The end of summer....

The end of summer came very quickly it seemed. We were busy with family events and just trying to squeeze a few more nice days out of summer.
It's hard to believe but Alexis started preschool this year. She wasn't too sure she wanted to go all summer but as soon as she got there - it was love at first sight. "They have all of my favorite things there!" she said. It has been kind of nice to have a few hours each week with just Jordyn and I think Alexis enjoys the break from us too :)
Zac started the 8th grade this year. It is amazing to me how much they can grow up in a few short months. He is just starting to change into that teenager that wants to hang with friends and he definitely knows everything. He opted out of football again this year but tells us he will be back at it next year (we'll see).
Jordyn wishes she was going to school like the rest and has started pretending that the nursery at church is her school. That will work for now :)
Ken went on a motorocycle trip that ended up only being 5 days. It was a nice break for him to relax with some friends and the kids and I had a good time at home. I am now searching for my thing to do that leaves him at home with the kids for a few days....any ideas????
I hope everyone is enjoying the fall weather this week. Love & God bless, The Zimmers

Zac & Jordyn at Glen ArborAlexis first day of preschool

At the Splash Pad at Lamar Park with Giada

Summertime!

Well it seems like the warm weather is finally here. We finally got up to the trailer again last weekend and had a beautiful day on Sunday for the beach and boating. I of course forgot my camera when we went down to the beach but we got both my girls and my nieces out on a tube.

Zac is done with the 7th grade and did quite well on his final grades. I'm hoping this continues through the coming years.
Alexis will be starting preschool in the fall. I think she is pretty excited but is still unsure about not being able to ride the bus like Zac. I'm hoping that the fun she has at school will negate that fact shortly after she starts.
Jordyn just turned 2 a month ago and has definitely grown into her Zimmer attitude. Not quite as bad as her sister but she can sure hold her own. I think we are going to have a busy summer since both girls want to be outside all the time!
My sad news for this post is that my sister & family have decided to move to Boston for a couple years for her to finish some school. They will be leaving at the end of July but I'm glad they will around for part of the summer. That will be a sad, sad day for me (and my family) to not have them so close - brings a tear to my eye just thinking of it. I think Alexis thinks she's little Cutty's 2nd mom. I know she will not be happy about the distance and my little Jordyn will miss her Aunt Toni & Uncle a lot. All of my kids love being with her but Jordyn definitely prefers her to just about anyone else.

Well I hope everyone is enjoying the start of the summer and has many great things planned for the next couple months. Hopefully we will see everyone at some point and we will be planning the Zimmer cookout again soon so keep a watch out for the date!Ken & I at the Tigers GameCakes for Miley & OksanaJordyn jamming to her tunes on the Dora bikeLexi enjoying her new toy - thanks Sabrina & Greg!

Ready for Spring!

Took the kids to Chuck E. Cheese for Valentine's Day

Lexi - Artist #1Jordyn - Artist #2

Well I don't know that I've ever made this statement before but it seems like winter just flew by. I don't know if it's because we've been busy or just that I wasn't dwelling on how much I hate winter. Anyways, I'm excited to have Spring here and to get started on opening up that trailer! It's like by the end of the season I'm ready to be done with it and halfway through winter I can't wait to get back up there.
My sister decided to stay in town until this summer which made us very happy. Maybe that contributed to my fast winter. I had someone to spend more time with while she is taking care of lil Cutty. I can believe that Jordyn is going to be 2 in just over a month and she already starting to potty train. She has a long way to go but I wasn't sure I was ready for her to be that big yet and then I thought "No more diapers!" I can deal with this.
I am a little bummed that Ken & I will not be going away on vacation this year. Our friends will be heading to Las Vegas in a couple weeks and we just couldn't work it out to join them. Every time I see that someone else is going away, I am crazy jealous :)
Well, I think that's it for now. Zac is busy as always with sports and school, Alexis is ready to sign up for preschool next year and I am looking forward to a nice long spring/summer/fall!

A little bit of everything...

Well a lot has been going on since my last post. We had a very busy Christmas and left the day after for Florida. We insanely packed 7 of us in a minivan and drove straight through to Orlando. It was probably worse on the adults than it was on the kids. We spent most of the afternoon on Saturday napping :) We had exceptionally warm weather and spent 2 days down by the pool area and 1 day Disney World (Magic Kingdom). The rest of the time we just hung out with family and did some shopping.

The last couple weeks I've spent trying to catch up after being gone. I think I've been doing laundry that entire time and still had a few family/friend gatherings to go to. We went to Lansing to visit our friends and see Gretchen & Cory's beautiful "new" house. And this past weekend we had our last "Christmas" gathering with Ken's dad. We were back at the Ramada Inn for a night of swimming & maybe a little drinking :) Hope everyone is having a great start to 2009 and hopefully we'll see you all soon!

Cory & his God daughter - Jordyn & God son - CarterGretchen & her God daughter - Alexis & God son- Carter Alexis got a hair cut - now Jordyn has longer hair!Matching jammies from GretchenJordyn swimming like a fish!Had to add this one - Daddy making jewelry with Alexis :)

Bring on the Holidays!

Well we've been busy again with my sister having her baby to Zac playing basketball to getting ready for Christmas.
Toni & Cut had their baby boy Cutivetti Fennon Dye II on 11/17/08. Both are doing very well at home. Toni is still a little sore from having an unexpected C-section but is getting out more and more each day (and already is wearing some of her own clothes - so not fair!).Zac is playing basketball for middle school this year. They are not having the best season as far as wins go but Zac seems to be getting better as the season progresses. He really loves playing and it has encouraged him a little more in school too. He was nominated for Student of the Month in December. We go to a ceremony on 12/16 to hear why he was nominated, etc. I'm so proud of him!

Zac at North Rockford (let's just say this wasn't a very good game for them)

Alexis is crazy excited for Christmas this year. It is the first year that she is understanding Santa Claus and the anticipation of the whole thing. Jordyn just copies whatever her sister is doing so when Alexis starts jumping up and down and yelling "SANTA!" she just follows along - so cute! These 2 are definitely sisters and I get a glimpse of our years to come with them. One minute they are are pushing and fighting and the next minute they are holding hands and hugging. Oh how wonderful the teen years will be :)

Well I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and if we don't see you before a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We are leaving for Florida the day after Christmas and will be gone through the new year. Something different for us to be gone around Christmas but I hope it will be fun to be around our family down there for part of the holiday season. Love to you all!So hard to get a good picture of all 3Trying to decorate the house for Christmas was definitely a challenge this year but fun!

Busy Fall....

Ok so it's been a while since I posted. We had 2 birthdays, lots of fall activities and Halloween to keep us busy :)
Alexis turned 3 and had a ball at her party. We went to Play World with our friends Stacy, Elsa & Molly (grandma came along too). She got to run and play, have pizza for dinner and then home for the cake, ice cream & presents.

Alexis' birthday cake

Trying on her new princess gear

Scanning every present she got with her new cash register

At Play World w/ Elsa

We also visited 3 orchards/pumpkin patches again this year - Robinette's, Post & Uncle John's. We had a lot of fun at all of them except next year I hope it's not 85 degrees when we go to Uncle John's. Kids get a little cranky when they are sweating to death in the hot sun in a pumpkin patch - in case you didn't already know that :) We also drove to Milwaukee for a weekend to meet up w/ the Beach's. We had a very nice, relaxing weekend and I look forward to planning another one soon!

1st Pumpkins of the year - ones they could hold

Picking a pumpkin @ Post Family FarmHayride @ Post Family FarmTrying to get a group shot @ Uncle John's - I think Brenna is the only one that is totally missing from the picture

And last was Halloween. We had a great time trick-or-treating. Jordyn made it about half way around the neighborhood. Alexis was not giving up until we hit every house, even though she had given up on walking and I was pulling her in the wagon for the second half. Zac went to his dad's house this year. I think to get away with trick or treating another year or at least that's what I think ;)

I hope everyone else was enjoying the great Fall weather we've had. One more plug before I go - my mom & I have a booth again at the Byron Center Craft Fair this Saturday (9am - 3pm). Come and see us if you have time! We are selling the Cuddle Bug Blankets, Burp Cloths and Hooded Towels again so if you need any baby gifts for the holidays or new one on the way, come and visit.

Busy Weekend

Well I'm happy to say that this weekend was a great success! Our annual cookout on Friday was a ton of fun. Again I was disappointed that I didn't get to talk with everyone but I think it happens every year. I should just be used to it by now. I also forgot to get the camera out. Another cookout undocumented but I will try to do better next time.
My sister's baby shower was also a lot of fun and went off without any problems. We had a nice big group and Toni & Cut got a ton of gifts. It's not hard to imagine how spoiled that baby is going to be!
I hope everyone that attended the gatherings this weekend had a good time too. I (we) really had fun putting them on and look forward to many more gatherings with family & friends in the future!

The cake - red velvet....yummy!

Toni & her girlfriendsOpening presents - Cut came to help outNef, Toni & me