Make-A-Wish Bike Ride

My brother did something absolutely amazing and wonderful this past weekend...he biked 300 miles to earn money for the Make-A-Wish foundation! He earned over $1,000 to help sick kids dreams come true. I don't think there are many things more honorable than that, and I cannot remember a time I was more proud of him. Way to go, Matt!! You inspire me to do greater things with my life :-)

We were all so excited to cheer Matt on to the finish line and couldn't wait to witness this great achievement in his life....but getting there wasn't as as easy as we thought! There were over 1,000 bikers in the race, so of course they'd each be arriving at different times. Matt had given us an estimated time that he thought he would finish (12:30 or 1pm), so we went with that and planned to leave around 11:30 (it takes about 45 minutes to get there from here). We got back from breakfast around 10:45, thinking we had some time to get ready before we left. Well, long story short, Matt's girlfriend Amy starting checking this program on her phone called Latitude where she was suppose to be able to track where Matt was, and according to that, he was only 10 miles away! We quickly jumped in the car and took off, hoping not to miss his finish. We were all on pins and needles driving there,and my mom and I were nervous wrecks. Once we arrived, we breathed a sigh of relief when Matt texted Amy and said he was still 10 miles away! Apparently her app wasn't working too well, because a few minutes later it told her that Matt was at my parents house! We stopped relying on that, and waited for more of Matt's texts to keep us posted on where he was, Thank goodness he could bike and text! :-) We ended up having quite a bit of time to cheer on the other riders and just observe all the spirit and love that was surrounding us.

The Adrian High School Cheerleaders were there to cheer on each and every biker. So cool to watch! There was also a D.J playing songs like "We are the Champions" which got the crowd going. It was awesome!

Here is one of the "Wish Hero's" waiting for his team to arrive.

Amy checked her phone constantly for updates :-)

And Brett did a GREAT job of entertaining himself during the couple hours we waited. In these two pictures he was super proud of the "orange juice" he had made by combining lemonade and water. Gotta love his imagination!

Watching and waiting for the next group of bikers to cheer on! 

And finally, here is Matt (far right) and his team biking to the finish line! Go Matt!!

Way to go, Team Uncle Eddie!

We were so excited and proud of my brother, we had to take lots of pictures!

The best part of the whole event was when Matt and his team got to meet the little 8 year old boy, Christian, that they biked for. He has an Auto Immune disorder and has been in and out of the hospital his whole life. This sweet little boy, as sick as he has been, told Matt that when he gets better he wants to do the bike race so he can help other kids. I think we can all learn a lot from Christian and his determination and heart to help others, even when he is facing such great challenges himself. What a kid!

Here they are getting ready to receive their medals from this unbelievable boy!

Christian's mom and dad could not thank Matt and his team enough for what they did. Observing the heartfelt thanks brought tears to my eyes, and reminded me again how lucky I truly am to have a healthy son. But ya know what? As I think deeper about it, Christian's family is pretty darn lucky too.

Words cannot express the emotions I felt witnessing this amazing event, and it touched my heart and soul in a way I didn't expect. I saw so many sick kids there....bald from chemo, in wheelchairs, unable to run and play like a kid should, yet....most of them were smiling. Most of them seemed happy in that moment. They could feel all the love there for them. These are kids who are stronger than most anyone else because they have to be....and they don't take one happy moment for granted. I am so proud of my brother for making a difference that day...and he inspires me to do the same. Love ya, bro!

Up, Up, and Away!

 Kyle is so good at finding fun things for us to do as a family...and this past weekend he found this...The Hot Air Balloon Jubilee that was going on in Jackson! It's a fair/carnival that goes on every year with rides, games, food, even an elephant to ride! Then in the evening you get to watch about 40 hot air balloons get blown up and then fly up in the sky.  The balloons were definitely our favorite part...and Brett thought it was "so cool, mommy!" I think this is an event we will look forward to going to every year now :-)

I loved the contrast of the colorful balloons against the bright blue sky!

Happy Boys!

Right after we got there we ran into some good friends and neighbors of ours, the Klinks! We had fun hanging out together!

Waving to the Balloons :-)

And of course I had to get this shot of the coolest balloon there. GO STATE!

Before the launch of the balloons, we watched the elephant (Brett was too scared to ride him, but man, I wish I had!), played a couple games, and watched the roller coasters. Brett is an observer and was perfectly content to just watch and take everything in :-)

Goin' fishin'...

...and he caught one!

You sure do see all different kinds of people when you go to a carnival! There is so much to do, but seriously, I could have just sat and people watched the whole time! Some of the things I saw included teeny tiny puppies, friendly dogs willing to greet anyone, lots of adorable kids having fun, happy families everywhere doing just what we were doing - making memories for our children...this is the good stuff :-) And then there is the not so good stuff, like the grandma I saw who slapped her 3 year old grandson for basically doing nothing (and even it he had done something, how sad that she knows no other way to discipline), and some blond haired kids about Brett's age that obviously had never used sunscreen in their lives. They were so tan it was disgusting. And ya know what? When I see ignorant families out there I really try not to judge...I don't know anything about them or what they've been through in life. It really just makes me sad when an adults lack of insight affects innocent children who will then just continue the cycle. I wish I could help everyone and educate the world!

Flying a Kite!!

In the evenings, after dinner, we often head to the school playground to get out some of Brett's extra energy before going to bed. Last week, on our way there, we ran into our neighbor Jack. It was his 3rd birthday and him and his parents were going to the playground to fly his brand new kite!! Brett had never flown a kite before and was more than excited to try it out....especially a "cool" airplane one!

Off they go!

Jack had already flown his kite quite a bit that day, so soon after we got there he let Kyle and Brett have their turns :-) Kyle went first to show Brett how it was done..

And then it was Brett's turn! He did great and had so much fun! 

Art Day at the Botanical Gardens

My friend Heidi had the day off work today so we decided to get together with the kids and do something different and fun. Laura, another good friend of ours, has wanted to go to the Botanical Gardens in Ann Arbor for awhile now and told us about a cool "Art in the Garden" day they were having, so we thought it would be a great day to check it out! Unfortunately, Laura and her kids couldn't join us (and we missed them very much!), but we sure did have a wonderful time! Thanks for the suggestion, Laura!! Next time we are bringing you with us! 

Here we are being led out to the gardens where the fun would begin...Brett is usually shy and wants to stay right by my side, but not this time! He couldn't wait to get out there!

Brett, Carter, and Landon had to stop to check out the cool map. Must be a boy thing :-)

Before the fun began, we sat on these cool rocks and were told about the activities we would be doing. 

It was hard to sit still (Our kids were the youngest), so our boys moved around a bit during the introduction.  At one point Carter joined Brett on his rock...Brett wasn't too sure about sharing "my rock", but he allowed his friend to sit with him long enough for this picture :-)

Then we were off to our first station....painting little pots that we would make into wind chimes! Of course, our boys made the biggest mess, but I think they had the most fun too :-) Brett's favorite part was mixing the paint and water and declaring what color he had made.."Look mommy, I made grey!"..."Now the water is brown!", etc. I had to keep reminding myself, "It's the experience and process that matters, not the product". That's hard to remember when you want something nice to hang in your yard! :-)

We had a little time in between activities, so the boys did some running around..

And then it was time for our next station....a scavenger hunt in the woods! Brett and Carter took this very seriously, and carefully studied the pictures of what we were to find :-)

Brett was eager and ready to begin! I was so proud of him for going up front without me...my shy little boy is becoming more independent by the day!

At the last station, the kids made stepping stones that would stay there in one of their gardens. It will be fun to find the one Brett made next time we go!

Admiring everyone's work before we left:-)

It was a great day and we can't wait to bring Laura and her kids back with us next time!!! I feel so blessed to live in an area that is filled with so many activities for kids, and as Brett gets older, these things just get more and more FUN. I love watching him grow and discover and learn, and really, these are the memories I hope to never forget!