Family Fun And Boo At the Zoo

We had  fun weekend filled with fall and Halloween activities.

Saturday morning we went to Koetsier's Greenhouse.  In the fall they turn it into a family fun area.  It was our PERKS card event for the month, so we got 50% off.  And since we only had to pay for Rebecca that was a cheap family event - $3 to paint a pumpkin, get popcorn, play on inflatable toys, go through a maze and play games.  It was a bit chilly since it is a greenhouse.  But it was still fun.  Rebecca was a little scared of the inflatable train because she could feel the air blowing on her.  And she wasn't too keen on the part of the maze that was dark.  But aside from that she had a lot of fun.  She made a very sparkly pumpkin.  And she tasted a donut and hot cider for the first time.  We didn't do the hay ride since it was so chilly.  But maybe we'll have to try that next year if we go when it's a little warmer.

Sunday after church we packed up and headed to Potter Park Zoo in Lansing for Boo At The Zoo.  We had a little picnic in the car and then met Mary's siblings and their families there.  The kids all looked so adorable in their costumes.  And they had so much fun together.  They held hands half of the time we were there.  We enjoyed seeing a few animals, getting a few treats and just visiting with family.  After we left the zoo area the kids played at the park for a while.  It was a beautiful fall day.  We couldn't have asked for better weather.  It was so nice that all the cousins got to do this together.  We headed home around 4.  The ride home was not quite as pleasant as the ride there.  Abram cried for about 3/4 of the trip.  We stopped once to try to feed him/settle him.  But it didn't help much.  He finally crashed about 60 seconds before we got home :P  Both kids were overtired and out of sorts in the evening...and went to bed early :)  Hopefully we'll all get back on track today with a relaxing day at home.  And hopefully Abram can catch up on sleep after getting up at 4 am today :P

We're looking forward to visiting Mary's grandparents this week and going to work with Daddy for a little trick-or-treating.

Fall Fun

We had beautiful Fall weather this weekend.  We enjoyed some time outside on Sunday playing in the leaves and soaking up the sunshine.

We also had fun over the weekend visiting with Grandpa and Grandma Voogt.  They came on Friday and left on Saturday.  As usual Rebecca was glued to Grandma's side from the moment she walked in the door.  After dinner Rebecca took Grandma upstairs, and we hardly saw them the rest of the evening :)  It was nice to be able to celebrate Grandpa's birthday with him.  We gave him his presents and had some yummy pumpkin spice cake on Friday.  It was a short visit, but we all had a good time.  And now we get to enjoy lots of delicious apples and squash from Grandpa's farm!

Both Rebecca and Abram are getting over minor colds, but that doesn't keep them down.  They are busy, busy.  Abram is now rolling all over the place and doesn't like to stay put.  He is growing like a weed as usual, weighing about 19 1/2 lbs. now at 5 months old.  Rebecca continues to enjoy her daily school work and projects and is learning a lot.  She is very creative and imaginative and so much fun to watch.  She is also extremely curious.  The number of times she asks why in a day is sometimes a bit much.  But we like that she wants to learn and understand things.

We have another fun week ahead with Kindermusik, a visit to Grassfield's Farm, a trip to the children's museum, MOPS and a family outing to Koetsier's greenhouse to check out their maze, pumpkin decorating, snacks and other fall fun.

Apples and Pumpkins and Rolling

On Saturday we visited two local orchards.  First we went to Moelker to pick Empire apples.  Then we went next door to Wells Orchard to pick pumpkins.  We also went through the corn maze...well sort of.  Rebecca led the way.  And after wandering around for a while ended up going back out the entrance :P  We also stocked up on pears and squash while we were there.  It was a beautiful October morning.  And the kids enjoyed it!

On Sunday Abram turned 5 months old.  Hard to believe.  He is getting so big.  Last night he finally rolled from his back to his tummy.  So now he can roll both ways.  Abram is still trying as hard as he can to be on the move...though it's tough to move around when you're such a big boy :P  He still adores his sister and will laugh about just about anything she does.

We're still trying to enjoy the nice weather while it lasts and looking forward to a visit from Grandpa and Grandma Voogt this weekend.

Quick Visit

Justin was in Germany all week.  And Abram had a bit of a cold.  So we mostly stayed home.  We did our best to stay busy inside.  But we were very thankful for a short visit from Grandpa and Grandma Holleboom on Thursday!  Mary and Rebecca both needed it :)  Rebecca colored a nice picture for Grandma.  And Abram showed off his smiles :)

Justin is on his way home this morning.  He was supposed to be home already, but there were plane troubles.  So he's in Chicago this morning, headed home on the first flight to GR.  We can't wait to see Daddy!!!