Chicago trip with GM Managers

 2 weekends ago, we attended a GM manager outing in Chicago.  Overnight downtown, with a great 3 hour dinner cruise on Lake Michigan.  It was a wonderful getaway and made for great memories.

Our dinner cruise ship, the Odyssey docked at Navy Pier.

Simply amazing views of downtown.

Enjoying a relaxing dinner.

Great memories!  Thanks mom and dad Grimm for keeping the kids overnight!

Buzz and space

While tucking the boys in to bed, Buzz told me that after we go to Emmy's house this weekend, he wants to take a spaceship ride to Mars.

Wow, Mr Random strikes again!

September with the Grimms

The zoo with aunt Jenni.

Back to school swimming party!

Coloring and learning!  Notice the girls picked out all of the pink crayons.....

Great times with the Zimmerman cousins.  Board games, swimming, food, and lots of laughs.

Traveling potluck girlfriends!

Just a normal meal at the Grimm household!

Happy fall everyone!  Glory be to our great God!

Andrew is in school!

My big kindergarten boy!  Lunchbox and backpack ready! :)

Andrew:  Kindergarten & Jayden:  2nd grade

It was easier sending my 2nd child to school rather than 1st!  Andrew followed Jayden all over the playground when they first got there.  It's great having older siblings!  He told us the other day that the kids at school keep calling him "mini Jayden".  He's not so sure he likes it:)

He was so excited to ride the bus home on his 1st day!  I was a proud mama waiting for him with open arms!  He ran to to me, gave me a huge hug, and said "this was the best day of my life!!!"  Music to my ears!  :)

His enthusiasm didn't last for long:)  The 2nd day of school he came home, trudged up the driveway, and said "school is boring!".  Oh dear, dear!  Then the 3rd day about a 1/2 hour after being home looked like this. . .

Sound asleep!  He was exhausted!  Don't worry.  He loves school and has said so since then!  I think its so cute his different reactions:)  Typical Buzz:)

Buzz and cardinal scouts

For some reason buzz has always wanted to be a cardinal fan. He talks about the cardinals all the time and how he doesn't like the cubs.

Today we were talking about jayden signing up for cub scouts. We talked about all the fun outdoor activities that are done in the group. I could see buzz's wheels turning as he listened. Soon he blurts out "I want to sign up for cardinal scouts dad ".

Endure until the end!!

Have to share some very timely words from a song we sang at our church choir practice last night that hits home to me: 

"Has He called thee to the plough?
Onward go! onward go!
Night is coming, serve Him now;
Onward go!
Faith and love in service blend;
On His mighty arm depend;
Standing fast until the end,
Onward go!"

In Christ
Mike

Curlers!

Amber curled the twins hair the other night. Didn't last long though as they took them out soon after going to bed..

Praying

Just wanted to make a call to prayer for all of or dear elder brothers during this important AC church conference week. May satan be cast out and exposed as the thief, cheat, and liar that he is! Glory be to our great God!

Andrew Great Quotes.....Wisconsin Edition!

Buzz has been cracking us up on our Wisconsin vacation.  Below are 2 great "Buzz Moments".

1.  Yesterday, as we were loading onto the boat to go skiing/tubing, Buzz innocently blurts out "why is it taking grandma so long?".  We told him he better get used to waiting on women, that is just how life is!

2.  Today the boys were playing ladder golf with grandpa Grimm.  When it was time to break for lunch, Andrew says "OK guys, let's pause".  Do you think he has been playing too many computer/video games??

Awesome weekend with the Stollers

Had an awesome weekend with Corbin and Katie Stoller from Latty, OH.  It was great to rekindle old friendships and create lots of memories.  Fellowship in Christ is an amazing blessing!

The kids had a blast swimming, playing, and having fun together.  Buzz in his innocent 5 year old way told Jayden after they left "Jayden, I think when I grow up, I will marry Cameren.......  Too funny.

Snapping turtle found!

Now we know why no one wanted to swim at the Jeff Grimm pond the last few weeks!! LOL...

Good thing for Jayden and his eagle eye!

Reflection on the heat and liberty!

When it is this hot around the 4th of July, I always think about the battle of Gettysburg, PA, on July 1,2,3, 1863.  Can you imagine it being 100 degrees and humid, fighting in horrible battles for 3 straight days, and then dealing with 20,000 stinking, rotting, dead bodies every night (men and horses)?

God has surly blessed our nation, and I often wonder why I complain as much as I do!  Imagine what our forefathers have gone through so we can have the freedoms that we have.  Happy 4th of July everyone!

Mike

Jayden turns 7!

Jayden's birthday started out with green waffles!  I made green waffles, cut them into triangles and formed them into trees for Christmas.  He thought it was fun so requested green waffles for his birthday breakfast!

 His gift from us was this bow and arrows/darts.  We'll see how long this one lasts!  :)

 Grandma and Grandpa stopped by to give him his gifts before Wednesday night church.  

 Another birthday. . . . another cake. . . . 

This time it was an airplane:)

 This cake shows Jayden's very detailed personality.  We formed it together and when it was time to frost I called him up to help.  He told me where to put each line, the windows, the words, and that he wanted 1 blue "A" and 1 red "A".  Once I caught on that we were making an American Airlines plane we pulled an image up online and of course he decides he wants the emblem on there.  Can you tell what that sign is between the "A"'s?  :)

 Friday night he got to have 3 friends overnight to camp out with.  They did great and had lots of fun eating out at Tobins, playing boy games (guns and indians), swimming, and playing with gifts they gave Jayden.  

 Jayden finished up his weekend staying overnight at Grandma Sharon's.  He finally got his bike!  He had been asking for a bike since last summer and we kept putting it off.  He didn't get one from us or Grandma/pa Grimm so was hoping Grandma Sharon and aunts had gotten him one!  They did!  

Amber gets her hot air balloon ride!!

Ever since I have known Amber, she has wanted to go on a hot air balloon ride.  Last summer I found a place in Mackinaw that give rides.  We signed up and got put on a wait list.  Last Tuesday afternoon, they called us and it was our time!  Wow what an experience.  My knuckles were white for the first 10 minutes, but once I got used to it, what a beautiful sight!  Being up in the air with absolutely no sound!  So peaceful and relaxing (as long as I didn't look 1000 ft straight down!).

The entire balloon kit fits on a small trailer.  Not much to it!

All paying passengers get to "help" set up and tear down.  Here we are holding the balloon opening while air is blown into it.

Getting harder and harder to hold it open.

Our guide, Jim House, making sure everything inside the balloon was ready.

 Amber snapped this photo of the balloon completely inflated.

Do you think she is having fun?

We drifted from Mackinaw, southeast toward Miner.  We were bummed we weren't able to go north east toward Goodfield, but this was still great!  Found out on this trip that there is absolutely no way to steer one of these things.  You drift right along with the wind!  The only way to regulate it is to increase or decrease your altitude to try to catch different breezes.  This night it was so calm we only went 2 miles in 1 hour.

The propane blowtorch sending hot air into the balloon.

After landing, all got to help deflate the balloon and put everything away.

This is a great video that shows how the balloon is inflated in preparation for takeoff.

Awesome views from 300 ft up in the air.  The landings are pretty hard.  From what I hear, similar to parachute landings.  You have to be ready!

All in all, it was a blast and I would recommend it to anyone.  An all around awesome experience! 

Monsters!

I hope the boys selection of face paint doesn't reflect on how they have been raised!!  Oh boy.....

Jayden and Mothers Day

This morning, while the kids and I were making Amber her mothers day breakfast, Jayden told me his 2nd gift to Amber was to work all day long and not complain. After Church he told Amb "mom, Buzz and I aren't giving you the rest of your present". When Amber asked what it was, he said "we were going to work for you all day, but now we don't feel like it".


Have to love kids and their "willing spirit"......

Jayden asks a very valid question

Recently, Jayden and I were driving alone somewhere.  He always likes to ask deep questions when him and I are alone.  He was quiet for a while, then asks "dad, if the Bible says 'thou shalt not kill', why are there wars and killing all the time?"

Good question Jayden.  Very good question indeed.

Buzz is Daniel Boone!

Recently, the kids have been learning about Daniel Boone and other historical characters in American History.  We have some old Daniel Boone dvd's that the kids love to watch.  We bought the boys coonskin caps, and they play with them all the time, dressing up and pretending they are fighting indians and bears.

This week, Andrew asked at supper "dad, when can we watch "ME"?  I couldn't figure out what he was talking about.  I asked "what do you mean, you want to watch me?".  Again, he said, "yeah, I want to watch me!"  As I was still confused, he pipes up "you know, I'm not BUZZ anymore, I'm DANIEL BOONE!!"

Macy & Mariah are 3!

Happy Birthday pancakes for breakfast!  (Do you like Mariah's bedhead?)

 The biggest excitement of their birthday was getting a PINK princess cake.  Here is my attempt at a princess cake.  It doesn't even come close to some I've seen, but it made my girls happy!

 Happy Birthday to my two princesses!  *excuse the blurriness of the iphone photo:(

I felt like this birthday was such a milestone!  We are having so much fun with our growing girls and I am feeling so blessed with 4 healthy children!  I pray (and you can too) for wisdom raising these blessings God has given me!

The Greatest Generation

Just finished talking with an longtime customer from Farmington IL. He was born in 1926, served his country in the Pacific theater during WWII, was faithfully married to his childhood sweetheart for 63 years, and has lived on the same farmstead since 1949. Wow, thank you to the "greatest generation" for what you did for our country, and for your example to us that come after. There is much we can learn as a nation from your lifestyle, work ethic, and attitude!

February 2012 Grimm family update

A quick photo update of our life the last few weeks.

Mariah with some "curling iron curls". I had so much fun doing this.

My 3 boys post haircuts.

We spent 3 days in northern Wisconsin with Mike's parents. Thanks to Joyce and Barry Kloter for taking such good care of the kids while we were gone! We spent 2 days snowmobiling and cross country skiing. 1/2 way through the cross country trails, there was a "rest stop" that had firewood, places to sit, etc. It was fun spending quality time with mom and dad Grimm in the peace and tranquility of the northwoods.

Mike being Mike!

Do you think the kids are ready for warm weather? A few days ago, they found the "swimming suit" drawer. How fun!

Mariah is a little like Buzz. She somehow finds ways to get herself in trouble without even trying. This video is classic!

Hope you all have a blessed March!