First up was PBS Kids in the Park (or something like that. . .don't remember the exact name). It was downtown Indy and the kids had loads of fun. Of course, since it was free, there were LOADS of kids there as well. We were able to get in to see a couple characters, but Cookie Monster had a line a mile long. Started with the duck, which Abby was sooooooooo excited to see, but as soon as we got to the front of the line, she freaked out. Oh well, we still took a pic.
Then we worked our way through the park. The Oscar Mayer Weinermobile was there, and of course we had to get a pic with that! Too bad there were too many people for Caleb to get a good pic with the full Weinermobile! (It used to be my dream to drive the Weinermobile. . .maybe they're looking for drivers after the house crashing in WI. . .)
They had some bubble stations set up as well, and Caleb tried is hand at it. Took a couple times, but he figured it out.
Caleb decided he wanted his pic with Arthur. The line wasn't too bad, so we went for it. (At least it wasn't Caillou. . .I would NOT wait in line for that. . .)
Marsh grocery stores had a booth set up for bean bag toss (aka "Corn Hole" here in the south, but I just cannot bring myself to call it that. . .). Caleb was right up next to the board and won himself a little Pokemon toy (yay, more toys.).
Next up was the 4th of July. Uncle Jon, Aunt Rhonda and baby Matthew Joel came down for a few days and boy did the kids have fun together! And yes, Matthew has red hair too. :)
We went to the Children's museum (after trying the zoo and deciding not to wait in the mile long line to get into the parking lot--seriously, it was about that long!) and the kids got to play.
Then of course came the fireworks. Since we live in IN now, fireworks are legal, so alllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll week we had been listening to the big boomers. The day of the 4th it rained in the evening, but we still went outside and did a few small ones with the kids.
These were a couple from within our neighborhood (the first one is literally behind a house across the street!). As much as we heard througout the week and then witnessed that night, we figured someone else down the street had spent their life savings on fireworks. Who needs to go to a big fireworks display when you can sit in your driveway and enjoy it all!
Then this past weekend we were able to go to MI for a few days away. We went to big Caleb's old stomping grounds in Grand Rapids and were able to meet up with an old YAM friend of mine as well as some other friends. The first day there involved a day at the beach in Grand Haven. The kids LOVED the sand (even if momma forgot the sunscreen until after they were covered in sand. . .) and Caleb even liked the water.
Caleb kept coming back out of the water saying he was cold and would put his towel on his head then curl up in a ball on the sand. . .this is what he looked like when he stood up again.
After that, he thought he'd stay warmer if he just kept the towel on while entering the water. Whatever.
Abby basically kept with the sand. She went out with daddy once into the water, but she didn't want to get wet.
Big Caleb's friend Cam was still on the road, but his wife Sheri and their kids Jacob and Izzie came with us to the beach. Jacob is 9 and is a water loving kid and little Caleb kept thinking he could run out into the waves just like Jake. Not so much. But the kids all had fun together in the sand. Notice the skin tone difference?? Yeah, poor little pale boy. . .
They tried to bury Jacob in the sand, but weren't able to get him all the way buried before someone accidently threw a handful of sand into his mouth. Sorry Jake!! (it was big Caleb, not a kid)
Abby and Izzie playing in the sand.
Caleb tried to put Aiden's feet in the water. . .he didn't like it very much.
BUT he was just fine and dandy sitting in his stroller in the shade.
The next day we went to the other side of the state to visit Caleb's Aunt Judy and Uncle Bill. We haven't seen them since 2003, so it was a much overdue visit, and the kids were excited to meet them! We stayed at their house and visited for a bit, took a walk around the park with Uncle Bill and then headed over to Frankenmuth for some famous Zehnder's chicken. NUMMY!
We're so glad we were able to visit them, and we will not wait another 6 years to see them again! Thanks Uncle Bill and Aunt Judy for visiting and joining us for dinner!!
Our last day in MI we were able to enjoy breakfast with Cam and Sheri (and kids) before they took off to go north for the week. Then we headed back over to Grand Haven to walk out to the lighthouse. Silly momma let the kids wear their flip-flops and they ended up with blisters, but other than that, it was a great walk and a beautiful, if not a bit chilly, day.
It was quite windy out there, and poor Abby (and momma too actually) had a problem keeping the hair out of her face. She took it all in stride though.
That evening we went to find a UofM shirt for Caleb and the kids (when in UofM country, must try to find one. . .) Here's the kids in their new shirts. Even Aiden got his own shirt.
Also at the mall they had a Build a Bear Workshop and we decided to see if they had any UofM or Detroit Tigers stuff, which of course they did. We also let the kids each pick out a new bear and got Aiden his first Build a Bear. He likes to chew on it, so for now he's sitting on Aiden's dresser. I now present to you MI Bear, Gibby, and Grinder.
If you're still reading, congrats!! You've made it to the end. :) Sorry for the long entry and all the pics. . .but I hope you enjoyed them all. Happy July!!
