Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Thanksgiving with Chris and Dev

My AWESOME sister, Devrey, and her family got to come spend Thanksgiving in Michigan with us! They just moved from San Diego to Baltimore so we get to have a few months of being somewhat close to each other before we leave Michigan! I was SO happy to have them here! 

We spent most of our time out exploring and hiking in nature. We also went downtown to the farmer's market and to show them the awesome Zingerman's deli and cheese shop and patisserie and all that goodness over in Kerrytown. We spent a lot of time just hanging out inside cooking Thanksgiving dinner together, watching movies, playing games and enjoying all the kids! 

We started a few new traditions that I think are so fun! One, we decided to have pie on Thanksgiving Eve which I was reluctant to allow. But, then it turned out to be so great! We actually enjoyed the pie MORE since we weren't so full from a huge meal. Then we were able to try every kind of pie and we still had tons leftover for Thanksgiving day after dinner. It was awesome! I'm definitely keeping this tradition going. We also ate our Thanksgiving dinner in sweats and pajamas... mostly because it was so cold outside and we all wanted to be cozy... but also because it never made sense to me why people get all dressed up for Thanksgiving dinner. So, there you have it! Two awesome new traditions that will go down in Boles family history. :)

On their last day here we took them to our favorite place, Le Furge nature preserve, and we had a bonfire. We ate lunch and played around for a while. 

The weather wasn't the greatest while they were here but they are adventurous and fun and were up for going out every day anyway! We all had such a great time together. I miss them already...


Bailey loved looking for all the fairy doors around downtown Ann Arbor 

Calum coming in from the cold outside for some hot cocoa!

Bailey and Roscoe quickly became buds!

The kids exploring on a hike

Oliver and Luc are such good friends!

I found a snake next to the path that the kids were so excited to hold

Oliver named him Mr. Snake. :)

The feast! I love this sister so much! 

Bath time for the boys! Bailey is such a great helper!

Roscoe is always looking for a lap to lay in.

We started a new tradition! Pie on Thanksgiving EVE! haha! The kids loved it! 

Devery is seriously the best! I am so lucky to have her!

Hanging out at Le Furge

The gang enjoying some lunch by the fire

Calum wanted to roast his roll.... haha

Monday, November 28, 2016

November in Michigan

We spent a day hiking around our favorite nature preserve just before Austin had to leave for a trip to Germany.

Making nature soup in the rock!

I left my kid hanging so I could get a picture... I'm a great mom! haha!

Calum got "nurse's elbow" (the elbow came out of the socket) while I was wrestling with him and I had to take him to the E.R. This was his second  E.R. visit before age 2..... Thank goodness for insurance, right?

My handsome little guys after church

These two are so sweet to each other!

Calum was SO happy to have Daddy home after 2 weeks apart!

Oliver got to help cut vegetables for his "friendship soup" at preschool

These two wrestle all the time. It's super cute!

Roscoe still thinks he's a tiny lap dog

Roscoe with two of his sisters and his brother. 

Oliver and Calum already wrote letters to Santa! Can you tell they are excited?!

Monday, October 31, 2016

Halloween Fun

Halloween was suuuuper fun this year! Oliver was really into it (that's my boy!). He decided he wanted to be a spider months before Halloween and he made sure to instruct me every step of the way as I made it. He had an exact design in mind and I was happy it was simple enough that I could do it for him! Calum was easy to please. He just wanted to be Winnie the Pooh and the used kid's store next to our apartment had a bunch of them. Perfect! :)

We did a lot of fun Halloween activities... making gingerbread witch houses, carving pumpkins, visiting every cider mill in the area, etc. We had a really great Halloween! Definitely one to remember!


Oliver with his friend, Kai, at their preschool costume party

Calum with two of his friends, Jane and Noelle. They decorated sugar cookies together!

Oliver had the idea to decorate gingerbread witch houses! I couldn't say "no"! We had so much fun!

Austin and Calum's pumpkin patch house and Oliver and my graveyard house!

Calum wanted me to carve mickey mouse and Oliver wanted a scary face! 

Going out to "trick or treat"! 

Calum was so excited to be Winnie the Pooh and Oliver designed his spider costume months ago. He made sure I made it exactly the way he imagined it. 

Calum ate almost every piece of candy he collected as we went along! haha!

The end of the night spoils! Oliver saved his candy all evening long. Calum came home with very little. haha!

Saturday, October 29, 2016

October in Michigan

Oliver is already so obsessed with Roscoe!

We love making homemade donuts during general conference weekend!

Calum loves Roscoe

Visiting an apple orchard here in Michigan

Painting pumpkins gets a little messy sometimes. 

Oliver and Roscoe

Oliver and Calum at one of our favorite AA parks, County Farm Park.

The boys loved all the creepy costumes at one of my races. The end of the race was through a haunted house and village. 

Calum playing with Roscoe

Out on our daily walk

Oliver loves that Roscoe gets to sit by him in the car

Calum loves climbing into trees right now

When you are in the middle of nowhere and you have to go....

Calum loved hanging out at the tire store