Enjoying Summer Weather in March!

Driving in his new gator. He loves helping Pete clean up the yard, and then  drive the scraps back to the burn  pile.

 Well... it's completely unheard of to have the weather we've been having the past couple weeks in the UP in March, but we'll take it! It's been so nice to get Charlie outside to play. He's big enough this year to enjoy all the stuff we have for him to play with in our awesome backyard! Every day, after nap, Charlie and I head outside to play and wait for Pete to get home from work. When Pete gets home, I usually head in to get some schoolwork done, and the boys stay out and play. We've also been taking advantage of getting outside with Charlie's buddies, Joe and Anna. We've been going to the playground, going on hikes, had them over to play in the yard one day, and we even made it to the beach yesterday! It's so nice that Charlie has two great friends to play with... they always have so much fun together. Plus, their mom, Shannon, is one of my best friends here, so that makes the play dates even more fun for me! :) Here are some pics of some of our outings.

Showing Anna how to drive the gator.

These three need driving lessons. They took out two small trees, almost took the slide off the playground, and even threw Anna out of the gator at one point. They sure had fun though!

Hangin' out at the playground.

Fishing on the boat. One of them fished while the other two threw food in for the fish. Little kiddos and their imaginations are so great!

Our first day out with his Handy Manny 4-wheeler from Christmas. It was a lot easier to move around outside... our house inside wasn't the best for this little toy.

35 Weeks!

Well, I am 35 weeks! It feels like 40 weeks, but I am hanging in there. We went to the doctor this morning, and Roxy is doing well. I am measuring at exactly 35/36 weeks, and her heartbeat is good and strong. Now we start to go every week for an appointment. It seems so crazy that we are in the final stretch! Exactly one month to go today, but I am secretly hoping that she makes her entrance into the world a little early. The nice weather has been great, but I am much bigger this pregnancy than with Charlie, so I don't have too many clothing options. Plus, Charlie wants to be outside all day, and it's hard to be on my feet all the time. But... I am hanging in there for Roxy. Hopefully it won't be too much longer, or if I do go the full 40 weeks (or beyond like with Charlie), hopefully she'll take it easy on me!

A Break in the Weather . . .

Pausing for a pic with Dad.

 After we had that huge snowstorm, four days later we had a nice break in the weather. The sun came out and the snow started to melt. Pete's parents were still here visiting, so we decided to head to the rock beach at Presque Isle. The path was still covered in snow, and there was still ice on the rocks, but other than that it was a nice day. Charlie had a blast trouncing through the snow, and then throwing rocks into the water. It was so nice to get outside to get some fresh air and exercise. We are quickly realizing that our little man is definitely an outdoors kid, so we will be spending A LOT of time in the backyard playing this summer!

Three Hrodey men.

Checking out the ice on the rocks with Grandpa.

Throwing rocks... Grandma was looking for beach glass.

There's that good arm again!

Cool ice on the rocks. There were little drops of water running underneath, but I couldn't get it with the camera.

"I LOVE THROWING ROCKS!"

My guys.

I'm never in the pictures, and of course this one he has his eyes closed.

Snowball fight!

Hitchin' a ride on Grandpa. It was a long hike!

A Winter Wonderland!

On the weekend of Charlie's birthday celebration, we got hit with a HUGE snow storm! We had another storm the Wednesday before, so we must have had at least 3 feet of snow by the time Sunday came. We knew we had to get out and enjoy the snow while we could. First things first... we cleaned off the driveway and the cars. Then we all bundled up and headed out for some good winter snow activities! As I have mentioned before, Charlie loves to shovel, so there was a lot of that going on. Pete plowed a path back to our compost pile, and then he and his dad worked on clearing off the wood pile and re-stacking wood. Pete's dad made a cool tunnel through the snow for Charlie to crawl through, but he was a bit hesitant at first. Once he finally went through, he loved it! We went sledding and skiing too! Charlie is starting to get good on skis, so we are trying to get him to practice a bit more in the driveway before we head to the slopes. I have a funny feeling this little guy is going to be bombing down the ski hills with us chasing after him next year! Overall it was a great snow day outside, and Charlie loved every minute of it! After all the fun we went in and had some yummy hot cocoa to warm us up!

Sitting in the snow tunnel with Grandpa.

Pete clearing out a path to the compost pile.. and for Payton to get back to do his business!

Best buds!

Helping get the icicles off Dad's truck.

Sledding down the driveway.

Covering Dad with snow as he crawls through the tunnel.

Cleaning the snow off Dad's car.

Clearing a path back to the wood pile.

Grandma and Charlie trekking back to the wood pile.

Taking a break from stacking wood.

Charlie finally crawled through the tunnel and LOVED it!

Crawling through the tunnel with Grandma.

Grandma emptying out the back of Pete's truck.

Fun in the tunnel with Dad!

Getting a chairlift ride from Dad and Grandpa.

LOVING skiing down the driveway!

Working on his balance with Grandpa.

He is  going to keep up busy on the ski hill  next year!

Waddling like a duck to Dad... he was quaking as he walked ;)

Happy guy loving his skis!

Working on balancing and bending his knees.

Charlie's 3rd Birthday!

Last weekend we celebrated Charlie's 3rd birthday. We planned a nice little party at home with the family, but the weather quickly changed that. Dan, Mary, Matt and Gwen were on vacation in Florida for the week, so we knew they weren't going to be able to make it. My parents came in from Arizona and made it up here on Thursday afternoon. Pete's parents left around noon on Friday, and they luckily were ahead of the weather and beat the big storm. Unfortunately, Pete's sister, Kelly, had to work until 3, and by the time they were getting ready to leave, Traverse City was getting hit with the storm. They ended up getting 15 inches of snow, and the city was actually declared in a state of emergency because so many people were without power and the roads were covered with fallen trees. Needless to say, Mark, Kelly and Drew didn't make the trip up. Kelly is 32 weeks pregnant, so I think that was a good call. :) I wouldn't have driven in that weather! 

The Kaleidoscope Fest that we were planing on going to Saturday afternoon was canceled because of the storm, and we knew my parents needed to get back on the road to make it home for their flight Monday morning. The snow wasn't supposed to stop. We ended up having Charlie's party Saturday morning. I think he set a record for the fastest present opening... you couldn't blink or you would miss a present! After presents we had some lunch and then cake. My parents were able to get on the road around noon, so they made it home OK. Pete's parents ended up spending the week with us, so I'll post all the pics from there visit after this.

I still can't believe our little guy is 3. He is becoming such a little boy! We are going to Preschool Orientation next week, so I think it'll hit me even harder that my little guy is growing up. Happy Birthday to the most amazing son Pete and I could ask for! The past three years have been the best in our lives, and we can't wait to watch this little guy grow every year! We love you, Charlie!

Opening presents.

Cool pirate sheets from Uncle Mark, Auntie Kelly and Drew.

A Cars umbrella from Grandpa and Grandma!

Auntie Mary made Charlie this awesome bean bag chair! He LOVES it!

Unvailing Mimi & Papa's gift . . . .

A new John Deer quad for the backyard! He didn't have too much room to ride in the house, but he'll get a ton of use out of it this summer!

He's gonna help Dad take the grass clippings to the compost pile!

Getting ready to blow out his candles with Papa.

A Cars themed birthday party.

The cool race car cake Daddy made for Charlie!