Oct 30 2011
Robinette’s Orchard
Love this shot with both kids
Check out her facial expression
Avery drives the bus
On the hayride
Pretty day, though it did sprinkle on us
Golden maple leaves
Nice horsey....
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Oct 30 2011
Preschool Halloween party
Preschool class
Parade
Mom helping out
Mmmmmm. Cupcake.
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Oct 30 2011
Avery’s first field trip
with her preschool class, including her BFF Keala, at Orchard Hill Farm
Getting ready
Close-up of the girls
The whole class
Posing with the wooden cow
Happy dance waiting for the hayride
Love this picture
We got lost in the corn maze. The farm girl came in to get us.
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Oct 30 2011
EKHS Homecoming
- Just before the Falcons got their butts handed to them
Stomping and clapping to greet the EKHS Falcons
The marching band playing Journey songs was the best part. We left right after this
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Oct 30 2011
ArtPrize
I finally got to ArtPrize! I went downtown on a lovely evening with my friend, Tammy, from my musical theater days. Sorry in advance I don’t have more notes on where all these things were and such.
Hanging glass installation in honor of people lost to cancer
Bull and bear near San Chez
Photos of people taking photos. I took a photo of it. (I should have had Tammy take a photo of me doing it.)
Weird hanging helmets. They made sounds you could only hear if you stuck your face in them.
Cool figures...
Real plants inside the glass tubes
This installation was made up of 70,000 discarded lottery tickets, called "Maybe Next Time"
Cool dolls in Park Church, done by Forest Hills Public Schools
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Sep 08 2011
First Days
Sam is a third grader! I insisted he pose for our traditional “first day of school in front of the sign” picture. I told him I won’t make him do this in middle school, at least. And if that isn’t enough excitement for you, Avery started preschool!
He's so big! And so happy to be officially a "big kid" at Glenwood. ("Upper" elementary now, you know.) See below for the previous three years of "first day" pictures.
Outside on a very bright and sunny first day of preschool
Getting excited with her backpack
With her BFF Keala (BFF= Best Friend Forever)
Handprints!
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Sep 08 2011
A new generation discovers the Erector Set
Sam built this out of an Erector Set kit. Well, Mom helped. It "only" took us an hour and a half.
Just like the box!
Avery was inspired to build, too...
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Aug 27 2011
Life’s a beach
In late August, Mother Nature presented us with a picture-perfect beach day. Warm but not hot, no humidity, no storms, pleasant breeze. So we ran out to Oval Beach in Saugatuck. It was gorgeous — except for the biting flies, which were not so gorgeous. They didn’t plague us the whole time, but a couple of swarms nearly drove us away! Glad we toughed it out.
The kids are the lower left. I was trying to capture with a photo what a pretty day this was.
The water was relatively warm, for Lake Michigan, anyway
Digging in the sand is half the fun
This was Avery's idea of going swimming. Sitting at the edge and letting a wave splash her once in a while.
Sam enjoyed the waves washing him back to shore
Then they buried Daddy and decorated him.
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Aug 14 2011
Day Three (and four) — Wednesday Wonders of Mackinac Island (and Thursday)
Wednesday the weather was cool, breezy but sunny, and perfect for a visit to the Island. We took a carriage tour, stopped at the butterfly house as part of the carriage tour, took pictures at Arch Rock and enjoyed some history at Fort Mackinac. (Not a very auspicious military history, considering it was captured twice and later turned into a National Park, where apparently soldier discipline was a real problem because the bored recruits used to get drunk all the time.) We ate at a lame buffet for lunch (lured inside by a girl extolling the virtues of the pizza) and also ended up in a “Maze of Mirrors” which the kids enjoyed, at least. We also ended up searching for ice cream at “The Tea Room” inside the fort itself. Turns out they didn’t have much in the way of ice cream (really?) so we had the most expensive shakes in the history of dessert. The view, however, was spectacular.
Thursday we just hung around the campground, went into town for lunch, a playground, and ice cream, and hung around the campground some more. Friday we decamped and headed out. It was a wonderful time, but we’re sure glad to be home.
This was Avery's first boat ride
We let the kids run around in the park when we first arrived.
A postcard-perfect day
The Grand Hotel from the carriage tour
At the butterfly house
Love the bright colors
Bruce picked up a hitchhiker, which rode with him almost the whole time.
View along the carriage tour
The famous limestone arch rock
View from arch rock
With our carriage tour horses, Team Toy Story. Buzz, Woody and... I forget.
View from a restaurant at the fort, the home of the pricey milkshakes
Cannon demonstration. Was not as loud as I thought it would be.
Sam's keeping an eye out for the British
This rock memorializes a doctor who learned all about digestion because of some guy's stomach wound. Gross story; cute kids.
This was Thursday when we just bummed around the campground mostly. Cool sandcastle.
A fun family vacation!
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Aug 14 2011
Day Two — Touristy Tuesday
This was the day that threatened rain. Luckily for us, Bruce ignored the GPS instructions to the Mystery Spot and it poured down rain when we were in the car headed the wrong direction. All’s well that ends well. Anyway, this particular day we hit the corny tourist spots of St. Ignace: Castle Rock, the Mystery Spot, and the Worst Minigolf Ever.
Before the climb up Castle Rock.
See what I mean about corny tourist stuff? We had fun, though.
"Hey, Sam! Show me how tired you are!" Halfway up Castle Rock.
View from the top. You can barely see the dock at the campground in the upper left.
Sam wasn't too comfortable all the way out at the edge...
But Mom and Avery didn't mind. Windy up there.
So then we headed for the Mystery Spot. Which is either full of optical illusions, or a magic place where the rules of physics don't apply, with cute college girls as your guide to the wonders within. You decide.
Ask Sam about how he floated on the chair. He'll love to tell you about it.
Avery was not a fan of the Mystery Spot, but she LOVED this maze. We did it twice, once all together and once we raced. (Sam and Mom won).
Pretty view at the state park
The first minigolf place we tried was closed for some reason (gave up because of the earlier rain?) and we had promised the kids, so... we ended up here. The place was ripped up and decrepit, we couldn't hear each other over road noise, and it was boring. Oh well.
Mom and Dad thought it was too chilly for the lake Tuesday night, but that didn't stop the kids.
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