Fun Filled Week

I am sad to say that Grandma and Grandpa Contursi left this morning. We had a wonderful week and enjoyed our first real Spring days! Anna and Max had a very busy week with Grandma and Grandpa. We managed to go out to lunch one day, out to dinner two nights and had a coffee break at Starbucks one afternoon. We spent our first day together at the park. It was so warm and sunny that we actually spent the entire day with the windows open, the door to the patio was open and the kids ran in and out as they saw fit. The next day, although not nearly as nice as the first, we went to the petting farm! We even had the opportunity to see a 720 lb pig!! I think I managed to get a picture, but I promise the picture will not do this animal justice. I was frightened by it and had to walk away. It was as big as a pony!!

The kids chased a duck around and had a wonderful time. Yesterday, we took Grandma and Grandpa to the Children's Museum in Ann Arbor and were able to sit in an Ambulance, see a Tornado and of course spent time in the preschool room playing with the water table, climbing up and down the stairs, building with blocks, sitting in the fire truck and just having plain old fun.

One thing to note is that Anna and Max now love to build with their Mega Blocks! Grandpa spent a lot of time showing them how to do it and now they can manage to get the tower pretty high. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for a wonderful week! We miss you and love you!

Gosh, this week had flown by! Last weekend Christy was in for a visit and the six kids spent the entire weekend together. The pictures honestly look like a daycare center, but they were all taken at either our house or Sheri's. It was nice to see the girls and see how cute all of the kids looked together.

First Day of School

Today Anna and Max had their first day of school where I dropped them off and went on my way. I have to admit I cried and stood in the hall outside the door for about ten min. They both did so well that their teacher was impressed by how great they did on their first day. This school was really meant for us. I just love it and Anna and Max do as well.

When I came in to pick them up they were happily dancing with some other children. When they saw me, they came running over with big smiles and open arms!! No tears, just smiles. Today was also the first time in eighteen months that I was able to run some errands child free. It was strange to be able to get things done so quickly and not get two kids in and out of the car and car seats.

The three of us then went out to lunch and enjoyed a beautiful sunny day in the park. We walked along a stream and saw two ducks that the kids quacked at.

First Trip to the Dentist

Anna and Max had their first Dentist appointment today and they did such a great job! Jon and I were both shocked by how little they fussed and we truly expected Anna to scream. The entire experience was great and I am so impressed with out well the entire staff handled the children. They each had an exam and a cleaning. Anna's teeth looked good and she has a few molars breaking through in the back. Max might be missing a front bottom tooth but they won't know for sure until their next check up in six months. They say it is genetic but I can't recall anyone in the family missing a tooth.

We came away with some new toothbrushes and toothpaste. The most shocking piece of information to learn was how bad yogurt and dried fruit are for the teeth. Minimally, the kids need to drink water after eating yogurt!

Anyway, nothing much else to report today. It was beautiful out so we enjoyed some time in the yard. I was so happy when we bought this house that our sub didn't allow fences but now that we have children I am finding it very difficult to keep Anna and Max in our yard! Our neighbors all have very nice playscapes that seem to be calling out to Anna and Max! I need to find a way to make our yard more inviting.

Have a great night. Yes, pictures will come. I just need to find the time........

Fingers Crossed - Healthy at Last

The past few weeks have been very long for all of us! It started a little over three weeks ago with runny noses and led into an ear infection for Anna that took two doses of antibiotics to get over, a sinus infection for myself and Asthmatic Bronchialitis for Max!! Poor Jon is just now getting sick and I am not sure how he held out until the rest of felt better!

What should have been a very happy Easter week with Jon's parents turned out to be our worst week yet since having children. With Anna's fevers and Max having an ambulance transport from one hospital to another, we spent just about everyday with one Doctor or another. I am happy that we managed to have Easter breakfast but sad that we never made it to our dinner reservation. I have some very cute pictures of the kids and Grandma and Grandpa Friedman that I will post tomorrow. Luckily, Anna and Max started to feel better and were able to laugh and have some fun with their grandparents. Thank you Bob and Sally for helping with the sick kids, we appreciate it. We really hope that the next visit is much better.

There is so much to catch up on that I don't even know where to start. Since my last post, Jon has been to Vail. He flew out for a few days of skiing with his cousins and he had a wonderful time. Linda, thank you do much for the beautiful outfits. I plan to put them on the kids and post a picture soon! That was so sweet of you!

While Jon was in Vail, the kids and I took a road trip to VA in the new minivan to see Aunt Chrissy and to see what spring was like. We had a wonderful time and the kids spent a lot of time in the yard and at the park! Who ever would have thought that buds would actually be on the trees! Our last day in VA, Anna, came down with a high fever and we ended up in a walk in clinic. She was diagnosed with an ear infection and that was the start of our endless visits to the Doctor.

Anyway, we enjoyed our first day of spring back here in MI with a beautiful snow fall and about six inches of accumulation! I actually took a picture and will post that tomorrow as well. The real shocker is that we actually had some more snow a few days ago!! We just can't seem to win.

Lets see, what else???? Anna and Max start Montessori school this week. Today was their first day of the adjustment period and they did very well. I just sat in the corner and they went about their business. They jumped right in and seemed to have a great time. I tried to leave after an hour but Anna didn't think that was a great idea and she screamed bloody murder. Tomorrow is the last day of the adjustment period and I am told that she should be fine by the first day of school without me. As of right now, they will go for a few hours on Tue, Wed and Thur from 9:00-11:30. It is just so cute to see them in that setting. They now can point to most of their body parts and they are learning more words each day. We just started to count and they try to say ten for the number of fingers that they have while holding them up.

Our house is being shown but we still have no offers. Only time will tell with this. The only other news that we to report is that I am doing some consulting work for the company that I worked for before having the kids. I am giving it a try and plan to do some work while the kids are at school and while they are sleeping.

Upcoming visitors to MI: This weekend Christy, a twin Mom from the twin group I am in will be staying with Sheri and we plan to have the 6 kids play together over the weekend. I am really looking forward to seeing Christy and the girls again and I know the kids will have fun. Of course, I will post some pictures. Then on Monday, Grandma and Grandpa Contursi will be here for a visit!

Gosh, we really are very busy here at the Friedman household! I hope you are all well and I plan to post pictures tomorrow. I am just way tooooooo tired at the moment.

Trip to Carnival Cuts

Max was such a big boy yesterday and sat by himself during his entire haircut! He was very sweet and seemed to enjoy it. I had planned to take him for a hair cut this week but yesterday morning when he brought me one of Anna's hair ties and insisted that I put it in his hair and it actually stayed, I knew I needed to make time to get it done ASAP! Max now has his very own hair wax and we can either spike his hair or brush it to the side. Here are two pictures of him in the chair. I tried to have Anna's bangs trimmed but she screamed and I fought so much that I decided it just wasn't worth it. I guess my decision as to bangs or no bangs has been made. She has let me keep her hair back the past day and a half and I hope she continues.
It was so nice out yesterday that we were able to play with the neighbors for a little while before dinner. I had to post the last picture because they actually sat down in their seats to eat! I think they are getting tired of standing. Well, I can hope.

Big Post - Many Pictures

It seems that the past week has been filled with water and playing with friends. Because of the colds that Anna, Max and some their friends came down with, we had to cancel a few play dates. We luckily played with Elsie and Reid early last week at our house and today we played with them at Jungle Java and had lunch out. Anna and Max have been to Jungle Java a lot these days and the older they get the more fun they seem to have there. Jon and I took them over the weekend and we spend a lot of time running around on the top two levels and going down slides with the kids. Today we met Sheri, her Mother, Elsie and Reid and the thought was that the kids would have fun in the big kid section but unfortunately every child in the county was there today. It was a little overwhelming and we mostly stayed in the toddler section. Poor Elise missed her nap and was pretty much ready to go once we arrived. Anna and Max had a very tough morning and needed a morning nap making us a little late. Things are never that easy!


All of you reading this from the west coast or those of you that live down south may not understand this, but yesterday it was sunny and even though it was only 40 degrees outside, the kids had fun playing outside. They pushed one of their lawn mowers around and they had a ton of fun in a mud puddle. I just could not say no to them. These poor children have been tramped in this house for way too long and they were having so much fun. I even set up a water table for them to play with in the house. Spring, where are you????


Over the weekend we took the kids sledding on the big hill at the elementary school. I think Jon and Max had the most fun and it will be nice next year when the kids can actually walk themselves up the hill. I regret that I didn't have the camera with me but I am sure we will have another chance to go again this year. The snow just keeps coming.

There are some random pictures and videos below. Max and Anna now make muscles and grunt. I didn't get a great video of it, but it is still funny to watch.

This Past Week.....

Anna and Max have had a very busy week and we all ended up with a bit of a cold! They still have stuffy/runny noses but that hasn't slowed them down too much. I will be updating the blog tomorrow with pictures and a recap of their exciting week!