A Day at the Cottage

A friend of a friend has a cottage about 20 minutes or so from our house and we spent a day and night there emjoying some fun and relaxation. It was nice to get away from our house even for just a day and enjoy a leisurely day on the lake, kayaking, sitting around a campfire, enjoying good food and great company!

Caedmon with "Aunt" Sarah (his friend Jack's aunt)

Mama and Carys kayaking - she loved it!

and she loved climbing it and keeping mama vigilant!

The boys, doing some kayaking on land.:)

Carys keeping warm with dada

Jack and Caedmon enjoying the setting sun...
or just making their parents nervous...

for good reason...Jack finally took the dive of the dock

a quick morning swim...it didn't last long for the cooler temps

waiting patiently for breakfast

6/27 - 6/28/10

Trip to Detroit

We took our "anniversary" trip the middle of June and, with kids in tow, headed to Detroit for a Tiger's game and the zoo. I wish I had tempered my excitement, 'cause making trips with kids is not at all relaxing! But we did get out of town for a few days.:)

This is at the hotel restaurant the first night and it didn't go so well. This picture cracked me up! Quick story: A few weeks later this couple came up to us at our coffee shop in Bellaire and said they recognized us from somewhere and we all racked our brains and couldn't figure it out....until we got to talking about kids and "vacations" and they then figured out that they had seen us at this restaurant (above pic). Why were we memorable? 'Cause my daughter was a handful that night and I looked like a "tired mom." Awesome.

Lounging during lunch before the game Sunday

Must be something fascinating on TV

At the game: I got to see the first inning and the last inning and
in between hung out with my kids in lines for rides.
And we only rode two rides once each!

Enjoying way too much ice cream
while mama enjoys the last of the game

Caedmon couldn't wait to ride in the "train,"
otherwise known as a people mover.

We were pretty high up;
the view was just a parking lot,
but it doesn't take much!:)

Probably a highlight for Caedmon was swimming;
he even got to the point he didn't need dada to hold him!

We opted for supper IN the hotel room; it's just easier to stay in.

Riding the train at the zoo; another highlight for Caedmon!

Caedmon was in heaven!

Observing a little crocodile.

My Valentine's Gift

I might get pictures posted one of these days when my friend e-mails them to me, but for now, I'll just share the story.

I've been going to the chiropractor for a few weeks now and once in awhile get a chair massage while I'm there, but five minutes is never long enough! The therapist told me about a deal she was running for Valentine's day and I told Corey what a wonderful idea that would be! Now, I wasn't really hinting, just thinking that a massage sounded a lot nicer than flowers or candy or anything else. My shoulders stay pretty tight these days. Now, we don't neccessarily do anything for Valentine's day, so it was mostly an off handed remark...

About a week later or so, he's on the phone making reservations at the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa for a night at the resort, breakfast and a spa treatment (massage was among the choices)! Now, we have yet to leave Caedmon overnight and Corey could care less about a spa treatment, so he made the reservations for a night when my dear friend planned to be up here anyway!

Needless to say, we were extremely excited and had the best time!!! We spent the afternoon shopping, ate a delicious meal at Olive Garden and spent the evening exploring the resort, swimming, and enjoying the plush beds in our luxurious hotel room overlooking the bay and the city lights at night. Words don't do justice to the massage we experienced the next morning! It was heavenly! And we've both decided this will have to be an annual trip!

I am so thankful that Corey is such a sweetheart and decided I needed some time away. It was the longest I've been away from Caedmon, and mother and son faired just fine! Good to know, since we'll be apart when his brother or sister is born.

Thank you love for the wonderful gift! And thank you my friend for sharing it with me!:)

Our Trip to Ohio

Yes, against my husband's better judgment, I made the trip south and crossed that ominous border into Ohio country. Heehee! :)
My friend had a wedding in Columbus, where my aunt and uncle live. Yay!! I drove the whole way down, since my friend worked third shift the night before - she was supposed to be sleeping, but we pretty much talked the whole time!:)
Caedmon and I had the most wonderful time! He did an amazing job around so many new people and in a new place!
My Grandpa drove the couple hours over to see us and meet Caedmon for the first time. It was so great to see him!
My aunt was sympathetic to keeping Caedmon on his schedule, so although she felt bad, we didn't do much outside of sticking around the house and visiting. Which was just fine with me - I would have loved to have gone to the zoo, but Caedmon without a nap is not a pretty sight! It was just nice to catch up and reminisce. She and I did get out once by ourselves, and once with Miss Brooke, while Grandpa babysat (Caedmon was sleeping both times).
Here are some fun pics from our visit - Enjoy!:)

Grandpa and Caedmon hit it right off!

The cousins (second cousins) and Grandpa

After checking out Uncle Keith's peach trees, we hung out in the back yard for a little bit

Caedmon's favorite thing to do these days - mind you, he's not even crawling yet

Here's Grandpa making a fort and Caedmon taking it down:)

Brookie managed to go through the fort a few times before Caedmon got ahold of the blankets again

Grandpa, with his second grandchild and first great grandchild:)

The dogs were more interesting than the camera

Brookie had fun pulling Caedmon around the living room and he didn't seem to mind too much:) (he's not quite ready for the wheel barrel)

Fun with bubbles!

Thank you so much for opening your home and your hearts to us this past weekend!

We love you!

Hanging Out With Nanna and Papa

While Corey worked in Bellaire this week, we stayed with his parents. Caedmon was showing signs of wanting only Mama shortly before we went up, so I was a little nervous about how he'd do with his grandparents. He did wonderfully! Nanna and Papa were wonderful with him and he loved them! We had a good time hanging out and getting spoiled!:)

The shirt explains who this is!:)

Silliness!

He likes to cock his head like this - one way and then the other -

guess it gives him a different perspective:)

He makes us laugh!

What a cool way to shop!

Three woman and a day of shopping got to be too much.

Jumping on the bed with cousin Maria and help from Papa

Since Cousin Maria was taking a bath,

she was able to steady him while he got a bath as well

(and as a side note, this is the first time he's ever splashed!)

Surprise Birthday Weekend

The surprise weekend was supposed to be for our anniversary, but the first available reservations ended up closer to my birthday, so Corey switched it to my birthday weekend.:) Fine with me!
A couple in our new church have a time share and gave us a weekend at Boyne Mountain! I was in the dark until we pulled in and couldn't believe where we were! The accomodations were wonderful!
Shortly after we arrived, Corey took off to the nearest grocery store for supper. He cooked supper and even got a cake for me!
Saturday, we spent much of the day in Petoskey, one of my favorite towns up north! Corey sat in a coffee shop doing homework while Caedmon and I walked around town and shopped. I had fun spending some birthday money from my Grandpa.:)
We left Sunday morning, but I wanted to stay longer! We had a lovely weekend!

VERY early Sat. morning.

Wouldn't let "ma ma ma ma" stay in bed,

so he rolled around the living room while mom showered.

Fun with "dada"
In a Petoskey park


Fun on the floor

Saturday in TC

Lighthouse at Mission Point

MIssion Point = a small peninsula jutting out of the "little finger" of Michigan

Caedmon's first time in a pool - he was somewhat indifferent to the whole experience.

Walking the docks on Grand Traverse Bay

We had a fun filled day. I'm pretty sure we wore Caedmon right out! He slept well that night!