Pinewood Derby!

So Aaron started helping the boys with their cars, but then he had to go on the road, so that left me to help finish the cars, including drilling holes and adding weights to them to make them go faster. I didn't really know what I was doing, so I just hoped that they wouldn't come in last.
Turns out I didn't have anything to worry about. Riley's car came in first in a couple heats, and Connor beat Riley in one heat. I thought Riley was going to place higher than Connor in the standings, but apparently Connor's car was more consistent, and he ended up with a third place medal!
They did a great job and I had a great time helping them. Rachael came with to cheer them on as well.

Here are some pics:

Christmas Tree

We returned to Mott's Christmas Barn in Vicksburg this year to get our tree. A little bit of snow on the ground translates into a snowball fight every time!

Happy holidays!

We hope the holidays find you happy and healthy and full of the joy of the season!

The Baker Boys' Christmas Concert

Aaron was traveling (to Whistler, in British Columbia, poor baby) for a sales meeting, so I recorded the boys Christmas concert for him. I edited it down, but even so, it was the shortest Christmas concert I had ever been to, the perfect amount of time. The boys were too cute, and I think they were actually singing this time! My favorite part is when Connor is done singing, he looks around for me and starts to get sad because he can find me. Then he realizes I am in the front row!

Meagan and Jared

Just a couple cute pics of Meagan and Jared before the Winter Formal at K-Central.

Flow Yoga Holiday Parade

Today the Flow Yogis made an appearance in the Plainwell Holiday Parade. It was a blast! Betsy and I, some of our students, Sheila, our friend and instructor, and the boys all marched down Main St. in Plainwell, throwing candy and handing out coupons. The boys hadn't been too excited about it, but they did a great job and managed to score a bunch of candy from the other floats that passed by after we were done!

Connor and the Fire Station

Last week we took a trip to the fire station with cub scouts. Riley decided he didn't want to go, so it was just me and Connor. He got to sit in the fire truck and try on all the fire gear, including an air tank that weighed almost as much as he did!

Thanksgiving and stuff

We made the trip to Louisville for Thanksgiving again, it was Rachael's first time to the 'ville. The boys wrestled Uncle Eric, played LOTS of Wii at Grandpa Rob's, and Rachael convinced us to go to the mall on Black Friday. We also got to see our friend Walter and his fabulous girlfriend Becca, and my good friend, not only my good friend, but my FIRST Kentucky friend, dating back to good ol' 1991, Jennifer Bergant, I mean Brey. We had lunch with her hubby Darren and the smiliest baby in the whole world, Calvin. Unfortunately I neglected to get a picture of said baby, so you will just have to use your imagination. I am not sure what happened, but I generally neglected to take pictures of just about everything on the trip. What kind of photographer am I?

Look who can drive now!

Riley's Haircut!

After growing his hair for more than a year, Riley told Aaron last night that he wanted it cut. Just like that. My little surfer dude is no more, but still adorable.

Portland!

I love this place. Aaron and I just got back from Portland for our friends' wedding, and this is the second time I have been there in two months. In August I went to a yoga training in Hood River, Ore. and spend two days just poking around Portland, one of them on a bike. It was awesome. Here are some pics from both trips, including the Rose Test Garden and Japanese Gardens. On this last trip we went on a hike around Multnomah Falls, the tallest waterfall in Oregon at 620 feet. The hike was wonderful and we marveled at the size of the trees, the view of the Columbia River Gorge, and all the other smaller waterfalls we encountered along the way. After our hike, Aaron took me to Mt. Hood, which he has been to many times, both skiing and climbing. It was huge and impressive, even without much snow. But since he refers to climbing the mountain as the "Stairmaster from hell," it doesn't seem like something I want to attempt!

First grade!

Here are the boys on their first day of school. I can't believe they are in first grade already. They are in separate classes this year, which I think will be good for them. They will both have their own opportunities to shine.

Lemonade, anyone?

So the other day the boys and I were at the grocery store, and they started begging me for lemons and oranges to make lemonade and orange juice. I thought they just wanted an excuse to use the juicer, but they really wanted to set up a lemonade stand. Connor made a sign, and they set up in the front yard. Since we live basically on a dead-end street, I didn't think they would sell any, but I forgot about the cute factor. Even though they did sell a cup to me and one to Aaron, and a couple to the grandparents, they sold out in a few minutes.
Now I know who will be supporting us in our old age. Our little entrepreneurs!

24 hours of heat, caterpillars, and bike racing

Aaron always complains that I write posts and never mention him. Well here you go honey, a post just for you!
We cruised up to Boyne Mountain ski resort this past weekend so Aaron and our friend Chris P. and six other guys could compete in the 24 hours of Boyne, a mountain bike race on a really hard course that goes up the side of a mountain and back down again, 1200 feet of elevation gain in a 9.3 mile loop. Basically the members of your team take turns doing laps, as many as they can, for 24 hours. Now, I am not this crazy. I was content to help make food and take the kids to the waterpark while the guys sweated and cursed their way up the hill. Aaron set up a sweet spot on pit row, with two easy-ups for shade and a big tent for naps. It was a pretty sweet setup, except for the thousands of caterpillars which crawled all over everything, including your feet if you stood still too long. Aaron's 4-man team took first place in their class and I think, despite all the complaining, everybody had a great time. I am so proud of Aaron, he did 5 laps on the really hard course, even going out one more time after insisting he was done.

Here's a little video that I put together courtesy of my new camera baby, the Canon 5D Mark II:



After the race, we headed over to Drummond Island for the night. The next day we took the boat out, and the water was not as icy as we had expected. Still not warm enough for me or Meagan, but the boys took a dip!

School pics

Just a post with the boys' most recent school pics.

Science Fair

I am pretty sure I never once did a science fair project growing up. Now apparently they have kindergarteners doing them! The boys' school, Winchell Elementary, did a science fair for the whole school. The boys had a good time doing the experiments, Connor's was baking soda and vinegar, and Riley tested things to see if they would "melt" in water - sugar, salt, and pepper. I had the boys write everything for their displays themselves, messy handwriting and all, because I thought it was important for them to do the work themselves. Either there are a bunch of parents in their class who do not feel the same way, or there are an amazing number of prodigies who can not only type and print on their own, but also cut neatly and even glue little decorative borders on their writing. All in all, the boys had fun, and they both got really good evaluations. Connor is really quick to point out that he got more "Excellents" than Riley. The competition continues!

Riley's supplies



Stirring in pepper

Namaste and Merry Christmas

The shopping is all done, Aaron is cooking, (what an awesome husband) and I am looking forward to a nice evening with all the family. The past few days I was having a little trouble feeling the Christmas spirit, but I am much better now! As if the holidays weren't already crazy enough with Meagan taking drivers training, Aaron and I working and the boys being home from school, I am in the process of opening a yoga studio, called Flow in Plainwell with my friend Betsy, and was driving myself nuts designing my first-ever website. It is up now, and while it's still a work in progress, at least that's out of the way, so I can get on to the fun stuff, Like decorating the studio and figuring out what to teach in my Intro to yoga class!

Check it out: Flow, Yoga by the river

Riley the videographer

Riley shot this video of our new cat Stella.

South Haven Storm

I went to South Haven today because there were reports of 20 foot waves. I don't think they were quite that big, but the wind was really blowing. Too gray for really good photographs, but I did make this little video of the lighthouse.
It was hard to keep the camera still, as the wind was practically blowing me over! I am still picking sand out of my hair.

South Haven Storm

Happy Holidays!

Tonight we had family over for our post-Thanksgiving holiday meal and photo session. We had tons of good food and great company. My experiment with making everything gluten-free seemed to work pretty well, if the amount of pie devoured was any indication. I also brined a turkey for the first time, and I don't think I will ever make a turkey any other way. It was fabulously juicy!
Today we also added to the family. We welcomed Stella, a fuzzy gray kitten belonging to the girls. They had a total of 7 cats in their house, and something had to give, so now we are pet owners again. The boys are ecstatic! Luckily the cat is really mellow, because I don't think the boys left her alone all day. Now we just have to make sure Riley isn't completely allergic. It's been awhile since we had animals in the house, and Riley was a little wheezy when we put him to bed. I don't know what he would do if we had to get rid of this cat!