the same corn box to play in, the ball toss, bean bag toss, maze, blow-up pumpkin that blows balloons around inside of it, the big wheel track, a blow-up train that kids can crawl and climb through, tattoos, painting a pumpkin and finding a penny in the hay to trade in for a prize. Joshua enjoyed all of the activities this year, but especially loved playing in the corn, racing through the maze, and climbing through the train! We had a great couple hours of fun there and could have spent longer there!

Playing in the corn!

Trying to catch balloons in the big blow-up pumpkin!

Searching for a penny in the hay to turn in for a prize.

Concentrating hard on painting his pumkin.

Joshua pumpkin!

Framing in process!

We visited the house tonight after being told by the project manager they were framing the main floor today! We were very excited to find the main floor and the basement framed (as much as it will be for now as it won't be complete for a while)!Living Room

Kitchen

Master Bedroom

Joshua's Room

Baby Hager's Room - Effective April 19, 2009

(Hopefully painted pink!)

Annual Fall Visit to the Farm and the Pumpkin Patch!

Yesterday due to the nice weather predicted and people's schedules we (Cory and I along with Shawn and Erin) decided to head out to Erin's dad's farm (her dad is known as Farmer Joel in our house) to cut down some corn stalks for decoration and then visit Paulson's Pumpkin Patch nearby. When we arrived at the farm Farmer Joel was no where to be seen and his huge tractor was not in the barn, so we hopped in his truck and headed out to the fields to find him. Sure enough, he was using the tractor to spread fertilizer out in the field and he had just gotten done. Joshua immediately wanted to climb in the tractor and did so, with Owen close behind him. Then Joel offered to take the boys for a tractor ride, which Joshua was more than excited about (Owen needed a bit of coaxing at first)! Off they went driving the tractor all over the field, and yes Joel was so kind he let them steer! During a short break from tractor riding/driving we cut down some corn stalks to use for decoration and also fed some sweet corn stalks to the horses. Then the boys climbed back into the tractor with Joel and drove it all the way from the field down the lane to the barn! Once back at the barn we checked out all the other farm equipment as we always do when visiting the farm. Then it was time for a few pictures of the boys in their costumes and off to the pumpkin patch we went! The pumpkin patch was so much fun this year because Joshua was really excited to pick out the pumpkins and gourds to put on our front porch. He did a great job of picking out a variety of different shapes, sizes and colors of pumpkins and gourds. Thanks to this we have a beautiful fall display on our porch now! It was a fabulous day to enjoy God's creation and the beauty that abounds! The video below captures the fun we had!

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Safety Day at Home Depot

Thanks to a phone call this morning from Grandpa we learned that it was Safety Day at the Home Depot nearby - meaning there would be firetrucks to see! We made our way over to the Depot after our many errands to check out the firetrucks and the ambulance that were there. Joshua enjoyed exploring the firetrucks and seeing the huge ladder and all the equipment. Joshua was a bit young for the trailer that simulates a fire and is used to teach children how to get out safely, so he just peeked in. The bonus of the day was that they were offering a kid's workshop too! If you've never done a kid's workshop they are little wood projects that kids create (younger kids usually need the help of an adult). Today's project was a whistle firetruck (the lights on top are a detachable whistle). So with help from Cory Joshua was able to build his own firetruck! He is extremely proud of his creation and has carried it with him all day and showed it off to everyone. We even got a picture with Homer the Home Depot mascot! Thanks for letting us know about such a fun event Grandpa!

Grand Friend's Day

Today was Grand Friend's Day (the politically correct version of Grandparent's Day) at preschool. To say that Joshua was excited about Papa and Grandma coming to preschool was an understatement! On the way to school Joshua filled me in on his plans for what he would show them and do with them during their visit. I arrived a bit early to pick Joshua up so I could snap a few pictures of this special visit. He had a great time with them! Thanks for coming to preschool Papa and Grandma!

Making crayons for the bathtub

In the latest High Five magazine there was a recipe for bathtub crayons that we have been wanting to try. It only takes a few ingredients so I didn't think it would be too difficult. We finally remembered to buy the Ivory bar soap yesterday so we could do our project. You begin by grating a bar of Ivory soap which happens to be easier said than done, especially when it's a 3 year old trying to grate it(oh and cleaning caked-on soap off of a grater is no easy task either!). The grating lasted only a few minutes before he asked me to finish it, but hey at least he tried. Then it was on to mixing the soap shavings with some warm water and food coloring. Joshua decided we needed to create four colors. So we mixed and mashed the colors and packed them into an ice cube tray sprayed with vegetable oil. After a half hour in the freezer we popped them out and now they have to dry for a couple of days. We'll see how well they work when Joshua takes his bath. I hope they aren't a disappointment!

Mixing and mashing!

The finished product drying.

First Preschool Field Trip

Today was Joshua's first preschool field trip! I volunteered to go along since I used to love this field trip as a teacher I thought I would like to go as a parent for once! We went to a place called The Post Family Farm. The family of a former teacher who used to work at the same school I did owns the farm so we took our preschool classes there for years before it became so popular. It has so many great kid-friendly activities like hay rides, a straw maze, farm animals to pet, a pumpkin train, and a playground. But the highlight of every fall trip is the delightfully delicious pumpkin donuts they serve for a snack! Today after munching down our donuts we even ordered some to take home as a special treat! The weather turned out better than predicted today so even though it wasn't sunny we avoided the rain. I must say that going on a field trip as a parent was much nicer and a lot less stressful than when I was the teacher! Below are a few pictures of the trip.

"What a beautiful day!"

Joshua declared as he was swinging on a swing at the park today along side his friend Ally. Today we were lucky enough to enjoy the gorgeous weather by playing and eating lunch at a park with my good friend Kim and her daughter. They visited with us for a short time on Wednesday morning as well. Since Kim is so busy when she comes into town we hadn't planned on seeing each other today, but when her plans got cancelled we were thrilled we had nothing going on and could get together. It's so much fun now that Joshua and Ally are older because they enjoy playing with each other and this allows Kim and I some much needed time to catch up! What a fantastic way to spend a day - playing, soaking up the sun and spending time with friends!

The Circus is in Town!

Since seeing the circus train Tuesday night Joshua has constantly asked if he could go see the circus. I don't think he even knew what he was asking to see, but whatever it was he figured he should get to see it. Even though we didn't want to spend big bucks on tickets we figured this was probably a good age to bring him and since he was asking we obliged. We got tickets for Friday evening for our little family plus one for grandma, who hadn't seen the circus in years. They offered an "All-Access Pre-Show" an hour before the circus in which kids could go down on the arena floor to see and meet the clowns and performers and some of the animals. We got to see some acrobats on scarves hanging from the ceiling, a lady who could keep 60 hula hoops going all at one time, lots of clowns, the horses, the dogs that did tricks, and an elephant who painted! I think Joshua was in awe of everything he saw as he just stood there most of the time with his mouth hanging open. We were even able to take his picture with one of the clowns! Then it was time to find our seats and watch the show! Being the Dutch family we are, we got upper bowl tickets so we were a ways up, but still had good seats. Joshua did really well sitting through the show, just getting antsy in the second half towards the end. The only disappointment of the night was that Cory had told Joshua there would be motorcycles and unfortunately there weren't. Oh and did I mention that all the JUNK they have to sell there is SO OVER PRICED it's ridiculous. I mean who really pays $15 for a snow cone in a cup that has little elephants on it?!?!? Thankfully there was no security so we happily ate our treats we had stashed from home. Joshua did ask if he could get some junky plastic motorcycle, priced at a mere $12, but luckily we talked him into going to a toy store and looking for a better motorcycle the next day. All in all the circus was a great experience and one that Joshua can remember for years to come! Check out the pictures we captured in the video below.

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A Foundation for Now

Tonight we made a visit out to our new development as well as another one to check out siding and trim colors before we make our final selections. Then we of course had to make a stop at our lot to check things out. For now we have a foundation and they have back-filled things a bit. Framing will not begin for a couple more weeks because there are a couple houses in front of ours schedule wise. Unfortunately a few weeks ago we had them halt construction because we are still dealing with our old house and the buyers needing extra paperwork to get their financing through. Long story short, we signed a land contract with them so they could move into our old house and pay us until their financing comes through, which should be by the end of the year. Not exactly an ideal situation, but at least we won't be paying our old mortgage, rent and interest payments on a construction loan all at the same time! We are still praying their financing goes through quicker, but for now at least the situation is a bit better. So, with construction on hold until last week other houses were scheduled to be framed instead of ours. We at least could now see the foundation without the forms on it and get an idea of the new space. While we were there we heard the train horn blow so we were excited to hear just how loud the train actually was. To our surprise our neighbors lawn tractor was louder than the train! We noticed it was a VERY long train and as it went by we found out why - it was the Ringling Brothers Circus train! From what we could tell it was all the passenger cars and the circus equipment, no animals. Joshua was very excited about the circus train going through his new backyard!


The picture above is of Joshua waving from his bedroom!

The basement

Joshua running out of the garage.

A view of the front.



And a little video clip of the circus train in our backyard! All you can see in the video is the movement of the train because there are so many trees lining the backyard, but it gives a perspective to how close the train is.

Extending building play. . .to the bathtub!

Lately Joshua has been very interested in building with blocks. He has them out almost everyday and loves to create structures, knock them down and create new ones. We happened to be at our favorite store, Target, last night and in the dollar section we found a package of foam blocks. I immediately thought they would be a great way to extend Joshua's interest in building knowing that foam blocks in the bathtub have much different qualities than wood blocks on the floor. Joshua thought they were cool and tried to do some building with them on the floor, but found they weren't great for building that way. So, tonight I had him gather up his new foam blocks and toss them in the bathtub. He was surprised to discover that they floated in the water and that they stuck to the side of the bathtub as well as to his body! He spent a good half hour building in the bathtub! What a great extension of his play for only a $1.00 investment!

Veggin'

After his nap Joshua usually likes to veg out a bit and wake his body up. As the living room is set up here at the rental house Joshua has found a new favorite place to veg and it doesn't matter if someone is sitting there or not, he'll just sit or lay on top of them. I thought it was just too cute today so I snagged a couple pictures.

The boys have taken a liking to the channel SPEED!

Highly Recomended!

Last year my sweet Aunt Cher sent Joshua a subscription to a new Highlights High Five magazine for preschool age children. Joshua has loved this magazine and literally devours it the minute he sees it come out of the mailbox. Today was no exception. We had to immediately sit down and read through the whole magazine and find the hidden pictures (which Joshua has a knack for). At the back of the magazine is always a little game our book that can be cut out and played with. Today it was a pumpkin matching game which we had to do right away as well. So, when my aunt called a few weeks ago and asked if the subscription would be worthwhile enough to renew I told her it absolutely was. The proof is in the many magazines that have been tattered and torn due to all the use. We would HIGHLY recommend this magazine! Thanks Aunt Cher!

Trial run as a big brother. . .

Yesterday morning we took care of Jon and Missy's little girl, Matea. She is such a sweet little girl! Joshua has been talking about her ever since he saw her camping this summer. He loved seeing her again when we went to the gardens a few weeks ago. Today he was very excited to have Matea come to his house. He absolutely has no clue about babies which is just a hoot- he wondered if Matea would like to see his new cars and when I told him she was hungry he asked if she was going to have Lucky Charms like him! Joshua loved talking to Matea and kept telling her that he loved her. It was adorable to see him interact with an infant and to see his soft, sensitive side come out. I have a feeling that if it really was his sibling things wouldn't be so sugar-coated! We'll have to wait to find out. . . some day.

Fireworks Fun

Friday night we went downtown for the annual Celebration on the Grand fireworks display. We've made it a tradition to go eat downtown with my dad and then find our spot for watching fireworks. This year we switched where we usually sit and thank goodness because they lit the fireworks off from a different bridge so we had a much better view. With treats in hand, cotton candy and caramel corn of course, we sat and enjoyed the fireworks display. Joshua liked to comment on the pretty colors and the shapes he saw in the sky during the fireworks, a big switch from a couple years ago when he was scared! We had a great time and look forward to next year!

Officially a Preschooler!

This morning was the first official day of preschool for Joshua! He was so excited to go that he actually got his other-wise slow rear in gear this morning and we were amazingly on time! Before we left the house Joshua had tucked bunny bear in his backpack (a little piece of safety and comfort). Once at school he looked for his hook in the hallway and hung his backpack up. He had gotten bunny bear out and showed Miss Jessie and they both had to give bunny bear a hug before he hopped back into the backpack. Joshua proceeded to run in the room and join right in the dancing the kids were doing without any hesitation. He proudly shouted across the room, "Mom, look at me! I'm dancing!" Knowing he had settled right in so quickly, I made my exit. I spent the morning solo at the grocery store (the first time I've done so in 3 + years)! I have forgotten how easy and quick the grocery store can be. When I went back to pick Joshua up Jessie told me that he had done very well. The only glitch in the morning is that he had not learned about snack table so he didn't really know what to do (they do an open snack, meaning the children must visit it sometime during center time). He spent forever washing his hands and almost missed his opportunity to eat his snack. When I asked him on the way home what he did he was able to recall a few things, but he mostly just kept telling me that he liked preschool and had fun. Let's hope we are on the road to life long learning and a love of school!

Visiting Preschool

Today was finally the day that Joshua got to go visit preschool! Joshua was very excited to go and see what toys they had and see Miss Jessie again (she had come and done a home visit a couple weeks ago). On the way he kept asking if school was close and when we got there he ran right inside and gave Miss Jessie a hug! Guess the kid is pretty comfortable! He was able to make his nametags with Misse Jessie and have his picture taken by Miss Natasha. He also got to explore the room and play with the many trucks and cars they have. They ended visitation with a little dancing and circle time which Joshua liked, but he really wanted to go back and play with the toys. Before we left I told him to say goodbye to his teachers and he ran to each one of them and gave them a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Let's hope all goes this smoothly Thursday when I drop him off for his first day!

Picture-less Labor Day

For some odd reason the camera never came out the whole weekend. Too bad, because we could have gotten some good pictures. So the word-filled run down of the weekend goes something like this. Saturday we helped move Shawn, Erin and Owen into their beautiful new house! It was lots of work, but definitely well worth it to see them settled in by Saturday night. Sunday it was off to Muskegon to visit Grandpa and Grandma Hager who were camping. With such nice weather we were able to enjoy a few hours at the beach while we were there (like I said, wish I had thought to take the camera along or at least remember to pull the one out of my purse). Monday was mostly a day of relaxing and playing a lot of Wii. Joshua has now taken a liking to playing Wii golf and boxing. He thinks he is really good at it too (ah, yeah 12 strokes isn't exactly Tiger Woods, but he's having fun)! We ended Monday night by going out to eat with Papa which is always a good time. Sad that summer is officially done, but excited at all the new things fall will bring!