Halloween at Crossroads Village

Sunday we drove to Genesee, to visit Linda and Mike for a while then go to Crossroads Village to see Uncle Richard and to ride the Huckleberry Railroad.  The kids got to dress up in their Halloween costumes, which they loved! Asher is a ninja this year, and Avery is Cleopatra. And Asher lost his third tooth, as we were walking into the house.

After taking a few wrong turns (note: don't let Mike navigate) we arrived at Crossroads Village about half an hour before our train ride. We were going to do a little trick-or-treating first, and dropped by Richard's venue.

There were about 20 different places to trick or treat, but our tickets were for the 1:40 train, so we had to make sure to get there in time. 

I was pretty impressed with the train ride! There were lots of things to see along the way, and the colors were at their peak.  The view from the tressels and over Mott Lake were beautiful. The ride was about half an hour long, and we even saw Aunt Linda, who had parked along Genesee Rd to wave at us as we went by. 

After our train ride, we saw a magic show (which thoroughly impressed Asher) and finished trick-or-treating.  Back at the Hawkses, we ate homemade chicken noodle soup and apple crisp as the kids played x-box with Michael and Jamie watched the NASCAR race. 

All in all, a very fun day! We're hoping to make it back down for Christmas. :) 

Avery's first away soccer tournament

This weekend, Avery had her first soccer tournament away from home. It was in Lansing. The plan was to go down Saturday morning, early, and arrive just before the first game. Well, she came home from practice on Thursday night in tears because all the other girls were going down the night before to swim in the pool and hang out.  So, I decided it was ok since this was likely the only away tournament that would require us to stay in a hotel. 

Because Asher had a soccer game on Saturday, as well as pictures, and we were starting our bathroom renovation we decided that the boys would stay home and it would be a girls’ weekend!
Friday night after work and school, we hurried and ate pizza and took off for Lansing.  It was about a two hour trip and it was drizzly the whole time.  We checked in to our hotel room and immediately she changed into her swimsuit and we headed to the pool.  Of course, no one was there. For about 40 minutes she was the only kid in the pool, and I kept wondering where “all the girls” were.  Finally a few more showed up and they got to swim for a while before turning in.

Saturday morning we got up early, went down and ate breakfast and drove to the soccer field. It was so hard to find! Finally we made it and I watched her play. It was drizzling and really cold and I froze, but it was fun to watch. They lost 3-0, but are playing better and better each game.   After the game we went back up to the room and soon there were 7 and 8 year olds knocking on our door. The next hour was spent hopping from room to room, and I could  hear giggling all up and down the hallway. Thankfully they put Midland all on one floor so I don’t think we were disturbing anyone else.  We went to the local mall and ate lunch, and bought Avery a Halloween costume, then returned for the second game of the day.

The girls lost again 3-0 and were a little bummed afterwards. Avery said it would be more fun to play if they won sometimes, and I totally understood that.  On our way home, we stopped for drinks and snacks for the pizza party that was going to be that evening, and we ended up buying sushi too. She loves it! We ate that in our hotel room as she got her swimsuit and we headed down to the pool.  Nearly the entire team was there, and they had a blast!  It got SO loud, I need an award for not losing it! haha

After swimming, she changed into dry clothes and we went to a conference room and had pizza.  The girls were all running around like nuts, and brothers were bothering them all. The moms and dads just hung out talking.  Avery was super tired, and I could tell she didn’t want to go back to the room because she was having fun, but I told her we could go up, drink tea and play minecraft and she agreed.  Thankfully.. I guess they all stayed down there really late, the coach showed up and jello shots were involved. :/

The next morning was our last game. Again, we lost, but this time we scored a couple goals, so it was an easier loss.  I stopped at Burger King and got her a shake and we drove home.  All in all it was a fun weekend. I’m glad I had the chance to do that for her, and with her.

Geocaching!

Avery is up north with Granny and Papa, so Asher is all ours this week!  We decided to go do something new and fun... Geocaching!

I loaded the app on my phone, and after supper we went to the City Forest, which is only a mile away.  I loaded on our first challenge and we were off, wandering around in the woods following the clues and hearing the beeping on the phone as we got closer and closer.  After only 10 minutes or so we finally found it!

After finding this one, we wandered around another hour and found three more. The last one was in a hollow tree, and we looked everywhere for it, until Asher finally spotted it in a place neither one of the grown ups would ever have been able to see.  It was in a hollowed out golf ball, and he was so excited to see it!

I'm pleased we happed upon a new hobby! 

First camping trip

Jamie and I have always loved camping, but haven’t had the chance to take the kids until this summer. We got a nice big tent from Grandpa Ron and after testing it out for a few nights in the backyard, we knew we were ready for prime time!

Friday  night after I got home from work, we packed up the cooler and the truck and headed out toward Sanford Lake, where there’s a campground nearby.  Avery and daddy set up the tent while Asher and I started the campfire. 

We all ate hot dogs, but since we were trying a gluten-free diet, all we had were these yucky hot dog buns that we threw into the fire.  Instead of s’mores, I sliced open a banana and filled it with marshmallows and chocolate chips, closed it back up and sealed it in foil.  A few minutes in the fire and everything was hot and melty and delicious! 

We all slept well that night and decided to camp again that night too.  So, we left everything there, went home and did chores around the yard and returned.  Saturday, however, wasn’t quite as fun because it started pouring down rain at about 6 pm.  We were all stuck in the tent with a deck of uno cards and not much else.  I ended up driving home, and going back the next morning to help tear down the soggy campsite.

First camping trip VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Bike riding!

Since living in Midland I've wanted to take advantage of the great rail trail and go bike riding with the kids.  Up until this year, they've been a little too young; but this year I thought I'd give it a try! We loaded our bikes into the back of Daddy's truck and stopped at McDonald's before heading to the Tridge.  

Asher acting silly, holding up the WHOLE bridge with his hands!

Nothing like starting out the bike ride with hotcakes from McDs!

Of course, we had to take a break at a playground we passed. Asher looks a bit tired, no?

We made it all the way to the Chippewa Nature Center! Taking a break for fruit snacks and iced tea. 

I was a little skeptical at first as to how long we would make it, but the kids did GREAT. We rode a total of 11 miles that first day and have made even longer rides since then.  Asher fell a couple times, mostly because we needed a bigger bike for him, which we've done. We love cycling together, and hope to do a lot more of it in the future! 

Asher lost his first tooth!

After nearly a year of being the only kid in his class that hadn't lost a tooth, Asher finally lost his first one today!  He was so excited he FaceTimed me (which is why my picture is in the corner).

Finally, a big kid!! 

Mom and the kids at Olive Garden

Daddy left for our Colorado trip early so the kids and I have a few days to ourselves. As a reward for being good, I took them to Olive Garden for their favorite dinner- endless salad and fried calamari (don't ask why).  During dinner, I offered Asher, who normally eschews anything spicy, $50 if he would eat a pepperoncini pepper.  He gave it a good shot, and we all had a good laugh.