Fantastic Day

Yesterday (Friday) was a fantastic day for many reasons . . . . . .

1.  Our dryer got fixed!  After 2.5 weeks, I can finally do laundry at home.  I am SO glad I do not have to go back to the laudromat this weekend . . . . . . .what a relief!

2.  While at the barbershop yesterday, Kyle handed me one of his teeth.  Yes, his second tooth fell out, so the tooth fairy made another trip to our house last night.  :)

3. This one you won't hardly believe - you might want to sit down while reading this.  For those of you who recall all of the eating issues we have had with Clara over the past two years . . . . . . . . . we bought her a happy meal from McDonald's yesterday and she ate four chicken nuggets!  I still can not believed it!  And, guess what?  She liked it!!!!  I think (hope) he have turned a corner with her.  I think the reason she ate them is because (1) it was a happy meal, (2) it came with a toy, and (3) I bribed her with a movie.  Yes, I told her she could pick out any movie she wanted if she ate her chicken nuggets and it worked like a charm.  It was the best $5 I have spent all year.  :)

4.  We finally made it to the mall and got all of Kyle's gear for fall.  He needed some new clothes, shoes and shin guards for soccer.  Now he is all set for first grade!

Wisconsin Dells - Part 4

It occurred to me recently that I never posted the rest of our vacation pictures from Wisconsin Dells.  So, before I forget . . . . . . here they are.  This was a casual day of go-carts and mini golf for us - fun, fun!

A Sight To See

Another storm . . . . . . . another beautiful rainbow in our neighborhood. Enjoy!

Control Board Failure & Other Updates

Our dryer is dead . . . . . . . it has been dead for a week now. It won't heat up and dry any of our clothes. The repairman just left our house and the diagnosis is "control board failure." Apparently, it must have gotten zapped by the storms we had recently. Oh, well . . . . . . there are worse things, I suppose . . . . . . . like a tree falling on our house! That did not actually happen to us . . . . . . . I'm just trying to look on the bright side. :) Anyway, now I get to go to the laudromat this weekend. I haven't gone to the laundromat in a LONG time . . . . . . . that should be fun (not). :) Laundry . . . . . loads of fun, right???

Aside from our dryer being dead, there is not much else new to report. Craig and I have both been very busy with work. I am entering my busiest time of the year - fall travel season. Personally, I do not travel very much, but it is still a very hectic time nonetheless.

On the homefront, we have been very busing cleaning and organizing. We managed to clean our storage/mechanical room last weekend, which was a huge undertaking. We still had unopened boxes from our move three years ago! Now we are working on the unfinished room in our basement. It's amazing how much stuff you accumulate when you have kids. What a job!

Kyle and Clara are both doing well and looking forward to school starting soon. Last weekend we went clothes shopping for Clara. We went to three stores and got everything she needed for fall, including shoes and a jacket/hat/gloves. That is the way to do it, I think. Hopefully we will be able to take Kyle soon and get all of his fall gear. I want to use my 20% off coupons for the Children's Place before they expire.

Well, that's about all for now. Happy Friday and have a great weekend!

Electric Scooter - Take 1

Kyle learned how to ride his electric scooter this weeked. He is doing a great job, even though he is still mastering the technique. Craig videotaped him on it this morning and this one made me laugh so hard I had to share it. Enjoy!

What do you think? Should we send it to America's Funniest Home Videos?

Binder Park Zoo - Part 2

Here are a few more pictures from our day at Binder Park Zoo. Clara got her face painted as a ladybug and Kyle got his painted as a snake (his choice, not ours). :) I think they turned out pretty cute.

Binder Park Zoo - Part 1

Craig and I both had a vacation day on Friday, so we decided it would be a perfect day to go to Binder Park Zoo in Battle Creek. We go there every other summer and always have a blast. This year was no exception. It was a beautiful day outside, the kids were very well behaved, and we received two free admission passes for Kyle and Clara. Beyond that, we made some wonderful family memories together. I hope you enjoy the pics.

Tooth Fairy

Big news in the James-Heer household . . . . . . .

Kyle lost his very first tooth on Friday morning! It took six years and eight months, but he is finally getting his adult teeth. It is both exciting and a little sad at the same time. Anyway, Kyle left his tooth out for the tooth fairy last night and he woke up this morning to find a one doller bill in his bedroom. He was pretty excited to tell Craig and I that the tooth fairy had come. His one question about the whole situation was, "How will the tooth fairy get into our house?" Too cute! Here is a picture of Kyle and his new smile.

Seaville Kids Triathlon

Yesterday was the Seaville Kids Triathlon in Coopersville. This is the second year Kyle has participated in this race. It consists of a 1/4 mile run, 1 mile bike and 50 yard swim. Kyle competed in the 6-7 year old age group and finished third overall out of 20 kids. We are very proud of him! The event was also close to home (always a plus) and the weather was perfect! We were excited that Grandpa Bill and Grandma Connie could join us, too. This was their first kids triathlon and I think they enjoyed it very much. You will see from the pictures below that we all had a great time, including Clara who played with a friend from daycare.

Clara's First Haircut

Today I took Clara for her first haircut! Now that she is three she finally has enough hair for a proper trim, or 'micro-trim' as my hair stylist calls it. Below are some photos of Clara at the salon. She sat very still in the chair and was a good girl. I am very proud of her. I think it helped that she watched Craig and Kyle get their hair cut on Thursday. We also read a book last night about getting a hair cut so she would be prepared. Her only question was 'Will it hurt?" Of course it didn't and now she has some cute curls. :)