Hurricane Ike

While I guess it's not technically a hurricane any more, Tropical Storm Ike passed over Michigan this last weekend. I've never seen it dump that much rain for that many consistant hours before. I don't even know what the official inch count was for our area, but we have a gallon ice cream bucket out in our yard that was empty and is now full. That's a lot of rain for an Idaho girl.

Here's our conversation about "Hurricane Ike" ...

TV newscaster: "Hurricane Ike is nearing the Texas coast."

Sunny: "Hey, that guy said 'Hurricane Ike'. That's funny."

Gage: "What's a hurricane?"

Mom: "A hurricane is a big storm that blows in over the ocean and breaks lots of things and makes a really big mess."

Sunny: "Then it's a good thing they named it 'Ike'."

Law School

I have to admit that every time I drop Steve off, or pick him up from school I can't seem to wipe the smile off my face. It thrills me that he has found something to be passionate about. Don't misunderstand, Steve is passionate about lots of great things (me, the kids, the gospel ...) but this signifies the beginning of something quite different and something quite exciting for our whole family. When his classes get tough (which is more often than not) or he's buried in his books, he just resolves that much harder to find a way to make this all work. I find his motivation, enthusiasm, and optimism thrilling.

Steve, you ROCK!!

Look Mom ... NO hands!!

Ike is becoming a pro at free standing! It used to be that I could lie on the floor to stretch out after dinner for a moment of peace and relaxation but not any more! My body has been transformed in my 11 month old's eyes, to a magnificint jungle gym designed specifically for his free standing practice. He'll army crawl over, all elbowes and toes, grab a hold of my shirt mid chest, pull him self steady with feet planted in place and then ... tadah ... a perfect release as he straitens out into a stand. My favorite part is the look of accomplishment on his face when he realizes that he's done it once again. If standing up were an Olympic sport, Ike would think he deserved the gold medal. Love this kid!!!

Lake Lansing

We tried out another lake this week ... Lake Lansing. It is much closer than Lake Michigan but not nearly as big. It had a great beach that backs up to a grassy park. The shallow, warm water was perfect for little swimmers.





Ike and Sunny had a great time playing in the sand and chasing the fishies.

1st Grade

Gage is a big 1st grader now! There is a public Montessori school in our neighborhood that had a spot in a first grade class for Gage. He has really been enjoying it so far. I asked him how he liked having a mix of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders in his class. He said it was "good because the older kids help me with stuff sometimes." Gage and Steve get to share their school stories with each other at the end of the day and I think that has been fun for both of them.

My new bike

Sunny is getting old enough to qualify for an official big girl bike. We found this one (pink of course) at the store and the two fell in love. Complete with a Dora helmet and knee pads, she is ready to roll.

Lake Michigan

We took an impromptu trip to Lake Michigan last weekend. Some friends from the ward told us that it would be just like an ocean beach with sand and surf. We thought, "sure, a beach in Michigan, why not??" We were stunned when we rolled up to this massive lake that stretched out in front of us like an ocean view. It was so beautiful and super kid friendly. We had a great time and felt like it was definately worth the drive over.