Whirlwind Week

What a whirlwind of a week this past one has been!!! We spent the weekend in Detroit with Aunt Becky and while we were there, we stayed busy going places and seeing lots of new things. We arrived Thursday evening and before bed took a short walk into town (Ferndale) to get some pizza. Friday morning, we headed off on our first adventure of the day... to the Detroit Zoo.

Ezri enjoyed her visit to the zoo, as did Alex and I. We saw so many different animals and got to experience some fun things along the way. Little miss fearless loved everything about it! Even the snake up against the glass :)

One of our favorite parts of the day was early on when we got to watch the Lemurs play and be fed by one of the zoo workers. They were very playful and entertaining, jumping and running around, playing with one another... Ezri could not decide if they were kittys or barkys, but she sure knew they were fun!

We got to see a couple of Rhinoceros' fairly close up and were amazed by the true size of them. We also saw giraffes, zebras and lots of monkeys too.

I think our favorite part of the trip to the zoo was the polar bear and seal exhibit. We were able to go under the water and see them swimming around and above us. Ezri was in awe, as was I. So amazing to watch, it would be easy to sit in the room and watch for hours, relaxing as well!

Daddy and Ezri stopped in to peek their heads up through the ground at the groundhog exhibit... Ezri liked it, Alex not so much :)

We enjoyed a little picnic lunch before seeing a little bit more zoo and then heading home for a nap. During our lunch, we got a very close visit from a friendly peacock who realized that Ezri had dropped one of her goldfish crackers onto the foot rest of her stroller, which was parked right next to our table, and us. He walked right up, grabbed the cracker, had a little snack and then went on his way. Ezri was very excited about the bird and wanted to follow him around the picnic area, which entailed Daddy following her for a bit and then trying to convince her to join us again.

After afternoon nap and a dinner together, Alex, Ezri and I along with Becky and her friend Angela headed off to the Detroit Tigers' Game at 7pm. Near Ezri's bedtime, we were unsure how she would do... she was amazingly compliant and happy most of the time. Ezri even got a certificate to commemorate her very first Detroit Tigers baseball game. She really enjoyed the moments when there was a lot to cheer about, as well as the music, dancing her little heart out and clapping for all she was worth. A few times we had to get up and walk around for a bit with her, but overall, we had a great time and the Tigers won. We even got to watch some fireworks after the game, to Ezri's amazement and enjoyment... a great ending to a great day?!!!

Saturday, we walked around Ferndale and checked out some of the many cars participating in the Dream Cruise, up and down Woodward Ave. It got pretty hot and Ezri had her fill, so after some time, we headed back to Becky's for nap time. While Ezri napped, I got to spend some time with my friend Keith, who lives in the Detroit area, and who I seldom get to see. It was really nice to see Keith again and to have a few hours to catch up and hang out.

Sunday late morning, we headed back toward Hopkins. While we enjoyed ourselves while in Detroit, we were ready for some down time and a little slower pace of life again :)

Back home, we had a lot of things to unpack, put away, clean up, etc. So much more to bring along when there is a toddler involved! Monday, while I was trying to tackle the many piles, Ezri found a stash of coins on the kitchen table. One of her favorite things to do is "feed her pig" - put money in the piggy bank. Whenever she finds coins around the house, she will make her pig sound, oink, and then head toward the piggy bank with coins in hand...

Tuesday, Ezri and I got to spend some time with my friend Ronda and her four children at their home while I picked beans that Ronda so generously offered up for us to have. Such a blessing for sure, as my garden is lacking in the bean department and I had been praying that God would send some my way for free or cheap so I could stock up the shelves and freezer again. So cool the way He works... even with things as minimal as beans! Ezri had fun with Rondas kids and had them showing her around the farm, playing with kittens, looking at cows, and later feeding her cheese and bread. Our little social butterfly, no fear and off to conquer the world regardless of who is helping her :)

Wednesday, Ezri and I met Aunt Kerri, Aubrey and Wesley for a trip to Timbertown in Zeeland. Timbertown is a large wooden playground area with tunnels, stairs, slides, swings, you name it for kids to play on. In the same park, there is a pond filled with ducks, which immediately drew Ezri's attention. Before everyone was even out of the car, she was quacking and trying to go toward the water.

Ezri and Aubrey wasted no time getting down to business, climbing and playing. Ezri soon located the slide and was up and down on her own over and over :)

She also discovered some small tunnels just her size and was soon crawling all over!

After such a busy morning and a short nap in the afternoon, I found Ezri lounging as I was preparing dinner Wednesday night...

Thursday, we got Ezri's 18 Month pictures taken at Target (a day early) and then spent the afternoon relaxing and playing together before heading out again to see Opa and Oma. On our way home, we were blessed again with two 5 gallon buckets full of tomatoes for me to can, make pasta sauce, etc. from a friend of my parents. So, while I dread the work, I am so grateful for the shelves full of fresh veggies and fruits we will have this winter! God continues to bless us in ways we forget to even ask about. Loving life here on the ranch!

7 Years and a Bunch Of Fun!

We maintained a fairly low profile this past week, and were thankful for the peace and quiet of a calm week. Ezri finally got over her cold and got yet another tooth.

Saturday, while it rained, Alex installed and wired a doorbell for the house. We had intended to install windows in what will be Ezri's new room, but with unpredictable weather and our helpers being busy, we opted for an inside job instead. We've not really had a functioning doorbell since shortly after we moved in, so I was really excited to have one at each door that works again. Saturday night, Alex, Ezri and I went out for some Chinese to celebrate our anniversary and then stopped by Grandpa and Grandma's for a while.

Sunday, August 14, marked our 7th wedding anniversary. It hardly feels that we have been married this long already :)

Tuesday, we got a special delivery from FedEx. I had ordered some diapers to stock up for Fig's arrival and they came in a very large box. I saw it and immediately had the perfect idea... A place for Ezri!

We got out the crayons and for almost 30 minutes decorated the outside of the box and cut holes into it to make a little fort for Ezri. She really loved helping color on the box!

And once it was complete... even more fun!!! In and out she would go, closing the doors, playing hide and seek.... the fun still continues. Who needs store bought toys?

That being said, while Alex, Ezri, Tucker and I were out walking on Wednesday morning of this week (one of our nearly daily activities together before the day gets started - we really enjoy this quiet time together and the fresh air!)... we stopped by a sale and saw a rocking horse I couldn't pass up. For $5 I took it home, cleaned it up a bit, put new batteries in it, and we're all set again! The horse moves its head and tail, neighs and makes trotting sounds with the push of a button (which Ezri is afraid of at this point). what a deal!

With room to grow, as the horse is a bit tall for Ezri to get on by herself yet, she has found herself a new toy that she loves (as long as it is quiet and she is the one making it move) and also learned a new word in the process... Horsie ("hoo-sie") :)

Our little Cowgirl!

While I was doing laundry this week Tuesday and Wednesday, preparing for our weekend trip to Detroit, Ezri joined me in the basement. After a few moments of sorting laundry and getting a load started, I turned around to find Ezri having herself a little picnic on the basements steps. She had brought over a fork, spoon and plate, set them on the step, loaded her plate up with her snack and was enjoying herself and a self declared table. Too cute!

She soon began to get adventurous with her little meal and was then "cooking", stirring up the snack still in her cup, mixing things in, etc. So amazing to realize what they soak up by watching us do everyday tasks!

Thursday, we left in the early afternoon and took a road trip to Detroit for the weekend to see Becky and spend some time hanging out and doing some things while in town. It will be a busy weekend filled with the zoo, a Detroit Tigers game, a car show and multiple other activities!!! Looking forward to a good time with Aunt Becky :)

Another Late Post

To our faithful followers who wait anxiously for each weekly post... It's going to be a late post again this week. We've got a really busy day ahead of us, so it will likely be later tonight or tomorrow morning before we get things updated for the week past. Sorry Andy :( Ezri sends her love!

My Helper in Boots

Better late than never...

It's been a somewhat subdued week. Ezri is still cutting some teeth and fighting a cold. Her poor little nose just runs and runs and runs... We've gone through so many Kleenex this week... well, most from use, but some from Ezri's own entertainment...

We got to spend a lot of time with Aunt Becky this past weekend. Friday evening, she came to our house and brought Ezri a pair of shoes, which she instantly wanted to wear, even though they were too big :) We got to see Aunt Becky on Saturday and Sunday as well. Ezri enjoyed the extra attention for sure!

Our week has been pretty quiet for the most part. Ezri kept me quite entertained despite her not feeling well. One of her "Barky"s got a bath early in the week. When she discovered his fate, she was quite bothered by it and continued to return to the bathroom where he was drying. She would walk around the house signing bath and saying Barky over and over, letting us know that she knew he had taken a bath. Smarty pants!

Monday evening, we headed to Great Grandma's house for dinner. While there, I took pictures of Elizabeth with her fair animals. When the turkeys came out, Ezri was very curious, not a bit afraid. She walked right up to the bird, pointing out it's beak and petting it. For having not been near a turkey before, at least not in a long while nor one so big, she was quite brave.

Andy was with us and kept Ezri quite busy while I was taking pictures. She was squealing as he had her flying through the air :)

We have begun the big nap switch up this week. Going from two to one... scary stuff! We were having trouble with Ezri sleeping in the afternoon, though she was definitely ready to nap in the morning, but by night with no afternoon nap, she was crabby. What to do? So far, she seems to be transitioning fairly well. Mornings are a bit rough at points as she is tired, but she is now napping about 3-3.5 hours in the afternoon, so that is great! We'll see in the coming week how this all works out...

The pair of boots we got from Kerri have become an instant favorite for Ezri. No matter what she is wearing, those boots are most often a part of the attire!

The baby in the mirror thought Ezri was pretty styling too :) Ezri was exchanging kisses with that baby, must be in thanks for the compliment on her boots :)

Silly girl!

Even when it is early and the pajamas are still on, those boots must be worn!

Wednesday, Ezri got to go on a date with Daddy while I was at band practice. They went to Bysterveld Park in Dorr to play on the playground. I think they both enjoyed themselves :) Wednesday and Thursday, Ezri "helped" me can peaches and freeze corn we bought from the farm market in town. She quickly learned to say corn ("cors") and peaches ("bee-ses"). She is quickly becoming a parrot and picking up on new words almost daily now.

Ezri has also discovered the joy of "helping" feed Tucker and Tobi. I've been letting her help me for some time, at least as far as dumping the scoop of food into the bowl. This week, she has taken it upon herself to keep them fed on her own. Several times I have caught her either carrying a food bowl to the back porch where we store the food or scooping food out and carrying it into the kitchen to the bowls. So sweet :) I will have quite the little helper with Fig at this rate.

On a quick Fig note, I felt a kick, or punch or whatever, this week! Actually felt it with my hand, 17 weeks already, so here we go!

New Adventures

We had some new adventures this week...

This past Saturday, Alex, Ezri and I went to Beard's to pick blueberries (Ezri's first time) with Grandma. The place was packed!!! Turns out there were so many people there picking throughout the day that they completely ran out of ripe berries to pick until just yesterday (Thursday). Ezri rode along with Daddy in the front carrier, helping for a while. After about 45 minutes, she grew tired of it, so she and Daddy went to play while myself and Grandma finished up. We're grateful to have our freezer again stocked up with blueberries :)

Saturday evening, after going to a pig roast, we stopped by East Lake to see (Great) Aunt Nancy again and swim a bit. We tried the life jacket for a bit, but as it is intended to keep babies afloat face up, it pretty much limited Ezri to back floating, which was not at all what she wanted to do. Soon, she was out of the jacket and playing... running in and out of the lake, up to her neck and further with absolutely no hesitation or fear! Even a few dunks under the water had no effect on her, she just kept coming back for more. Time for a new plan when it comes to the pool! I'm glad she is not afraid of the water, but a little worried that she is so daring... Eek!

Our week shaped up to be a bit quieter for the most part. I realized as I was looking through the photos I took this week that they all seem to have happened on the same day... oh well...

This past weekend, Grandma passed along a pair of boots she had bought for Aubrey, but had not been worn. While too big, Ezri adores them. She came out of her room Monday morning all ready to go...

I am afraid I've got a girly diva on my hands! She already loves to accessorize :)

Monday afternoon, we got a special surprise on the back porch. UPS dropped of a package for Ezri. A week prior, I had won a contest by answering correctly the location in a picture posted on Facebook by the company B. Toys (whose products we love!). They have a stuffed kitty and puppy that show up in various pictures for people to guess the location and this time, kitty and puppy were in front of the Mackinac Bridge... too easy for this Michigander! For being the first to answer the question, they offered to send me a special surprise...

Ezri was excited to get into the package right away :) They sent us "Snug Bugs", which are basically pop beads, only soft and squishy and shaped like various cutesy bugs. Along with the bugs came a stuffed kitty and puppy. Ezri thoroughly enjoyed playing with her new toys!

Ezri got in on some fun helping Daddy fix the tractor this week too. While he was busy trying to change the oil and lube up some joints and what not to keep it in good running condition, Ezri helped herself to some tools and got busy!

We also got to play with Aubrey and Wesley this week, as they came down for a visit on Tuesday. By the time nap time rolled around, the girls had successfully carpeted the entire living room with just about every toy they could find! But, they had a good time playing :)

It seems teeth are on the move again for poor Ezri. I just spotted a new one today... 3 to go before 2 year molars. Add to that a snotty nose that hopefully is teeth related and not a cold and some fussy nap times that have not been happening the past few days. Poor Baby!

This weekend, we anticipate being able to spend some time with Aunt Becky and and are looking forward to seeing her again.