Michigan Part 4

After church playtime with Aunt Dana and Dabo

Sunday was the big 80th birthday party for GG.  The party was at GG's church which allowed the kids to play in the nursery.  James was particularly funny with this walker.  He would go as fast as he could and run smack into something.  He's then maneuver to the other side and take off again in a different direction.

Sadie wanted everyone to try on the hat

I love to see them interacting like this!

Notice both Claire and Sadie playing peek-a-boo with James in this picture

A little pre-bath playtime.  His mood remarkably improved when his clothes were off!

Notice how he was standing without holding onto anything.  He's doing this more and more lately.

Quick stop at Wendy's on the way home.  James wasn't too happy in the car or the restaurant but loved the grassy area outside!  We left Michigan around 1:30 Monday afternoon and arrived safely home at 4:30 Tuesday morning.  Both kids were a bit fussy in the car but slept most of the night.  We had a very fun filled trip and felt we got to have lots of quality visiting time with family.  We were especially glad to be able to celebrate GG's birthday with her!

Michigan Part 3

Aunt Dana flew into Michigan on Friday night.  We all enjoyed more visiting with Grandpa Huyser on Saturday followed by a birthday party for Matt's cousins, Alex and Ian who turned three.

Claire loves playing with her Aunt Dana (and I think the feeling's mutual!)

Yummy Jack-o-lantern cookie

Look who can climb up steps now!

Yummy cupcakes!

Alex

Ian

 Alex and Claire decided it was fun to bounce down the steps together while holding hands.  I bet they did it at least half a dozen times.  If Alex got ahead of Claire, he would turn back and wait for her to catch up.  It was so cute!

Michigan Part 2

On Friday, we went to visit Grandpa Huyser.  Aunt Michelle, Marci, Ben and Maddie joined us for lunch.  There is a lot of room for the kids to play in the common areas, and they seemed to have a great time.  They especially enjoyed playing in an area under a staircase with artificial flowers.  It was like a jungle adventure for the little ones!

Michigan Part 1

On the afternoon of September 19, around 2:30, we departed for Holland, Michigan, to visit Matt's family.  The kids did very well in the car, all things considered.  I bought Claire a lap desk to have in the carseat so that she could color and play with stickers.  It's also the only time they get to watch DVDs, so Claire enjoys that.  A friend suggested buying glow sticks for the dark hours in the car, and this ended up being great fun for Claire.  We stopped at a park about an hour before Nashville and had playtime and BBQ from a nearby restaurant.  We put the kids in their PJs and continued on until we arrived at the Huyser's house around 4:20 am.  Thankfully both kids slept for a bit in their pack and plays so Matt and I could get a little more rest before starting the day.

On Thursday morning, we went with GG and Bama to the nearby "Critter Barn."  Most of the animals weren't on display because of some painting that was being done, but Claire got to go into a cage with cats and pet some bunnies, so she was just as happy as could be.  James has started saying a few words now.  "Cat" is one of these, so he was saying "tat tat tat" the whole time.

After the Critter Barn, we made a quick stop at a playground.

Thursday evening, Matt surprised me with a sunset sailboat ride to celebrate our sixth anniversary.  It was a beautiful evening and the captain was a kind older gentleman full of interesting stories and details about the science behind how sailboats work.  It wouldn't be a date for us without a little fluid mechanics discussion!  :)