Here are a few pictures of Mike and I opening our gifts that were sent to us from Michigan.

This was a Puma workout shirt from my brother.  To my left is my new Wii Fit Plus that I got from Mike as well as a pair of silver earring from my parents.

New fleece PJs from Michael.

Michael also sent Mike and I a joint gift which was a photo of each member of my family.  You can see the one of my Dad here.  My Mom had a crazy hat on in her  picture and Michael’s was him in a hot dog bun.  We need to figure out where to hang these!

Mike showing off his new Michigan hoodie that my parents got him.

He also got some new dress shirts.

And my favorite…I’m not sure where my Dad found this, but it’s perfect for Mike.

I cooked Mike a ham for dinner and we had a nice meal together and then watched the Hangover which was another one of Mike’s gifts.  We are very thankful to have such a loving and caring family who knows us so well.  Maybe next year we can spend Christmas with them in Michigan.

Here’s the ad from the circular:

They were 50% off and Home Depot was selling the same lights for $34.  Thankfully they still had some available when we arrived at the store on Quincy around 7am.  After a little more shopping at Target we hit Home Depot, Sports Authority and Best Buy and then headed home to hang up the lights.

Here are some pics of Mike up on the roof:

I haven’t taken any pictures at night time yet, so watch for those to be posted as it’s too chilly to head out there tonight.  I think I might have a cup of hot chocolate to warm up!

I should gather up and scan in some of our old turkey pictures as I have a few with my Grandparents as well as other family members.  Makes for good memories!

Our neighbor Jason created this snow pumpkin for Halloween.

Needless to say, it was a hit in our neighborhood.

We took Dakota out on her first boat ride.  She loves the water, so it was a no brainer that she’d enjoy the boat ride.

During out boat ride, we got a sneak peak at the fireworks that they would be releasing from the island later that night.

When David and Kathleen arrived, so did the jet skis.  Here are some pics from the activities:

Dakota also spent time in the water.

Patti and Jim drove over from Grand Rapids to spend part of the of the day with us.

As the evening went on, we lit the bonfire, set up our chairs and got out the sparklers.

Mike checking out his fireworks.  Thankfully he didn’t lose any fingers that night!

After the fireworks display, which was impressive for a small Michigan lake, we headed home and were in bed by midnight.  Overall, it was a great 4th with lots of good food and deserts!

Here’s some pictures from the party:

We were happy that Jessica and Chris were able to make the party.

Ronnie, Heather and Jesse all dressed in their green!

The birthday girl Terri and her friend Michelle.

Dave and Summer hanging out with Wayne and Tim.

We have a TON of food and beer left.  The good news is that it won’t go to waste in our house!

Kali hanging out in my Michigan State re-usable shopping bag.  Surprisingly, she stayed in there for a good five minutes before Karmel checked it out.

The favorite box for both cats was the one that Michael used to package up one of Mike’s gifts.  Here’s Karmel chilling in it after all the presents had been opened.

The excitement of the day really got to him as he took a nap shortly after vacating the box.

He spent a good amount of time crashing the helicopter into the walls, the ceiling and hovering it above my head.  He also claims this is because he hasn’t learned how to fly it yet, but I’m not sure I believe him.

Surprisingly, the cats aren’t freaked out by them.  Even Karmel followed it around the house like it was a bird.

I guess Mike’s just a kid at heart!

We currently have a small TV set up in Ryan’s room where the xBox is set up so that the girls can use the Wii on the TV in the bonus room.  Trust me we’ve been through the arguments before and know better than to assume that they will share!

Anyway, here are some snap shots of Mike and the kids rocking it out.

Mike really got into it after a while.

Out of the three of them, Meghan is by far the Rock Star.  She claims that she can even play the easy mode using only her toes.  Now that’s what I call talent.  Thankfully she’s an A student as I don’t think there’s a future in playing Guitar Hero for the rest of you life.

Also, if you’re wondering…yes I did try it, but I wasn’t very good!  The hand/eye coordination wasn’t clicking for me and it didn’t help that I laughed through the whole song!