Eric and Kimi Fankhauser and her boys, Oscar, Bobby, and Vernon Chapman, live in Ottawa Hills. Eric’s son, Jon, and his beautiful new wife, Elizabeth, live downtown on the river, and Eric’s daughter, Kelsey, lives in Chicago, Illinois.

How did you and your spouse meet?
We met 16 years ago at a John Legend concert at the zoo, but our love story began when we reconnected 8 years ago.

Do you have pets? Tell us a little about them.
We have a munchkin kitten named MOONA. She is the queen of our house. The boys call her the sausage kitty because her torso is really long, and she has short limbs, similar to a bunny rabbit. Her fur is strangely soft, like a chinchilla, and she has a vibrant personality. Munchkins have all their claws and can climb and jump, and our little girl loves to “talk.” If you ask her a question, she will meow a reply every time. She checks in on each child every night before she turns in to sleep at her mama’s feet! She is sweet and hilarious.

Where are you and your family originally from?
We are all from Toledo.

What college/university did you attend?
Eric earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Bowling Green University, and Kimi received her bachelor’s degree from Ohio University.

What are your professions?
Eric and his brother, Craig, own Toledo Metal Spinning. My stepson Jonathan heads sales for the company.
Kimi owns California Yoga Studio, 200RYS Yoga School, and CY International Retreat Company. My new daughter-in-law, Elizabeth, is a gifted teacher at my studio.
Fun fact: Elizabeth taught for me and was like a daughter to me before I even connected with my now husband, Eric! In fact, she used to bring Eric to studio events and parties when I had just opened the new business!

What kind of activities are your kids involved in?
The boys all play and enjoy basketball. Oscar plays golf for Ottawa Hills. Bobby’s passion sport is football for Ottawa Hills, and he runs track in the spring to prepare for football. Vernon plays flag football, FNA football, lacrosse, and baseball.

Do you have family traditions?
When the boys were younger, we used to play "peach and pit" every night at dinner. Peach of the day was the best part, and pit was the bummer. We still model that same conversation when we sit down at dinner every night. A big thing in our home is that I cook homemade meals, and we sit down every night together as a family and connect while we eat, even if it’s just for 10 minutes before rushing to the next sport or practice!

Our Christmas tradition is hiding a pickle ornament in the tree, and the first person to find it on Christmas morning wins a cash prize.
Our other tradition is sloppy joes and putting in or taking out the dock at our lake house every summer. The boys, their stepbrother, stepfather, and often friends from Ottawa Hills muscle the dock while I cook the lunch, and then all the boys pile in and eat before hitting the lake surfing, wakeboarding, or fishing.

What hobbies do you like to do as a family?
We all love to travel. I think travel is the best education. Since the boys were little, I have always put travel as a high priority and top of the totem pole. Even if I had to pinch pennies as a single mom at the time, I saved and put what I had toward experiences over material things.

Many holidays were trips as opposed to toys, and the boys still talk about a trip we took to Tulum, Mexico, one year for Bobby’s birthday when he turned 9. I decorated the room with streamers, confetti, and balloons while the boys slept, and he woke up to presents, the ocean, and, of course, birthday pancakes.

We snorkeled a protected reef that trip off the beaten path and dipped our feet in tubs of tiny fish that nibbled at our toes. I can still hear the laughter of the boys to this day.

There was an engagement table set up on the beach, and at 10, 9, and 7 years old… my little angels gave the staff and that couple an unforgettable proposal (and not in a good way), but now it’s funny for all, I guess! I was mortified!