Stockwell Searchers!!!

So Scott was just introduced to this new activity called "Geo Cache".  Basically it is this worldwide treasure hunt!  There are these little boxes/containers hidden all over the world.  You need a gps device and then you go to this website that has the gps coordinates for these little treasures, as well as clues as to the whereabouts of the treasures.  You plug the coordinates into the program on your gps device and this compass tells you which direction as well as how many meters you are from the treasure.  And they are all over the world!  A friend of Scott's took a two week trip out west with his family to site see as well as do this geo caching and they found all sorts of things!  Once you find one of the boxes you take whatever is in it and replace it with something of equal value as well as write the date in a log that is in the box.  So for example, we did our first "quest" today.  We knew we were going to my parents house so Scott pulled up about a 5 mile radius of their house to see if there were any geo caches.  There were about 50 hidden within a 5 mile radius within their house, and one that was less then a mile away.  So Scott clicked on that particular one, it gave us a hint that said "look inside the log" as well as the gps coordinates.  So once we got near my parents house we plugged the coordinates into our gps and the compass came up and we searched and sure enough inside a log in the woods near my parents house was a little Tupperware box with some little toys and a notepad for the log.  So we replaced a little toy that Logan picked with another little toy and logged the date!  It is really cool!  We searched the website for treasures around our house and there are tons!  There are two hidden in the park right down the street.  Granted the treasures aren't very glamorous but the fun in trying to figure out the clues with your kids is a lot of fun!

 All ready to go on our first quest!  Logan filled our designated "geo cache" backpack with all sorts of goodies including hats for him and Scott...a pen and paper for clues...and a blanket and binkie for Gavin in case he got cold or tired on one of our quests:)

 Following the compass into the woods!

 We found it in the log!

 It had two toy cars, a little kaleidoscope and some other little trinkets.  Logan picked the kaleidoscope and we replaced it with a toy dinosaur from toy story:)

 A successful first find!

Rachell's Baby Shower

We had Rachell's baby shower today!  She is almost 37 weeks so not too long till my little nephew arrives!!!

 Carter Belly:)

 The Cake

Cute Baby Presents!

Logan is such a good sport:)

Well for those of you who have a Facebook account check out my latest video....its funny.  I tried to post it on here but blogger is being the poster child for malfunctioning websites right now.  In other Stockwell news Gavin's newest word is "shoe".  He remembers last fall when we would get home from work and he would get to play in the backyard, so as soon as we let him go outside this year he has wants to go out everyday, unfortunately this crazy Michigan weather got all our hopes up and then brought them crashing down.  And 1 1/2 year olds don't understand weather haha.  So today we got home and he went right to the slider door and pointed outside, when I tried to tell him that it was cold and nasty outside he proceeded to throw a temper tantrum and then follow me around for twenty minutes carrying his shoe saying "shoe!?" with tears in his eyes...so sad!  He knows if we put on his shoes he either gets to go outside or we are going somewhere....poor guy...he was not happy.  Come on spring!!  Logan starts tee ball this week!  He is excited.  Soccer will also start soon.  Scott is suppose to have his first game Saturday but the weather is looking like it will be too cold.  I think we are all ready for some warm weather!  Speaking of warm weather....13 days until Scott and I get to go on our cruise!  I'm getting a little nervous about motion sickness but I have had several people give me good advice:)

I am looking forward to Rachelle's baby shower this Saturday.  Less then a month until little Carter is due!  I am looking forward to being an aunt again.  Baby boy Pippin is due this week!  Praying for a smooth delivery and healthy baby for the Pippins!

Christine just got a second job as a nanny for a newborn baby girl.  So that will be fun for her!  And Dean is interviewing at jobs as well!  A lot of new exciting paths in the future!  Dan just got back from visiting Kyle and Dean and from what I have heard it was an amazing time!  I have two goals for Scott and I in the near future...visit Kevin and Amy and the girls and new baby boy:) in Washington D.C. as well as visit Kyle and Dean in New York.

Ok well thats all for now...the weather man is calling for freezing rain overnight yet it is thundering out right now...gotta love Michigan weather!  

Great News and Warm Weather!

A few weeks ago Scott and I got some discouraging news from my doctor that I should not have any more babies because of the blood clot in my eye when I was pregnant with Gavin.  They said we could see a specialist if we wanted a second opinion.  So we met with my eye doctor and he said that there is no way to tell if it will occur again and that he wouldn't necessarily recommend against another pregnancy.  And today we met with a high risk doctor who gave us the good news that with close watch from them there is no reason why we cannot try for another baby!  That was such good news to hear!  So hopefully God will bless us with another child in the future (it may still be a few years so don't get too excited grandmas/great grandmas:).

Scott had baseball tryouts this week.  They had to make cuts yesterday which is always really hard on him.  I admire but do not envy what he has to do.  He always wishes he could keep all the boys and feels bad the night he makes cuts.  I am so lucky to have a husband with such a big heart!  He has his team and he is already getting ready for their first game next week!  

Today was the first really warm day in Grandville!  The boys played outside when they got home!  Scott set up the soccer net Logan got from grandpa Dan and the boys played soccer for a good hour after school Gavin included which was pretty funny to watch!  We are looking forward to a nice spring and a great summer!

Happy Saint Pattie's Day!

"no"

I forgot in my last post to add this...but it is really funny...Gavin's favorite word this day was "no" haha

Report cards and Haircuts!

We got Logan's report card the other day and he is doing great!  His favorite subject may be recess but he is doing really well in academics!  He got all "progressing normally" (which for all us old school is the same as a "check") as well as several "consistently" (which is like a "check plus")!  And no "check minuses"!  So we are really proud.  His teacher said he is very social in class and well liked, as well as he has wonderful manners!  He loves to read too.  He is always asking us to read to him and lately has been reading himself quite a bit!

Gavin just learned a new word this weekend.  Puppy.  He and Buddy have are great friends.  It is hilarious to watch them chase each other around for hours!  He also got a haircut this weekend.  I love his little man haircuts so I thought I would share a picture with you!

Scott started baseball today and he says the guys are looking really good.  He is looking forward to a great season.  And we leave for our cruise three weeks from today!  Can't wait!  Although it has been so nice to see the sun here in Michigan again!  It makes me excited for summer:)

Kindergarten VIP

This week Logan got to be the kindergarten VIP for the week.  We had to make a poster full of all his favorite things, he got to bring some pictures, and he also brought his medal he received for graduating from a white belt to a yellow belt in karate!  So some of his favorite things are: the color blue, dogs are his favorite animal, pizza is his favorite food, his favorite books are star wars books (kids books not the novels:), his favorite sport is soccer, his favorite part of school is recess and gym, and his favorite thing to do at home is play video games with dad.  He had to come up with three interesting facts which he decided are: he is really fast, he is good at soccer, and he unlocked a dead bolt when I locked myself out of the house when he was two to let me back in, he says he rescued me:).  He shows he cares by hugs, kisses, playing with his brother, snuggling and being nice.  And he is a star because he is good at sports, he is funny, he is nice and he likes to laugh:)  Oh and when he gets older he wants to be a video game designer!  He did a great job on his poster....and he wasn't afraid to say it haha!

Logan with his teacher.

Logan with his poster

More exciting news...Scott and I have decided to take our "5 year anniversary" trip a year early!  We are going on a cruise to the Bahamas in a month!  I am so excited!  Not only because I get to go on a vacation with my hubby but because I have never been on a cruise before!  It will be awesome!  

Gotta Love Technology!

After thinking about whether or not I wanted to write a blog I decided it would be a great way to share/keep in touch with family and friends both far away and near by.  At first I thought it would be silly considering I have a face book and what would I really write about, my life is simple and happy.  But because my life is that way I have so much to write about!  Not only is this a great way to stay in touch with family/friends, but it is also a great way for me to write about our life and be able to look back and remember these moments!  So here we go!

Things are going really well right now!  Scott is working hard as a history teacher and tech coach at his school!  He loves what he does.  He is also very excited about baseball season which starts in just a few weeks.  He chose not to coach basketball this year because it got to be too much and he wasn't enjoying it anymore.  He loved being home this winter and we loved having him home!  It was the first time since we have been married that he didn't have to coach over Christmas break!  It was awesome!  But he cannot wait for baseball to start!  And now that Gavin is older we will be able to make it to a few more games which is nice!  Logan loves to go into the dugout with Scott and they guys...he is like their little mascot it is cute:)

I am currently working as a paraprofessional with middle school special ed students.  I love my job!  The students are great, and there is never a dull moment!  And Rachel (the teacher I work with) and I have become great friends over the last three years and I love working with her!  I also still have the girls night tradition every Thursday night getting together with Brenda, Molly, and Emily.  It is so nice to be able to see my friends every week and go through life's ups and downs with each other!  Not everyone has a close group of girlfriends like I do and I feel very blessed for that.  Scott and I also just went to my very first red wings game a few weeks ago!  It was so much fun, we got to be down on the ice when they were warming up and we had a great view from our seats!  I cannot wait to go again!

Logan is in kindergarten now and he is loving it!  He is doing so well and learning to read and write like a champ!  It is amazing just to sit with him and hear him read.  I am so proud of him!  He is also in karate right now, he loves it.  He is a yellow belt and he thinks he is a ninja which is really funny.  This spring he will also be playing tee ball and soccer.  All of this his choice.  He has a lot of energy so it is good for him!  He is looking forward to the spring so he can play outside again!  His favorite thing to do is run, and that is difficult to do inside!  This week he is VIP kindergartener!  We are working on a poster for him full of information, like he wants to be a video game designer when he grows up;)  He and Scott love to play video games together among other things!  He will also get to bring in some pictures and he wants to bring in his medal from when he got his yellow belt!  Logan is also such a great big brother!  He loves to run around and play with Gavin.  The other day he was teaching Gavin how to color in the lines (haha it didn't work out so well).  But Logan really loves being a big brother, in fact he said he thinks we should have another baby!  He wants a sister evidently:)  We will have to see about that!  Logan is my little snuggler...he loves to snuggle with me and Scott.  I have to cherish these moments because it won't be long before he won't want to be seen with me!  (I work with middle schoolers I know how it goes!)  He is an awesome kid!

Gavin is growing by the second!  He has been pointing to get what he wants and now he is starting to use words (some only Scott and I can understand:).  Gavin is my little mischievous one:)  He definitely got my stubbornness:)  He has "the look" down pat.  It is really funny:)  He gets into everything!  While frustrating to us, it is a good thing because it means he is smart!  Baby proofing didn't do the trick, we had to Gavin proof the house!  And he still finds trouble to get into:)  We follow him around to see what he will do next so we can try to Gavin proof that too!  We recently had to tie the fireplace shut because he figured out how to get into there.  And we cannot leave our chairs at the table because he will push them around the kitchen to get up high and into the cupboards.  Smart little guy:)  We also had to go out and by a crib tent because he was figuring out how to get out of his crib already!  He is also full of energy.  We call him our little kangaroo because he hops everywhere.  All the time hopping.  He loves to read too.  Every morning when he gets up we sit in his chair and read a book together.  And immediately after the book is over he looks at me and does the sign for blues clues and says "bo bo?"  Haha, he knows he gets to watch blues clues while I get ready for work in the morning:)  His teeth are finally starting to come in!  For a while he only had four, but now he has 7.  Bath time is also another favorite for him!  Scott and I always have to rock paper scissors over who has to get Gavin out of the tub because that makes him an angry boy!  Gavin also likes to watch the red wings!  He has been trained well:)  He will stand in front of the tv and raise his hands and yell whenever Scott or I yell out during a game.  Its funny:)  I am so blessed with both of my little men.  They are both so smart and so fun!

Some exciting things coming up for us:  Baseball starts for Scott! Patiently awaiting the arrival of our little nephew LaFrenier due in June. Molly and Jer's baby boy is due this month!  Derek and Rachelle's baby boy (nephew Stockwell:) due next month!  Lots of little squishies on the way:)  And of course spring is on its way!