Title Boxing Club:sharing the message!

Title Boxing Club 9:30am        The Hincka Heavy Hitters!

Our family has enjoyed being a part of the Title Boxing Club family since April of this year. What a difference it has made in our lives. I signed up Jake so that he could get in shape and punch out a little aggression, and it was only a few extra bucks for the whole family to become members. So I thought, why not? It might be fun! Well guess who loves boxing? Charlotte! She loves the rhythmic pounding, punch combinations, and predictability of the hour long class. Danny works so hard for the entire hour that I sometimes think his head will pop off. But good for him! And of course Jerry hates it because it is HARD, but off he goes, with the girls in tow, helping them and encouraging them. The trainers are all fantastic, but the girls special favourite is Phil, and adorable 20-somethings young man with a warm and friendly attitude. He immediately sensed the ID in the girls and focused on helping them learn the ropes and constantly positively pushing them on. He and Charlotte have a great time, which is fun for her. Phil invited us to visit the club in Farmington Hills this morning to participate in a power hour class with Allan Longstreet, the fitness trainer from Fox2. The focus was on boxing as an exercise that all people can do. What a ball! They interviewed all of us, and the camera man was roaming around throughout the class(thankfully not too near me!) What a great chance to continue to spread the message from SO about sport as a universal language, another  way for people with ID to integrate into their community. I love that the kids have so many different ways to stay healthy-and drag their old mother along too!

camera man 

ready for class to start

Phil high fiving Charlotte after the Power hour

The girls chatting with Allan Longstreet

Danny being interviewed

the club!

Phil the fabulous!

Friday June 14 Family Fun, Summer has begun!

The first week of summer vacation--YAY! We pulled out the bubbles, sidewalk chalk, ice cream, bikes and stroller and started the fun. Cassie spent the weekend with us, and Jake had two days off and half day on Fathers Day. The weather was beautiful and sunny, and so were our dispositions. Cassie's new favourite word is "EAT" and she says it while pointing at her mouth and then at her high chair! She fits in well around here!

Eat Dzadza!

this chalk is awesome!

thanks Daddy, I love you!

Aunt Molly is teaching me how to chalk colour

Cookie got out her bubble cow from her library storytime!

BUBBLES!

Charlotte and Jerry biked about ten miles together

this flower is cool

look Cookie!

here come the runners

Guess who we found at the park?! Katie Uitti! I hope she can run with Molly soon

super Dad ran about 4 miles after the biking!

Happy Father's Day 2013

I said to Jerry this morning, after I poured his coffee and warmed up some tasty spinach-feta muffins, "Isn't it odd that we don't have Dad's to do Father's Day for anymore?"  We celebrate their memory and pray for them in church but now we celebrate Jerry and Jake and the younger Dads. It just re.ally feels different! So now, back to the celebrating! Super Dad Jake went to work to support his daughter, spending 6am-2pm hauling garbage and weed whipping at Kensington Metro Park. Super Dad Jerry took the girls to the boxing club at 12noon. Jer and I finally finished off the pile of mulch we had delivered a couple of weeks ago, and man does the yard look nice.  Then we all headed out to Bagger Daves in downtown Brighton for an early Father's Day dinner. The food was fine, fries fresh and hot, sweet potato chips came with a tasty sauce and we got to sit on the patio, which was fun. We followed up the meal with a walk around downtown. Cassie loved seeing the nine baby ducklings sitting with their Mother and going on the playground. Seeing Jake sliding down the slide with her in his arms made my heart swell. GOD is good, last year he spent his first Father's Day in Afghanistan and now he is safe and sound and sharing it with his Dad and his daughter. So a Happy Father's Day to everyone!

9/15/11 A New Dad

The family at the Millpond

The Two Dads, in their awesome Daddy shirts :)

Molly and Charlotte both made great cards for Jerry

Cassie LOVED the slide!

Big one or small one, the slide was the ride of the day

Make Way for Ducklings!

Thanks for the ride Dzadza!

Father's Day dessert!

June 15, 2013 Lindsay Stewart is going to be a Mommy!

That little girl who poked her sweet face into my window 19 years ago, her long hair pulled back in a scrunchy and her wire framed glasses perched on her cute nose, is now a glamorous Mom-to-be, with a masters degree,her own home in Tennessee and a handsome husband too! My how things change. And if that isn't enough, she ran 15 miles/week until her 29th week! Her belly is as high and tight as an Army haircut! The one thing that hasn't changed is her sweet nature and our love for her. It is so much fun to see the kids you knew growing into these phenomenal and happy adults. It makes you feel old, yet it is strangely gratifying all the same.
Karen and her sister Chris threw a beautiful baby shower today for loads of Michigan friends and family members. Karen's patio sparkled with paper lanterns in the purple and green colour scheme and bouquets of fresh flowers. The sun was shining and the heat and rain held off (the first rain shower came 1 hour after the party ended! great timing!) allowing the guest to sit and visit in the terraced space. The food table was laden with six different tasty salads, bread sticks and mini muffins. Karen let me do the muffins, which was really fun! I prepared spinach feta, apple cheddar, pumpkin with orange glaze and blueberry cornmeal. Everyone seemed to enjoy the food, and the special baby cake from the Stewart's favourite bakery. Lindsay and Russ have chosen NOT to find out the sex of the baby (she says it is trending back to having it be a surprise..that's the way I liked it!) so the shower gifts were filled with yellows,grays,greens and whites. Baby showers are so happy and fun and this one was no exception. The girls and Cassie enjoyed visiting with all the guests and the delicious foods.

Charlotte, Lindsay and Molly share a moment 

The gang's all here

Molly loves her new dress!

Catie and Patty

Karen and her sister Chris

The craft area. Karen asked guest to do fingerprint art, give advice for a memory book and add beads to a Labor Necklace..we said a prayer and each added two beads to make a necklace Lindsay will wear during labor (if they don't forget it at home as they freak out and race out the door to the hospital! Oh wait, that was me and the camera!)

Cassie took a little nap during the festivities!

The food table...YUM!

Charlotte enjoyed the gift opening

Beautiful Lindsay and a new friend for her baby

Cute, right?

Cassie loved wearing her party dress

taking a break in the lilies

Michigan Grad's Karen, Lindsay, and Sam via skype, liked the little cap for football Saturdays!

Cassie enjoyed running up and down the hill in the yard

Cass checks out a little metal frog

You will travel back in time.....so hold on tight!!

Okay, here's the deal...

I AM SICK OF FEELING GUILTY ABOUT MY BLOG!!!

Every night as I exhaustedly plop down in front of HGTV or Fox News 10pm I feel wracked with guilt that I am not blogging. And the thing is I like doing it! It is so nice to have this diary to look back on, for me and to someday show the kids. Maybe I need to recommit to the daily pledge like I did my first year, I seemed to handle mandates better! even from myself! BUT, in the meantime, what to do?? So of course Time Travel was my first thought! Wouldn't it be yours??!!  I plan to blog today on today, and then move backward for the next bunch of entries, hopefully in the next week or so. So hang on as the whirling vortex of time travel takes you  BACK...Back....back....