Sunday, September 19, 2010

Driving

We had a very simple week,
with our first full week of school for Ellie and Ryan.
Trevor enjoyed Preschool on Tuesday and Thursday, and a spontaneous drive to a raspberry picking outing on Wednesday with our friends. He and Cali were singing songs as they walked up and down the raspberry bush rows, they were super cute.
Sterling started riding in the push car to the bus stop this week!
Pushed very 'gently and slowly' by his rambunctious brother Trevor.
He looks so grown up riding in it!
We bought if for Ryan, so I have memories and pictures of both the big boys riding in this push car. I'm amazed we have another handsome blue-eyed boy to claim the wheel.
I love these pictures I got of him.
He loves driving it, and even steers!
He even "drives" turning the wheel back and forth, it's adorable.
Ellie got 100% on her first spelling test, and was so excited about it. Her teacher is really into giving prizes for things, so she has been sporting a new body lotion keychain from Mrs. Haar for getting all her spelling words right.
Ryan runs to me from the bus every day to give me a hug and always has exciting new things to tell me about his day at school. He says multiple times a day that he loves school.

Sterling is too fun to take pictures of.
I love how he looks in his towel right after a bath.
His latest tricks are bouncing up and down with a cute grin when we say, "Bounce, bounce, bounce....a bounce, bounce, bounce." It's adorable.
He is sitting up and playing with toys so well.
One day this week Ryan piled all the toys from his basket around him, and he was in heaven for about an hour playing with them all.
He also starting using his back feet to propel himself forward just yesterday.
He wanted to get the $3 Ryan had earned and was holding!
We'll have to see if he continues to be motivated by cash.
Friday night I got to drive up to Flint to a Zumba Master Class up with my amazing friend Dede Dalton (on the left of me in the green pants).
It was an absolute blast! Over 100 people all decked out in colorful Zumba wear and all dripping in sweat. It was inspiring and motivating, and I am still sore!
My Zumba Trainer and the ZES (Zumba Education Specialist) for Michigan, Barbara Klontz taught some of the dances as well as a new group called the "Zumba Jammers" who will be scheduling Jam sessions for instructors to get together and share choreogrpaphy. Barb's over 6' tall, and she's on some of the Zumba DVD's.
After we got a picture taken with her she starting dancing since the music was still on. I started following along so Dede could get pictures of me dancing with Barb!
Saturday found us with driving with a van filled with things to get rid of at the Westland Parking lot sale. We payed $20 for a parking space and for the past few weeks I've gone through every closet in the house boxing things we don't need anymore. Rob was such a good sport to sit with it all for 5 hours and see what sold. Gratefully, a donation truck pulled up just as we were going to load the rest to go donate it elsewhere. We loaded our stuff on the truck and took off. After a month of going through things it was a very rewarding day to be free of all our excess stuff!

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Seriously Sweet

I'm realizing that when I celebrate I tend to think first about the menu.
That fact, coupled with the fact that I'm not only blessed with a sweet tooth but sweet teeth, equals making treats for holiday's and anything else I can think of worth celebrating.
We had a seriously sweet week at the Soulier house!
Starting with a Stake Labor Day picnic
and Daddy coming home from Baltimore.
Followed by...
The first day of school!
Tuesday morning sweetness began with
Butterscotch Pull-Aparts at Breakfast
before getting ready to catch the bus.
Ellie the
SECOND GRADER
Ryan the
FIRST GRADER
All ready to catch the bus!
(Trevor wanted to wear his backpack to the bus stop too!)
All anticipation...
all irritation... 
after TWO buses had passed them up, and having waited 25 minutes...
Finally!
They cheered, and were all smiles and excitement as they boarded the bus!
It was Ryan's first time ever going to school, and he couldn't wait.
He told me this week that now that he was getting really grown up because he can tie his own shoes, ride a two-wheeler, and go to school all day.
He also said, "I can't believe I'm spending more time with my friends than I am with you!" (Don't put it that way...)
Gratefully, after the big kids were off,
Trevor got to start Preschool!
He was all packed up with his new Buzz Lightyear backpack.

We are doing a rotating Preschool swap with six kids from our church.
Trevor, Rachel, Cali, Owen, Brooklen, and Kevin
It was a good first week. Trevor came home talking about
how motorcycle starts with the letter, "M."
The first day for the big kids' was only a half day, and so everyone came home at the same time! Even Dad who usually comes for lunch on Tuesdays, so he picked up Trevor.
What did I come up with for a first day of school tradition?
Yes, it involves sugar.
A GIANT COOKIE
with "Happy First Day of School"
written on it
and milk.
Trevor came home with these great glasses.
Our next seriously sweet day was
Rob's 31st Birthday!
We had fun decorating and surprising him with Crepes for breakfast...and party hats.
Rob had a slow morning at work so he was able to stick around and walk the kids to bus for their second day of school.
Sterling was being silly.
He fits right in around here.
After the first full day of school and yet another day of work we went to Qdoba Mexican Grill for dinner to celebrate our Daddy!
We have been here once before, and the kids all remembered having root beer, so that's what they all got once again.
We headed home for presents
which included a glow-in-the-dark basketball that is Sterling's new favorite toy.
The kids had made Dad a poster while he was in Baltimore that said,
"Our Dad is Dynamite"

I had made him a seriously sweet
pan of pecan, mint brownies.
I know how to say, "I love you." to my honey. He has sweet teeth too.
For a while now we've been saying,
"Two boys in the tub!"
and Ryan and Trevor will go get in and fill it up.
I let them be alone a little to long this week, and went in to find this.
Two boys in a Bubble Bath!
Friday Night we hosted an Elders Quorum BBQ and Ultimate Frisbee night at our house. This means two things, that Rob deep cleaned for two hours before hand (he always does before we have a party, he likes things REALLY clean), and we swarmed our big shared backyard and my neighbor's trampoline with kids all evening (I hope we're still friends Carolyn!).
It really was fun to talk with everyone, and we had a great time.
And, more yummy food.

Saturday, our wonderful, new friends the Huntsman's offered us free
tickets to an MSU football game at
Ford Field!
We headed down at half-time knowing the crew probably wouldn't make it sitting through a whole game.
We were on ROW 17!
Our other friend Dave Cardon and his kids where there too!
It was perfect. Everyone had a buddy to sit by,
and they shared popcorn and skittles with us while we shared the granola bars and fruit snacks I smuggled in at the bottom of the diaper bag.
My favorite part was the dancing Eagle from Florida's team, he was pretty funny.
Sterling loved being along for the adventure, as long as he had something to chew on.
He's getting his two front teeth, and drooling all over everyone.
A few people laughed at how wide-eyed he was as he took everything in.
I carried him in my front pack, and I love doing that.
Everyone smiles as they pass me! :)
Thanks for sharing your tickets Huntsman's!
We were glad we got to Ford Field while living in Michigan!
The seriously sweet week ended with
the Milk Dud's Rob got for his birthday,
Skip Bo (Our new favorite family game),
and watching the movie Rob got for his Birthday,  
"Planet Earth"
("Planet Eh-th" As Ryan says it, with an English Accent like the Narrator of the movie)
Now we just need to follow up our
seriously sweet week with some serious exercise to work off all these calories!