Fall Color Tour: October 17, 2015

Yesterday we ventured up north for the day to do a fall color tour and stop off in Houghton Lake. Growing up, my Grandparents had a cabin up in Houghton Lake that I would spend weekends at with the family. When my Grandpa retired, they sold the cabin and built a home up there and settled in. They only stayed in that home for a handful of years before buying 80 acres with a house so that it could always be a place for the family to go. 

I haven't been there in eight years. I can't believe it has been that long, but 2007 was the last Thanksgiving we celebrated up there before my Grandpa passed away in 2009. It was too much for my Grandma to be up there by herself, so she has since moved down here to live with my Aunt, and the house and property is there for us to keep up and use. I have been wanting to get up there for a few years now to show the boys but just lose track of time.

We were headed north of there yesterday and decided to stop by and take a tour. I am so glad that I finally got to share a piece of my family history with the boys. My Grandpa passed 7 months before they were born, but so much of him is still there in the house and on the land. Here are a some pictures of us on the property.

One of my favorites

From there we stopped off at a store called the Rockin' Chair which I used to LOVE going into when I was little. I had to take the boys and get a few pics outside. Evan was excited to buy a bag of rocks/stones and Alex got a drum. We had lunch in town at a place called Garretts and then headed north to Petoskey to see the Tunnel of Trees.

I will forever cherish this picture

Check out the snow flakes!

The weather was kind of crazy for October. It would be sunny one minute and then we would run into a snow squall. The wind was pretty strong and the wind chill was very prominent. It is much colder in these pictures than it looks.

A hint of snow

The tunnel of trees is a 27 mile stretch of road lined with trees that run along Little Traverse Bay in Petoskey, Michigan. We thought we would give it a shot and it was definitely worth the time. It was a long day and the boys did great but next time we will make sure to book a hotel room and stay the night!

Snow on the Ground!

Fall with a hint of winter

Eric captured this beautiful shot

Making Family Memories

Making a Difference (In a World filled with so much hate)

There is nothing like the innocence of a child. I have discovered this in the last two years of sending Alex to school in a Gen Ed setting. Kids at 4 and 5 years old show no judgement toward others. They only show a curious side which is usually full of questions.

I would much rather answer a few curious questions any day than deal with bullying. I hope that we are able to remain in the same school district throughout Alex's school life so that the kids that he is getting to know now, will be the same kids helping him out and supporting him years from now.

This post comes from what I witnessed this morning particularly.

Alex was up for three hours last night, so I let him sleep in this morning and drove him to school about an hour late. It was worth the extra sleep for him to wake up refreshed and ready to go. When I got to the school, I waited for his Para-Pro to come down and get him (Mrs. Crawford). I could {hear} that she had someone with her when she came through the back door of the office, when around the corner came a happy and very excited little girl named Meadow.

Meadow is small, and cute and talkative and sweet. She is a classmate of Alex and Evan's and today was her day to be Alex's buddy. (A few weeks ago the teacher set up a buddy system in the class so that the kids could each have a turn spending time to get to know Alex). She was SO excited to see him that she could barely wait for me to get him buckled in his wheelchair. She kept expressing how she got to push him and help him out today and according to Mrs. Crawford had been asking about him all morning.

Just seeing the pure joy and happiness on her face brought the same joy and happiness to my heart. To see such a sweet innocent little girl be so open to helping my son without any reservation meant SO much to me. Then, to be informed by Mrs. Crawford that the kids get that excited every morning to see who gets to be Alex's buddy brought tears to my eyes.

I am not singling Meadow out because I know there are other kids in the class who probably get just as excited as she does. I just happened to witness it this morning and thought it was worth sharing.

As a parent of a special needs child, you have no idea how much it means until you see it with your own eyes. These kids are really truly making a difference.

15 Years Strong

It is hard for me to believe that Eric and I have been together for 15 years! The years have gone by so fast, but when I look back at where we started and where we are now, the memories are abundant and the proof is there.

We have come a long way from the day we met - which was October 31, 2000 while working in a retail store at the mall. We went on our first date a week later and that was that.

I don't think either of us were looking for a relationship, it just happened and I have heard that is the best way to start. We built a great friendship along the way which led to us building a life together.

Things haven't always been easy, we have had our share of ups and downs like any couple, but we fight our way back every time and come out on top.

We lived together for 8 months before Eric proposed to me which led to our beautiful fall wedding two years later. We honeymooned in New York City and the Pocono Mountains for a week. We worked hard to save and buy our first home in 2008 where we still are seven years later.

We added a dog to our family of 3 (we already had Oreo our cat) and a year or so later the twins came.

We have traveled and created all kinds of memories together as a couple and as a family. We work hard to keep things together and each of us has their own strengths and weaknesses but at the end of the day, I wouldn't be with anyone else.

Eric knows me better than anyone. He loves all of me even when he doesn't want to and the life we have built can't be replaced or changed. I love every piece of it and I am proud of what we have accomplished together.

Marriage is hard, but we are committed and we continue to grow as a couple to do what is best for our family.

Today we celebrate our 9 year anniversary. Happy Anniversary Eric, October 13th is our day. You and Me. I love you and I am so happy of how far we have come. Can't wait for #10 next year!!