Merry Christmas!

November 2007

Thanksgiving dinner at Aunt Pat and Uncle Tony's

October 2007

Carlos playing his "kuku-larry"

at Zach's football game

Carlos' first day of school! - September 2007

Maui, Hawaii - September 2007

Steph's favorite leaf - manstera
(we're not sure how to spell it though!)


Front Street in Lahaina

Where night meets day (notice the star on top of the photo)

We got up at 2:30 a.m. in order to drive 10,000 feet up to the top of Mt. Haleakala to see the sun rise above the clouds. It was incredible!

We wanted to see as much of Maui as we could, so we didn't get to the beach until our last day. It was the perfect way to end our beautiful trip.

Hana, Maui - Part 2

Hana Elementary School (yes, that's the ocean in the background!)

This was our view as we ate lunch at the ocean between presentations!

The town of Hana is behind us.

"Pohana!" Chistine and Jim took us out to celebrate the end of our work day!

Hana, Maui, Hawaii - September 2007

a gorgeous RED sand beach

Hana is a small little town on the east side of the island,
and is surrounded and among rain forest.

a beautiful waterfall that's just down the road from where we were staying in Hana

another view of Hana

Kevin and I had the chance to go on a dream vacation to Hawaii! We were invited to visit Hana Elementary School, and of course we said yes! Christine is the teacher who invited us, and she and her husband Jim invited us to stay with them during our three days in Hana. We had the most wonderful time, and we are so happy to call them our friends!

On Mackinac Island - August 2007

Bois Blanc Island, Part 3

Here is the school! Wendy has two students in her class. (They happen to be her children, so there is 100% parent participation during programs, conferences, etc.! And good news, there was a birth on the island so in four or five years she'll have three students in her class!)

Wendy and Stephanie

At the Beach - Bois Blanc Island, Part 2

This is just one of many snakes we saw while on the island.

The three of us saw an otter climb up under this dock and wriggle around amonst the wood and rocks! It was the coolest thing! But of course by the time we ran to get the camera and turn it on, the otter was gone. I guess he'll just have to live on in our memories! :)

On Bois Blanc Island - August 2007

This is the house that we stayed in on the island

While the Adlerman family was with us this summer, we went up to beautiful Bois Blanc Island to visit our new friend Wendy and her family. Wendy is the teacher on the island, and we all met her this past spring at the Michigan Reading Association Conference and hit it off splendidly! She invited us to come and visit anytime, so we took her up on her offer!

So here's a little about the island: Bois Blanc Island is about 12 miles long and 6 miles wide. It's located in Lake Huron, southeast of Mackinac Island and is north of the city of Cheboygan. (That's where we took the ferry.) The population of the island is a few hundred in the summer and drops down significantly over the long winter months. According to Wendy, last winter the population was around 40! And since everything shuts down in the winter (the only thing you can purchase are postage stamps!), they have to stock up on everything they might need before the ferry stops running (around Thanksgiving Day)!

Birthday Morning - August 21, 2007

The Adlerman family was in town and we got to spend a fun-filled week together!

Carlos REALLY likes construction vehicles. He points out every bulldozer, excavator, and crane that he sees on the road!

August Birthdays 2007

Grandpa Wenner and Carlos have birthdays a week apart.

This is the fish that Carlos drew on his new Magnadoodle!