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.  

Science Fair

This year we (I) decided it would be fun for the kids to be a part of the science fair. We spent a long time talking about things we were interested in (you should always study something that interests you!) and of course Avery wanted to do an experiment with the cats. Asher with dinosaurs.

Well, we have three cats, so that wasn't a a problem, but last I checked we were fresh out of dinosaurs.  So, for Asher we did a project on the different types of fossils. He made four types of fossils using his plastic dinosaurs and could talk about each type with the judges.

Avery's project was an experiment.  She noticed that the cats would seem to want more food, even if there was still food in their dish. They'd eat a dent right in the middle and not finish the stuff around the sides. So, she looked at whether the cats preferred eating out of a certain sized dish.  She spent days pouring five different bowls of food, lining them up in the bathroom, capturing cats, observing them eat and taking notes.  It was a pretty nifty experiment! She did a great job!

Avery answers the judge's questions.

Our first venture into cross-country skiing

Wow, this winter has been cold. I mean, bone-chilling cold for weeks on end. Finally, we got a day that was enough above zero I decided to take the kids to City Forest and try our hand (and feet) at cross-country skiing.  They'd never done it before, but have spent a lot of time on ice skates, so I was hopeful.

We drove to City Forest, got our skis and poles and made our way to the trailhead.  After donning our equipment, the kids immediately tried to ski like they ice skate and ended up falling. A lot. At one point they were both saying how stupid an idea this was, Asher was crying and I could still see the car in the parking lot.  I kept encouraging them, told them NOT to lift their skis up and eventually they got it.

We ended up doing a little loop four times, and by the end we were having a lot of fun! The weather was perfect, the snow was great and we did just enough.  After we got home we drank hot chocolate and told Daddy what fun we had.

Asher and Avery

Avery Rose, and the famous Chicken hat

Asher

Mom and Asher on the ski trail.