Monday, December 22, 2008

Christmas Cookies


We spent Saturday evening at home decorating Christmas cookies...and had so much fun! Enjoy the video and Merry Christmas!

Friday, December 12, 2008

O Christmas Tree


This was the first year that Malachi was really able to participate in decorating the Christmas tree and he had so much fun! Erik and I just sat back and watched!

Of course, I did have to rearrange things a little after he went to bed! Notice the concentration of ornaments in the bottom right corner!

I also have to brag on our new stockings just a little. My mom knitted them especially for us and I love the way they turned out!

This year Malachi has his very own tree in his bedroom. We made ornaments using construction paper and markers. I figured they'd be a little safer behind closed doors...even though he has strict orders not to touch the tree!

The first night he had the tree, we left the lights on when we put him to bed at 9:00. When I went up to turn off the lights at 11:15 he was still awake, sitting in the middle of his bed, hugging one of his stuffed animals! He told me he was "just looking at the pretty Christmas tree!" None of his books or animals were disturbed! He just sat there for over 2 hours gazing at his tree!

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Experimenting with Videos

I'm not too good at doing things on the computer, but I thought I would give this a try. This is Malachi's special message to his Yaya...

OK, I can see I need more light, but not bad for my first try!

Visiting Friends

Last week Malachi and I went to KY with my mom to visit our friends Sarah-Marie and Jon along with their new baby, Jack. Malachi was really interested in holding the baby, and took my advice to "hold him tight" very seriously!

We then stopped at Barnes and Noble (or "that cool store with lots of books and a train" to quote Malachi) to visit with my friend Kari and her six-month-old son, Camden. The last time we saw Camden he was only about 4 weeks old, so he's changed a lot since then!

We had a great day together and it was really fun to see friends!

the BIG 3-0

Well, it's been here and gone. I am now officially 30 years (and a couple weeks) old. To tell the truth, I was really dreading this milestone, but it turned out to be a great day.

Becky helped me bake all morning and afternoon to get started on the 60 dozen cookies I needed for the store's Open House. To some that sounds like torture, but I really enjoyed being in the kitchen with her all day. Thanks, Becky!!

That night when I thought Erik was taking me out for a special date, I was surprised by about 35 of our family and friends at a party at my parents' house!

I had a great time and Erik, Meg, Kelsey and Mom did a great job planning the whole thing...and keeping it a surprise! Thanks so much for making my day very special and a lot of fun!

Thank you, everyone, who celebrated with me and also to Heather, Nathanael and Shannon and the Martins for sending videos to include in the video that my sisters put together for me.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Our Boy

It's been a while since I've posted, so I thought an update was in order. I have pictures from my birthday party coming soon, but in the meantime I wanted to show off our sweet little guy. He makes us smile and laugh so often and those times have been especially treasured this week.

Malachi got to help me set up a cake this past Saturday. Normally I wouldn't suggest taking your 2 1/2-year old to set up a wedding cake, but it just worked out that way. Thankfully, Aunt Meg was there to supervise and keep him out of trouble (and out from under the cake table!).

This is what I found a couple of weeks ago when I went to wake Malachi up from his afternoon nap. I took a few pictures, turned on the light and left the door open for about 15 minutes before I had to WAKE him up! He is definitely well-trained in the art of sleeping!

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Marathons of 2008

Last weekend was Erik's final marathon for 2008 and I just want to brag a little on his accomplishments. I'm really impressed by his dedication to and enthusiasm for his hobby. He even gave up Dr. Pepper, Taco Bell and Skittles in order to run better!

Erik's season kicked off in Indianapolis on May 3rd at the Indy Mini, a half marathon (13.1 miles). He finished in 1:27:54.

Just two weeks later, on May 18th, Erik ran the Cleveland Marathon and finished in 3:13:32. Thanks, Blake, for coming along to help cheer and keep me company while I waited for Erik to finish. Great job, Erik!!

Erik ran the Akron Marathon on September 27th and finished in 3:25:49. He even received a free pair of running shoes after completing this race!

His final marathon of the year was in Elyria, OH, (near Cleveland) on November 2nd. Erik finished in 3:26:33, which is a very good time...especially since he was sick all week and wasn't feeling completely up to par by race time! Thanks, Megan, for coming along to help cheer and take care of Malachi.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Trick or Treat!


Malachi had a blast trick-or-treating this year. He went up to all the houses by himself and said, "Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat!" (Thank you GranMols for teaching him the trick-or-treat rhyme!) After about 3 houses he looked in his bag and said, "Wow! I got a lot of candy! I have like 5!" It's so fun to see him growing up!

As you can see, even Grammy Litter got in on the fun. I think Malachi was a little scared of her at first!

Malachi loved seeing his big cousins Maggie and Riley dressed up, too. Of course they gave him more candy.

Then, at Grammy Jane's house, our little lion started getting tired and found himself a cave to hide in. He refused to call it his "den" and insisted that it was his "cave".

As if one night of trick-or-treating wasn't enough, we had a "Fall Fest" at church on Monday. Malachi loved playing the games and got even more candy.

This was my favorite game to watch. Malachi had to try to eat the donut off the string without using his hands. Very funny!

Malachi's favorite game was busting the bubbles with this sword.

Erik wanted to dress up a little, too. Scary, huh?

Lucas, Malachi, Corinne and Isaac after story time. Malachi wants to make sure Corinne is his girl. Isaac just wants more candy!

They even put our little lion in a giant bubble. We all had lots of fun!

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Circle S Farms











Okay, even though this happened a week ago, we had so much fun that I thought I should share! Last Wednesday, Erik, Malachi and I went to Circle S Farms in Grove City. They have a barn full of hay to play in (complete with a slide), a wagon ride out to the pumpkin patch where Malachi chose his very own pumpkin to take home, some animals to see and pet, lots of places great for photos, a corn maze and a sunflower maze, and Malachi's favorite...the Scarecrow Cave. The Scarecrow Cave is really just a maze of hay bales stacked up with some fencing on top to close them in. We had a great time and will probably make a trip to Circle S an annual fall tradition!

Sunday, October 19, 2008

To Get Rid of Hiccups...

This past weekend Bainbridge celebrated the 41st annual Fall Festival of Leaves. Malachi was lucky enough to hang out with his Aunt Megan all weekend because I had to help out in the store. Now, according to Malachi (who got his information from Aunt Meg), the cure for hiccups is to eat cotton candy. Needless to say, he has a new favorite food (if you can classify cotton candy as food), a new favorite ride (the Dizzy Dragon) and a new favorite thing about living in Bainbridge (the festival).

We had a busy weekend at the store and a great visit with Aunt Meg. Tomorrow morning we'll be glad to drive through Bainbridge without detouring around the rides and food stands!

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Photoshoot at the Falls

These are a few pictures from Malachi's second annual photoshoot at the falls (up Falls Road from our house). This has always been a favorite place of my family's for special photos, and I am lucky enough to have a sister who's a photographer and gives a great family discount! Kelsey did a great job, in spite of Malachi getting muddy and me falling while carrying him and bumping his head on a rock on the way down.

These are a few pictures I liked, but not my favorites...I'm saving those for gifts and Christmas cards!