May 15-17, 2009 White River Campground
Montague, Michigan

One of the kids' favorite parts of White River is the great playground. They have a great play gym, a wooden train set, swings, and monkey bars. Then in another part of the campground, they have a few slides and a wooden bus they love to play on. In addition, they have a Noah's Ark playset near the store and pool.

I distinctly remember that last year, we were so impressed with Sam being able to climb up the gangplank walkway (lower right of the photo below). This year, that wasn't enough of a challenge for him - he needed to climb the rock wall.

A trip to the store for some ice cream and candy.

Our annual hike around the little island at the campground.

This year, we drove into Whitehall/Montague to check out the Hart-Montague Bike Trail. We were also able to check out the world's largest weathervane.

Sunday morning before we went home, Paul and Nicholas left the campground to go mountain biking at a nearby township nature center. The girls and Sam and I went for a walk/hike through the campground. We met some people who had brand new collie puppies.

A short stop for a photo op.

**In case you didn't happen to notice - Sam was on a hat kick over the weekend. His Bob the Builder hat happened to catch his eye at home that afternoon before we left, and he basically wore it the entire weekend. It was quite comical.

May 15, 2009 First Grade Spring Celebration

Every year the 1st grade class puts on an end of the year program. They make tie-dye shirts to wear and share many songs that they learned throughout the year. They have a "pledge" song that includes The Pledge of Allegiance, a song about learning to read, a song about friends and even one about imaginary friends. They were really cute.

In addition, they review many of the events of the year - and many of the students read a narrative of what they remember of that activity. Nicholas was chosen to be one of those students and shared what he wrote about "100's day" - their celebration of the 100th day of school.

May 11, 2009 - Snap Circuits Jr

As some of you know, as your children get older they start to make birthday and Christmas lists of all the things they want. Of course, we as parents realize that if we only purchase the items on our children's wish list there are many things that they may not experience. Nicholas received one such gift for his birthday this year - called Snap Circuits Jr. Upon opening the gift, Nicholas had no idea what it was - but the next day he had the opportunity to experiment.

Basically, the kit contains many different types of circuits, switches, light bulbs, speakers, motors etc. The manual gives instructions on how to build over 100 different projects such a light, a fan, a flying saucer, a speaker system and many more. It uses different types of switches to open and close the circuits. Some of the switches are sound activated or air movement activated.

Nicholas loves his new gift - and already has hopes of receiving additional Snap Circuit Kits in the future which get more complicated and teach more concepts as they go.

May 10, 2009 Nicholas Birthday, Grandpa's Birthday and Mother's Day

Well, it's hard to believe but Nicholas is has turned 7 years old. I can't believe how time flies and how things change. Sometimes I look at him and realize that he really isn't a little boy anymore and I barely realized it was happening. He is turning into a very intelligent boy. He enjoys reading, science and sometimes math. He loves to draw and write his own stories which he loves to pass on to other people especially his younger nephews. He loves to play the computer so we have to closely monitor the time he is allotted for that activity. He also loves Lego and his new birthday toy called Snap Circuits in which he can follow a blueprint to build his own working "machines". His special interest is outer space and it looks like he will have the opportunity to attend a Galaxy class this summer at the Muskegon Intermediate School District summer program called Wings.

Nicholas chose to go camping on his birthday weekend so we actually spread the activities out through the entire weekend. One of his gifts was a new scooter so we gave it to him at the beginning of the weekend so he could use it as much as possible. Then some presents at the trailer Sunday morning, followed by a few after we got home.






Because Nicholas shares his birthday with Grandpa Hager and it is usually shared by Mother's Day as well. Grandma and Grandpa graciously hosted his party this year as we would be returning from camping that afternoon. All the grandkids bought new stepping stone kits for Grandma's Mother's day gifts and because we know Grandma loves to do things with her grandkids we made the stones themselves WITH her after she opened them.

May 8-10, 2009 - Channel Park and Nicholas' Birthday

We knew we were going to have a busy weekend with Nicholas' Birthday, my dad's birthday and Mother's Day all falling on the same day. However, given the choice Nicholas still wanted to go camping. We spent a wonderful weekend at Channel Campground at Muskegon State Park. Friday night was beautiful weather - we were wearing shorts and t-shirts, however the rest of the weekend we were once again donning our winter coats and hats. What can I say other than that's May in Michigan for you.

(the following video is a bit lengthy - just to warn you up front. It was a very busy weekend at the campground and my blog posts double as my home videos for the years ahead, so I didn't want to leave anything out.)

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May 3, 2009 - Lake Side Trail in Spring Lake

There was an article in the newspaper on this morning - describing different things to do in West Michigan. A bike trail in Spring Lake caught Paul's eye. The article initially stated it was 12 miles long but when we googled the trail name to find out how to get there we found out it was only 2 miles long - but it started and stopped a local parks. We decided it was a beautiful day and too nice to stay home. We packed a picnic supper, loaded up the bikes and headed out to find the trail. The kids loved the playground, then we grilled some hot dogs for supper and headed out for a short bike ride. As expected, the trail ended at another park. On the way back, Paul spotted a small dirt bike trail which Nicholas was more than happy do a test ride on.

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May 2, 2009 - Crazy Croc Kid --Part II

Back in February I talked about Sam and his crocs. He wore them all the time including to bed.
Well, lately Sam has been into changing his clothes. He will just randomly come downstairs throughout the day with a different shirt on. He is very particular about what he will or will not wear. If he doesn't like it he will take it off. I have put him to bed for a nap wearing his clothes and he will get up wearing pajama pants.

Well - this was Sam's choice of wardrobe on this beautiful spring day....

042409-042609 - Silver Lake (JellyStone)

Our second camping trip of the season was not all we had hoped for, but nonetheless quality family time. The forecast called for scattered/isolated rain showers - not the day and a half of rain that we actually received.

We headed up to Silver Lake and stayed at Jellystone Campground - normal price is more than we would normally spend - but during the month of April they only charge $15/night. So we could hardly pass it up. Being early in the season, none of the amenities like go-carting or mini-golf are open, but we wanted to spend some time at the sand dunes anyway.

We had a beautiful evening on Friday night, spent some time checking out the dune riders and got some ice cream and went to check out the sunset on Lake Michigan. The wind had started to pick up by then, and by the time we got back to the trailer to make a fire it had started to rain. It basically rained almost the entire time until we went home on Sunday. We did take a ride Saturday afternoon up to Ludington State Park and just drove around a little and did a little shopping at Walmart.

Given the fact that we were inside most of the time: Nicholas taught Gabrielle how to play checkers, and I taught both of the kids how to play boggle. Here's a note: when you play Boggle with a 5 and 7 year old 2 letter words and phoneticly spelled words count (for them, but not you).

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041709-041909 Hoffmaster State Park

Our first camping trip of the year was a great success. We had so much fun! Some warm sun in the afternoon that allowed us to take our coats off - and no rain until after we packed up to go home on Sunday.

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April 23, 2009 - Daddy Daughter Dance

In addition to Mother/Son Bowling - it is also an annual tradition for the Daddy Daughter Dance. It is so cute seeing all the girls in the neighborhood head out to the front yard to get pictures with their dad's with everybody all dressed up. Gabrielle talked about her evening for over a month and was so excited for her night out. She was so excited to get dressed up and wear her flower headband that Grandma made especially for the event. Of course, once she got to the dance she was too shy to do any dancing. She had her punch and cake with Papa and just kind of watched from the sidelines - but she came home tickled pink about her evening away and the carnation flower she got to take home with her.

April 22, 2009 - Hello, Matthew! It's nice to finally meet you!

On Monday, April 20 - Cory (my brother), Catherine and Joshua finally welcomed Matthew Jon Hager into their family. Our kids were so incredibly excited to go see the baby, but taking 4 kids up to visit the hospital did not sound exciting.

Therefore, on Wednesday afternoon - I took the kids to visit them on their first afternoon home. We brought them dinner and the kids were each able to hold the baby and spend a little time playing with Joshua. They even got to see the train come through right behind their house. (Given the fact that the trains don't generally run on the weekends, Joshua had thought he would never get to share this experience with his cousins).

Here are some pictures of our visit:

April 14, 2009 Annual Mother Son Bowling

This was the school sponsored annual Mother Son Bowling. I don't know what is more fun for the kids bowling with their moms, or bowling with their friends. Either way, I think the main thing for Nicholas was getting to leave the house one on one. He was also very excited about bowling. We went a few weeks ago for spring break and he was very excited to do it again. We were able to enjoy pizza and pop and then a game of bowling.

Unfortunately, this year they also scheduled Kindergarten Round Up on the same night, so our evening was a bit rushed. As soon as we finished bowling we had to hurry up and meet the girls at school to sign up for Kindergarten and Preschool.

Here's a picture of Nicholas and some of his friends from school that bowled with us.

April 12, 2009 Easter Sunday

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April 8, 2009 - Spring Break Bowling

We didn't have a lot of activities planned for Spring Break. I took the kids to the Library on Monday which surprisingly scored big time mommy points. The older 2 don't usually get to go to the local library during the school year because they get so many books from school. I was grateful to hear their excitement for my plan. Then on Wednesday we met Grandma for some shopping, lunch and a surprise trip to the bowling alley. Before today, Nicholas was the only one of them who had gone bowling before. We had a great time. They had lots of fun and I'm sure we'll do it again sometime.

April 4, 2009

What happens when a two year old named Sam has to say Good-bye to Grandma at a birthday party when he doesn't want to?

This happens.....


This picture was accompanied by an extended period of tears. This is not the first time Sam has gotten this upset when Grandma leaves - he sat at our living room window crying uncontrollably when Grandma took Allison home with her and left Sam behind. It was Allison's turn to sleep over at Grandma's house and Sam sat at the window yelling "my carseat - move, my carseat - move it, I go, I go".

I don't remember any of the other kids getting quite this upset over a departure.

April 4, 2009 - A New Bike for Nicholas

Last summer, Nicholas got quite involved in Mountain Biking with Paul on our numerous camping trips through out the summer. However, the 2nd hand BMX bike he was riding wasn't handling that type of riding all that well. So - the other night Paul took Nicholas out to pick out a new mountain bike. (finding a mountain bike with gears that is in Nicholas' size can actually be quite challenging - without spending more money than we wanted to spend for a bike he'll outgrow). The hand brakes have taken a bit of practice to get used but he is getting the hang of it and loves his new bike. Can't wait to hit the trails with his Papa this summer.

March 21, 2009 - Destination Imagination Regional Competition

Ravenna Public Schools are very involved, and tend to do very well in a program called Destination Imagination. It is a take off of what many of you may know as Odyssey of the Mind. Destination Imagination (commonly referred to as D.I.) combines science and drama. Each D.I. team is given a problem at the beginning of the season. This year, the theme for Nicholas's age group was 'hidden' - meaning that they needed to choose a problem that is something that goes on "behind the scenes" or "hidden from view". Ideas they had to vote on ranged from how a traffic signal worked, to how a vacuum cleaner works, etc - but the problem the team voted on and chose was "How do humans learn how to talk".

The team was then responsible to research their topic, create a drama presentation to present or solve their problem, and then build their own props, etc. In addition, somewhere in their presentation they have to include a type of gadget (there is a list they can choose from). In Nicholas presentation they used a 'pulley' as their gadget. The key thing to remember here is that the parents helping the team may facilitate conversation and keep the team on track but the entire presentation must be written by and props built by the children themselves. When viewing the video of their competition you will see Nicholas in a UPS truck. He had to design and create this truck by himself. The only thing Paul was able to help him with was the use of sharp razor blades, etc (things inappropriate for a child his age). Paul could help him stay focused and maybe give him something else to thing of like "how are you going to get in and out" - but Nicholas needed to find his own solution and carry it through.

Nicholas really seemed to enjoy D.I. this year and hopes to continue in the future. His team consisted of Kindergarten and First Graders and they are in the RISING STARS category. Therefore, at Regional Competition every team receives a medal and no one receives a 1st, 2nd or 3rd place. The goal is the experience and to encourage the children. As the teams get older they will begin to receive "place" medals and the top so many teams at Regionals will proceed to State Finals, and the top teams there will go on to Global Finals. This program has teams from Nicholas's age all they way up through High School and I believe Ravenna Public Schools is sending 6 to 8 teams to State Competition this year and has had teams go on to Global Finals in the past.

The following video is a little bit long - but I really wanted to share Nicholas' performance with friends and family.

Click To Play

March 9, 2009 - Just Monkeying Around.

Kids get crazy when they are all cooped up during the winter don't they?

Recently, we purchased new beds for the girls. Gabrielle had been using 1/2 of Nicholas' bunk bed - so we moved Sam out of the toddler bed and into the bed Gabrielle had been sleeping in. Therefore, for the first time in 5 1/2 years - I have no children in a toddler bed.
I sold one of the beds to a friend of mine, and the other one I listed as for sale on the Savings Angel website. I got a buyer and brought the bed downstairs to get it cleaned up and disassembled for the new owner. Sam decided the bed was great fun with no mattress on it. I couldn't believe how well he was balancing on those tiny bars. He would steady himself and then slowly stand up like a pro.

(If you didn't notice in the previous picture - we are trying to potty train Sam and for some reason the crazy coot prefers to run around in his underwear than to have pants on)
Anyway, later in the afternoon this is what I walked into the living room to find.

They then proceeded to do somersaults from this pose
and can both successfully land on their feet.

March is Reading Month!!!

ARRR You Reading??

Each year at the kids' school they pick a theme for March is Reading Month. This year's theme is pirates and there catch phrase is ARRR you reading? The kids are challenged to read 15 minutes a day and if they do this they can turn in their reading slip and be entered for a drawing each week. They also have had special days both at school and after school.

Monday, March 2 - Dr Suess' Birthday was READ A HAT DAY!
Nicholas wanted to borrow a hat of Paul's and looked very cute in his cycling hat. We were having a hard time finding a hat that Gabrielle liked, but Monday morning before she went to school we decided to take READ A HAT DAY literally and made her a hat out of newspaper. She loved the idea and was joined by Allison and Sam in the activity.

Paul reading to the kids.

Thursday, March 5 - Dress like a pirate Day!

March 5 was also Family Night. I forgot my camera though and was disappointed that I did.
I got to take the kids to school and they were able to hear a local author read the story he wrote and also see the original artwork from which the book was made. Then we went to the cafeteria for a hot dog supper, followed by MAKE YOUR OWN BOOK. We purchased a kit which contained a sprial bound small scrapbook with about 10 pages, a glue stick, and a whole bag of fun foam, textured and printed papers, googly eyes, and a marker. They worked on their books for about 30 minutes or so and have been working on them periodically every since. After that, we went back to the library for a very eccentric and lively story teller. She was very good and kept the kids attention for about 30 minutes. I hope they get her back next year - she was great.

We have also had:
Read a T-Shirt Day
Read a button pin day

Also coming this month: Bring your stuffed animal to school and read to it day Talk like a pirate day Read a pirate poem day

They also have been given activities to do at home like read to a younger sibling, read to a stuffed animal, have someone read to you, read a newspaper, read a recipe and read a comic book. The kids are having a great time.

February 22, 2009
Three Down - One to Go...

We don't put much pressure on our kids to be potty trained at night. We figure they will eventually out grow it. However, once they start to have occasional dry nights we have a traditional goal that we set with them. When they wake up with a dry pull-up for 7 nights in a row then they get to spend the cost of a package of pull-ups on a toy of their choice. Then, they start going to bed in underwear and we don't buy pull-ups anymore.

Allison achieved success....and as promised, we took her to Toys R Us to pick her toy. My girls are into Snap N Style dolls - which are similar to a Polly Pocket but are made for little girls (bigger parts and pieces). My girls were both thrilled to find that they now have Snap N Style Pets. So... Allison picked Co-Co the dog, complete with doggy dish, doggy bed, hair brush and two outfits.

Way to Go Allison!
(only one left in diapers, and we're working on that one)

February 19, 2009 - Beach Day and Luau Family Night!

Each year at the kids' school they fill the winter with special days, like beach day, pajama day, pirate day, etc. This was beach day at school, following by Luau Family Night at the school. They have carnival games for the kids and pizza and pop for the families to have dinner. The kids had a great time wearing summer clothes during the day and playing the games at night.

Throw the golf ball in the bucket.

Waiting in line for the bean bag toss

Fish Pond

The kids also got entered in the door prize raffle. They announce the winners the following day at school when all the kids are there. Unbelievably - both Nicholas and Gabrielle came home with door prizes the next day. I couldn't believe it and they were very excited to have their names drawn out of all those kids.