Put them back!

On Sunday we took part in that well known, tried and true Halloween ritual of carving pumpkins.  After dozens of years of partaking in this activity ourselves you'd think we'd have been prepared for the slimy mess it can produce, but our memories go back only so far, and clearly they didn't include visions of toddlers up to their shoulders in pumpkin guts.  Well, now they do.  Unlike our friends' children, who'd we had heard were, at best, "uncertain" of the cold wet stuff inside the big orange balls, Calvin had no such qualms about charting this unknown territory.  It was all we could do to keep him from grabbing the (safety) knife and helping us cut out the lid, and there was only a brief moment of questioning wonder before he reached right in.  He loved the fact that spoons were involved, but did not quite grasp the concepts of emptying and sorting and spent a lot of his time trying to put the goop back in (here, Mr. Pumpkin, you need this!).  When all was said and done (read: all three pumpkinds empty) the newspapers were scattered, the floor slippery, and the laundry promising to be interesting.  Calvin was bored by the actual carving part of the evening, but was clearly pleased with the results.  After his bath we lined them up on the coffee table, dimmed the room lights, and brought them to life with tiny candles, and he was absolutely thrilled.  We have to admit that we are pretty pleased with our handiwork, too. 

The 2007 Ophoff Jack-o-lanterns:

 Want to see more?  Visit the Oct 27-Nov 2 album... there are also pictures from our Sunday visit to two different farms and pumpkin patches.  

From fiery to frigid

It's hard to believe that less than a week ago we were sweltering in the ninety degree heat of a sultry Indian Summer.  At least it would be hard to believe if this wasn't Michigan, the place where you don't pack away seasons of clothing because you just might need those shorts in January or that sweater in July.  In reality it's not all too surprising, seeing as that it is now mid-October and wasn't it this time last year that we were seeing our first snowfall of the upcoming winter season?  In our family we welcome the changing of the season, with it's colorful leaves and brisk air, warm hats and fuzzy mittens, the warmth of the fire pit at the tailgate, and the sound of the first crackling logs in our fireplace at home.  We celebrated other seasons of change today, too.  Our football team finally played and won a decent game, which was a welcome change from the past month or so of
disappointing losses and bumbling, less-than-redeeming wins.  That alone provided us with enough reason to party the night away, but we also partied to celebrate a special milestone birthday (which milestone we will not give away) at Calvin's grandparents' house, where he entertained all with his increasingly complex dancing skills.  It is truly amazing how time and season march on and bring so many blessings with the days.

There are pictures galore, as always:  Oct 13-19 Photo Album 

A maelstrom of runaway days

If time usually flies, then the vortex of runaway days that has us caught chasing our tails to try and catch up is the reason we haven't posted an update in nine full days.  Between the 11th and now we have had visitors at the house and visited houses, parties at church both to welcome and to send off, trips to parks, festivals, and stores, and just a general business that has kept us on our toes.  And if you are looking for an eddy of your own to get swept up in we suggest summertime in Ann Arbor.  That, at least, is what has done it for us.  We spent at least one night a week at the Summer Festival on campus, then soon after close of that event the Rolling Sculptures Show drove into town on July 13, once again drawing us out into the sunshine and crowds.  Calvin loves the crowds.  He was not as in love with the old Model Ts, Mercedes, or R.E.O. Speedwagons as we were, but he loved the tiny fairy car that ran on Vernors.  And close on the heals of the Rolling Sculptures show was the arrival of the Ann Arbor Art Fairs - more sun and more crowds, and again Calvin was more interested in the crowds, and in the manhole cover, than he was in the art, but each person enjoys art in their own way and at least he had fun.  With all of the goings ons lately we haven't even been able to get back to our zoos and visit our animals.  Yes, the one thing that keeps us somewhat grounded and sane is the twice daily occurrence of nap time - some days for all of us - but even this is about to give way to the "more mature" once daily nap occurrence, at which time we are somewhat like to combust, so be prepared. 

All the car show pictures are in the July 7-13 album

All the Art Fairs pictures are in the July 14-20 album

Tulip Time!

Plagued by an overwhelming case of spring fever and the need to get out and do something, and faced with the generous offer by Jon's bosses to use their condo on the big lake, we found ourselves forced to go out of town this past weekend and take in the sights of Holland, Michigan's Tulip Time! festival.  Twist our arm, right?  This was the first time that just the three of us had traveled and we were a little worried about the logistics of the long drive with Calvin and getting him to sleep in a house that wasn't his own.  We shouldn't have been worried.  On the trip out, Thursday evening, he babbled for 40 minutes, cried for 20, then slept for 90.  And lucky for us, after we arrived and gave him a bath and a quick cuddle, he went right back to sleep and slept the whole night!  He napped and slept well while we were gone, and the trip home was much the same, minus the 20 minutes of crying!  It seems that he has his parents' penchant for traveling.

All three of us really seemed to love the break from the routine, too.  Friday was a beautiful weather day and we had a great time checking out the tulips and the tourist spots;  at Dutch Village Calvin was intrigued by the flowers, enthralled by the farm animals, and only slightly worried about the carousel;  back in town he was still intrigued by the flowers, tickled by the dancers, and confused by eating outside;  and back at the condo he loved the walk down to the beach, was curious about the sand, and thought the waves were funny.  Saturday was cloudy and a little chillier, but it was still a fine day and we spent it visiting the local food haunts, with breakfast at the Windmill restaurant (what a line!) and lunch at the 8th Street Grille, and laughing at more flowers and more fun animals to pet.  We finished our visit with one last tourist stop, this one to Veldheer Tulip Gardens with its rows and rows of tulips and acres and acres of bison, as well as a wooden shoe factory.  It was a wonderful weekend and we really have to hand it to Calvin.  We asked a lot of him this weekend, expecting him to sleep in a strange place, miss naps and still be good in restaurants and interact with lots of strangers and strange things, but he adapted to the situation without flaw and that made the whole trip very enjoyable and very worth while.  He was certainly our little angel the whole trip!

 And of course there are tons of pictures in the May4-11 photo album.

One last Christmas dinner

Who doesn't want Christmas to lsat for days on end?  We really like to spread out our Christmas joy.  In fact, tonight we realized that somewhere along the way Christmas really changed for us.  It seems to us that when we were Children Christmas was a one day event that we waited for all year long.  Now, as adults, Christmas isn't a day, it's a season, and we find ourselves trying to spread the spirit out across days, or even weeks.  And Christmas is less about the gifts we get and more about the gifts we give, and even more about the people we share it with.  With that in mind, tonight was Christmas all over again!  Tonight we had our traditional Christmas dinner with the extended Hiller family, only this year the table was graced by three members of the next generation.  Calvin was the youngest baby there, his second cousin Iris is five months older than he is, and Iris's cousin, Dylan, is about ten months older than he is.  And we also enjoyed the company of family who travelled from all over the world, including California and The Netherlands.  Calvin even received a very speical gift from his cousin (once removed) Kate, who brought him a Dutch children's book, something we will enjoy sharing with him to help him embrace his heritage.  It sure would be nice if there could be a little bit of Christmas every day.