treasure hunting

Here's your photo of Maria sans braces Maeve.Grandma Rose & Grandpa Bob got me a metal detector for my birthday 2 years ago and we really have not used it much. It works very well but we discovered that digging in the grass is hard work. Isabel brought the metal detector in for Student of the Day last Thursday and so we decided to use it today in the sandy area of the volley ball courts. Pushing sand is much easier! Our finds included 4 pennies (all seperate finds) 1 dime, 1 very old nail, a toy car, a bottle cap (still attached to the bottle and 1 very, very heavy piece of iron. It was probably the business end of an old hammer.

P Town

That is what all the hip, cool kids call Plymouth anyways. We're still just sticking with Plymouth.
The scarecrows are going up downtown and the rest of the Halloween decorations around town as well.
Isabel lost another tooth! She looks like a hockey player now!!! Still not the top front two teeth but one is super loose. I don't how she is going to be able to eat. She is going to a birthday party for a classmates at the horse riding stables in Northville.


The Sheldon Road underpass.

Saints on Skates

Thank you all for your donations to the girl for the Skate-a-thon. They had a great time! Each of the girls received about $160 which goes towards our $900 yearly fundraising goal. Isabel was a bit intimidated and reluctant to skate at first and went around once with mommy but after that she really started to have fun.

Maria and her buddy MariaSophia, Maria and Sister Hyacinth

1st, 3rd & 5th grades

Mrs Hayward's 1st grade classMiss McCann's 3rd grade classSister Hiacynth's 5th grade class

chicken soup for the soul

It is unanimous. Sunday is the Denja's favorite day of the week. All except Carmen who innocently proclaimed Saturday was her favorite day. So Carmen!
Before Mass Grandma had already made Chicken Soup and afterwards she made Isabel's favorite rice with almond, raisins and salmon. Isabel seems to have turned a corner and now eating better than Mikey many days. She still need reminding though. I should also mention she has lost several teeth in the past few weeks although still not the 2 damaged front teeth.

Maria made her specialty mashed potatoes with broccoli and cheese. It was a hit since some friends came over and finished it off. Maria gets her braces off tomorrow!!!! Later we went to visit my Auntie Tilly who seemed to be doing pretty well and then afterwards the cemetery. Grandma Paula has all the girl trained on how to care for the gravestones since most of our extended family are buried in the same area of the same cemetery.
I didn't really capture the moment but Petey will always start to dance when he hears music. He also loves phones so he'll dance to music while he hold the phone to his ear. Sophia watches on unimpressed.

MIB

Pope Benedict XVI has declared a “Year for Priests” beginning with the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 19, 2009. The year will conclude in Rome with an international gathering of priests with the Holy Father from June 9-11, 2010

synchronized trampoline jumping

Maria later gave us quite a scare by getting the wind knocked out of her while doing a flip but thank God she was alright!

cider slushies & doughnuts

A trip to Three Cedars Farm in Salem on a beautiful sunny late summer day.

I'm 13 and a half months old

Petey is like a Velociraptor testing out the security system at Jurassic Park. He is always on the lookout for holes in the grid.

Where do the Children Play?

I saw this Michigan made documentary today on WFUM and found it to be quite interesting. I could relate to it and how you just don't see kids playing outside much anymore unless it is organized play/sports or supervised in a park. It emphasized how important unstructured playing outdoors or off the computer and television is to children development and how growing up in suburban areas there can be a disconnect between people and nature.

boys life

I loves these guys!

Fall Festival

We never took our kids to the Michigan State Fair which is the oldest and longest running in the US. I only recall going once as a kid. I recently heard that after 161 years this would be the last due to budget cuts. Fortunately we have the Plymouth Fall Festival right in our own backyard going on this weekend. We went downtown last night just for a bike ride and a treat. We had not planned on getting tickets (due to our own budget cuts) but as we pulled up someone was leaving and gave us their unused tickets so we were able to get on some rides and get some cinnamon crunch bagels from Panera for the morning.
Thank you Grandma Rose & Grandpa Bob for the Subway card!!! We can't wait to use it.

Poindexter

I thought the little guy looked so funny. I keep forgetting to post some of the funny/cute story about the kids. Yesterday I made scrambled eggs for the boys and Petey was so excited he got in his high chair by himself and was trying to buckle himself in. I think he was hungry!
Mikey entertains us by "reading" his favorite books to us. He will read books word for word after just a few readings, making sure to read it just the way he heard it. It is really quite charming.

My hero of the day

is my wife Leigh. Despite being under the weather she still manages to always do what needs to be done. She gets up at 6 to get the kids ready for school and takes them to school. She works a full time job as well as teaching classes. Then comes home and help the kids with homework and many, many other things that she does out of love for us.
Yesterday my hero of the day was my mom for many, many reasons also, some of which she knows. The day before that it was Maria. I have a lot to be thankful/grateful for!
For the past few days we have been together with relatives for cousin Joey's funeral and wake. Tita Tina flew in on Monday morning. I was really touched by the sincere love that his friends, family and neighbors had for him. He will be missed by many.

Maria is interested in being on the volleyball team at school so Grandpa Joe got her a ball and we practiced a little at the park.
I sure wanted to get photos with ALL the 1st & 2nd cousins together but it was like herding cats so it never happened.Tita Tina treated the kids to ice cream both in Birmingham then this morning in Plymouth before heading back home.

Parts & Labor Day weekend

Emphasis on labor. This morning we helped out one of the families from school with some yard work. Carol was recovering from surgery this summer and so the yard was neglected. Some of the teachers and parents spent a few hours helping her get the yard cleaned and did a pretty good job I must say. I should have gotten some before and after photos.
The top right photo is of the sway bar connecting rod on our van. On Friday I was just getting on the freeway with all the kids when the van started to sway back and forth and the steering wheel was barely responding. I managed to get the car to the shoulder THANK GOD and no one was hurt. Leigh came and picked up the kids and I got the car towed and repaired relatively cheaply. We were headed to Grandma Paula's for some home made chicken soup. Maria had requested some for a cold. I asked Maria if it could wait till Sunday and she said, "My cold will be gone by then!" It really made us laugh. One bite and her cold was gone.
The photo on the trampoline is of the girls and their new friend Kiley who just moved into the neighborhood and has been been over everyday since!
Please pray for my cousin Joey Eshaki who died on Thursday very unexpectedly just one day before his 51st birthday.

following in the foot steps

Petey seems to be interested in all the same things as Mikey was and is. I know it frustrates him sometimes that he can't do all the things he see Mikey doing but he sure tries. He is all boy!