Vacation Day #1

Today was the start of our week long vacation! Lapeer schools went to trimesters this year (instead of quarters or semesters), so it works out perfectly that the first trimester ends the week before Thanksgiving, allowing the kids to have a whole week off for Thanksgiving. Can you believe we've made it through 1/3 of the school year already?? It's going by fast.

Today we didn't do much. We are supposed to get quite a bit of snow over the next few days (3-6 inches by tomorrow afternoon). It started snowing this morning and so the kids went out and played for a while. Brad took them out and pulled them around in the sled and they built a snowman. It was great packing snow!! They played for about an hour or so.

Parker looks so cute all snuggled up in his snowsuit

Here's the snowman that they made. Halle put her hat and we got on old pink scarf on her.

Later this afternoon, Deena H. came over and did Mary Kay make-overs on Mom D, Jess, Halle, and me. We did the Microdermabrasion first (which makes your face feel a little raw, but smooth) and then she picked out colors for our make-up. Mary Kay products are very nice and Deena is such a sweet lady. She ended up staying all afternoon!!! I guess it takes that long to make us look good. :0) She even let Halle put a whole bunch of makeup on as well! Halle had a blast! We picked out some things we would like for Christmas. Why is it no one ever wants to buy themself makeup? I hate spending the money, even though I love how I look with it on. I do like getting it for a gift though. It seems every year I always ask for new makeup.

Halle, Me, Deena, Mom D, and Jess

We watched Dancing with the Stars tonight. I think Brooke and Derek won it with their free style dance. They did the best by far!!
Well, that was Vacation Day # 1. Can't wait to see what all Day # 2 holds for us!

Relaxing Weekend

This weekend was nice and relaxing. It was so nice to just not have to do anything!! We probably won't have another weekend like it until after the holidays are over. Sometimes it is really nice to be have things to do and be busy, but sometimes it's nice to just stay home and not do much.

Friday afternoon Brad and his mom drove down to St. Clair Shores (a little over 1 hour away) to sign the papers on Brad's parent's new car. They traded in their Mini Cooper for a Cadillac SRX Sport. It's actually Mom D's new car. Although she loved the Mini, it really didn't have a smooth ride (considering the roads in MI are horrible) and it only sat 4 people.

The Cadillac is very nice. They got it in Black Cherry, which almost looks black, but with a little deep purple hue to it. It seats 7, however, tonight we got 8 in it (with Parker's car seat)! It has all the bells and whistles. The entire top of it is a moon roof, so even the people in the backseat can look up and see the sky. It's got everything you could possibly think of for a car to have. It is extremely nice!While Brad and Mom D were away, I was at home with the kids. Scott and Al came over and we just watched tv while the kids played. Once everyone got back home, we all went to Little Caesars in Davison. They are known for having great strombolis. It was incredibly busy and it looked like there wasn't enough workers. We waited quite a while and our strombolis came out cold. I have to say it wasn't the best Little Caesars experience we've had.

We came home and watched home videos. We have actually been watching them every night all week long. Brad's parents videoed a lot when Brad and his siblings were kids, so we have seen all sorts of stuff from their past. My parents never bought a video camera, so we have no video of our childhood. I'm a little sad that we don't, but it is a lot of fun to see Brad (and his siblings) when they were little. Parker looks a lot like Brad did at that age and Halle acts a lot like Brad's brother Scott. We've seen quite a few really funny things too. I'm glad we have videoed Halle and Parker since they were both born. I will say that we need to video more though. We have lot of footage of Halle as a baby, but we don't have much of Parker.

Saturday we did absolutely nothing! I stayed in bed for quite a while reading-it was so nice. Brad made the kids french toast for breakfast and they played all morning. Brad did go out and get some caulk for the shower and worked on that for a while, but he did get a nap! Bailey ended up coming over and playing with Halle all afternoon. They pretended to be going to the Prom and got dressed up in some of Halle's fancier dresses. Jessica did their hair and make-up.

Would you believe they're only 6 & 7 years old?

Aunt Mindy and Uncle Kelly came over in the evening. We ordered chinese and watched more home videos all evening long. We also started watching "Anne of Green Gables- The Continuing Story". I used to watch "Anne of Green Gables" when I was little (so did Brad's family, obviously). Mom D couldn't fine the first Anne movie, so we watched "The Continuing Story". We got through 1 video tape- it was back in the day when you got 2 tapes in the box when it was a really long movie. We'll have to finish the rest of it sometime this week.

Sunday we had church at home. I teach the kids (Halle, Bailey, and Corey) and we have been talking about Thanksgiving all month long. Today we talked about how greed can overtake you if you aren't thankful for what you have. We have been making turkey crafts all month long and today we finally finished them.

Their's look a little different than this picture shows. I had them write things that they were thankful for on each of the "feathers" that surround the wreath. We used the outline of their own foot for the turkey body, and on the feet we put the words "Give" and "Thanks". They also glitter-glued theirs all up. I will post Halle's on my Thanksgiving Day post.

This afternoon my parents came out and we went to Past Tense to look at all their Christmas decorations. They had a lot of nice things and they are reasonably priced. We shopped around for quite a while and then went to their little restaurant and all got dessert. Halle got Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream and the rest of us got a piece of Fruits of the Forest pie and ice cream. The waitress was so nice and ended up giving Parker a cut-up apple and carmel to dip it in. He scarfed it down!!!

Once we got back home, everyone was heading out to Outback Steakhouse for dinner, so we tagged along. We all crammed into Mom D's new car and watched "Cheaper by the Dozen 2" on the way there. We had a nice dinner and had a really good waiter. It probably was one of the best visits we've had there in a while.

We really had a nice and relaxing weekend. Halle is on vacation for this entire week, so that will be nice. I might get called to sub in a few other districts, so I might work a couple days this week-we'll see, I guess. This coming weekend will definitely not be a quiet one. We have lots planned already, but I will post about all that later.

I hope you had an enjoyable and relaxing weekend as well.

Photo Tag

Today's been an interesting one. I didn't get called to sub, which felt strange. Brad was home all day because he just finished up a project and doesn't have much lined up yet for the coming weeks. I took Parker with me to Halle's piano lesson, so I didn't get my usual nap in the car, which was ok, because I totally enjoyed playing with Parker. We went to Target afterwards and Halle bought some slippers, a "reader"-it's what she calls books she can read, and Parker got a book. We came home and ate dinner- Beef Stew (thanks Mom D), however, Parker refused to eat anything at dinner, which was strange. Halle and Parker took a bath and got all nice and clean smelling. Parker felt warm to me all day, so I gave him some Tylenol. About 2 minutes after giving it to him, he acted/sounded like he was choking and began throwing up green goo. He had eaten green yogurt (watermelon flavor) about 1/2 hour before. Last week Mom D had the flu and none of us got it, so we thought it had passed. I am hoping this was just a fluke throw up and not the flu! Just what I want to be dealing with during my week off...

Anyways, I was reading my friend Betsy's blog and she did this fun Photo Tag tonight, so I thought I would join the bandwagon and so it too.
A Place You'd Like To Visit:

Ok- I have a bunch, however, I have narrowed it down to 5. I could probably list a ton if I had the time.
The Disney Cruise

Atlantis Resort, Bahamas

Las Vegas

Paris, France- I've been to a bunch of other countries in Europe, but never to Paris

New York City-for both the sites and the shopping

Your Age:

Your Indulgences:

Your Name:

My name is spelled K-e-l-l-i-e! I was not surprised I couldn't find a photo with that spelling in it. All my life I have never been able to get anything that has the name Kellie on it because it is always spelled Kelly. Oh well.

What You Are Doing Right Now:

I

I'm trying to figure out what to buy everyone for Christmas. It is fast approaching and I need to be ready for the Day After Thanksgiving shopping-yep, I get up at 5am and shop!!

Halle wants the Nintendo Wii for Christmas. We are going to try our hardest to ger her one, even though a lot of stores say they are unavailable right now.
Your Favorite Color:

My favorite color is green. I think it is because I have green eyes and green clothing usually looks good on me. I also like people doing "green" things to save the earth, however, I can't say I'm a very good example of a "green" person.

The Photo Tag was fun! You should play along if you want to too!

Old friends, Rainforest Cafe, & Snow

This past weekend we actually got quite a bit of snow. On Saturday, it rained for the first half of the day and then turned to big flakes of snow. Although I despise the cold, it does look absolutely beautiful when it is snowing. Brad's Uncle Chip and cousin Nathan came and went hunting in the DeLange's 40 acres. I didn't see that at all all weekend. Nate got a 3 point, so that was exciting for him. (I know nothing of hunting, nor do I get at all excited about any of it). On Friday night I met up with 4 of my old classmates from highschool and their babies (if they had any).

Amanda and her 11 month old Carson, Christina and her 1.5 year old Nadia, Karen -no babies yet, just dogs :0), Tracy and her baby Bryce (sorry, no picture), and me and Parker. Brad took Halle out to dinner and to go see Madagascar 2, which they said was hilarious! It was so much fun getting to see everyone and their new additions to their family. I have stayed in contact with these girls thanks to facebook and myspace, however, I haven't actually seen any of them or their babies in forever. We spent the evening at Christina's house, talked, ate pizza, and watched the babies play. It seems like only yesterday we were all sitting in English class together and now we are all moms.
Saturday we spent the morning doing a bunch of work around the house. Jessica and I did a lot of work in her room. I will take a picture of it when it is totally all done. It is still a work in progress. In the evening, Brad, Parker, Halle, Jessica, and I all went to Great Lakes Crossing and shopped for a little bit and went to eat at the Rainforest Cafe. That restuarant is SO fun! If you have never been, I would totally recommend it just for all the cool stuff that happens there while you eat.

I totally forgot my camera so I didn't get any pictures of Parker's reactions to the animals. He loved the store and kept pointing to things everywhere. He stood and just stared into the fish tank for the longest time. Right when we were walking in to sit down, it was the thunderstorm, so all the animals were going nuts and the lights were flashing. Parker was a little scared and we sat right underneath the gorilla, so he was a little freaked out. We thought we were going to have to take him out every time the gorilla went nuts, but by the 2-3 time, he was used to it and he just stared. We had a lot of fun and enjoyed our time there. Halle has gone there before, so it wasn't anything new to her, but she said she definitely wants to have her birthday dinner there. I promised she could get their infamous dessert- The Volcano, which comes with a lit sparkler on top and they yell "Volcano" as they bring it out!

Sunday was a lazy day. We had church and then we spent the afternoon at home. I did go out for a little while with Scott, Jessica and Allyson to Kohl's and Wal-Mart. It was snowing like crazy most of the day, but hardly any of it was sticking to the cement.

This week has been pretty normal. I was sad to see Cody and Julieann leave DWTS tonight. They were a cute couple. I am unsure who I am rooting for to win! I like Warren and Brooke the best, but I will say that Lance did the best by far on Monday night.

We watched Wall-E tonight. It is SO cute! I loved it!!! Halle had already seen it in the theater, but Brad and I hadn't seen it yet. I love Wall-E! He is SO sweet!Only 3 more days and then we have a WHOLE WEEK OFF!!! YEA!!!! Lapeer has gone to trimesters this year, so we get a whole week off for Thanksgiving! I am looking forward to the break!!

Blog Giveaways

The other day I came across a couple of blogs that are solely devoted to listing all the different "bloggy" giveaways that are taking place. I had no clue it was so huge to give something away on your blog, but I guess it is. You wouldn't believe all the stuff different designers, company owners, etc are giving away for free to anyone who signs up. So, since coming across these sites, I have been checking daily the different giveaways and signing up for all the free stuff that I would love to win. If you've never seen these sights, you'd be amazed at some of the stuff people are giving away- anything from a Starbucks Cappucinno Maker (retails at like $700) to homemade quilts, jewelry, etc. Most of the time a blogger is showcasing a specific designer of a product, so all you have to do is go to the designer's website, look around, and then go back and post a comment about an item you saw and liked. It's that simple! Then, you are eligible to win whatever they are giving away.

I'm sure I am wasting my time, as my chances of actually winning something are slim, but it has been fun to learn about new products and different designers I would never have heard of otherwise. There's always a thrill to sign up for a free giveaway.

Moving on...Our week has been normal as usual. School, work, dinner, bed. Throw in a little tv, reading, and playing as well. Today was a "not-so-great" day for me at work-not because the students were horrible, but because another teacher humiliated me in front of an entire classroom. Oh well. Hopefully, tomorrow will be better.

I've started a new book this week : The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella. I'm only a few chapters in, but it is already good. I love Kinsella and the Shopaholic books, so I figured I would like this one as well! I just saw that "Confessions of a Shopaholic" is coming out in theaters next year!!! It looks so funny!!! I am still totally into the Twilight books and have finished the first 2. I really didn't want to have to buy the hardback Eclipse book, but I don't think it's in softcover yet, so I will probably just have to suck it up and spend the few extra dollars because all the libraries around here have waiting lists for the books. That will be on my weekend shopping list!!

Week in Review

Our family's week in review:
We got a new president! I really wasn't that surprised the Obama won, but I was saddened. I was also saddened to see that both proposals in MI were passed. Proposal 1 was that marijuana can now be a prescribed drug and Proposal 2 was for stem cell research. What is our world coming to? I guess all I can do is pray and be reminded that the Lord is in control of everything.

Brad worked at his grandparent's house this week. They had a bunch of little handyman jobs that needed to be done, so he stayed busy there this week. He also worked on a roof all day Saturday. He also got a pretty big job building a retaining wall for a nice couple. He will start that tomorrow. We are thanking the Lord that He is blessing Brad with lots of work!!

His business' website is just getting started:

http://www.masterpiecebuildingandremodeling.com/

Halle lost another tooth! She now has only her 2 front top teeth! There's lots of spaces now!!

Parker finally got his 1 year shots!! He only had to get 2 shots and they gave him both at the same time. He cried, but wasn't hysterical. He weighs 24 lbs and is 2 ft. 10 in. He is SO tall!!!

On the tractor!

Halle got awarded 1st place in the Lapeer Water Conservation Project poster contest. Her poster won 1st place out of 1,100 posters in K-1st grade in Lapeer. Brad got to go to her school and watch her get her award. She got a certificate, a 1st place ribbon, and a t-shirt. We have yet to see her poster because it was sent away to be judged statewide. So, we will have to wait and see it later!! We were so proud of our little artist!!!!

We went and sat out in the freezing cold and rain to watch Lapeer West football play in the playoffs on Saturday night. Halle and Parker both wore their snowsuits (which Grandpa DeLange bought them earlier in the day) and we wore lots of layers and took lots of blankets. We were so bundled up, but none of us got cold!!! Lapeer ended up losing, which was a huge bummer.

It snowed for the first time this winter this weekend!!! It wasn't much, but it was snow! We are supposed to get some more tonight and tomorrow too!

We didn't get as much as is in this picture, but this I'm sure we aren't too far from this.

Gas is at a all-time low (well, of lately)- it's $1.91 in Lapeer!!

What we were used to...It's starting to get better....

(I couldn't find a picture of gas below $2.00!!! Shows how long ago it was that gas was that cheap!

Election Day

It has finally arrived- Election Day! It seemed like all the commercials, ads, debates, phone calls, and news coverage would never end, but today, finally, we will have our new president. Brad and I went to vote together early this afternoon. We have never voted in Lapeer before and boy, was it so easy. There was hardly anyone there. We walked right in, signed the paper, and sat down. We didn't have to wait at all. Parker went with us. Thankfully, my cell phone kept him occupied. On our ballot, we had to fill in a arrow. I had never seen anything like it before. I was watching the news this evening and they talked about how a lot of people in FL got really confused and didn't fill in the arrow correctly. Why do we not have a universal ballot system?? Why does every county/state/city have a differnt type of ballot? It doesn't make sense to me. I think everyone should just color in a circle- like a scranton. Oh well, I do believe they try to make it the hardest way possible for us to vote correctly.
It's after 10pm now, and they still can't project a true winner yet! It probably won't happen until after I am well off to bed. I just have to keep telling myself that the Lord is in control of everything. He knows what is best for our country!!

Happy Halloween

This Halloween was busy for us! The day started off with Halle and I going on a field trip to Blakes Orchard. It is located in Armada, MI, which is about 25-30 minutes (by bus) from where we live. Blakes Orchard and Cider Mill is really cool and HUGE! It has everything!!! We started off by going on a train ride around the grounds and stopped out in the apple orchard so the kids could pick apples off the trees. Everyone got to pick and keep 5 apples. Halle and I both got Red Rome apples because the other types were quite picked over. We rode the train back and went to have donuts and cider. This was my "group"!! Cole, Juan, Chloe, and Halle!For the rest of the time there, the kids got to play in the farm's Funland. There was a corn maze, huge hay stack to climb, petting zoo, storybook barn, tricycle race track, and jungle gyms. All around the farm, there were little scenes set up with interactive stories, songs, etc., so the kids walked around and looked at those too. We ate lunch at the picnic tables in front of the Haunted House and then headed back to school. It was a beautiful day outside too, which made the day even better. I don't ever remember a Halloween in Michigan where it was pure sun and in the 60s!

Huge Hay StackCorn MazeThe witch flying around the pumpkin patchThe HUGE pumpkin
The whole class staring at the Haunted House! Everyone was too scared to go in, but they liked looking at it.Halle on the tricycle race track

My group thinking there animals in front of the storybook barn.After Halle got home from school (she had to stay because she had a spelling test), we played outside for a little while. We just couldn't get over how nice it was outside. Brad was practicing his football punts in the back field, and ended up getting the football stuck in the very top of a tree. When I say "the top", I honestly mean the very top limb of a really tall tree. We thought he might be able to climb up and shake some branches to loosen the ball, but it was too high up. Brad started kicking and throwing a soccer ball, and actually hit the football a couple of times, but it was budging. After about 20 minutes of working at it, Brad threw the soccer ball up and it hit the football out, however, the soccer ball landed right where the football was and got stuck in the exact same place. So, needless to say, we gave up. We got the football for the price of a soccer ball. Who knows if it will ever fall out??

We met with the Williams to go trick-or-treating at night. All the downtown stores in the city of Davison were passing out candy for a couple of hours before the actual "trick-or-treating" began, so we went down there first. The kids got a good start filling up their buckets. Allyson and Scott went with us too! It was fun to have them tag along with all of us. Afterwards, we went to Taco Bell for dinner.

Our cheerleaderOur football player

We then went back to the William's subdivision and started trick-or-treating. It was a beautiful night. We didn't have to have huge winter coats, gloves, or hats on. The kids just got to wear their costume, which is not typcial in Michigan!! Usually, you have to design your costume around a coat, boots, etc. Halle and Bailey were literally running to every house! They were so excited. I stayed up with them, while the rest of the group took Parker around. The people that live in their sub are super generous. The kids got lots of king size candy bars, special treats for doing cheers (the girls), and Parker got all sorts of extra goodies for looking so cute!!!! One of their neighbors actually let Halle, Bailey, and I come into her house to use the restroom and gave us bags to dump their full buckets into. By 7:45, the kids were tired (and so was I). Back at the house, they all dumped out their candy and counted each piece. I think Halle had 105 pieces!! Parker shared his candy with everyone!! It was an enjoyable Halloween. I honestly will say it is the best Halloween we have had yet. Hopefully, next year we will have just as much (if not more) fun!!!! Happy Halloween!! Parker put on Corey's football pads and jersey. He looked so cute!! He is definitely going to play football when he get older.


He even put the helmet on. It was so heavy that I was afraid it was going to break his neck, so he didn't keep it on for long.