Sorry so long since our last post! After our visit from Bill; Andy and I had a weekend of tubing and camping fun with our friends. While Evelyn had a fun weekend with Grandma Barb and Jackie, who split the babysitting duties. After our tubing event, I fell cripple with a stiff neck and upper left shoulder area. I think this was due to constantly holding my head up while sitting on a river tube for multiple hours. Essentially I have not recovered from this "injury" and have received several neck and back adjustments and shoulder rubs. I love tubing, but if I go next year I might just have to invest in a lounge type of tube, which would support my upper body and neck while making me look pretentious!
The next week was filled with office related duties and basically back to our normal routine. This past weekend Andy, Evelyn and I were able to spend countless hours together as a family. Not really doing anything in particular or spectacular, but yet nice and relaxing. Evelyn's cousins were over for the weekend as well, so Evelyn played with them a lot too. Andy and I did manage to escape for a few hours on Sunday evening so we could go to dinner alone. Andy will be out of town this weekend camping with his buddies, so this weekend I am on Evelyn duty. My plans include a trip to a park with my girlfriends and their children on Saturday. The park has playground equipment, a beach, a SplashPad, etc...so that should help us "beat the heat". I am also thinking of taking Evelyn to a place that has inflatable jumping equipment, but I would like to coordinate this with someone else so Evelyn has someone to play with while she is there. No Parents allowed on the equipment!
So although we haven't been that busy with things over the last week or so, it does seem like the summer weeks are flying by!
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
Evelyn's Uncle Billy
Evelyn first met her Uncle Billy (my younger brother) when she was only 3 weeks old. Since Bill lives in Georgia, the next time Evelyn would see her Uncle Billy she would be about 1.5 years old when he visited for Christmas. It has been another 1.5 years, Evelyn now over 3 years of age has seen her Uncle Billy again. The thing is though...I think this last visit will be the first she one she ends up remembering, because a memorable visit it was!
Bill arrived a week ago Sunday (July 13th). Bill came to Michigan with his 5 year old daughter, my niece Kayla, and his girlfriend Emily. The family meet Emily for the first time and we really liked her!
The story of our time together is best told by the pictures taken, yet I will also provide a short written synopsis and comments around some of the pictures I post.
On Sunday the 13th we stayed home with a day filled of bright sunshine, fun on the playset, fun sharing rides on Grandpa's horse, and a family dinner. Emily, who is a big animal lover, yet hadn't ridden a horse in years, felt confident enough to enjoy two long rides on the horse. My nieces and Evelyn took turns riding together and riding alone on the horse. After our dinner, we celebrated Bill's birthday - which wasn't really for 6 more days. We sang happy birthday, Bill blew out his candles, Bill read his cards, and we all ate cake and ice cream!
Evelyn really enjoyed sharing her toys with her cousin Kayla. Once my nieces Shelby and Katie came over, Kayla and Katie became inseparable.
On Monday, Andy and I had to go to work at the office, so Evelyn got Uncle Billy to herself for most of the day. In the evening we had dinner and went for ice cream.
On Tuesday, Andy and I had to go to work again, but after work we had another family dinner. Something we labeled "Taco Tuesday". After dinner, Bill and Emily went fishing with Kayla's Grandpa Vinny and her Uncle Dave. That allowed me and my sister (Kayla's Aunt Angie) some quality time with Kayla, the niece we think of often yet do not see nearly as much as we would like.
Wednesday, once again, Andy and I had to work, but Bill, Emily, and Kayla stopped by my office to say goodbye before they left that afternoon. Even though Bill and Emily met in Georgia and live there still, Emily is originally from Michigan! So they left on Wednesday afternoon in order to spend the rest of the week with her family. It was weird to think that my brother who lives far away in Georgia, was actually still in Michigan for 3 more days, yet I wouldn't be seeing him!
Of course I won't be able to post all the pictures that I feel are special about their time in Michigan, but I will post many! There are very special pictures left on the camera that haven't made it to the computer. The pictures are of Grandpa Bill down at the pond catching frogs with his 4 grand-daugthers. Check back to see them, you don't want to miss it!
When Evelyn first saw Uncle Billy she was shy, hiding her face over my shoulder. Uncle Billy smiled at her from afar waiting for her to give him the time of day. That time soon came! Next thing you knew Evelyn couldn't stop saying things like "Uncle Billy, look at me." and "Where did Uncle Billy go?" - even when he disappeared for a short restroom break! This continued the whole time that Uncle Billy was around. Evelyn loves her Uncle Billy.
Uncle Billy and Evelyn showing off their baseball caps! Evelyn thought it was so cool that they both had baseball caps to wear!
Katie (8), Evelyn (3), and Kayla (5) taking one of many baths together while Kayla was here. If one asked to take a bath, ALL wanted to take a bath. They loved playing with the colored soaps. Shelby's (12) knees are shown in this picture, as she was one to help supervise the rowdy bathroom bunch!
Kayla and her Grandma Jeanna and Grandpa Vinny!
Kayla and Katie - Their smiles say it all!
Kayla playing on the playset in the backyard.
Kayla, Katie, Evelyn, and Shelby - beauties posing for a quick picture on the slide.
Kayla, Emily, Katie, Uncle Billy, Evelyn, Shelby
A family picture with their daughter and their nieces!
Emily, Bill, Kayla, Grandma Jeanna, and Grandpa Vinny
Bill's Birthday Bash!
In order as best as possible - Shelby, Evelyn, Grandma Jackie, Cousin Tyler, Bill and Kayla, Katie, Lois, with Emily and Andy standing in the background
Angie, Grandpa Bill, Vinny and Jeanna were there too!
Emily, Evelyn, Kayla, Shelby and Katie
Willy the horse, of course!
Bill arrived a week ago Sunday (July 13th). Bill came to Michigan with his 5 year old daughter, my niece Kayla, and his girlfriend Emily. The family meet Emily for the first time and we really liked her!
The story of our time together is best told by the pictures taken, yet I will also provide a short written synopsis and comments around some of the pictures I post.
On Sunday the 13th we stayed home with a day filled of bright sunshine, fun on the playset, fun sharing rides on Grandpa's horse, and a family dinner. Emily, who is a big animal lover, yet hadn't ridden a horse in years, felt confident enough to enjoy two long rides on the horse. My nieces and Evelyn took turns riding together and riding alone on the horse. After our dinner, we celebrated Bill's birthday - which wasn't really for 6 more days. We sang happy birthday, Bill blew out his candles, Bill read his cards, and we all ate cake and ice cream!
Evelyn really enjoyed sharing her toys with her cousin Kayla. Once my nieces Shelby and Katie came over, Kayla and Katie became inseparable.
On Monday, Andy and I had to go to work at the office, so Evelyn got Uncle Billy to herself for most of the day. In the evening we had dinner and went for ice cream.
On Tuesday, Andy and I had to go to work again, but after work we had another family dinner. Something we labeled "Taco Tuesday". After dinner, Bill and Emily went fishing with Kayla's Grandpa Vinny and her Uncle Dave. That allowed me and my sister (Kayla's Aunt Angie) some quality time with Kayla, the niece we think of often yet do not see nearly as much as we would like.
Wednesday, once again, Andy and I had to work, but Bill, Emily, and Kayla stopped by my office to say goodbye before they left that afternoon. Even though Bill and Emily met in Georgia and live there still, Emily is originally from Michigan! So they left on Wednesday afternoon in order to spend the rest of the week with her family. It was weird to think that my brother who lives far away in Georgia, was actually still in Michigan for 3 more days, yet I wouldn't be seeing him!
Of course I won't be able to post all the pictures that I feel are special about their time in Michigan, but I will post many! There are very special pictures left on the camera that haven't made it to the computer. The pictures are of Grandpa Bill down at the pond catching frogs with his 4 grand-daugthers. Check back to see them, you don't want to miss it!
When Evelyn first saw Uncle Billy she was shy, hiding her face over my shoulder. Uncle Billy smiled at her from afar waiting for her to give him the time of day. That time soon came! Next thing you knew Evelyn couldn't stop saying things like "Uncle Billy, look at me." and "Where did Uncle Billy go?" - even when he disappeared for a short restroom break! This continued the whole time that Uncle Billy was around. Evelyn loves her Uncle Billy.
Uncle Billy and Evelyn showing off their baseball caps! Evelyn thought it was so cool that they both had baseball caps to wear!
Katie (8), Evelyn (3), and Kayla (5) taking one of many baths together while Kayla was here. If one asked to take a bath, ALL wanted to take a bath. They loved playing with the colored soaps. Shelby's (12) knees are shown in this picture, as she was one to help supervise the rowdy bathroom bunch!
Kayla and her Grandma Jeanna and Grandpa Vinny!
Kayla and Katie - Their smiles say it all!
Kayla playing on the playset in the backyard.
Kayla, Katie, Evelyn, and Shelby - beauties posing for a quick picture on the slide.
Kayla, Emily, Katie, Uncle Billy, Evelyn, Shelby
A family picture with their daughter and their nieces!
Emily, Bill, Kayla, Grandma Jeanna, and Grandpa Vinny
Bill's Birthday Bash!
In order as best as possible - Shelby, Evelyn, Grandma Jackie, Cousin Tyler, Bill and Kayla, Katie, Lois, with Emily and Andy standing in the background
Angie, Grandpa Bill, Vinny and Jeanna were there too!
Emily, Evelyn, Kayla, Shelby and Katie
Willy the horse, of course!
Friday, July 11, 2008
This is the reason I take Fridays off during the summer!
We went to the zoo today and had a great time!
I took Evelyn (3) and her two cousins, Shelby (12) and Katie (8) to the zoo this morning. We started off fairly early, arriving by 10am, because the weather reports called for hot and humid high of 90 degrees. I figured the sooner we started, the better. It didn't end up getting that hot today, which made the trip even better than anticipated.
We went to Potter Park Zoo in Lansing, which is usually nothing to write home about (or write on your blog about), but today was great. Possibly the key to great animal adventures at the zoo is an early arrival. The animals were out in full force today and provided us with a ton of entertainment.
We started off in the underwater living world of fish and coral. We essentially saw the cast of "Finding Nemo". From there we went over to the Arctic Foxes and the River Otters, who were as adorable as can be. The three otters made it a point to swim right at us and make us feel like the show was all for us! From there we went to the wolves, the ostrich, and farm animals. We were able to pet some goats and I have to say one baby goat that was brown with white spots was the cutest ever and I wanted to take it home! After this we went to the house that holds Lemurs and Mandrills as well as Lions and Tigers (oh my - no bears though). Of course we sang "I like to move it, move it" from the movie Madagascar while watching the Lemurs. The Mandrills had a baby born last December and he was very cute. He came right up to the glass and even shocked my niece Katie when he jumped up and placed his hands on the glass right where she was. We watched two large tigers play games with each other, roar at each other , and walk shockingly close by us! We captured pictures. We saw a lion and got pictures, but the lion was farther away. Then we snacked on Pringles and soft serve ice cream cones before heading to see a large snake, black Asian Bear cats, Meerkats, and things that are part of the reindeer family - yet are very small and cute and I cannot remember their name! My nieces were ready to see the penguins, but I have to say all of us were disappointed when we arrived and the penguins did nothing but sit on their rocks! From there we went on to an area that was giving camel rides. Katie really wanted to ride a camel, so I caved and paid the over-priced fee of $3.00 each for my nieces to ride the camel around a small circle one time. I will never do that again! From there we saw Spider Monkeys, went back to the River Otters which were not playing anymore, stopped back by the underwater sealife, and watched the Arctic Foxes again (we all decided that the fox with excessive energy... who repeatedly ran in the same circle around his cage was, in essence, my niece Katie!). We ended with a short discussion about how I would allow them to enter the gift shop under the conditions of; no crying, no whining, no getting lost, and only one item per child would be purchased. I forgot to mention a price limit on each item, but it turned out fine. All girls wanted stuffed animals so Katie picked a fox (go figure), Shelby picked a white snow leopard (which wasn't out that day), and Evelyn picked a frog with 6 plastic frogs in a pouch. Turns out Evelyn is smarter than the older girls. Even though I said one gift per child, she got 7! We also purchased a gift for my niece, Kayla (5), who will be here on Saturday! More to come on that, once they arrive.
After the zoo, I took the girls to lunch at Burger King and back home. A fun day like today is the reason I take Fridays off during the summer!
I took Evelyn (3) and her two cousins, Shelby (12) and Katie (8) to the zoo this morning. We started off fairly early, arriving by 10am, because the weather reports called for hot and humid high of 90 degrees. I figured the sooner we started, the better. It didn't end up getting that hot today, which made the trip even better than anticipated.
We went to Potter Park Zoo in Lansing, which is usually nothing to write home about (or write on your blog about), but today was great. Possibly the key to great animal adventures at the zoo is an early arrival. The animals were out in full force today and provided us with a ton of entertainment.
We started off in the underwater living world of fish and coral. We essentially saw the cast of "Finding Nemo". From there we went over to the Arctic Foxes and the River Otters, who were as adorable as can be. The three otters made it a point to swim right at us and make us feel like the show was all for us! From there we went to the wolves, the ostrich, and farm animals. We were able to pet some goats and I have to say one baby goat that was brown with white spots was the cutest ever and I wanted to take it home! After this we went to the house that holds Lemurs and Mandrills as well as Lions and Tigers (oh my - no bears though). Of course we sang "I like to move it, move it" from the movie Madagascar while watching the Lemurs. The Mandrills had a baby born last December and he was very cute. He came right up to the glass and even shocked my niece Katie when he jumped up and placed his hands on the glass right where she was. We watched two large tigers play games with each other, roar at each other , and walk shockingly close by us! We captured pictures. We saw a lion and got pictures, but the lion was farther away. Then we snacked on Pringles and soft serve ice cream cones before heading to see a large snake, black Asian Bear cats, Meerkats, and things that are part of the reindeer family - yet are very small and cute and I cannot remember their name! My nieces were ready to see the penguins, but I have to say all of us were disappointed when we arrived and the penguins did nothing but sit on their rocks! From there we went on to an area that was giving camel rides. Katie really wanted to ride a camel, so I caved and paid the over-priced fee of $3.00 each for my nieces to ride the camel around a small circle one time. I will never do that again! From there we saw Spider Monkeys, went back to the River Otters which were not playing anymore, stopped back by the underwater sealife, and watched the Arctic Foxes again (we all decided that the fox with excessive energy... who repeatedly ran in the same circle around his cage was, in essence, my niece Katie!). We ended with a short discussion about how I would allow them to enter the gift shop under the conditions of; no crying, no whining, no getting lost, and only one item per child would be purchased. I forgot to mention a price limit on each item, but it turned out fine. All girls wanted stuffed animals so Katie picked a fox (go figure), Shelby picked a white snow leopard (which wasn't out that day), and Evelyn picked a frog with 6 plastic frogs in a pouch. Turns out Evelyn is smarter than the older girls. Even though I said one gift per child, she got 7! We also purchased a gift for my niece, Kayla (5), who will be here on Saturday! More to come on that, once they arrive.
After the zoo, I took the girls to lunch at Burger King and back home. A fun day like today is the reason I take Fridays off during the summer!
Monday, July 7, 2008
Evelyn's 4th of July 2008
Have you been on the edge of your seat waiting to hear about Evelyn's 4th of July 2008? Probably not and if by chance you were I am sorry to say this, but you shouldn't have been! Our 4th of July turned out to be more tame and less eventful than we thought it might be.
We attempted a camping trip to Manistee. Our 3 hour drive on Thursday the 3rd was easy and stress free, until we reached our destination deep in the Manistee National Forest. Upon our exit from the car we were RAVENOUSLY ATTACKED by thousands of man eating mosquitoes. Our camping trip in Manistee lasted all of 2 minutes before we jumped back in the car, trapping ourselves with 50 more mosquitoes! All three of us became cranky from the constant slapping at the blood sucking bugs, our voices raised and Evelyn cried. Our exit from the forest was quick, but the post traumatic stress disorder related to this incident will remain with us for awhile.
From this point in our trip we had driven too far and it was getting too late to drive home. Yet we needed a plan, fast. We drove back to Cadillac praying that Mitchell State Park would somehow have an opening on a holiday weekend. Our minds told us this was a huge long shot, most likely to end in them laughing at us and suggesting we get a motel! Andy went into the registration building while Evelyn and I stayed in the truck. Andy reappeared a couple minutes later to happily inform us that we were given the very last camping site in the park (which was also a handicap site, meaning the whole area was paved around us). In record time and with great relief, we set up camp for the night. We had dinner, visited the lake, had a campfire and Evelyn played at the playground. The next day we had to pack up and be out by 1pm.
We arrived home around 2:30pm - to the surprise of our family. We took quick showers and left for the St. Johns Park to let the girls (Evelyn and her two cousins - Shelby and Katie) play for awhile. We had an evening picnic and then watched fireworks at dusk. Evelyn had asked all week long about getting to see fireworks, yet when the first one went off the boom appeared before the visual display which scared Evelyn so much she covered her face the rest of the show! On our way home, Evelyn told us her head hurt. We are thinking this was a combination of the loud fireworks and a sinus problem she developed that day. After giving Evelyn some pain killer for the night and placing her in bed, the next morning I was greeted with the following words, "Mommy, my head feels better now." Yeah!
On July 5th we spent most of the day with Andy's parents, his brother Dan, his wife Cat, and their son Owen. After a nice dinner of steaks, Grandma Barb watched Evelyn and Owen while Andy, Dan, Cat and I went to a Lansing Lugnuts baseball game. We had a nice time and it was great to spend some time with Dan and Cat.
Sunday the 6th we spent at home, relaxing and doing laundry. Fun! Monday the 7th, we also had off of work, so we spent the day doing a little shopping in the summer clearance sections and finishing laundry. Fun!
Although Evelyn's 4th of July 2008 was not as magical as we were hoping it would be, we still enjoyed our family time together.
We attempted a camping trip to Manistee. Our 3 hour drive on Thursday the 3rd was easy and stress free, until we reached our destination deep in the Manistee National Forest. Upon our exit from the car we were RAVENOUSLY ATTACKED by thousands of man eating mosquitoes. Our camping trip in Manistee lasted all of 2 minutes before we jumped back in the car, trapping ourselves with 50 more mosquitoes! All three of us became cranky from the constant slapping at the blood sucking bugs, our voices raised and Evelyn cried. Our exit from the forest was quick, but the post traumatic stress disorder related to this incident will remain with us for awhile.
From this point in our trip we had driven too far and it was getting too late to drive home. Yet we needed a plan, fast. We drove back to Cadillac praying that Mitchell State Park would somehow have an opening on a holiday weekend. Our minds told us this was a huge long shot, most likely to end in them laughing at us and suggesting we get a motel! Andy went into the registration building while Evelyn and I stayed in the truck. Andy reappeared a couple minutes later to happily inform us that we were given the very last camping site in the park (which was also a handicap site, meaning the whole area was paved around us). In record time and with great relief, we set up camp for the night. We had dinner, visited the lake, had a campfire and Evelyn played at the playground. The next day we had to pack up and be out by 1pm.
We arrived home around 2:30pm - to the surprise of our family. We took quick showers and left for the St. Johns Park to let the girls (Evelyn and her two cousins - Shelby and Katie) play for awhile. We had an evening picnic and then watched fireworks at dusk. Evelyn had asked all week long about getting to see fireworks, yet when the first one went off the boom appeared before the visual display which scared Evelyn so much she covered her face the rest of the show! On our way home, Evelyn told us her head hurt. We are thinking this was a combination of the loud fireworks and a sinus problem she developed that day. After giving Evelyn some pain killer for the night and placing her in bed, the next morning I was greeted with the following words, "Mommy, my head feels better now." Yeah!
On July 5th we spent most of the day with Andy's parents, his brother Dan, his wife Cat, and their son Owen. After a nice dinner of steaks, Grandma Barb watched Evelyn and Owen while Andy, Dan, Cat and I went to a Lansing Lugnuts baseball game. We had a nice time and it was great to spend some time with Dan and Cat.
Sunday the 6th we spent at home, relaxing and doing laundry. Fun! Monday the 7th, we also had off of work, so we spent the day doing a little shopping in the summer clearance sections and finishing laundry. Fun!
Although Evelyn's 4th of July 2008 was not as magical as we were hoping it would be, we still enjoyed our family time together.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
What has Evelyn been up to?
Evelyn has been very busy since the last posting about our recent camping trip. You might ask... "What has Evelyn been up to?"
Evelyn took another camping trip! We went to Lake Mecosta in Mecosta, MI. We went away with a few other families and had a wonderful time. There were many kids around Evelyn's age to play with in the water, on the beach, in the boat, and fishing off the dock.
Evelyn shared her "Disney Princess" fishing pole with her friend Reagan (about to turn 3 in July). Each girl took one turn casting the rod and reeling it back in, then would hand it over to the other one for their turn and so on...for a long time! It was very nice to see how well they shared the fishing pole, repeatedly took turns, and mastered the mechanics of casting a pole.
Some of you may ask..."Why would you let 3 year olds play with a fish hook and did they catch anything?" Calm down! There wasn't a hook involved. On the end of the fishing line was a flexible pink piece of plastic in the shape of a princess crown. This is what provided the weight, allowing them to cast it into the water, as if really fishing. Obviously, without a hook, no one was hurt. Also, zero fish were caught by either girl! Neither of them seemed to notice that their "fishing" never resulted in an actual fish!
Now when two 4 year old boys picked up the same fishing pole and cast it...I do have to say that one of them experienced pain. It appears that the flexible pink plastic crown tied to the end of the line can still cause some pain when enough arm muscle is applied! The mark across one boy's cheek lasted for a few minutes and then all was right with the world again.
With the holiday weekend coming up, Evelyn has been talking about seeing fireworks. We definitely have to make this happen for her, or we will be deadbeat parents in her eyes. For the time being though, our actual plans for Evelyn's holiday weekend are still up in the air. Andy and I have 5 days in a row out of the office and are looking forward to it, but at the same time each of us appears to not want to actually commit to planning our time off.
So after the 4th of July ask yourself the question, "What has Evelyn been up to?" and stop back by to read the answer. Enjoy your holiday!
Evelyn took another camping trip! We went to Lake Mecosta in Mecosta, MI. We went away with a few other families and had a wonderful time. There were many kids around Evelyn's age to play with in the water, on the beach, in the boat, and fishing off the dock.
Evelyn shared her "Disney Princess" fishing pole with her friend Reagan (about to turn 3 in July). Each girl took one turn casting the rod and reeling it back in, then would hand it over to the other one for their turn and so on...for a long time! It was very nice to see how well they shared the fishing pole, repeatedly took turns, and mastered the mechanics of casting a pole.
Some of you may ask..."Why would you let 3 year olds play with a fish hook and did they catch anything?" Calm down! There wasn't a hook involved. On the end of the fishing line was a flexible pink piece of plastic in the shape of a princess crown. This is what provided the weight, allowing them to cast it into the water, as if really fishing. Obviously, without a hook, no one was hurt. Also, zero fish were caught by either girl! Neither of them seemed to notice that their "fishing" never resulted in an actual fish!
Now when two 4 year old boys picked up the same fishing pole and cast it...I do have to say that one of them experienced pain. It appears that the flexible pink plastic crown tied to the end of the line can still cause some pain when enough arm muscle is applied! The mark across one boy's cheek lasted for a few minutes and then all was right with the world again.
With the holiday weekend coming up, Evelyn has been talking about seeing fireworks. We definitely have to make this happen for her, or we will be deadbeat parents in her eyes. For the time being though, our actual plans for Evelyn's holiday weekend are still up in the air. Andy and I have 5 days in a row out of the office and are looking forward to it, but at the same time each of us appears to not want to actually commit to planning our time off.
So after the 4th of July ask yourself the question, "What has Evelyn been up to?" and stop back by to read the answer. Enjoy your holiday!
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