Expensive Stickers

I was writing a note this morning, and set a sheet of self-adhesive stamps on the couch. I ran to another room to finish up the note and place it in the mailbox. Upon my return to the living room, I found Micah on the couch taking off the stamps one by one. He told me they were "stickers."

Tornado Sirens!

Just past 1:00 a.m. this morning, I woke up to thunder, lighting, and torrential downpour outside. I could also hear a steady whirring sound, that I couldn't quite place...Scotty informed me that they were warning sirens for severe weather!! We quickly got our little family down to the basement, turned on the radio for weather updates, and then about 30 minutes later headed back upstairs after any "danger" had passed. Micah was a trooper and enjoyed every minute of it - blankets and chairs in the basement, watching the lighting through the little basement windows, listening to the radio...he took a quick peak outside once we headed back upstairs for bed just before 2:00 a.m.

Here are a couple shots that fellow west Michigan residents took, compliments of a local station.

Scotty's blog: www.MyAppventure.com :-)

My husband never ceases to amaze me. He is a learning machine! His most recent ambition is to be a published App developer. I know he'll make it. He already has mock-ups for his first App idea, and we're flying him out to VA in July to attend an iPhone Programming workshop. For anyone interested, check out his sweet blog, which is tracking his journey (www.myappventure.com), maybe leave him a comment, give him some feedback or advice if you've gone before in this endeavor, etc. Also, if any of you all have an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch please leave him or I a comment to let us know, and we'll inform you when his first app is in the App Store! :-)

New Carpet (and a Vinyl Piece)!

Just shy of 1 year ago Darren from DeHaan Flooring came over to give us a quote on re-carpeting the lower level of our house. Yet it wasn't until last Monday that we got it installed - and boy, are we jazzed!! It took a year of finishing up some house projects and waiting for more moola before we could actually follow through with this exciting upgrade. Here's just a sampling of some before/after floor shots (2 rooms, 2 closets, 2 sets of stairs and a hallway were all re-carpeted).









In addition to the carpet, we got a new piece of vinyl in the downstairs bathroom.





Now we just need to move Scotty's office out of our room and downstairs, as well as unpack a few more boxes, bring up some furniture and eventually paint the bathrooms! (G'pa and G'ma Sovilla - feel free to visit us anytime! You could actually sleep in a room with a door, instead of in our living room now). :-)

"U-Pick" Strawberries

This morning we loaded up in the car and headed out to DeLange's farm to try something new for the whole family - pick your own strawberries! What fun, and very delicious!

Pitiful Pig(s)

Several weeks ago, Lisa (mom-in-law), Amanda (sis-in-law), Micah and I went to the mall to do some shopping for a new baby that was born in Lisa's side of the family. In between oohing and awing at adorable baby girl clothes, we got sucked into one of those booths that sell things in the middle of the mall. This particular booth sold splat toys that are gooey and full of water. You can toss it on the ground, it will splat and spread out, and then bounce back into it's original shape. Micah thought it was the coolest, so grandma was kind enough to buy him a little splat pig. While Lisa finished up some shopping, the rest of us tossed the splat pig on the ground in the mall. Micah threw it a little too far, and some gentleman minding his own business stepped right on to it and the pig burst open instantly. That was Strike #1.

We were able to get it replaced at the splat booth, but I told Micah we weren't going to play with it in the mall anymore. We took it home and I put it away. The next morning, we introduced the little piggy to dad. He and Micah were splatting it all around the kitchen floor, having a great time when daddy wanted to test his strength. He lifted that little piggy higher than his own 6'4" frame and smacked it down on the floor as hard as he could. I guess the toy wasn't made for that...the pig burst open and was no more. That was Strike #2.

A week or so later, we were at Scott and Lisa's house, and g'pa had a surprise - a replacement pig for Micah! Micah enjoyed dropping and tossing him all over the kitchen floor for about the next 1/2 hour or so. Then he started squishing and squeezing it in his hands. All of a sudden Micah started shrieking and crying. We looked over to find a deflated pig in his hands, and water all over his shirt. That was Strike #3.

I think we've had enough pitiful pigs in our possession...maybe we'll just buy a bag of water balloons next time...

Jason, Jason, and other nice folk :-)

Micah and I followed daddy to Elgin, IL this week for another business trip. While Scotty and his boss Jason worked hard, Micah and I got to enjoy the fellowship and fun of Jen (Jason's wife) and their 5 kids, not to mention some neighborhood kids too! The days were filled with outdoor play, reading, crafts and a library trip.











To top it off, we were also in town the same time that some good college friends were nearby (Jason, Rachel and their 2 kids). They recently returned from over a year of living in Russia, and were road-tripping and flying around some parts of the USA reconnecting with family and friends before the birth of their third child in October. We haven't seen them since college ('06), so it was a nice treat to visit with them over dinner. The kids got along great too!

Popsicles

My favorite store is Target. Ask anyone in my family and they'll tell you the same. Have you discovered their dollar spot? Incredible!! I regularly pick up note cards, little gifts, books and toys from this bargain area. Most recently I've picked up garden tools, and just yesterday, a little plastic Popsicle maker.

This morning Micah and I enjoyed making our own frozen concoction - vanilla yogurt w/strawberry bits.


Later this afternoon, we were able to share our homemade goodies with some friends who we ran into while they were taking a stroll down the street. Yum!!