Getting Organized

I spent a good chunk of time this afternoon packing away Nathan's 3-6 month clothes and getting all of his 6 month clothes organized and hung in his closet. I also did some cleaning and organizing in his closet that was long overdue; going through stuff that I'd just stuffed haphazardly in there during the sleep-deprived newborn days.

While I was doing this, Todd mowed the lawn, and Nathan hung out in his crib with an assortment of toys to entertain him. He lasted in there quite awhile, rolling back and forth, stuffing things in his mouth, dancing, and talking up a storm. I couldn't resist taking a break from my fit of productivity to take some photos and a video. Isn't he just adorable??

Karaoke!!

Somehow I lucked into an office full of amazing co-workers who are great, wonderful, fun people! If I had all the money in the world, I don't think I would choose to work full-time, but since I most certainly do have to work full-time, it's great that I have a job I love and colleagues who are also great friends. One of my co-workers, Jen, decided to organize a girls' karaoke night for Friday. Being the bubbly, extroverted admission counselors that we are, it wasn't tough to get us all on board!

I haven't had a girls' night out in many moons, so I was super excited to go! We went to a sports bar near my house that is one of the few karaoke places in Kalamazoo. It was super casual and super smoky (boo!), and it quickly became clear that we were extreme amateurs among some very talented karaoke artists! Luckily they weren't so serious that they minded our performances, and we all had a really great time! Here are some pictures of our adventures, as well as a short video clip of the last person I would have guessed would sing "Ice, Ice, Baby" and have all the words memorized!!

Jen and Emily during the musical interlude of L-O-V-E


Hillary is the most musically-inclined and talented singer in the group.


Emily and Suz


Me and Hill


Singing some Dixie Chicks!

Bestest friends!

Hillary, Emily and Jen busting out some dance moves!

Ice, Ice, Baby! I felt silly recording the whole song, but had to get at least a little bit on camera!

Running Milestone

Since I returned to work from maternity leave, Hillary and I have been training together to run a 10K race (6.2 miles). We have decided to run the Kalamazoo Klassic, even though they spell classic with a K, which is one of my pet peeves. :) The race is a week from today, and until yesterday, the farthest I've ever run was five miles.

Although both Hillary and I felt confident that we could run the distance, we thought it would be a good idea to confirm this prior to race day. So yesterday we took our lunch break at the end of the day and ran the 10K course. It went really well! Although it was a little warm and I forgot my water bottle (Hill was nice enough to share hers), we ran a really smart run--knowing when to slow our pace or speed it up to take advantage of the terrain and the shade when they were working in our favor. This resulted in a successful longest-distance-ever run for the both of us.

Hillary and I have been running together long enough that we can read each other well, and are good at supporting each other when the other person needs it. This synergy is amazing, and Hillary's ability to tell when I'm having a bad run or starting to struggle and providing positive support (sometimes without either of us saying a word) has gotten me through more than one run that would have turned into a walk if I was alone. It is so hard to find a great running buddy; I am lucky!!

Now I'm feeling very confident in our ability to run a great race next week!!

Pool Party

Yesterday was Nathan's first time at the pool! Suz and Bryan recently joined the Country Club through Bry's work, and yesterday evening they were nice enough to invite us along for a little pool time and dinner. The club has an absolutely awesome baby pool that is really shallow and separated from the main pool, with lots of toys and even some mini chaise lounges! :)

Ellie is having a girls' weekend with Nana, so it was just the four of us grown-ups and Gavin and Nathan. Nathan had a lot of fun watching Gavin's every move (he loves those big kids!). He did well in the water--didn't seem overly impressed positively or negatively, but I think that's a lot better than screaming his head off!

After a brief dip in the pool, we changed the babies and then had a lovely and relaxing dinner on the patio. This was our first family outing doing something together "with the kids." What fun! Pictures and a video are below:

Todd and Bryan catching up.


Suz and Gavin snuggling--what a sweet boy!


Mommy and Nathan in the pool!


Not sure what to think...

Daddy takes over and gets Nathan lounging in the water.

Gavin showing Nathan a cool toy.

Testing out the slide!

Video of the adventure!

Family Dinner

We left Northport a little bit early on Sunday so that we could make it back to Kalamazoo in time for an early dinner with the fam. Stu and Erin were stopping by on their way from Detroit to Chicago, so Nancy made us all a delicious dinner. It was nice to see everyone; I wish that Chicago was closer to Kalamazoo!

Nathan lounging with Uncle Stuart.


Playing cars with Uncle Jordan.


Smiles for Aunt Erin

Welcome to the Village of Northport

Todd, Nathan and I spent some time on Saturday afternoon wandering around downtown Northport. We had so much fun showing Nathan the Bay and the marina and doing a little shopping. And of course it never gets old to have people stop us on the street and in shops to tell us how cute our little guy is! :)

Daddy showing Nathan the Bay.


My sweet boys.

Family portrait at the marina.

Welcome! I think this should be on the cover of the Northport Visitor's Guide! :)

Mommy and Nathan at the boat launch--can't wait until it's warm enough to take the boat out!

Ruby the Subaru showing off her new M-22 sticker!

Relaxing at the Cottage

Some of the best times we have in Northport is hanging out together on the porch at the cottage. It's a great time to catch up and hang out as a family. This weekend I really enjoyed learning about Grandma and Grandpa's family history. I love thinking about how many people and how much history make up a family.

Todd and Nathan relaxing together.