Kansas Trip

We had a fun trip to Paradise Park. It's a really neat place just East of the Royals stadium where kids can do creative play, like face-painting, "cooking", splashing each other with water, pretend play, crafts, and just all sorts of fun things. It has activities for all ages and all of the kids really enjoyed it. Here are the Anspaugh grandkids cooking: Ethan did great, Charlotte just kept eating the sprinkles, and Isaac could really care less b/c he didn't realize it was a cookie =)

We went to Topeka and Isaac and Ella hung out. It was great b/c it was finally a beautiful day and we could have an Easter egg hunt outside, which Isaac was really into. Mike's Aunt Renee and her daughter came over too who we haven't seen for forever so that was really special. It's fun to see as much family as we can since we don't make it back very often.

Isaac and Ella with the staredown. This photo was taken right after Ella gave Isaac a kiss

Why We Love Our Church

Today's message was so fun and interesting. I love it how we are always engaged at Mars Hill in whatever the Pastor in saying. We are lucky to have found a great church in Dayton and now a great one here. Rob Bell, the pastor, just got back from traveling as a guest speaker to a few places in Ireland and England. It was interesting to hear how many people listen to the Podcasts that he does all over the world and how all of these people in other countries feel like a member of our "little" Mars Hill church in Grand Rapids. Pretty cool. Some of our Dayton friends were wanting to come up and listen to him and we would definitely love to see you! I'm not a very good writer and just can't describe how engaging and interesting he makes learning the Bible so I guess you'll just have to hear a Podcast yourself. Today we had a lesson on Jonah, I've never really paid attention to the last sentence in the book before and he did a whole lesson on that, it just kind of ends where you expect more. Isaac was funny today because he gets so excited about playing with the blocks at church that he practically jumped out of Mike's arms into the playarea and said, "bye, da". It was cute =)

Unfortunately I have to work a 24 hr on Easter Sunday so will miss church but I'm sure it will be excellent =( I'll have to listen to it online or something.

Hope you all are having a great Sunday!

1 Kid and Counting . . .

Well, we're not exactly up to Duggar numbers with 19 kids, but we do have one more on the way!! I am 14 weeks now and we are expecting our next little one on Sept. 20th. We are so excited about this new bundle and are curious what God has in store for us now. We are so pleased He has blessed us with another little one. We call our new baby, Dosito, "dos" for two in spanish and "ito" meaning little one. We will change it to Dosita if we find out we are having a girl. As for the real name, we'll keep that a surprise until due day =)

We just went home to visit the Kansas families for a little bit. I had a few vacation days left so we used it to go home and tell our families. I think it will probably be another year until I come home again with the new baby coming and needing to use my vacation for maternity. I'm sure Mike and Isaac will make a few trips back though. They are already planning to go back for a couple of weeks in May because I'm working long night shifts and don't ever see them anyway. I'll post some latest pictures of our trip home when I get a chance.

Just wanted to share our news real quick!

Team USA Hockey 2030!

So this is what happens when you grow up in Michigan!

Ahh...I can see so much better with shades on! (proud moment for Daddy)

Who had more fun building the fort?

This was actually in late Jan. and all our snow melted!


Umm...excuse me Sir

I'm an old-school hockey player, no shirt needed

Sitting on the bench waiting for the next line change

Live Action!

Isaac absolutely LOVES hockey! We've been to a couple of games here and he sat on my lap for the entire game. We even tried to walk around but he wanted to go back in where the action was. He actually loves anything that has a ball and is also a big fan of reading Sports Illustrated (gee I wonder why he likes sports so much!) Every day with Isaac is a fun time and it is great to hear him learn a new word each day. He loves to imitate just about everything I do and makes some pretty good airplane, truck, and motorcycle noises, as any boy should.

He just had his 18 month check and was still in the 90th percentile for weight and height, so I think his chances for being a hockey defenseman are much higher than taking after his speedy marathoning mommy. Hopefully by 2018, the Sprint Center has a hockey team, or else we may have to start working on throwing a curveball soon.

Mr. Manatee

Sorry I haven't been the best on blogging lately. I think I logged the most hours of any month in January and just ran out of time. We did take a wonderful vacation the second week in January to Fort Myers. We went for a week with Isaac, of course, and stayed with Mike's parents in Fort Myers. The only problem was they set records lows! I mean, we were trying to get away from the cold and it's the cold there EVER! Crazy. Oh well, at least the company was fun and there still wasn't snow on the ground.My favorite part was visiting Marco Island though. Mike and I really needed some time together and were able to sneak away for 2 nights to Marco Island while the grandparents watched Isaac. The warmest days were while we were there and we were actually able to lay out by the pool and beach and be bums like we wanted to. Our room was just beautiful and were had a bedroom that opened completely up to the ocean. There' s nothing greater in the morning than waking up to the sounds of the ocean.

It was fun to see Isaac explore the sand. I don't really know if he remembers the beaches in Michigan last summer. We also went kayaking which was fun and saw a lot of manatees. Fortunate for us, but unfortunate for the manatees. They were in the river because the Gulf was so cold. The cold weather may have been bad for us but it was certainly worse for the wildlife. Thousands of fish died and so did hundreds of manatees. They are such beautiful animals to see in the wild though. It was truly a wonderful break for all of us!

On the river in Fort Myers where we stayed with the Manions

He is VERY excited about these oranges. Isaac is obsessed with fruit so seeing a citrus store was like a dream come true for him.

Mike and I on our balcony on Marco Island.

Isaac loved playing the ABC game with grandpa.

Diggin' for gold

Christmas!

We had a wonderful family Christmas at home. We decided not to go home this year since it's been such a busy year and we just wanted to relax at home. My family, parents and Steph, came up to visit us for 2 days which was wonderful and it feels more like Christmas when you get to spend it with your extended family.

I think Isaac's favorite thing about Christmas was having Mike and I home together for 6 days! The theme this year was transporatation. He is obsessed with airplanes, trains, cars, trucks, and basically anything that moves, especially planes. So he got a lot of neat books and plane toys from family. It was also fun for us to start our own Christmas traditions. I am working on perfecting our Christmas brunch menu and found THE casserole for our brunch this year. Oh, it was sooo good! My friend, Jenny, bought me the Junior League recipe book from Western Michigan and we decided to try this recipe. My family loved it, so it's a keeper! And Mike has requested homemade "Mrs. Powell's" imitation cinnamon rolls which take me hours. They were delicious but definitely a once a year thing for me. (Mrs Powells is a cinnamon roll food chain that is waaaay superior to Cinnabun, in my professional opinion)

Okay, have to get back to work but now I'm hungry thinking about cinnamon rolls!

Isaac's First Haircut

Isaac was so serious during the whole ordeal. I was not so excited about him getting a haircut but some lady in the grocery store thought he was a girl so Mike is making me. He looks so much older and like a little bigger boy now. When Isaac is unsure of what's going on around him, he gets really quiet and still, like when he got his haircut. It makes it nice for the stylist and for people looking in his ears =) Of course, last night at a basketball game Isaac wasn't so sure about the mascot. The mascot (a knight) tried to give him a high five and he started crying. Oh well, we'll work on that one.

Kitchen Remodel

Here are some detailed pics of the kitchen. Now I know that you all are going to be fighting over the saloon doors and bungee kitchen table light, so we'll just have to go with the highest bidder ; ) Feels much homier now!

Michael's Remodeling Company

Here are a few pictures of what we (Mike) has done =) We are mostly finished now except for Bubby's bedroom and our bedroom. Hopefully you can tell what is old and what is new or else we didn't do a very good job! The bathroom had carpet in it (ick!!) and Mike put down the tile in the photo.

Inspirational Video

Enjoy this video! It's one of my new favorite songs and the lyrics are so beautiful and meaningful.

Giggle Monster

One more thing!

Since I really should be studying for Boards which I take on Tuesday next week (prayer, yes, always a good idea) but am prefering to blog instead I have one more thing to say. I just turned 29 over Thanksgiving, really, and got a camera from my parents for my birthday. So you can thank them that we now have lovely pictures to blog with!!! Yaaay!!

Best Food Ever Award

So not only did I get to see my family over Thanksgiving, but I also went home last weekend for a wonderful wedding reception for my long-time friend Molly. We ran cross country/track together in college and now she's married!! Yaay!

I really thought that I wasn't going to make it there though. We had alot of snow early Friday AM and I couldn't get to Detroit where my flight was leaving from. So Mike was so underestanding that I really wanted to go, so I showed up at the little airport in Grand Rapids to see if I could get a flight. I got there at about 9:30am and the attendant said I could get on the 9:35 flight if I didn't check any bags. Done!! I was so happy and who needs hair stuff and face wash anyway ;)

It was wonderful. A small reception at the Kansas City Culinary Institute. Seriously, one of the best meals I have ever had with excellent wine pairings chosen by my foodie friends with by far the best port wine I've ever had. The culinary people also gave all the guests the recipes! Aside from the food, it's wonderful just to see your good friends married who waited for just the right time. God has truly blessed me with a wonderful friend in Molly and I'm sure that their marriage is just going to be all sorts of wonderful.



Friends from Alpha Chi and their hubbies: Micah, Melissa, Me, Scott, Molly, Lauren, Andy

Gobble Gobble

Well the Manions have had a glorious time lately =) Lots of family fun! Over Thanksgiving, my sisters, niece, nephrew, brother-in-law, and parents all came over for Thanksgiving in Michigan. Only my parents have ever been to our house so it was fun to have everyone stay with us. I fixed my second Thanksgiving dinner in a week. We had a group of about 16 friends over the weekend before Thanksgiving for a real thanksgiving dinner, since alot of my friends were away from family or had to work on turkey day. Thanksgiving has always been fun for me, maybe because I was born on it, I feel a certain kinship to the turkey.

We celebrated Christmas with the Jones' since they won't be seeing us this Christmas. Jodie made me pajamas, yes, on her sewing maching-and they were sooo cute! She also made Isaac a little bathrobe with dog prints all over it that is very cozy. I have a super talented sister =)

We have a lot to be thankful for this year. We feel so blessed that God has given us Isaac and lots of family that we love to be around. We're also thankful for my job. It's hard right now for a lot of people and we feel fortunate to know that we don't have to worry about ever losing it. Our house is starting to feel like home. I'm thankful for a husband who works so hard late at night and got it finished all while taking care of Isaac during the day!! We are truly happy people =) We also are thankful for our church. If anyone ever visits us, you have to visit it. It's Mars Hill which many people have heard of. It's just so refreshing and simple and just about Christ. The worship is awesome and the pastor is gifted with such good ability to deliver the message.

Enjoy the photos from the apple farm, a VERY cold day on the beach in Holland, and hanging out =)

Bita Bita and Nimi Nimi

For our next piece, it will be a duet (Isaac's friend Maddie)

Gotta make sure this floor is even!

The boys watching some football

So I (Mike) am finally done with the house stuff for awhile. The goal was to have it done before Thanksgiving and our parties. That's me, Dad by day and renovator by night (usually I would work on our house after Isaac went to bed at 9 and would work until 230 am which worked out pretty well). At our party the other day, one of Kristi's friends told me that I might be able to use my new skill to find a daytime job...I just laughed and said "umm...I'm actually an optometrist."

As for my favorite job, taking care of Isaac is so much fun! I've written down a list of things that he does, since I have been a slacker with my video posts, so here is a brief list:
-He often walks around saying "bita bita and nimi nimi" to which I have no idea what they mean, but obviously they are important phrases

-He is a big fan of any mode of transportation: he waves at school buses while we are driving; stops what he is doing to look at airplanes flying over(then makes a whooshing sound); hears a truck while inside the house and will run to the door to go look at them

-Imitates so many things that I do: one morning I was drinking my coffee and went "ahh" so of course he picks up his milk, takes a drink and goes ahh with a big smile on his face!
also wants to brush his teeth anytime I do and will cough after I do

-He carries around a little frog that he sleeps with and calls it "Mun" which goes back to when he used to have a monkey in his room and has decided that the frog shoud be called mun?!? Anyway, he will pat Mun on its back just like I do to him when he hugs it :) If he can't find it, he will look around the house and call out loudly "Mun, Mun" until he finds it and then will give it a hug and say "Hi Mun"

-Isaac absolutely LOVES any type of ball to which he says "ball, ball, ball, ball" until he picks it up. He does this when we drive past the sporting goods store that has a picture of a basketball and soccer ball on the outside, which conveniently enough is next to Home Depot. He also tears apart my sports illustrated looking for the ball pictures.

-He also likes to pick up his bat and ball and give me the bat to swing. He will then pitch a ball to me and then go chase it and throw another pitch. We'll see how long that lasts inside the house!

-Whenever I would work on things during the day, he would "help" and would climb over my legs to sit directly in front of what I was working on so that he could see all the action and help me, occasionally grabbing the tool and doing what I was.

-One day I was raking the leaves and he was sitting in the big pile, I stopped and put down the rake to go play with him, to which he got up, picked up the rake, gave it to me, and went back to his seat in the leaves to watch me continue working!

-He eats pretty much anything put in front of him, but is a big fan of apples and blueberries (which is good here in Michigan). Most of the time I have to cut him off from having too many!

-He is a big fan of books, especially sports, animals, and truck books; but he hasn't figured out the concept of only reading one at a time and will bring me 2 or 3 to read to him.

-He likes to listen to music and play the piano along with it. If the music isn't on, he will come get one of us and request that it is turned on, by repeating "muh, muh, muh" (which is different than the word for Mommy ("Mah-meh") and milk (meah)). Obviously different requests!
One thing that is really great is he follows commands and directions really well, which makes my like easier. He will also occasionally tell me things like "per" which means he needs his diaper changed or that he is ready for sleeping and will hug Mun and walk to his room!

I could go on forever, but I figured I would give a couple of stories about his life here in the great green north. So much for all the snow hype! Apparently this has been a very mild fall, but the snow is on its way, as evidenced by our neighbors putting up snow marking sticks in their driveways and on fire hydrants!

I'm working on getting the house before and after pics up in a little bit. So until then, Happy Thanksgiving!

What Isaac is learning this week

We feel like he's become such a bigger bear this week. I was watching him play this weekend and he was doing pretend play for the first time, moving his trucks around on the floor and making them go places instead of just throwing them, and making his airplane fly with a whooshing sound. I had a midafternoon break today and at the same time Mike texted me and said Isaac and him were at the park by my hospital. It is such a beautiful day here and we had so much fun at the park, again, watching Isaac show off his new tricks. He was actually catching balls today and holding his hands out and interacting with a little friend he met there. I felt so fortunate to be able to spend part of the day with them at the park.

What Mike is learning this week . . . well he's learning how to strip and refinish our bathroom and laundry room cabinets, cut baseboard trim, reinstall closet doors correctly, and much more. Our projects seen never-ending and while he's doing all the work, it's very stressful to both of us. Our goal is to have most everything major done by Thanksgiving for a party we're having for some of the residents and for my family who is coming to visit. He's definitely an old pro now at painting =) I will enjoy having time together at night again.

What Kristi is learning this week . . . how to drill a temporal bone (bone in the head), how to cook a turkey without having to buy an oven bag, and how to read a sleep study. Not quite as interesting to you all (but useful to me) =)

Anyway, hope you all are doing well!!

Happy Pumpkinween!!

So we really had a really great time this year with Isaac on Halloween, especially special for me since I had to miss it last year. A guy in my class was nice enough to trade me call for a Saturday! so that I could spend time with my family. AND not only that, it was turn back the clock weekend so he had to work an extra hour. AND our hospital did the big bang in the middle of that night where we transferred the entire hospital over to electronic medical records. That deserves another whole paragraph in itself but I wouldn't want to bore you but this week has been extremely crazy with the transition. Nevertheless, I brought him dinner that night at the hospital =)

One funny thing, Isaac and I were sitting at the front door handing out candy and this little boy comes up with that Scream costume on and Isaac gets really scared and starts crying hard core. Poor bear. It was freezing cold so we just trick-or-treated at a couple of neighbor's houses and then had fun going over to our friends house for yummy brownies and to show off Isaac.

I don't just love these pictures but our camera broke now, boo-hoo, so I kind of just point and shoot and hope it looks good b/c we can't see it on the screen anymore. At least you can kind of see what it looks like though, I sewed it for him and it made me feel good to see him wear it and like it =) We're going to a kids Halloween party this weekend so maybe I'll get some better pictures.

Manion Clan

Here is Isaac playing with his cousin Nick, Mike's brother's son. He was the big kid of the bunch.

I just love these picture of little Ella, our niece on Mike's side (his sister). I think she and Isaac had fun destroying Grandma and Grandpa Manion's house =)

Bubbyisms

Isaac did the cutest thing last night. I had been playing the piano for awhile last night and Isaac likes to "dance" to it, which is just adorable to me. Then I went over to talk to Mike and Isaac comes up to me like a big bear and pulls on my leg and says, "meh, meh" (which is how he says mom) and wants me to go back over and play the piano for him. How special for me =)

Here's another picture from Mike and Isaac's visit to Kansas, from Left, Charlotte Jones, Ethan Jones, and Isaac working on a masterpiece! I just love this picture of the cousins. Charlotte and Ethan are my sister's two kids.