A Short TC Visit

Busy little bees we were this weekend. Wanting to avoid traffic we took off for Traverse City Saturday morning. We had to make a few more unplanned trips but made it up there around 3pm.

There was actual sun and warmth so we suited the children up and headed over to the beach. The wind was whipping and we figured the water wouldn't be a big draw of the beach due to the chilliness. Noelle proved us wrong and showed her love of water once again. Uncle Alex came with us to the beach and was Noelle's buddy in the water. It was sandy and shallow and perfect for Noelle. She was thrilled with the waves and said they felt like little punches when they hit her face. I was so impressed with the amount of time she did spend in the water, even while shivering. Max had fun as well, but didn't last as long in the water due to getting too cold. He loved chasing ducks, and playing in the sand. Violette loved the sand just as any 15 month old would. She did wander down to the waters edge but when the waves would crash she turned around and wiggled her butt away. She would work up a bit more courage and sit down and scoot toward the water's edge then stand up and run away as the water came. It was very adorable and she had a little crowd of on lookers ohhing and ahhing at her cuteness and exploration of water.


After awhile we headed back to the house and the children continued to have fun in the little kiddie pool and take it easy because Sunday was going to be a day out on my parent's boat. The kids were very excited about going on the boat, especially after climbing inside it and enjoying the little cubby. Immediately upon finding the bathroom they wanted to try it out, which we quickly said No to!


Sunday's weather didn't cooperate and unfortunately, the boat was not taken out. Instead we decided to make it day of getting out around TC. Our first stop was the mall to eat some lunch and take a few rides on the carousel, a huge hit with all the children, including Uncle!

Next was the Great Lakes Children's Museum. We have stopped here before and it's a great place to keep the children occupied on a dreary day. A bit pricey, but a nice back up plan for us out-of-towners with young children.

The children were holding up well so we decided it was time for some ice cream downtown. We have obviously been way out of the loop and were treated to our first Cold Stone Creamery experience. Noelle said it was "Scrumptious" and "the best thing she has ever eaten". A huge hit with all of us!

On a side note, Max said something very cute on the way to get ice cream. My Mom was with me and the children, and the men were in another vehicle. My brother has a summer job as a metal trade and is working on a downtown building which my Mom pointed out to the children. The building is obviously under construction and Max says, "Uncle forgot some things" and as we turn the corner, "Uncle forgot more things". He was obviously concerned about Uncle not finishing the building. My Mom and I were giggling!

While walking back to the car, everyone still in very good moods, although Violette was starting to crash, we spotted The Spirit of Traverse City (a miniature steam train) steaming around a park across the street. We had to go over there and take a ride! This caused great excitement to bubble up for Noelle and Max. They had such a blast and it was another highlight in a great day with the Grandparents and Uncle Alex.

The children were very tired out so we went back home and had dinner. Towards 7pm we made a quick decision to leave that night. After packing up and left and made the long drive back home. Originally, my Mom was supposed to have Monday off of work, but things changed and she had to work, so Monday would've just been us by ourselves anyways. It was nice to get the kids back in to their own beds, even if it was midnight when we arrived home.

It was disappointing not to spend Sunday on the boat. We have decided to plan another trip, the last one before the new baby arrives in October, towards the end of July. Alex leaves to play hockey in Atlanta at the beginning of August and it will be one last time to spend some quality time with Uncle as well. We have no idea if we will be able to see him at Thanksgiving or Christmas.

Well, that was our very busy, but too short Traverse City vacation weekend. The children cried when we left, as did I. I truly never anticipated how hard it would be away from my family and as the children grow, it becomes more difficult. On the positive side, it is only about 5 hours and it could be a five hour plane ride!

Wordless Wednesday

Pictures

I've been taking a bunch of pictures lately so I'm going to do a post with a lot of pictures. Enjoy!

Weekend Number Three of June

June seems to be the month of adventures for us, as we again traveled a bit this weekend. Usually, we are home bodies, only traveling at most once a month, but June we have something going on each weekend that requires at least two hours of driving to our destination. It's wonderful for the children. .

We went up to Caro, Michigan for the day of Saturday. My good friend, Stacy and her family are the ones we were visiting. Noelle and Max get along well with her two children of similar ages, Jacob and Kelana. They offered to come to our house, but they have a pool so it was a no brainier that we would make the drive to take advantage of the water feature. Who doesn't love a pool in the summer?

Noelle was able to show off her new swimming skills, forgoing the life jacket for awhile. She did very well, still not exactly Michael Phelps in the pool, but for short distances she was able to swim and could hold her own. She would jump off the side and have no problem popping herself up and went on swimming. After a bit she was clearly tired and we put a life jacket on to aid in swimming.

Max did surprising well too. He hasn't been in a pool, besides a kiddie one, since last July when he was still a baby. We weren't sure what to expect, but we assumed he would just cling on to us. We put floaties on him and he would actually swim on his own! He had no problem jumping off the side by himself and he truly impressed Tom and I. I do believe it is time to start him in lessons as well this summer. I have been holding off because at his age I wasn't sure if it would be worth he price of a private lesson if all he was going to do was be scared of the water and spend time only getting familiar. I think he would actually get in to "real swimming" and not just the normal baby familiarity of water.

Violette wasn't interested in the pool much at all. She enjoyed walking around the edge throwing anything she could get her hands on into the pool so that one of her siblings would have to retrieve hit for her. She did take two pretty good falls, drawing some blood. It was adorable the way she examined her wound on her little knee, pinching it, wiping the blood, completely enthralled. She's had a few boo-boos here and there, but she was so interested this particular time. Violette is at that wonderful age where exploration of any and every thing beckons to her. The way she studies things and then interacts fascinates me. The toddler age is truly amazing and wonderful, even the third time around I get blown away by these little creatures on a daily basis!

Anyways, swimming was a huge hit for the older children. All in all it was a really fun visit and the children, along with the adults, enjoyed each other's company. We left after a nice dinner.

Sunday rolled around and we kind of celebrated Father's Day. I do believe that most Father's just want a day to themselves, watching whatever they want on TV and enjoying the peace and quiet. With small children that isn't an option! So instead we left Daddy sleep in a bit and picked up some Tim Horton's for breakfast. The rest of the day wasn't anything special but we enjoyed being around Tom and giving him lots of hugs and kisses. Tom is buying himself a Father's Day present that will be a handgun and then to go along with it a concealed weapons permit so he didn't get any presents from us.

Note Violette picking her nose, Max's shut eyes, and Tom's annoyed look at attempt number 50 at getting a picture!

Next weekend we complete our busy June and head up to Traverse City for some fun.

The Aisle Walk

Here's a little video of the kids walking down the aisle!

Marie's Wedding Weekend

Friday afternoon we packed up and headed to Grosse Pointe for the wedding rehearsal. Noelle was so excited, Max was unsure. Noelle preformed her duty as flower girl during rehearsal perfectly. Max made it five foot before throwing on of his infamous tantrums. We were not sure what to expect the following day!

We skipped the rehearsal dinner, as it was past 7pm by the time it ended. We decided to go to my Aunt Cindy's house to let the kids tire themselves out in the pool before bedtime. The pool chemicals were too high, but the hot tub was perfect. Max and Noelle loved having a giant bathtub at their disposal to frolic in.
We spent the night at another one of my Aunt's houses, Aunt Judy. In the morning the kids were treated to donuts and loved exploring/menacing a new house. We were able to see my Grandparents and my Mom and brother while the kids enjoyed the beach in front of my Grandparent's condo. My Aunt Barb, from Texas, was in town as well. It was a wonderful to spend time with all the Babcock family.
The wedding was an evening one so Max and Violette were able to sneak in their much needed naps. We kept prepping, reminding, and encouraging Max of his very important job later in the day. He still was on the fence about it, but we kept being very positive, hoping to entice him. Noelle got her hair done and slipped into her flower dress, Max looked her up and down and said, "Noelle you are so pretty!" and repeated it over and over.

We got Max dressed at the church and he was in a pretty good mood so we were all optimistic. When the time came to line up the wedding party I stayed in the back of the church keeping Max and Noelle busy. Their time came and Max did it! I had that huge Proud Mom feeling in my stomach and a few tears welled up in my eyes as they headed down. He stood next to Noelle and they walked so well down the aisle like little pros. I went down the side and met my Mom who had Violette. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see them and Tom was unable to take pictures because he was showing them which pew to walk to. I'm sure many of my family did get pictures of the actually event, but in the mean time here are some shots that I do have of the kids:

The reception was held at the beautiful Groose Pointe Yatch Club and the setting was breathtaking. We didn't stay too late, just until 10pm, when dinner was finishing up because my kids were exhausted! They had a very tiring couple of days filled with tons of fun and seeing lots of family. Here are a few pictures from the reception.





Sunday we took it easy, sleeping in and unpacking after the long weekend. The kids were beyond good and I am so proud of how they handled the late nights, and being totally out of their element. We were constantly in motion from one place to another and they were little troopers.