It always seems like February flies by while March tends to be our slower month. Winter has turned to dirty mounds of snow in parking lots and we’re all counting down the days until those warm Spring Break plans. But you know us Kladders, we’re embracing every part of this remaining winter season and still relishing in those pretty fluffy snowfalls and moments of winter sunshine.
Speaking of winter… the kids wrapped up their 6th session of group ski at Cannonsburg this week and we celebrated with burgers, fries and chocolate cream pie at Mr. Burger - a Grand Rapids staple. Oddly, it was both mine and the kids first time - it did not disappoint. Jeff, who’s been going to Mr. Burger since he was a kid helped hype up the kids for their first time. All the pomp and circumstance was worth it because the kids thought it was awesome. Mr. Burger was a way cheaper reward than the weekend away at Schuss Mountain we celebrated with last year.
We also took our first trip to Caberfea Peaks as a family this month and it was a great success. We liked how it was an easy hour and a half drive north on 131 and thought the hills were perfect for the kids. They are a bit more dynamic than the ones at Cannonsburg (more trails with turns and trees to navigate) which kept the kids more engaged. It also helped that we made the trip with our neighbor friends so the kids had a blast doing runs together and riding up the chair lifts. And the lunch and post ski breaks were fun together too. Emily brought a crockpot of soup while the kids happily ate from their lunchboxes. I took all kinds of notes for when we return in a few weeks for round two!
Mary Louise (my Mom) turned 60 last weekend and we celebrated big time with her gal pals on a mini weekend getaway. Last year during one of our cocktail porch chats at the cabin I committed to planning her party and after going through a few ideas she settled on renting an AirBnb in Saugatuck, Michigan. We kicked off the weekend with an in house chefs dinner at the AirBnb: crab dip with crispy wontons, warm goat cheese with marinara and olive oil toasts, arugula salad with marcona almonds and crisp apples, apple gouda stuffed chicken with smashed potatoes and green beans, and we finished with chocolate mouse with shaved dark chocolate. It was divine!
On Saturday we kicked off the day with a hike to the top of Mt. Baldhead followed by brunch at The Southerner. We shopped downtown Saugatuck and Douglas until we found our way to Coastal Society where we camped in one of their outdoor domes for the remainder of the afternoon. We enjoyed craft cocktails from the bar and no one left empty handed when they told us all clothing was 50% off in their store! And somehow, we never made it to our dinner plans but spent the rest of the evening playing quarters, billiards and hooting and hollering back at the house. Everyone had a great time and what was more, my Mom said she felt so very loved and celebrated. Happy 60th Mom!
Earlier this month we hosted a house party with friends where we battled to the bitter end during our indoor cornhole tournament. The Calvin Christian high school crew came to compete and each couple duked it out for the coveted Corn Crowns which were purchased on Amazon the day before. In the end Mr. and Mrs. Scholten were the victors and promised to bring their corn halos on our annual camping trip to Silver Lake where we’ll crown a new King and Queen.
We also took the kids to a Grand Rapids Griffins game for Princess Night, something Natalie was excited about. Before the game I waited in line with her (while Jeff and Thomas grabbed popcorn and drinks) so she could get her picture taken with the characters. I love that she’s still into Disney princesses and hope that stays true until we can make it to Disneyland later this Fall.
The game was a riot with a ton of action that kept both the kids and us adults entertained. It had been a while since we’ve been to a game but we were quickly reminded of how much there is to watch. I was happy with my mega sized White Claw watching the kids cheer when goals were scored, see fights break out and we even witnessed Jeff snagging a t-shirt from the t-shirt cannon one handed. I was pretty impressed myself. Sweet Dad moves. The game got them excited to ice skate themselves - something we have yet to do this winter.
We’re signed up for our second game this season on April 22nd through a fundraiser for Grace’s Table. If you’re interested in a ‘two-for’…. supporting Grace’s Table and taking the fam to see a game… please consider purchasing your tickets using this link. All tickets purchased via this link will be in the same section and we’ll see you there!
Jeff surprised all of us on Valentine’s Day this year by NOT going to Detroit like he usually does on Monday nights and showing up with flowers at home. I’ve still got the roses slowly drying out sitting on the kitchen table and Natalie’s got hers in her bedroom. Thomas couldn’t care less about flowers so he was happy with the bountiful amount of candy and trinkets that came home with him from his class party earlier that day. I love me a Hallmark holiday… or really any excuse to celebrate. Cupid can visit our house anytime.
Something we did not celebrate this year was the Super Bowl. The late game time on a school night really puts a damper on the event right now, but after the kids were in bed Jeff and I did stay up and watch the game. Although, no joke, I was asleep basically after halftime and I am not ashamed.
I got a phone call from my older brother Jason last week letting us know that he and his wife Rachel who are pregnant with their second are having a boy! We are beyond excited for them and cannot wait to meet our new nephew in June. This will be our first nephew making this our kids only boy cousin and the only kid on my Dad’s side of the family to carry on the Smith family name. And as parents to both a daughter and a son it will be so much fun to raise our kids with theirs in the coming years together.
Natalie celebrated 101 days of school with her class with a unique Dalmatian themed day. The kids all dressed in black and white, did Dalmatian math, ate ‘dog food’ for snack time and we got some pretty funny pictures from her teacher from the event. Here’s what Natalie looks like as a 101-year-old woman. It gave me a good chuckle mostly because her front teeth are missing in both the before and after.
March is on the other side of this weekend and we are looking forward to celebrating Thomas’ 5th birthday, a bit more Michigan skiing with the family and at the end of the month we look forward to some Arizona sunshine with friends for the kids Spring Break. Cheers!