Lake Ann...

I've been trying to sit down all week and blog about our trip...so here it is in a nutshell.

Overall we had a really nice time. We enjoyed getting away and spending time with our family and just relaxing. We had bonfires at night and made smores, relaxed in the hot tub, just a relaxing vacation! It was the first time I didn't have the internet in a long time and it was kinda nice to just get away from everything.

The biggest negative of our trip was that Ethan got sick. The daycare kids were sick with a bad cough and he caught it and it got pretty bad. We took him in to the ER early one morning after he was up all night coughing and barking. He had a little of croup and was pretty congested. The nights were bad, the days he was a lot happier. The doctor gave him steriods for us to give him for 3 days but we decided not to do that unless we really felt he needed it and wasn't breathing well. Needless to say it's been 2 weeks, he's still coughing but is getting a lot better so I'm thankful. The trip was fun and we would love to go back sometime, the house was really nice and close to a lot of stuff.

Well, we are starting our big move tomorrow. It's a little earlier than expected so I am not as prepared as I would have liked to be and don't have much packed. We have the long weekend though so that will be nice. God totally blessed us with an endless supply of boxes, packing tape and packing paper from someone that offered as he's a mover so that was such a blessing! God cares about the details!

I've been looking forward to the move for a lot of reasons...being home with just Ethan, not having a ridiculous mortgage payment and the financial stress that comes along with a house...but last night I surprisingly started to feel sad. I'm not down or anything and am still excited about moving to the apt. but I think I am just starting to realize that next week is the last week of "Keri's Kidz" and I feel a little emotional about it. Part of me feels it was all for nothing...all the money, time and hard work we put into it...all to go to waste....but then I realize that I have been able to care for a lot of kids and many parents have told me how grateful they have been for me and how much they love me....so, that makes me feel good. It was a dream of mine that I never thought would happen so I feel proud I accomplished it and that parents told me it was the nicest in home daycare they've ever seen. So, it is what it is and I have to accept that and move on. I know I'll be fine in a couple weeks.

Well, thanks for reading and I'll be sure and post and let everyone know how the move goes. We won't be actually living there until probably next weekend as I still have the daycare running through next Friday.

Love to all,
Keri

Ps. Tomorrow the wolverines start off the season....GO BLUE!

Happy 1/2 Birthday E!

I simply cannot believe that my little man is already 6 months old! Where has the time gone? I look at his newborn pictures and get sad and wish he was still that little sometimes...but then I think of waking up every 2 hours to feed him and all the things that come along with a newborn and I feel I am enjoying this stage a lot more. Having a newborn is wonderful and exciting but Ethan is starting to really show his personality and laugh so much and it's just a fun time with him. We couldn't be more in love with him.

I'm a bad mommy and took him to get his 6 month shots today. I did it today because I knew we were leaving for vacation this weekend and that gave me some hope....something to look forward to after seeing E get his shots :( He absolutely screamed and this time was by far the worst and when I looked at him I just saw complete horror in his eyes and he honestly couldn't breathe for a minute. It was horrible!!! Plus, she did the first shot and the liquid never came out so she had to poke him again! So he got 3 shots in the one leg this time instead of 2 and then another shot on his other leg. It was just horrible and it didn't go as fast as the other times. He will have an even bigger welt on his leg this time...and don't worry Grandpa and Grandma Petke, it's not a tumor, lol!

Our big boy is 18lbs. 8oz...he's in the 75% tile for his weight. He is 28.5" long, 95% tile for length! He is going to be a tall boy....perfect for the NBA ;) I prefer him to play either baseball or basketball....football is too rough for me! Golf of course would be most preferred :) Of course we aren't going to force him to play any sports...we're just gonna let him be him and not put any expectations on him...that's a big pet peeve of mommy's.

So, doc says I can give him a fruit and veggie a day so I'm thinking fruit w/ a little cereal in the mornings and then a vegetable for dinner at night. I think I'll try applesauce next which I'm sure he'll love.

That's all for now...we leave for Lake Ann in 2 more days...cannot wait! Doesn't look like they have internet there so I will be sure and post all about our trip when we return.

The pic of E was taken today...6 months old...he looks like a toddler :(

Love to all,
Keri

Ethan's first encounter with sweet potatoes!

So Ethan will be 6 months this Thursday so mommy thought it was time for him to get his first taste of baby food. I decided to go with sweet potatoes. He LOVED them. We got it on video and it was so funny. After the first initial bite he was going crazy. He was leaning forward in his highchair as far as he could trying to get more bites. I simply couldn't feed him fast enough! It was fun and he made a mess. I just can't believe he's almost 6 months and is now eating baby food. He's growing up too fast :(

Well, this past weekend I opened my garage sale again and I decided to put an ad in the paper hoping that would help bring more people. I was opening it at 10am and opened my garage at 9:45 to start organizing some things and there were already 6 cars parked in front of my house! It was craziness for the first hour but I was so thankful and happy! I sold about $500 worth which totally shocked me. So much different than the last time I opened it. The most expensive item I sold was $75 so it's not like I sold one item for $400 or something...we just sold a bunch of stuff we didn't need, it was great! I'm going to open it again soon until everything is gone...that's the hope anyways.

Jeremy and I also decided to go the apt. route. We put a deposit on one and will probably be moving a little sooner than we thought. Probably sometime in September...maybe the middle or end of September. We both have complete peace that this is the right decision for us right now. So as strange as it sounds we are both really excited about moving out of our house into our new apt. It will bring a good change for us right now. We will be in Fenton which is where our hearts are at and we won't have the financial stress of a big mortgage payment and all the bills that come along with having a house. I can stay home with Ethan which was the most important thing to us. I really am looking forward to being with him all day and just having more time to cook dinners and such...I love to cook and haven't had much time to do it so that will be great for me.

Well, we are leaving for vacation this Saturday and I can't wait! We booked this vacation about a year ago. My siblings and some of our cousins started a "family trip" each summer a few years ago. The first time we rented a chalet in the Smokey Mountains and this year we are going up north to Lake Ann. It's right by Traverse City, Petoskey, Boyne, etc. so it should be a great time. There's 11 of us going and I found this really great house to rent for cheap. It was built 2 years ago and it's on 15 acres, has a hot tub and a firepit for smores....it's going to be a blast :) We are going from August 16-23...we will come home on the 23rd which is Jeremy and I's 5 year anniversary! I cannot believe we have been married almost 5 years!

Thanks for reading....that's all for now :)

Our Buckeye Weekend

Well, another fun weekend has come and gone. We got home last night from a quick trip to Ohio for my cousin Rob's wedding. I intended on taking a picture with the bride and groom so I could post a picture but of course I didn't snap one picture the whole time we were there. It was a beautiful wedding and we really enjoyed seeing all of my family. We stayed in a hotel Saturday night so that is always fun too :)

Ethan is officially sleeping through the night and it is so wonderful! He's been sleeping through the night since last Weds. He still wakes up between 4-5 like his body is used to doing but quickly falls back asleep. No more in the middle of the night feedings and that is so nice. It will be nice to start sleeping again :)

Ethan did so great this weekend. He didn't have a nap on Saturday and was extremely exhausted and barely fussed. He is such a good baby. By time Sat. night came though he had had enough and was out like a light, he didn't even wake up in the middle of the night, slept straight through. He slept most of the way to Ohio and back in the car too...he's just such a good baby!

His new thing as of yesterday is trying to talk back to us. I kept saying, "Dada and Momma" and he would try and mimick me and his mouth would just be making noise and going up and down like mine, it was the funniest and cutest thing ever. (Another sign that he is growing up) So, he says "Dadadadadada" now...of course he doesn't know what he's saying but it sounds like it. It's so amazing how they really change so much day to day at this age. Saturday he wasn't doing that and yesterday in the car he started to do it.

We stopped at our favorite restaurant on the way home...Szechaun in Canton so that was a special treat for us. If you live anywhere near Canton or ever go there you have to go to this Chinese restaurant. It's been my favorite place for like 16 years. I grew up in Canton so I used to eat there all the time...now we go here and there and I seriously would rather eat their food than any dessert, sooooo good!

Well, another week is about to begin. I need to unpack and get some laundry going while E is asleep and the daycare kids aren't here yet. Hope all is well with all of my blog readers :)

Keri