Merry Christmas

We celebrated an early Bolthouse Christmas on Saturday. Terry and Linda spoiled us and the baby with gifts. Here are the first baby clothes we'ver received--we'll be all ready to cheer on the Tigers in '09!! Thanks Terry & Linda--we love you!

It's a BOY!

Darin and I had the big 20 week ultrasound last Thursday. We were both pretty quiet and nervous going into the appointment. With each healthy check (heart, brain, spine, face) we breathed a little easier.

We found out that not only is our baby healthy, but a BOY! Here's a profile picture, along with the decisive "boy" picture:-) We are so blessed and excited! The next 5 months can't pass quickly enough!?

K&K's B-day Celebration

We had a fabulous girls day on Sunday, celebrating Kate & Kim's birthdays in Chelsea. A yummy brunch at The Common Grill followed by a play at the Purple Rose Theater was the perfect getaway from all of the stresses of life right now. Happy Birthday Kate & Kim--we love you both:-)

Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving feast at Grandma Gronda's house. Linda cooked, Grace baked a pumpkin pie, and I made a chocolate cake. Here's our pre-feast picture.

No Gronda get-together would be complete without a few games of Euchre. Here's the game in progress.

Redecorating

It's been a busy fall in the Bolthouse House! We've been preparing the nursery, which meant first of all combining the office and guest room.

Here's the "Work In Progress" nursery. The walls have been painted. Dresser, shelf and rocking chair (black w/ white polkadots) are in place. Now we just need a crib and some curtains:-)

Here's the finished office/guest room. It's a relief to have one of the two rooms complete. (Darin's campaigning for a flat screen tv in place of the mirror!).

Halloween

What a fun Halloween with lots of cute trick-or-treaters! Batman & Robin (aka Evan and Caleb) and Lionness & Puppy (aka Madeline & Ryan) live on either side of us. "More Candy" was the key saying of the night:-)

Fall Festival 2008

My dear friend Melanie and I started the tradition of "Fall Festival" while seniors at Iowa State. Darin and I visited Melanie and Karl last weekend. We couldn't pass up the opportunity to turn Saturday afternoon into Fall Festival! (To the delight of our husbands!?).

Milwaukee has so many beautiful parks along Lake Michigan--it was the perfect fall setting. Thanks for the hospitality Melanie & Karl!

Fall Festivities

No fall is complete without a hayride! (Well, make that a hayrack ride:-). We didn't have any hay, but we made the most of the beautiful day and loaded lawnchairs onto the hayrack. The festive ride was followed by a yummy dinner and a bonfire! Thanks to Becky and Dave for hosting us!!

Homecoming Dance:-)

Nate took his girlfriend, Carly, to the homecoming dance on Saturday night. It brought back lots of memories to see all the girls primping and all the boys feeling annoyed and uncomfortable!

Boone High Football

It was fun to be in Iowa for the Boone High Football Game. Nathan's a senior starter on the offensive line. Here's the Erb Cheering section (Mom & Dad, Grandma & Grandpa Erb, Laura and I:-)

Mom & Dad show off their Boone Football Sweatshirts! The back has Nate's name and football number--so cute!

We caught Nate after the game for a quick picture. (And I do mean quick--those football boys are STINKY!). He played a great game and the team was victorious and continue their undefeated conference streak!

Hail to the Victors

We're officially considered Michigan fareweather fans! We went to the Michigan vs. Wisconsin game, stayed long enough to take this pictures, and then left after halftime in disgust (-7 yards passing....really!?). The joke was on us as the Wolverines came back to win the game. Oh well--there's always next time:-)

Cheerleading 101

Kate, Amber and I weren't cheerleaders in high school, but we sure fooled everyone on Saturday! The 3-Day Walk cheer stations are so much fun. Amber brought the supply of candy for the three of us to hand out. It's such a fun and rewarding way to spend a Saturday morning!


This was our cheerleading neighbor. The "Ta Ta Man" was hilarious! We want Frankie to join us in a similar costume next year!:-)

We were so happy to cheer on the Neumeyer Knockers team. Amber's Aunt and Cousin were walking in honor of her Mother, Karen Neumeyer.

Girls' Night Out

Our book club needed a break from all of the deep discussions typical of our book club meetings (that's what we told our husbands anyway:-). We headed out in Royal Oak for a yummy dinner and some post-dinner festivities--including dancing of course!

Parents Weekend

My parents came for a visit from Iowa (really to deliver a cabinet that I couldn't pass up buying in Iowa;-). We had a wonderful time! Darin and I worked hard to make them feel at home......

We ventured downtown and checked out the old and new cars in GM's Wintergarden. After a stroll on the Riverwalk, we headed to Ford Field where Darin used his master scalping skills to get us tickets to the Lions vs. Browns pre season game. (Dad had a BIG smile on his face!)

Dad and Darin also golfed nine holes while Mom and I got massages. (Notice the big smiles in the picture BEFORE they played:-)

Evan & Jen's Wedding

It was so much fun to spend Friday evening at a wedding! It was a beautiful reception and fun was had by all!

Karen Neumeyer Golf Outing

It couldn't have been more perfect day for the Karen Neumeyer golf outing! We had a wonderful time supporting a great cause! Darin golfed with our friend Mike, and another volunteer's husband Erick. They took 2nd place:-)

I worked the Vegas Hole with friend Erin.

The Bolthouse Boys

Monday night was a fun evening at the ballpark (despite a poor performance on behalf of the Tigers:-(. Darin's brother, Todd, was home from California. It was his first time in Comerica Park. We had to document the occasion with a family picture at the park.

.....And Ladies of the Club

After a summer hiatus, our book club reconvened to sip mojitos and catch up on the summer. We even snuck in a little discussion on our latest book "....And Ladies of the Club". Our opinions of the book varied widely, and we decided that's exactly why we're a book club:-) Next up...."Nineteen Minutes"! And thanks to our fabulous hostess Kim--the Mediterranean cuisine was delicious.

Darin's Lunch with the Ladies....

We spent Saturday on Grosse Ile visiting family and friends. Darin took all of his favorite ladies out to lunch: Wife, Mom & Grandma. We bumped into Grace at the restaurant. Darin was definitely outnumbered (4 to 1).

August Baseball

The race is on to make the playoffs, which made Friday night's game against the White Sox especially exciting. Sad to say the Tiger's couldn't pull off the win, but we had a great time anyway. Here's a picture of the GM Fountain (featuring the new Chevy Malibu). There were lots of runs scored, so the fountain definitely got a workout!

Vacation Highlights

We're readjusting to the "real world" after a two week roadtrip. We had a great time exploring all that South Dakota has to offer. Here's our picture in front of Sylvan Lake in Custer State Park. (This was where National Treasure 2 was filmed:-)

There's no better place to watch fireworks than at Mount Rushmore. We had to park 2 miles away (we were lucky--people were parked as far as 6 miles from the site!). The walk was definitely worth it. What a grand way to celebrate our country's birthday!!

Another highlight of our trip was a hike to Hearney Peak and Little Devil's Tower in Custer Park. Darin was daring enough to stand at the edge of the cliff for this picture. (I was dizzy just taking the picture!?)

Our trip ended with some quality family time in Iowa and an odometer reading of 4000+ miles (we started with 2!!).

A summer night with the girls

Friday night was a great time laughing and dancing with the girls. We ventured to a new Mt. Clemens club called the Bank. It was quite the hot spot....good thing we were decked out in sparkles and our highest heels:-)

Father's Day Birdies

Sarah definitely didn't have to worry about Birdies on the Father's Day golf outing, but Terry & Darin had their fair share. The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed spending the afternoon celebrating our wonderful Fathers.

Babysitting??

If anyone is looking for a babysitter...it looks like Darin is up to the challenge:-) Darin extended a business trip to Nashville to golf with some old co-workers and visit family. I'm not sure what Rachel had to do to get this picture, but it sure is cute!

The Sherfey Clan

Life is always exciting in the Sherfey household. I stopped in for a quick minute before Kim and I left for the movie. Evan couldn't wait to show me his new backpack (camo of course:-).

Kim was able to escape that house without too many boy-tears....thanks to babysitting Mama Lynn!!

Movie Night

I finally went to see Sex and the City (after waiting an entire week:-). The company was just as fabulous as the movie. Kim and Kate were by my side to laugh and cry our way through. What would we do without girlfriends!?

Memorial Day Memories

We had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend in Iowa attending graduation parties and visiting with family. Darin and Grandpa Whattoff enjoy each other's company....Grandpa likes to use his globe to discuss happenings around the world:-)

We also had a picnic in the Ledges. It was a hot and muggy day, but we enjoyed the delicious food and great company.

Mother's Day Delights

It was cold, cloudy Mother's Day here in Michigan....but that didn't stop us from having a wonderful Mother's Day! We celebrated with the Gronda clan. The house was warm and food plentiful thanks to our great hosts Ralph and Angie!

A Gulf Getaway