DON'T

Xavier's new favorite word is DON'T. Yeah, I love it. Not really. I guess he's been quite the mischievous little guy lately and I've had to put him in time out quite frequently. So, I guess I've said don't more than ever and he has picked up on it. This was bound to happen sooner or later. He doesn't say no yet, so I'm sure that will soon follow.

One of MY favorite words that he says right now is LET'S GO! Every time we get ready to go out the door he yells this as loud as possible. He loves to go anywhere and everywhere, which is great for me. The other phrase I love of his is GO GREEN. Every morning when we take Tim to school Xavier will shout Go Green the entire time we drive through campus. It's great! He's got the best school spirit ever!

I have become a widow

Well, it's official, I am now an MBA widow. The first 3 days of Tim's orientation have given me insight into what the next 2 years will be like. The first day Tim was gone from about 8 am to 7 pm. Then he had to come home and work on some homework until about 10 pm. Day 2 he left at about 8 am. I thought I'd have to go pick him up around 7 pm, but I never heard from him. At about 9 he called and said he had to go to the library with his team and would need me to pick him up around 11 pm. Well, the library was closed, so I had to take Xavier out of bed and pick him up around 10 pm. Day 3 he still isn't home and it's 11 pm. He called and said the soonest he'd be home is 1 am. Sigh. Tim is working so hard and I am proud of him. We sure miss him at home though. Thankfully there are weekends. We'll be spending lots of quality time together on Saturdays and Sundays. I am also grateful for the many wonderful friends and family we have close by. I don't think I would make it if I didn't have that. Since I'll probably see all of you more than I see Tim.

We LOVE YOU DADDY! We hope you do an AWESOME job on your presentation tomorrow.

Go Green......

We have been getting Xavier all ready for tailgating and the upcoming football season. We actually have season tickets this year. Tim's justification is that it's for networking opportunities, which is true. A different company sponsors each tailgate for the MBA students. Heck we never had season tickets when we were undergrads, so we felt we deserved it this go round. Anyway, Xavier is ready to cheer his green and white team on. Take a look.

Scary Movie

Tim has taught Xavier how to "scare" mommy. They play this game all the time. I must admit that I have been scared on more than one occasion by Xavier and daddy. Other times I just pretend that I'm being scared for the sake of entertaining Xavier. This is a video clip of Xavier attempting to scare me during breakfast.

Update on Tim

Tim's job at MAC Valves has finally come to an end. MAC was a great job for Tim. He was able to get a ton of awesome international work experience that will prepare him for his next goal of getting an MBA. Tim will miss working with his big brother Joe. And we will miss the free car, gas, and cell phone. :(

One thing he won't miss- his boss! Tim has been much happier since he doesn't have to deal with his boss every day. Xavier has loved having daddy home this past week. As you can see from the pictures below. The first thing Xavier does when he wakes up is run into our bedroom yelling "DA DA! DA DA!" I guess he wants to make sure he's still there.




Xavier and daddy enjoying the pool!



Tim surprised me with a little anniversary getaway. We spent the night in a hotel in Grand Haven. Grand Haven is a beautiful town along Lake Michigan. We got to walk along the beach during sunset. How romantic. Xavier's aunt Mary was kind enough to babysit for us while we celebrated our anniversary.



Tim shows Xavier how "real men" shave or "real harry men" that is. If Xavier's anything like his dad he'll have to learn how to shave much ealier than most boys. ;)

I finally took Xavier to the Aquatic Center that is by our house. He absolutely loved the frog slide. He spent most of the 2 1/2 hours going down it.



A family whose husband will be in the MBA program with Tim moved in last week. They spent the night at our place their first night in town. Xavier and Asher have become fast friends. They love playing together.



Xavier has been working on his eating skills lately. He is getting better at the spoon. Most of the time he still likes using his hands, but occasionally he'll get food on the spoon and into his mouth.



He is so proud of himself. Can you tell?



I got to watch my friends daughter, Skyler, one morning while she went to work for a meeting. Skyler and Xavier did all sorts of fun things like playing in the closet, playing in X's crib, playing in our beach tent, and giggling all morning.

I must say living in East Lansing has not hurt Xavier's social life. He always has someone to play with. We love it!

HaPpY AnNivErSaRy!

We have been married for five years today! Wow, I can't believe it's been that long. Every day with you is an adventure. I have so many wonderful memories from the last five years and I wouldn't change anything about my life. You have truly enriched every part of it. Moving to Michigan was the best decision I ever made. I love the way you make me laugh. I love the way you make Xavier laugh. Our home is full of love, laughter, and fun because of you. You are a wonderful husband who spoils me and Xavier too much. You are an amazing father to Xavier. You work so hard to provide for our family. Thank you for teaching me to be a better person every day. Thank you for being my eternal companion, my sweetheart, my best friend, my everything! I can't wait to begin this semester and this new chapter in our lives. We'll do it together and we'll be a stronger family because of it. Happy Anniversary. I LOVE YOU FOREVER AND ALWAYS!!!!!

Ash

WICKED Awesome!

Tim got me 2 tickets to see Wicked at the Wharton Center for Mother's Day this year. So I had the privilege of going to see it this weekend with my sister-in-law Amy. We had a blast! It was an afternoon show. While we were doing our girl thing, Tim, Joe, and all the kids went swimming at the EL Aquatic Center.
First off, I didn't like the book as much as I thought I would. But seeing the musical was amazing. I LOVED IT! The woman who played Glinda (the good witch) was so hilarious. Her character was very entertaining. Elphaba (the wicked witch) had such a beautiful voice and wonderful stage presence. The stage scenery was out of this world. I can see why everyone I knew wanted to go see it.
Tim and I used to see plays at the Wharton Center all the time when we were dating and first married. But ever since we moved away from East Lansing we haven't gone to plays, musicals, etc. So it is so nice to be back here and to be able to partake of the arts. I may not be able to sing or act or dance very well myself, but I have a huge appreciation for the arts and jump at any opportunity to watch those who have such talents.
Thanks Tim for a fun day and a great Mother's Day gift. Amy, I had so much fun going to the play with you. We need to do it again.