Holding Down the Fort While Mommy Stays with Auntie Holly and Family!

Mommy was away at a meeting that just happened to be in Dearborn MI.  So Mommy was able to stay with Auntie Holly, Uncle Alek, and cousins Dane and Ryleigh.  Mommy had a great time with Auntie and her family!  Once Mommy got home on Friday, Daddy and Grandpa Chuck were busy working on the downstairs bathroom.

Monday: Ayson and Addie working on birthday cards for Ayson's Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Long.


Addie also made a card for Mrs Long while Mommy just likes an excuse to color :)


Hi Big Guy!


On Tuesday, Mommy flew to Michigan for a Great Lakes meeting. Thanks to the Willson's for making Mommy feel at home!
The newest member of the Willson family LOVES the fish :)


Playing Monopoly on Tuesday night!  Mommy and Auntie Holly told the kiddos how Grandpa Roger played the game and ALWAYS won...Mommy and Auntie did not like playing against Grandpa :)


While back in New York, Ayson and Addie finished their cards for Mrs Long :)  It was "Jammie Day" at school so both Ayson and Addie wore jammies to school and day care :)


On Wednesday night, Mommy went to Dane's swim practice at the high school (that is literally around the corner from Auntie Holly's  house!) Dane is standing next to the furthest ladder and is getting ready to jump in the pool (lucky shot, Mommy/Auntie!).


Uncle Alek entertaining Ryleigh with an intense game of "Rock, Paper, Scissors" :)


Go, Ryleigh!


After swim practice, Mommy headed over to Auntie Holly's school which was holding an open house. So Mommy got a tour of the school and got to see Auntie's 5th grade class room!  VERY cool!!!

Auntie Holly and one (of two) king snakes that are pets in her class :)


A turtle:)


Where Holly spends a good portion of her day:)


Brook, Christopher, and Weston gave Mommy a tour and posed for a picture with Auntie (of course, they all liked Auntie as a teacher :)


The back view of Auntie's class room...love the reading nook!


Meanwhile, back in New York....Ayson's elementary school also had an open house and Daddy and the kiddos attended!
Addie and Ayson posing next to Ayson's journal from January 8, 2016, where Ayson wrote and drew that he wanted to be an engineer!  GREAT writing and drawing, Big Guy!


Another great journal entry from March 1, 2016: "At bedtime I snuggle with my Daddy"  LOVE It!
Daddy (and Ayson) read stories together while Mommy and Addie read stories (before we each tuck a kiddo into bed :)  (The silver square is the mirror in Ayson's room and he also drew his dresser and door)


Back in Michigan on Thursday night...Dane and Ryleigh put on a show for the adults while we listened to music.


Rwar!  Ryleigh in the "creepy/scary" lion mask!


Mommy made it home safe and sound on Friday and Grandpa Chuck joined us for the weekend. Grandpa helped Daddy put up dry wall (ceiling and portion of a wall) in the downstairs bathroom. THANKS Grandpa!!! (Mommy loved not having to stand with her arms above her head while holding dry wall to the ceiling :)  :)

Grandpa and Ayson looking at the Gross Science Experiments on Friday night.  We ended up doing an experiment on diffusion that used a balloon filled with water and crushed garlic.  After awhile, the garlic smell diffused through the balloon and into the room the balloon was hidden in (we tried to play a joke on Daddy BUT Daddy still has a lingering sinus infection and could not smell...poor Daddy :)


Building a beetle robot on Saturday


In order for Daddy and Grandpa to work without the kiddos being underfoot (hey, they were curious!), Mommy took the kiddos to Billy Bees at the "Big Mall" (Destiny USA) in Syracuse. The kids had a BLAST and adults/parents were encouraged to play too).

The first couple times that Addie went down the rainbow slides, she had a frightened look on her face...


But, by the 5th time down the SAME green slide, Addie was all smiles and had her hands in the air. Way to go Baby Doll!


Ayson was ALL over the place and Mommy had a harder time keeping track of him (which made Mommy nervous).  He really liked the air guns and spent time their with other kids his age.


There was a room filled with big (yoga type) balls and the kids had fun crawling all over them.


Dancing with Mommy to the new band that Uncle Alek introduced Mommy to (Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats and the song: "S.O.B."  The song has a great bluegrass-ish and "big band" feel to it :) (Mommy introduced Auntie Holly and Uncle Alek to Kasey Musgraves and her song "Biscuits" and the remix to the song "Waves" by Miguel)

The pics are a bit blurry but you can still see the big smiles:)


Grandpa swinging Addie


Addie showing us her break dancing moves!


Sunday was a PERFECT sunny day in the 40s with little wind (next week is supposed to be OUTRAGEOUSLY warm) so Daddy (with Mommy's assistance) put the netting back up on the trampoline.
Let the 2016 jumping season begin!!!


After a weekend of climbing, running, and jumping for the kiddos and strenuous drywall work for Daddy, everyone needed a break (while Mommy went for a walk in the orchard :)