The Matlosz Family

The Cottage

2010-04-08T06:26:00.000-07:00

This is the cottage from the lake.

This is the cottage from the road. Yes you see the hot pink from about a block away...so hard to miss!

It's been awhile since I've blogged, but we've been busy working on our new cottage. Here are the original pictures so you can see how much it will soon change. Matt has been going up almost every night after work painting inside and updating fixtures, electrical, cleaning, and hanging pictures. It's really starting to come together and will be ready for use very soon. We just turned on the water so Matt could power wash the cottage and so we will be ready to paint the exterior when we have our first stretch of dry 60 degree weather. Jack loves the colors, but we think we are going with something a little less Barbie/Punky Brewster. I'm hoping that nice weather will be coming soon!

Crystal Mountain

2009-12-29T14:14:00.000-08:00

We had a blast at Crystal Mountain over the last few days. Jack went down some of the big hills with Matt and I and Ava made it on the magic carpet and went down with Matt.

Santa

2009-12-15T18:48:00.000-08:00

Our annual visit with Santa went well. Jack told Santa he wanted Bakugans, Bionicles, and Legos. Ava said she wanted balls...don't ask:) They were too cute and I was just glad they weren't scared of him this year!

Winter Pictures

2009-12-15T18:40:00.000-08:00

Just a few shots of the kids playing on one of the snow days. They had fun until Jack started throwing snowballs at Ava which resulted in her crying. I would say they made it maybe a total of 20 minutes. We'll have to try to go out more often. I know Matt is so ready to take Jack out on the slopes.

Jack's First Day of Preschool

2009-09-09T19:34:00.000-07:00

So Jack started preschool today. It wasn't quite the perfect day that I dreamed of, but ended up fine. He cried the entire morning until we dragged him into the room. Once he made it in, he was very excited and had a great day. We're so proud of our sweet boy. I can't believe how big he is getting, we love you Jack Jeffrey!

The Chalmer's Cottage

2009-07-08T18:13:00.000-07:00

We made a stop at Trevor and Sheila's cottage before heading home after the 4th. We had a great time and it's so great to watch our kids play and have fun together. Thanks again for the great time!

Fourth of July 2009

2009-07-07T18:03:00.000-07:00

Wow, what an awesome time we had up north for the fourth! We enjoyed fun times at the Matlosz family cottage, with Matt's family and my parents, Wayne, Tonya, and Ziah all came as well. It was nice to have both our families together to relax and enjoy the beautiful weather.

Lake Michigan

2009-06-30T13:07:00.001-07:00

We had a blast hanging with our cousins Jeff, Katy, Hannah, Jarred, and Jacob. What a beautiful view! The water was a little cold, but we still loved it.

Jack's 4th Birthday!

2009-06-04T12:59:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun celebrating Jack's birthday watching the White Caps. He had many guests that helped him celebrate his special day, Grandma Nancy, Grandpa O, Ama, Uncle Mike, Courtney, Uncle Tom, Adam, Melissa, Jackson, and Allory. Thanks again to Adam for the awesome seats!

Grand Haven

2009-05-30T18:11:00.000-07:00

Even though the weather was a little chilly...we still had a fun day in Grand Haven. We introduced Ava to Pronto Pups, walked out to the light house and did a little shopping. We'll have to go hang out at the beach on a nicer day this summer. I can't wait!

Memorial weekend

2009-05-26T18:10:00.001-07:00

We could not ask for better weather. It was absolutely beautiful at the cottage this Memorial Day! We had a blast hanging out, going on the boat, riding the jet skis, playing in the sand, and of course sitting around the campfire. Uncle Tom is a fire building pro and Uncle Mike is an expert making hobo pies and smores. We look forward to many more fun summer days up at the cottage.

The Kammer Mansion

2009-04-28T19:30:00.000-07:00

Our friends Adam and Stephanie just bought a new house and it is beautiful! I realize now that I didn't get any pics of the house, but it is awesome. The kids had a blast and so did we:) Thanks again for your wonderful hospitality! We can't wait to hang out this summer.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T19:22:00.000-07:00

Oh the fun we had looking for eggs, going to church and having family over for an Easter dinner. It was so great to have Matt's parents back from Gulf Shores. I've really enjoyed relaxing with the kids on my Spring Break this week...now back to work!

Happy Birthday Ziah!

2009-04-01T19:11:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun at Chucke Cheese for my nephew Ziah's birthday. Thanks for the invite, we can't wait to see you guys again!

Happy Birthday Nicholas!

2009-03-30T18:34:00.000-07:00

We had a great time celebrating Nicholas's safari birthday. What a great time! Thanks again to the Mannors for a fun party.

Ava's one!

2009-03-02T19:31:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe our little Ava Angeline is one. I feel like I just had her. She amazes us everyday with all of the new things she does and how quickly she grows. We love you sweet girl!

Matt's Birthday

2009-03-01T19:17:00.000-08:00

So I was looking through the pictures and picked out the most innocent. Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband. You'll always be 30 to me:)

Vegas!

2009-02-22T19:02:00.000-08:00

The top pic was in front of our hotel and the next one is me in front of the huge fish tank in the hotel. I thought Jack might want to see it.

Matt and his friend Andrew, treating us like rock stars. Thanks again Andrew!

The view to the Luxor next door.

Well, I would tell you all about it, but what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas:) But seriously we had a great time. We enjoyed seeing a few shows and then heading out to the clubs. We are thinking that next time we may need to head out with a group of friends...anyone interested???

Valentine's Weekend With the Kammers

2009-02-15T18:54:00.000-08:00

The cutie pies!

Ava and Maddie busy playing.

We had an awesome weekend with Adam, Stephanie, Vayla, and Maddie. Jack was so excited that he ran around in circles for at least a few hours, yikes! What can I say...he adores Vayla!

Happy Birthday Jackson and Colton!

2009-02-11T18:38:00.000-08:00

Wow, we had so much fun celebrating Jackson and Colton's Birthday at Chuck E Cheese. I don't know about the kids but I was so tired at the end. I think Jack would've stayed all day if I let him. Thanks again for a fun time!

New Years at Crystal Mtn.

2009-01-02T11:36:00.000-08:00

We had so much fun with the Spanbauers, Carpenters, and the Tidey's for New Years. We went to Crytsal Mountain and shared a condo. The kids had a ball. We had Jack take a ski lesson for the first time and he did great. His instructor Sara said that he did everything she asked and he moved up from level 0 to 1. He defintely was in good spirits. Anytime he fell, he would laugh and tell me the snow monster was getting him. Ava had fun playing up in the daycare. They had so many toys, I don't think that she knew where to begin :) Thanks again to Penny for putting together such a fun weekend!

New Years Eve

2009-01-01T11:50:00.000-08:00

Santa Finally Came!

2008-12-25T20:35:00.000-08:00

Scott and Sara posing for me on the couch.

Matt and Kelly's new baby boy Tynan. He was so good, what a cutie!

Mike and Courtney after opening presents.

We had a great Christmas. Unfortunately Matt's dad had the flu, so Christmas dinner moved to our house. We hope he feels better soon! It was so nice to see everyone. We are also hoping that Aunt Shyle takes it easy and gets better as well. We want to wish everyone a safe and healthy New Year. We will be heading up to Crystal for New Years with the Spanbauers, Carpenters, and Tideys. We can't wait!

Christmas Eve

2008-12-24T08:13:00.000-08:00

I'm sure Jack is telling Ama and Papa some great stories.

Ava and Matt waiting for Mass.

So, I realize I should've taken the kids a little earlier than Christmas Eve to sit on Santa's lap, but...better late than never. The good news was that there was no line. I was relieved that they both went right to Santa and didn't cry. I was hoping at least one of them would smile. Not a chance. Oh well, maybe next year. We went in the evening with Matt's parents to mass at Assumption. It was a very nice service and started out with a little performance by some of the kids there. Ava was very interested in the kids sitting behind us and Jack just wanted to cuddle with his Papa the entire time.

Chicago

2008-12-21T08:01:00.000-08:00

We had so much fun visiting our family in Chicago. Jack loved hanging with Adam, Tyler, and Emma. It was also great to see Uncle Rich and Aunt Colette. We finished our visit off with a quick trip to IKEA :) The only part that wasn't great was our drive back. We were cruising along until we hit Michigan. Too many accidents to count and white out conditions. Needless to say it took about 8 hours instead of the usual 4. Next time we'll visit when there is no snow on the ground!

Spanbauer Christmas Party

2008-12-14T08:33:00.000-08:00

We had a fabulous time celebrating with friends at the Spanbauer's. The kids loved exchanging presents and watching movies. Thanks for the hospitality!

Snow Day!

2008-12-01T10:22:00.001-08:00

Despite the fact that we just had a nice little break for Thanksgiving, it was still awesome having another day off. I had fun playing with the kids out in the snow. Ava was less than thrilled, so she stayed out for a short time and then watched Jack and I make snow angels and a snowman from inside. We'll have to keep taking her out, hopefully she'll like it more when she can walk.

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-03T19:41:00.000-08:00

Who's tired? My little witch and ghost, so sweet.

x
Jack with his daycare peeps.

Jack celebrated Halloween at daycare on Thursday with his friends. All the kids were so adorable! They all had a great time and we managed to get a few shots of them while they weren't running around. Miss Deb always knows how to host a good party, Jack had a great time. On Friday I thought it might be fun to bring Jack to school with me to celebrate Halloween with my students. So...I picked him up at lunch and he had a chance to hang out with me in my classroom. Needless to say Jack had a great day, but he was so exhausted when it was actually time to go trick-or-treating. We only made it to 5 houses. The last house, I told him he had to say trick-or-treat, or he would not get any candy. He looked at my neighbor and told her that it's ok, he had plenty of candy at our house. He then started heading back and said he was tired and just wanted to go to bed! Poor thing. Ava just stayed home and helped pass out candy. What a crazy weekend, thank goodness for the time change!

Halloween Party

2008-10-25T19:26:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed a fun night out at the Fenstermaker's. It was great to see all of the great costumes. I wish that I were more creative. Tommy B preformed for part of the evening until he was interrupted by the exciting Gloria. Thanks again Adam and Laurie, we had an awesome time!

The Orchard

2008-10-19T18:54:00.000-07:00

Just a few pics of the family at Robinettes today. We took a little time out to enjoy a wonderful hay ride. What a beautiful day!

Football Fun

2008-10-18T18:39:00.000-07:00

Despite the Rams loosing on Friday night, we had a great time. Jack played with Jackson and Maddie. They always crack me up. Ava was pretty good, she snuggled up with her daddy most of the time. So sweet!

Out for a Stroll

2008-10-13T18:19:00.000-07:00

So we thought that we should take time to enjoy the nice weather before it's gone. Jack finally decided to try riding his bike. He liked riding it and I think his favorite part was ringing the bell that Matt put on.

Happy Birthday Sawyer!

2008-10-08T18:41:00.000-07:00

Our cousin Sawyer just turned 3. It has been so fun watching him grow. Jack absolutely loves playing with Sawyer and we look forward to them growing up as friends and family!

Pulaski Days 08

2008-10-05T18:25:00.000-07:00

So once again we had a great time out with friends for Pulaski Days. We went to 5th Street and then ended the night at the Woods. One of the highlights of the night was a dance off between two guys that thought that they were outstanding dancers. They were actually just extremely drunk, struggling to dance, but I'm sure it all seemed awesome in their minds!

Go State

2008-09-21T18:11:00.000-07:00

As you can see we had a great time tailgating at the State game Saturday. Matt still showing off his tippy cup skills :)

Beautiful Sunset!

2008-08-24T17:52:00.000-07:00

Okay, not a bad picture with the exception of Jack. As you can tell by the look on his face, he didn't want to leave. This is at our cousin's new cottage on Lake Michigan. Absolutely beautiful. Thanks again to Jeff and Katy for their hospitality.

Happy Birthday Michelle!

2008-08-17T08:06:00.000-07:00

We had an awesome time helping Michelle celebrate her b-day this weekend. We started things out at the Tidey house and then took a bus to the Intersection for the Mega 80's. Thanks Andy and Michelle for a great time!

Happy Birthday Sara!

2008-08-13T21:52:00.000-07:00

Matt's cousin Sara had a birthday today, so we celebrated at Watermark. The kids had a blast! Thanks for inviting us, we'll have to go again sometime.

The Lambert Pool

2008-08-12T14:14:00.000-07:00

We took a day to celebrate my b-day and our cousin Sara's birthday. Jack says that he can't believe that I'm already 25 :) He's such a shmoozer already! I only took pictures of the cuties that let me snap a shot without running away. Another words...that's why you won't see a picture of Jack today. He's really into hiding from the camera lately.

This is Sophia posing after getting out of the pool. She was more than happy to have her picture taken. We are excited about Sophia turning 6 and going to Kindergarten at the end of the month. You go girl!

This is our cousin Jared, laying out catching some rays while patiently
waiting for the girls to finish using the pool shower.

Last but not least, this is the latest pic of Ava. I'm sure if she could
talk here she would've said something like, "Your the best
mom in the whole world, I love you!"............... I can dream can't I?

A cold weekend

2008-08-10T14:10:00.000-07:00

It was a little cold up at the cottage this weekend. We didn't really hang out at the water front at all. Instead we watched the Olympics and went into Ludington. This is a picture of Matt and Jack eating pizza at the Sportsman's bar.

Happy Anniversary!

2008-08-05T07:12:00.001-07:00

Today is our 8 year anniversary. It's amazing to think that it's already been that long. Happy anniversary to my best friend and the love of my life. I look forward to many more years of excitement, happiness, and love.

Fun in the sun!

2008-08-04T08:35:00.000-07:00

We had a fun weekend at the cottage. Adam Burkholder came up and helped Matt and his dad with some of the cottage renovations and I got to play with the kids in the lake.

Ava sporting her itsy-bitsy teeny weeny pink polka dot bikini.

Jack and Jackson had a great time. They are too funny together! They enjoyed making mud pies, jumping in the water off the dock, and seeing who could collect the most acorns. We'll have to hang out again soon!

The Kammer Cottage

2008-08-04T07:50:00.000-07:00

We had a great weekend up at the Kammer's cottage in Cheboygan. We enjoyed playing in the water, going for boat rides, roasting smores, and relaxing. On Sunday we even ran up to Mackinaw City for lunch.

Jack and Matt took a little time after lunch to throw rocks into the lake.

Vayla and Jack got along great. Jack cried on the way
home because he wanted to see Vayla again.

The Daddy's and their baby girls.

Thanks again to Adam and Steph for a wonderful weekend!

Fourth of July

2008-07-10T10:50:00.000-07:00

This year we celebrated the Fourth up at the cottage with many friends and family. I had so much fun that I actually forgot to get the camera out most of the time. I did manage to get a few shots of Jack and Ava, ...before they were covered with bug bites. I also did get a few shots of Kari and Matt Saganski with their son Lucas. We had a blast, Jack stayed up until 11 just to see the fireworks. He said they were loud, but he liked them. Matt and Uncle Ken went skiing and Tom and Andy went wakeboarding. Jack went tubing with Uncle Mike and on the jet ski with his dad. We'll need to go back up soon. Thanks to everyone that made it up, you're all welcome back anytime!

Summer Fun

2008-07-01T20:47:00.001-07:00

I finally got Jack's pool out and he played in it all day. Ava had fun watching her big bro. Before we know it she'll be right next to him splishing and splashing.

Cutie Pie

2008-06-30T20:50:00.000-07:00

Just a few cute shots I took of Ava. I love when she laughs!

Two Peas in a Pod

2008-06-29T21:08:00.000-07:00

Just a cute picture of Jack and Ava cuddling after we got back from the cottage.

Fun at the Beach

2008-06-27T20:56:00.000-07:00

Do you think that someone is teething?

We spent the afternoon celebrating our cousin Katy's Birthday at the EGR Yacht Club. As you can see Jack loves hanging out with his cousins.

Chuck E Cheese

2008-06-08T19:53:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun with everyone at Chuck E Cheese. Thanks to all of you that came to help celebrate Jack's birthday. He had a blast and keeps asking if we can go back soon.

Happy Birthday Jack!

2008-06-03T19:47:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that our sweet little boy is 3! Where did all of the time go? We spent Jack's birthday at home eating his favorite dinner of chicken nuggets and mashed potatoes and gravy. Ama, Uncle Mike, and Courtney stopped over to wish him a happy birthday and also brought some exciting presents.

Jack Star

2008-05-18T19:12:00.000-07:00

We love these shots of Jack trying to be like Uncle Tom.
He keeps asking if he looks cool in his sunglasses and wrist band.
He's definitely a Matlosz!

Ava's Baptism

2008-05-11T18:45:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed celebrating Ava's baptism on Mother's day.
The first picture is our little angel in her dress.

Uncle Tom and Cousin Sara are her God parents.

Feeling like herself...

2008-03-15T15:59:00.001-07:00

Alice was excited to go and get her hair done and go tanning.

Ava sleeping

2008-03-15T15:58:00.001-07:00

Week two with Ava.

Jack: bath time

2008-03-15T15:55:00.000-07:00

Jack was being so funny in the tub I just had to get a couple of pictures. He is adjusting to having a new sister.

Rock Star?

2008-03-15T15:53:00.000-07:00

We got Matt a Wii for his birthday along with Guitar Hero. Here is Tommy rocking out on GH3.

Home bound!

2008-02-29T12:30:00.000-08:00

Here is Ava on her way home from the hospital.

Day two

2008-02-28T18:46:00.000-08:00

Here we are on day two. Did we mention that we are borrowing Melissa Burkholder's back up professional camera. Matt has been going crazy with the camera, he thinks he knows what he is doing.

A new addition to our family

2008-02-27T15:35:00.000-08:00

Ava Angeline was born on Wednesday February 27th at 3:02 pm. She weighed in at 7 lbs 2 oz and was 19 inches long. Mom and daughter are home now doing great!

Give me the good stuff!!

2008-02-27T14:00:00.000-08:00

Alice was very excited that she was able to get an epidural this time around!

2008-02-24T15:48:00.000-08:00

Big-brother-to-be looking so cute. Jack is very excited to meet his new sister.

Skiing at Crystal Mountain

2008-01-05T15:45:00.000-08:00

We enjoy going up north in the winter to ski and snowboard. Here is Jack and Matt on the magic carpet and then both skiing down.

New Years Eve Party

2008-01-03T15:39:00.000-08:00

We brought in the new year with lots of friends at the Corner Bar in downtown Rockford (Thanks Andy!!). Here are a few pictures of us with the Burkholders and the Carpenters. The rumors about Blue Thunder are just rumors!!

Halloween 07

2007-11-02T15:36:00.000-07:00

Jack was a cowboy this year for halloween. Here he is at his daycare party with his good friend Ellie.

Hide and seek

2007-10-11T15:34:00.000-07:00

Matt and Jack were playing hide and seek and we caught this picture of Jack hiding.

Up at the cottage in July

2007-07-27T18:05:00.000-07:00

We had a great weekend up at the cottage. Cousin Andy and a friend came up and we waterskied, wakeboarded, tubed and barefooted. This was Jack's second time tubing and Andy's first time barefooting. Here are some pictures from the weekend.

Messy

2007-07-15T15:31:00.000-07:00

Tan man Jack enjoying an ice cream cone.

Family Ski Boat!!

2007-05-06T18:27:00.000-07:00

The Matlosz's are a boating family. We made a impulse buy on the way back from breakfast one Sunday afternoon. We purchased a Ski Challenger inboard ski boat. It came with a barefoot boom!

Oma, Alice and Jack by the fire

2007-04-28T18:18:00.000-07:00

We were up north building a new dock.