Mimi, Papa and Rocks

Mimi and Papa came to visit a few weeks ago. It was one of the first nice weekends in Marquette, so we spent a lot of time outside in the backyard and at the lake. We were able to sit outside and have dinner on the patio of La'Attitude (a restaurant downtown), and then we took them to see the rock beach. Charlie LOVES this place because there is an endless supply of rocks for him to throw into the lake. We got ice cream, played with new toys Papa and Mimi got, went swimming in the pool at their hotel, and just enjoyed some good family time. Charlie woke up for several days after they left asking if we were going to see them, so I know he enjoyed his time! Thanks for everything, Mom and Dad!! Can't wait for the next visit!!

Hiding in the hole with Dad.

Showing Papa how to throw rocks.

Porcupine Mountains & Daddy's Birthday

We had a busy couple of weeks surrounding Pete's birthday. We spent the week in Ludington because Pete had to do some work there. Pete's parents came down and brought Pete's favorite cake that he's had every year for his birthday. Charlie REALLY liked the cake... so much that he was up all night!! There's nothing like Daddy and him watching Mickey Mouse at 2:30 in the morning.
We came home for a night, then we headed to Pete's surprise birthday weekend in the Porcupine Mountains. We stayed at a quaint little hotel, enjoyed some hiking & fishing in the park, made a visit to Lake of the Clouds, threw some rocks in the big lake, and just enjoyed being outside together in such a beautiful place. The rain came Saturday afternoon, so we headed out early Sunday morning to get back to the house and get some stuff done. It was a great little weekend together to celebrate 30 years of the most amazing husband and father in the world! Happy Birthday, Pete! We love you so much!

Lounging on the recliner at the cottage.

Trying to get a better look at Lake of the Clouds.

Ahhhhh . . . there it is.

My boys.

Our little Cheetos lover. I couldn't wake him up from his deep slumber, so I opened the bag of Cheetos and he popped up, grabbed the bag from me, and gave me the biggest smile!

Doing some fishing.

Getting pointers from Dad.

Run-off from the falls.

Celebrating that we threw a rock through the hole of a bigger rock.

Posing in front of Manido Falls.

Charlie posing with the porcupine.

The Circus!

Last week the circus came to town. Charlie and I met up with our friends to see the show. This was Charlie's first circus experience, so I was a little nervous. When we got there, all the clowns were standing outside to greet us. Charlie was NOT a fan (his dad is scared of clowns too!). I had to carry him in, and he didn't want to look at or talk to any of them. Once we got inside, you could ride on ponies, a camel, or an elephant. Charlie loves horses and was super excited to see them. I asked him if he wanted to ride, and he said "YES" in a super excited voice. I thought we might be in luck since they were ponies and a lot smaller than horses. I tried putting him on, but he freaked out. No luck.

Once the show started, Charlie's eyes were wide the entire time. He clapped, danced, chatted through the entire show, and he absolutely LOVED it! We were worried the kiddos wouldn't be able to make it the the whole two hours, but they did (with a little help from some snacks =) ). Charlie's favorites were the horse and the elephants. He even took a toy fish from one of the clowns on our way out! It was a great success, and I look forward to taking him again!!

One of the many treats throughout the show.

The tigers jumping through the ring of fire.

Charlie's first cotton candy with his buddy, Joe.

The man put on a little show with the horse. Charlie liked this show.

The man who juggled fire.

The elephants going to sleep.

The end of the elephant show.

Mother's Day Weekend

Mother's Day weekend was great! Our good friends, Pete, Liz, their daughter, Brooklyn, and their two dogs, Tatum & Logan, came to visit for a few days. We stayed up late Friday night to wait for them, and of course Charlie was up early Saturday morning. The guys went fishing for the day while Liz & I stayed home with the kiddos and dogs. It was a beautiful weekend, so we spent a lot of it outside in the backyard. We threw the ball for the dogs, went on a hike through the woods, and played with some toys. The guys were back for dinner so we grilled some hamburgers.

On Sunday, we headed out early for breakfast at the Huron Mountain Bread Co. We then headed to Sugar Loaf to do a little hike to the top to see a great view of Marquette. It was again a beautiful day, and Charlie loved hiking! He walked the entire way by himself, looking for rocks along the way. There are a lot of big rocks and tree roots along the trail, so Charlie enjoyed climbing, jumping and running. After our climb, both kiddos fell asleep in the car, so the guys let Liz and I walk through Target while they stayed in the car. After that we headed to Buffalo Wild Wings for lunch (this is a tradition we have with the Millers, so we figured we'd stick with it!) We headed back to the house after lunch, and Brooklyn and Liz took a little snooze. Charlie had no interest in going back to sleep, so we set up the water table for him and the rest of the us sat out on the porch getting some sun and drinking strawberry daiquiris. When Liz and Brooklyn woke up, the guys started on our Mother's Day dinner. They made Mojito chicken, asparagus, salad, and garlic bread. We enjoyed a nice dinner, then the guys headed out to fish again. Liz and I gave the kiddos a bath and put them to bed. After that, we poured ourselves a drink and watched Sex in the City 2.

It was a great Mother's Day weekend. I consider myself the luckiest mom in the world because I could not ask for a better son. These past two years with Charlie have been amazing, and it just keeps getting more exciting every day! I look forward to many more years of celebrating being his mommy!

The dogs (Logan, Tatum, Payton) waiting for the ball to be thrown.

Charlie giving Brooklyn some love.

At the top of the Sugar Loaf hike.

My little man posing for a Mother's Day pic with me.

Who could ask for a better family?

A quick self portrait with the lake in the background.

I think someone is going to love camping this summer! My little outdoors-man.

And . . . my first son. The best pup in the world!

Museum with Joe & Anna

Every now and then when the weather doesn't cooperate, we head to the Children's Museum with Charlie's good friends, Joe and Anna. I brought my camera with on this occasion to try and snap some shots, but the lighting in the museum is really dark, so I didn't get too many. Joe is 3 and Anna is almost 2, so Charlie has so much fun with the both of them. I tried to get a good picture of the three of them together, but this one is the best I could get. It's hard to get the attention of three kiddos!

Charlie likes driving the big construction truck.

All three of them worked together to send the apples up the conveyor belt to the apple tree.

I just LOVE this picture of Anna. "Get out of my way, lady, or I'll run you over!"

Joe and Charlie were working the cash register as my friend, Shannon, checked out with her groceries.

Just a fun pic of Joe.

Riding the penny horse.