An Evening with the Monkey King

On Friday, Aug. 10th, we went to the Children's Museum in Grand Rapids for a Monkey King event. It was a blast. Natalie was out of her mind with all the fun things to do. We even had a major meltdown when it was time to leave, complete with kicking and screaming! It was so fun to watch her running from exhibit to exhibit, laughing and jumping. What a look of sheer joy on her face. There was a life-size fishing boat, a real Beetle Bug car, giant bubbles, a bee house, kitchens, grocery store, fruit market, a Chinese kitchen with a giant wok and much, much more. Here are some pics of the fun time.

Dreaming......

This describes my mood today. I guess I am just feeling like there is so much time and space between Nora and I. Nothing that a big hug wouldn't cure.

Biking - with a side of Streaking!

Saturday, August 4th was Jon's very first bike race/ride. It was at Huron Metro park for an Alzheimer Charity. We had a beautiful day with a bright blue sky full of puffy, white clouds. Jon warmed up and then got ready to ride. There were a lot of riders there and everyone was interested in Jon's fancy bike. This is a pic of the start of the race.

Natalie and I scoped out the area, deciding what to do while we wait for Daddy to return. We thought that the nature trails would be fun, but as we approached the trail, we were nearly carried off by the flies and mosquitoes! So we re-thought that idea. New plan........put down a blanket under the nearest tree and lounge until we see Daddy, then join him at the picnic area.



While laying peacefully in the shade of a tree, it was time for a diaper change. But Natalie had other ideas. The next thing I knew, she was off and running......... half naked! So, here we have, preserved for all posterity........ Natalie's first (and hopefully LAST) display of public nudity!!!!!!


Jon finished the race about midway in the pact, which was pretty good, I think. And he was no worse for wear, either. He did a little cool down and had a protien drink and was as good as new. What an amazing change from just a few months ago. God is Great!

A Day in the Life of Our 2 year old!

Ok, here is a tidbit of this morning.......Natalie runs in and jumps on a sleeping mama. (How she got her door open I'll never know!) She snuggles with mama, giving her a chance to get her bearings. Then it's off to play! Somewhere in there is a diaper change....if I'm lucky! Now let's eat. We will try Cheerios this morning. Unfortunately, Natalie has other plans. She prefers the yummy delights of Kitty food! Mmmmmm....crunchy! Mama suggests some yogurt...that's good for a few bites but not nearly as tasty as the food in the big dish on the floor. Mama gives up! Let's get dressed. While she is in the bedroom, Natalie finds the kitty's water bowl. "Hey, let's go for a swim!" All is too quiet when mama comes back out. Where's Natalie? Oh-oh! She's hiding in the corner of the kitchen, sitting in the green bowl that used to be full of water! Ha-ha! Aren't we too funny? So......time for a towel and a new diaper and some clothes. Natalie gets dressed and mama goes to clean up the mess in the kitchen. While she is gone with the wet things, Natalie is over the baby gate again. The little bit of water that remained in the green bowl is now soaking into Natalie's new diaper. "Silly mama! If you wanted me to stay dry, you should have picked up the bowl~!" So it's outfit #2 and diaper #3 and it isn't even noon............ Is it nap time yet? Oh wait! Natalie doesn't 'do' naps anymore.

Oh-oh.....It's too quiet, better go see what disaster awaits...........