Michigan - Last days

Our vacation is coming to an end (sigh).  It's hard to believe it's been over 2 weeks since we were in Texas.  We've really enjoyed spending so much time with our families... especially the kids.  Evan has just had a blast everywhere we've been and loves spending time with Oma, Uncle Will, Mema, and Papa.  Here are some more pictures from our last days in Michigan.  Tomorrow we start the LONG journey home.  We'll leave tomorrow afternoon when Bryce returns from his golf outing and drive to Indy.  Then, we'll spend the night with Oma before heading out the next morning for Hot Springs, AR.  We plan to stay the night there and check out the National Park before driving the rest of the way home on Tuesday.  It's going to be 3 long days of the car so I hope the kids tolerate it okay.  I'm a little nervous this time!  Maybe I'll facebook how the journey is going if I think about it.

Evan on the trampoline at Jungle Gym at the Midland Community Center... very similar to our gymnastics class.  Evan had so much fun!

Bryce and Caitlin at gymnastics

Evan driving the boat - weather was so great! We enjoyed going out on the lake a few times.

Papa, Evan, Bryce, and Caitlin chilling in the swing

Kate, Lindsay, and Evan on the boat

Bill, Kate, Lindsay, and Evan

Evan played with the neighbor boys also - here they all were doing bubbles!

Evan and Mema on the boat

Caitlin and Mema on the boat - her first ride... I think she's enjoying it!

Papa pulling Evan in the wagon

Evan got to play with some other neighbors in their little pool one day.  He had a lot of fun with them as well.  Here they are doing ring around the rosie and playing.

Michigan - Dow Gardens

The weather has been beautiful while we've been in Michigan.  On Wednesday, the Reeves let us borrow their passes to Dow Gardens so we could check it out.  Although spring has come and gone in Texas, everything is just starting to bloom here.  The rose garden wasn't blooming yet and the vegetables really haven't come up either which was disappointing.  Still, they have a wonderful children's garden where we took the kids.  Evan again had a great time because he could run all over and there was water!  We spent a good amount of time here and it was lovely.  I'd really like to come back when more is blooming and they have the vegetables.  They even let you pick some and take them with you.  Plus, the children's garden is actually maintained by kids in the area so they can learn all about growing plants/vegetables... very neat.

Evan checking out the blocks

Evam saying hi to the pig

Evan and the horses (well, donkeys actually but he thought they were horses - pretty close I'd say)

Evan and the sprinklers

Fun in the water - I'm all wet if you can't tell!

Mema and the grandkids

Me and my two wonderful children

Evan playing in the sand box

MIchigan - Fun and Friends

We've been in Midland a few days now and are really enjoying ourselves.  The grandparents are loving having the kids around and the kids are loving the grandparents being around.  It's a big love fest going on.  On Monday, we took the kids to Chuck E Cheese since Grandma had heard how much fun Evan had a month or so ago.  Again, he had a blast.  I got him to try the horse ride this time where it simulates you being in a horse race.  He's obsessed with horses (neigh-neighs as he calls them) right now.  But, he was totally afraid of getting on it last time so I didn't force it.  This time, however, I did.  He got on and immediately wanted off but once the horse started moving, he totally loved it!  And from then on, he didn't want to do anything else but ride the neigh-neigh. 

Riding the horse

Riding a horse on the carousel

Driving the bus -  this is one of his new favorite words

Caitlin enjoying herself too

We checked out a park as well for some playtime and a picnic one day.  It's been really warm here which is a nice change from Indianapolis.

Fun on the seesaw with Mema

Trying another one with Daddy

We also got to see some of our friends who used to live in Austin and now live here in Midland - the Reeves!  It was great to see Laura, Lindsay, and Kate.  We are hoping to see Bill tomorrow.  Evan had fun playing with Kate, especially since he got to get very wet and jump on a trampoline and play soccer!!

Kate and Evan getting wet

Playing soccer - score!

Trampoline fun with Kate

Caitlin and Laura

Michigan - The Farm

On Sunday, we headed to Bryce's family farm where his mom grew up in Harbor Beach, MI (which is in the thumb for those who know Michigan).  We got to see lots of family, and Evan had a blast!  First thing we did was head down to the barn to see the cows.

There were quite a few toys around so Evan tried out some of those as well.  He really likes to ride things now so it was great that they had so many types of those toys including a car, two bikes, and this tractor!

After lunch, Evan got to ride on the real thing!  Cousin Jackie got out the real tractor and took each of the kids for a ride.  She was Evan's new best friend.  He really didn't want to get off of that!

Bryce even drove the tractor with Evan!

We saw lots of family including Aunt Pete who is Bryce's mom's twin sister!  Here she is holding a sleeping Caitlin.

Evan also enjoyed the swingset where Grandpa Ray spent time pushing him.

And some people even swung some golf clubs for fun. Evan wanted to participate and the kiddie ones just weren't enough for him.  He wanted to be like Daddy so Bryce tried to help him out.

Grandma and Caitlin

Next were the barrel rides!  Apparently they do this a lot in Michigan but I thought it was so neat.  Evan enjoyed these (as did Grandma Betty and Cousin Allison)! 

Even Caitlin took a turn with me!

Cousin Allison and Caitlin

And finally we stopped in Bad Axe to see Grandma Stacer - look, 4 generations!

Indianapolis - Cincy/State Museum/Travel to Michigan

Currently, I'm sitting in Hope, MI on my laptop looking out over the lake on a beautiful, sunny morning.  We made it safely to Bryce's parents house near Midland yesterday evening.  I thought I'd blog real quick about the rest of our adventures while in Indiana because I know we'll be just as busy here.

On Thursday, I headed down to Cincinnati to visit my friend Katy and her two great kids, Ruby and Ray.  Evan and Caitlin did great on the drive down.  We arrived just before lunch.  Evan was a little shy but once he saw all the toys, he was won over.  And Ray was super sweet to him, sharing very well.  (Ray is just over 3 and Ruby is about 3 months younger than Evan).  We had some lunch, played, and then walked over to the nearby park.  What a great little park... they enjoyed the playscape and then the best part was the creek.  Evan LOVED playing in the water.  He was just laughing the whole time. I've got a video of him and Ray playing in the water.  He got very wet and dirty but had a blast.

Video of them playing in the creek

Evan on the playground

After the park, we walked a little further for some ice cream.  Delicious!  Thanks for the treat Katy.  The best  part was Ruby - Katy is way braver than I am as she got her a cone... I think Ruby got more ice cream on her than she ate, but it was cute.  After we got back to the house, it was time to head back to Indy.  We had a great time, and it was really good for me to see how two older kids get along and how you manage them.

Ruby and her ice cream

Ray and Caitlin

Katy and Caitlin

On Friday, my mom, brother, the kids, and I headed to the Indiana State Museum.  We had a good time here as well.  We saw lots of animals, race cars, and other things related to Indiana history.  We also had lunch at the LS Ayres Tea Room - this is a replication of the tea room they had in downtown Indy when I was a little girl.  We loved going here for breakfast with Santa and other occasions.  It was neat to see.

Evan and Oma at the tea room

Evan checking out the animals

 

The mammoth!

Evan showing us the animals and their sounds

On Saturday, we started our drive up to Michigan.  We stopped in Grosse Pointe to see my friend Sarah from college... just briefly which was a shame but any amount of time is worth it!  They are spending 2 months in Spain this summer - how jealous am I?  After that, we went up to Sterling Heights to see the Wolfs.  They recently returned from South Africa where Joel was working for GM.  We haven't seen them in about 2 years or their little boy Graham who is just over 2.  We enjoyed catching up, having dinner, and watching the boys play.  Then we had to leave for Bryce's parents house (about 2 hours away). And that's where we are now!

Sarah, Caitlin, and I

Evan and Graham playing on the stairs with Joel and Bryce

Candice and Caitlin

The Wolf Family

The Stacer Family

Bryce and Joel doing what they love - playing games