Christmas Happiness

Well there are all kinds of things to report with so much going on for the holidays. I first have to rave about the Christmas dinner party that we were able attend Saturday night. My friends Margie and Doug threw it at their house and it was absolutely fantastic. You would have thought it was a professionally catered meal--it was just over the top. And as if all the scrumptious goodies we partook of there weren't enough, Margie sent us all home with these enormous platters of all kinds of made-from-scratch confections. We've been snacking off it ever since. I really have never been to a holiday dinner party before and it was just so fun. Picture pending.

Dan's mom and dad were able to join us on Sunday and we've been having a blast. We've made caramel corn (Grandpa Griff's recipe), played lots of Scrabble, and had a Sudoku tournament. We even got to talk to Grant, Dan's brother who's on a mission, and he is sounding so happy.

I know it sounds like everything is perfect, but I have to admit there is one teeny-tiny cloud hanging over our household. You see, we just got my parents' Christmas letter. (Dramatic pause.) I don't have a copy of it with me, so let me just rebuild it the best I can:

" Jen and Dan are doing well.... Kent and Kate are also doing well and are so good looking that I would give them an award called the 'cutest couple award'."

What? What is this award? When were we notified about this contest? Was there an interview portion? What about evening gown? Sure, Kate would have smoked me on the talent part, but I still should have been given a chance. (For those of you who don't know my sister-in-law, she just happens to be a beautiful, talented ballerina.) It just seems kind of sneaky, Mom handing out secret awards without telling the rest of us there was ever a contest. Michelle and Robbie, how do you feel about this? Dan feels cheated too. Really Mom, if you're reading this, give us an opportunity to prove ourselves. We're cute, we promise. Some would even call us smokin' hot.

This entire to-do has probably been hardest on Harrison. After reading the letter (with a little assistance), he rent his clothing and stared despondently out the window. He's totally ashamed of us.

Anyway, here's a sampling from our first photo shoot kicking off our campaign for next year's "cutest couple award".

Let the winning begin

One of the things I love best about the family I married into is that they are game players. A different sort of game player than where I came from (cards, Guesstures, Catchphrase, etc), but game players nonetheless. I've learned to love Scrabble and Monopoly, which are probably the two biggest games when we all get together.

Last year, in fact, we had a huge 18-person bracket Scrabble tournament that was full of scandal and contention. It was fabulous even though I got knocked out first round. I believe Ben came out on top, though there are still disputes about the validity of his win. I'm really looking forward to the second annual Scrabble game, mainly because I know I've got a better shot since there are only five of us to compete.

Anyway, the reason I bring this up is that the gaming has begun. Lauren flew in Wednesday night and we just sat down to a good old Monopoly game. I wiped the board with both of the boys and my win has left me feeling extra festive. I can't wait till Mom and Dad get here!

Giraffe Stalker

I don't know what this giraffe saw in Harrison, but he kept following us along the path and seemed to be staring straight at him. Since I'm new at this whole video thing, please let me know if you're having any trouble viewing it. And feel free to applaud since this is the first published proof of Harrison walking!

This weather is for the birds!

Aaah. Yesterday was a gorgeous start to the weekend--right around 70 degrees! Dan called from work in the morning and made a plan for us to meet him up at the zoo; which is where we could be found the rest of the afternoon. It was such a fantastic day. If there was one disappointment, it was simply that the monkeys were not loud. The first time Harrison and I went without Dan we were overwhelmed by them. This time they just sat quietly grooming one another. I'm not sure Dan believed just how loud they were at our first encounter. We went into this little bird place that was all netted in and you could get necter to offer to the birds. As you can see, Dan was accepted in as one of them within minutes and they began grooming him. It reminded me of Mom's Hawaii picture where one is biting off her earring. Dan looked similarly comfortable.

We also rode the carousel again, but for some reason Harrison thought it was horribly frightening this time. Maybe it was our choice of animals--I sat on a quite large ostrich and Dan chose a very pleasant looking monkey. Who knows if we would have had success with the racing beaver again?

Anyway, we're off to a Christmas party tonight...and then maybe to begin our family Christmas tradition. No one has guessed close to it yet.

Oh--and I wanted to let my favorite friend-of-a-brother Shannon to know that I in no way consider her a stalker and I love that she drops in on our blog! Love you Shan!

An eggnog musing

It's funny the very strong response you seem to always get when you ask someone if they like eggnog. It elicits such emotion. I am among the eggnog passionate; hence, I am sitting here drinking an embarrassingly large mug of it RIGHT NOW. In order to justify this caloric monstrosity, I've mixed up the ol' half and half that some wise person taught me in my college days. That's right--half eggnog, half skim milk. Thus I am enjoying twice the amount of swallows of holiday deliciousness while not consuming any extra fat. Brilliant, you say? Oh, stop....

So here's what has been going on at our house:

• I just finished another proofing job. It was a self-help/motivational thingy and I enjoyed it. I felt kind of guilty turning in my invoice because I didn't feel like I'd done any work. Yeah!
  
• Harrison seems to be able to communicate with me better every day. My friend, Tenniel, babysat him yesterday and got quite a kick out of him. She said, "He just kept eating! He'd see some food and say 'num-num,' so I'd give him some and then he'd do his sign language for 'more'. It made me wonder if I'm starving my boy because I kept thinking we were done, but no, 'more, more, more'!" That made me glad that he can tell me when he's hungry. He also is getting really good at giving kisses. Not to people so much as pictures and toys. When he sees a kitty in a book he likes to lay a sloppy wet one right on the page. He does the same thing when he sees pictures of himself. A little narcissistic, but adorable nonetheless.
  
• Dad G blessed us with a visit today all the way from Michigan. He did some builder/construction stuff with Dan and then took us out to dinner. He's leaving first thing in the morning, but it was so fun for Harrison to show off his walking skills to Grandpa. It's just amazing how fast they change.
  
• Dan and I have decided on the Christmas tradition that we want to start with Harrison and have it be our thing. People always ask what traditions your family has for the holidays, and I want to make sure Harrison will have a good answer. We might start it as early as tomorrow night. I'll let you wait in suspense for now as to what it is. Maybe I'll get some good guesses that'll be even better than what we came up with. I'm open to suggestions....

Alright, another night is coming to a close and I still have not made an attempt at a Christmas card letter. Starting to feel the pressure, but evidently not enough to actually sit down and write it. There's time, right?

Happy Healing, Mama!

I just wanted my sweet mama to know our thoughts and prayers are with her today as she recovers from her surgery. We love you!

The tree has been up for a while, but we haven't shown a picture of it yet. Here's a shot of our cozy living room to distract you from your drainage tubes....

Monkey see, Monkey do

Harrison is turning into quite the mimic. He loves pretending to talk on the phone now and has started trying to do what I do. The other day I was singing and dancing for him in the car and I caught him trying to do the same arm motions I was. Up till now his dance moves have all been bum, shoulder, and head stuff. Fascinating. Yesterday I was sanding the wall in preparation for some painting and H-man would not calm down until I handed over the sanding block and got out of his way so he could do the job right. See pic for proof.

One way I hope he doesn't try to copy me is my new dental trend. I just went to the dentist this morning--first check up since I was pregnant. Keep in mind I've never had a cavity in my LIFE....three cavities. Unless you're a jerkface like Dan, who says it's five. Two of the cavities are between teeth and go into two teeth each. I say one cavity, two teeth. Jerkface disagrees. What do you say, Dentist Ben?

Also, the other night we had a treat when Dan's very cool cousin Shawn was able to come visit from Fort Campbell. That's been one of the best bonuses for living here in Nashville--being able to see him fairly often due to the proximity. Love it.

Advent calendars are stressful

I was so excited about this sweet little advent calendar that Uncle Kent and Aunt Kate gave to Harrison. I've never done one before and it's obvious I'm a newbie. There are all these little doors numbered one through twenty-five and it is intended that you open one a day until Christmas. Here it is the third before I remember, and I panicked. I found myself stuffing Harrison's mouth with not only today's chocolate goody, but Friday's and Saturday's as well. He didn't seem to mind. I've gotta stay on top of that one.

I was able to talk to a super old friend yesterday and it made me think that there are literally only a handful of people in the world that you can talk to after months and months and MONTHS of silence and not have it feel weird at all. At least for me that's true. So here's to my fantastic friends and family that I love so much. We really are old souls that have big histories.

On a side note, I was just reading back over what I typed (habit of an English teacher) and the first sentence of the previous paragraph made me laugh. What would a literal handful of people be? When I picture it, it's kind of a gory image, so let me revise what I said. There are very few people in the world you can talk to like that.

It is here I draw the line

We all have our own codes of conduct and I've just discovered another one I live by. Once the Christmas tree is up and it's the LAST DAY OF NOVEMBER, I simply will not use the air conditioning. It's a matter of principle. My house may be 79 degrees (honestly) and my 14 month old son may have, in desperation, figured out how to wiggle his pants down over his chunky little thighs (again, honestly), but here I will stand as a strong woman. I might let a lot of things slide, but here you have found where I stand strong. After Thanksgiving, I will only use the heater. That's the rule.

BTW--By the time I actually sat down and typed my little rant (the next morning), it was COMPLETELY FREEZING outside and my heater has been running and running to catch up. Sigh. Things are as they should be.

A plethora of pics to appease the guilt

The shame faced return

Where does a month go? What the heck happened to November? All I know is that I really wanted to put up some adorable video of Harrison finally walking and I kept putting it off because I have a mental block about capturing video. Anyway, all the sudden I sit down and it's been a month. I know I've got some disappointed fans out there, so I'll try to make it up to you and have a bang up December.

Dan and I have been painting like crazy. We pretty much finished the downstairs tonight if you don't count the office. He motivated me by telling me I couldn't put up the Christmas tree until we did it. I'm having a Christmas cookie exchange at my house on Thursday so my back was up against a wall.

We had a fantastic Thanksgiving. It was especially wonderful because ALL my siblings and their families were there, plus Dan and Harrison and I got to spend multiple nights at both Grandma and Grandpa G's house and Grandma Dot's house. I love that Harrison is getting such fun time with his great-grandparents.

We also just got some fabulous news--Dan's parents are going to be coming down for Christmas! I know that sounds horribly distant calling them Dan's parents--but I try really hard not to use last names since I'm paranoid about internet weirdos. It can be tough doing the no-last-name rule when everybody's last name starts with a G. So forgive me--Dan's parents--whom I love dearly are coming for Christmas! Lauren might be coming too! Yeah! I'm also crossing my fingers for a visit from my parents, but the jury's still out on that one.

Anyway, it's horribly late for me--that's right--after midnight. I'm taking my paint crusted body to bed.

This one's for Mom, kid

I know last night was Halloween and my large readership ('sup Katy) is probably anticipating gobs of cute pictures of H-man eating gobs of candy, but you'll just have to wait. Believe it or not, I have been having cool things happening around here and that's what you're going to be hearing about right now.

The junior high English teacher in me had to pause for a moment here. I have a couple options as far as essay structure to choose between. Should I begin with the most exciting and then let my energy taper off, reminiscent of an inverted pyramid? Or should I really build this thing, starting with the least of the points I want to make and then let it come to a frenzied climax to help illustrate just how exciting my week has been? Hmmmm. Okay, I've made up my mind.

I got a job. Kind of. I'm going to be doing some part time proofing work for a publisher nearby. I got my first manuscript today. It's about the history of guns in America. It's still all packaged up in the front seat of my car. I just laid Harrison down and I'm going to go start on it as soon as I finish up here. I'm excited about having a little something to do, deadlines to meet, a little extra cash, etc. It's especially wonderful to know that someone is willing to pay me to read about guns. What kind of fantastic world do we live in?

On some kind of new job high, as I drove home from picking up the manuscript I (on a whim) dropped H-man off at Dan's office and went and got my hair cut. It's not dramatically different or anything; just less Laura Ingles Wilder--frontier woman-esque. About 7 inches came off of the back, but not nearly as much from the sides and front. My hair must grow faster back there. It feels good to not have as much dead weight.

These things are good. But as I look back at my week, one thing really stands out above the rest. I made chicken noodle soup from scratch. It was pretty good. Probably not the best I've ever had, but good enough for me to consider it a success. What is so amazing is that for the first time in my married life I bought a WHOLE RAW CHICKEN, roasted it, boiled it, pulled all the meat off of it, and used it in my soup. I skimmed fat. It was an important day in the Gilbert household. If I can work with an entire chicken and do the things I did to it (did you know it comes with a little packet of unmentionable meat waiting for you in the "cavity"?) then I'm pretty much capable of anything. Doors have opened for me. I carry myself with a touch of boldness and arrogance that wasn't there before. I have fought the poultry and I have come out of the fray as a conqueror. Thanksgiving dinner? Please. Bring it on.

We're movin' and shakin'

Get Your Own! | View Slideshow

I created a Slide Show! Holla to my girl Jamie...

Get Your Own! | View Slideshow

And the costume choice goes to....

The amazing ninja master, of course. We were THIS CLOSE (picture me pinching my fingers together) to throwing a Santa suit on H-man, but opted for the less traditional approach at the last minute. The zoo was super fun, but COLD, so we had about a zillion layers on the little guy. We also traded his kung fu headband for a stocking cap pretty quickly. Despite our costume stress, we had a great time with our friends Scott and Tasha (with monkey Emery) and Lane and Shauna (with tiger Jake). Dan and I are headed to a pro-hockey game tonight, so Harrison will be hanging out at Emery's house. Wish us luck. Actually, wish THEM luck.

The weather's a-changin'....

I love excuses to be cozy. Rainy days and a good book. A big blanket and a CSI marathon on tv. Cold wet October weather moving in, a fireplace, and some instant hot chocolate. I'm about to go enjoy the latter right now....how fabulous is my life? To top it all off, I've got a husband who likes to snuggle, so I'm all set. I can't seem to shake that giddy-holiday feeling I was talking about the other day. Before I can really jump into it though, I need to get past Halloween. That poses a small problem because I have not yet decided what Harrison should be. Does anyone have any suggestions? We might be going to the zoo tomorrow night for some "ghoulish fun" in costume. I guess I need to make up my mind. Aaah, the fire beckons. I'll have to ponder this in a cozier setting....

No more fevers!

Well, we've reached the "all better" status in our household. That virus was a doozy. H and I even went to the gym today and had a fantastic time. Our last few attempts have been sketchy at best and he's been very reluctant for me to leave him to work out. Today he just tooled around playing with a little girl. I hadn't realized how much it was stressing me out to leave him there unhappy. I felt so much better working out knowing he was okay. Anyway, I'm starting to get into that holiday mood. I'm getting SO excited for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I want to make cute little gifts and yummy treats. And I have a house to decorate this year....oh the possibilities! Last year we were in the tiniest little apartment and we didn't dare get a tree. I'm so excited to be festive this year. Is it too early to pull out Christmas music?

How did the jaguar get his spots?

From some funky virus--that's how. Harrison and I have been laid out for the last several days with a fever and H was lucky enough to get a rash with it too. The picture washes out the dots somehow and doesn't really do justice to just how speckled my little doll is. Anyway, it hit not long after our visit to the Country Ham Festival (could these incidents be related?) and I haven't had the energy to post anything. So, my apologies. Hopefully we're about through with this nasty thing, which will be just in time for Grandma, Grandpa, and Katy's visit. We're so excited!












It's obvious we love country ham, isn't it?













Harrison found this puppet show to be way more interesting than posing for a pic.

Monkeys are loud

I honestly have never experienced monkeys in their natural habitat, and let me tell you--it's loud. Comically so. Harrison and I discovered this first hand today at the Nashville Zoo. Technically, I guess it was gibbons we encountered, but for the sake of simplicity we'll call them monkeys. They were swinging from trees and doing that "ooh ooh, aah aah" thing that they're so famous for. Anyway, we saw elephants, meerkats, and a red-crowned crane--not to mention some brilliant hyacinth macaws. Our fantastic neighbors Tuesday, Madie, Matt, Brittany, and Hunter came with us and it was a really nice time. We didn't spend TOO long there, because naptime came quickly, but it was just perfect. The highlight was probably riding the carousel all together. Harrison and I sat on a little frog with a saddle. He looked like a racing frog, if there is such a thing. Zoos rock. Hopefully we can get back there one more time with Daddy before the season is over.

Kentucky Fabulocity

Yes, fabulocity is a word. Or at least, it should be. What IS the noun form of fabulous? Fabulousness? Hmmm. Regardless, we went to Louisville this weekend and had a FABULOUS time. Abe and Jamie's house is coming along gorgeously, as is their son, Walker. He wasn't sure what to think of Harrison petting him gently, like Rocky the cat. Grandma Doris was out there laying down the hardwood flooring with the men. She and Grandpa never seem to quit with helping us all get our houses built. It was so fun to see everyone.




***Developmental update***
Just last night Harrison started standing behind his little John Deere and pushing it. I don't know whether to be happy or sad. Where is my baby? And who is this skinny smiley dude that nods yes?
Even more impressively, I came upon Harrison today nonchalantly sitting in my rocking chair. I did not put him there. I wasn't sure how to handle this whole I-think-I'll-go-wherever-I-please attitude, so I put him on the floor and told him that he might get hurt if he were to fall off. I turned back around (just to swish and swipe my counters, fellow flyladies) only to find him rather defiantly and precariously STANDING on the rocking chair and pounding on the window in the hopes that someone outside would see how cool he was. I kind of feel like Dorothy when she plops down in the land of Oz. Definitely not in Kansas anymore.

Birthday Parties are Wonderful Things

What a cool day. This was Dan's and my official entrance into the world of social parenting. This is a world altogether seperate from the parenting we've done up to this point....and I think it was a success. Dan started feeling the pressure when he saw how much I was working on the invitations and party favors and cupcakes, so he stepped up to the plate and made a darling little barn for the babes to play in at the party. Can you believe he just whipped that up? He's quite a man--and resourceful too; it didn't cost a penny.

These are the finger puppets our guests took home as party favors. They were a hit.

Harrison's uber-cool friend Camden showed up with this sweet John Deere and was kind enough to take Harrison for a spin.

The birthday boy got his first taste of frosting and LOVED it. After he had his official birthday cupcake, I found him a while later with another one. He was polishing it off and looking for more. I'm sensing another major eater on the rise in the family.

Everyone was a little standoffish at first to get in the barn, but eventually it was the center of the action.


All in all, it really was a fabulous time. I'm glad we did it and it was fantastic to have so many wonderful friends that could come and celebrate with us. Of course, we missed our grandmas and grandpas, but we're doing the best we can when they're not around.

Okay, it's FOR REAL this time

So what has been on Jen's mind lately? Appropriately enough, Harrison. Well, at least his maturation and how it impacts me. He's turning one this week and it's hard to believe that this is my life. I am a mother to a little boy. We hang out all the time and only rarely do we get sick of one another.

When we're having a hard day, there are a couple different things that we can do together and pretty much always have success. Right around the nine month mark, he suddenly loved reading. I've mentioned his serious face before, and he pulls it out in full force for reading time. He quickly figured out how to turn the pages (we're partial to the board-book genre), listens, and intently contemplates each page and then turns when he is ready. It amazes me that he has favorites. In our book about gratitude (gotta keep him humble), he consistantly pauses for at least twice the length of time on the page about being thankful for a trip to the zoo. What's going on in that head?

The other thing that (knock on wood) has never failed to perk us up when we're grumpy is going on a walk. The kid loves his stroller. Several times a week we go visit the horses at the end of our street. Sometimes we bring them an apple or a carrot. Mostly we come empty handed just to look. Earlier this week we went and it was one of those gorgeous fall days. There are only a handful of non-winter days that can be described with the modifier "crisp" and it was one of them. Harrison seemed to sense the magic of the season. A little butterfly honestly fluttered in front of him, teasing him for at least half a minute. When we got to the horses, they were in the far pasture so we just stood on the bridge over the tiny creek for a few minutes and inhaled the day. The breeze was perfect and kept enticing leaves off the trees. When I picked one up and gave it to H for closer inspection, his little serious mask slid off for a minute and I could tell he likes fall as much as his mommy does.

***I started to worry as I was typing and I naturally gravitated back to the subject of Harrison. What if I become only this? What if this is all I can talk about? But no, I'm cool with this for now. I think that society pushes that idea on us--I better be careful so that I don't let motherhood take my identity. I don't want to be JUST A MOM. Please. I put aside parts of my old self so that he could come into this family. Of course he's a huge part of my thoughts; what kind of mother would I be if he wasn't? But I haven't lost anything. I've just gained a different perspective. And a squishier tummy.

Things have got to change

I've been humbled. Truly. I just checked out my friend's blog and I feel like I need to commit to making some changes to mine before I let her look at it. Up front, I'd like to state that I do not feel shame for what is included on here right now. First and foremost, this is a way for me to show family how amazingly smokin hot and witty my baby boy Harrison is. Done.

With that being said, I have to admit that my blog is kind of lame and makes me feel old. I am 27 years old right now. I never had an email account until I went to college. I really have never gotten into the text messaging thing. This year I even (gasp) got rid of my cell phone. To top it all off, I somehow missed the whole blog boat too. Sure, I technically have a blog, but I do not update it very regularly. When I do, it's really about the pictures and maybe a short blurb. I feel like I'm missing out! Maybe I wouldn't feel like my brain was in a semi-advanced stage of mommy rot if I did a little more fanciful introspection on here.

So here's to my new idea--use my blog to dump a little bit out of my head now and then. We'll see how it goes. I feel like I should really start with a new post to really kick this off....

This is how we roll...

Harrison is never happier than when he's doing big boy stuff with Daddy. A couple of weeks ago he was lucky enough to get to ride on a BIG TRACTOR with Daddy while he pushed some dirt around. I was watching and his face looked about like it does in this picture. Naturally, I assumed that maybe he wasn't having a particularly good time, and I had the AUDACITY to try to take him off Daddy's lap to a quieter place. Foolish Mommy. When will I learn that he just has a stoic face? Under that somber mask is pure delight. Pure delight.

The Big ONE is coming!

Most of our little friends have RSVP'd, and we're getting excited about Harrison's birthday party on Saturday. I made the invitations and I'm putting a picture of one of them on here. The barn doors open with the party information inside. I've been getting all creative with the party favors--little handmade barnyard animal finger puppets. Grandma Viv, you'd be proud of me. I'll put a picture of them up when they're all done. So far I've done 6 chickens, 6 piggies, 1 goat, 1 duck, 3 horses (I'm struggling with those, they all look weird), 3 frogs, and 6 lions. I acknowledge that lions do not belong in the barnyard category, but please don't tell the children. They're so darn cute. Dan and I are going to try to build a little barn for the little ones to crawl through tonight. Wish us luck

Got anything good to eat?

Harrison is starting to take matters into his own hands when it comes to solid foods. He's obviously looking forward to his looming birthday when he can start cow milk and other yummy things.

Picture Power!!

I spent a lot of money today, so I'll feel a little better if these get oohed and aahed over....and over. The handsome-ness speaks for itself.

I owe Ioway more than I could ever pay

You're either fair-folk, or you're not. There's no middle ground with this one. Luckily, Harrison seems to be embracing his peasant-stock roots and I think he shows promise in becoming a full fledged fair-goer like his parents. Grandma and Grandpa's camper was the home base and always seemed to be full of family and friends, which is the best way to do it. We didn't get as involved in some of the usual fair events this year, though Dan did manage to pull out a fourth place Horse Shoe Pitching ribbon. We spent some time checking out lots of the "livestock" since Old McDonald is a favorite theme at our house right now. A sheep "baaaahed" Harrison out and a horse neighed in his face, but he managed to not get too freaked out. The trip climaxed on the fairground shuttle when part of the group (Mom, Dad, Katy, Gpa, Gma, Kyle, Kent, Kate and Jen) broke into a spontaneous rendition of the "I Owe Ioway" song. You really had to be there. Anyway, it was all fab. Dan and I have gone five years in a row now. They should give ribbons for THAT.

The gang hanging at the camper.

Enjoying a butter dipped ear of Iowa corn.

This fair is exhausting work.

Katy showing newcomer, Gwen, what the fair is all about.

My handsome-horse-shoe-pitching-hero.

Good clean fun....eventually

I'm feeling so flylady today....the house is clean and I feel like I have all kinds of time to play with Harrison. He's really into getting chased right now. He makes some crucial tactical errors though, because he gets so excited when he knows you're following him and after crawling a few feet he feels it necessary to sit down and turn around to make sure you're still coming. Amateur--I get him every time. I gave him a whole nectarine today, which he obviously enjoyed. He also obviously needed a bath afterwards. We're very grateful for the extra-deep sink Daddy installed, because it's perfect to play in right now.

It's so hot!

It's been so hot for the last couple of weeks, we're just trying to stay indoors as much as possible. The garden is starting to burn up, but the tomatoes are just coming in and are freakin delicious. This pic of the garden was actually taken last month, as was this one of Harrison with Abe in the tree (isn't that so classically Southern in the magnolia tree?)--but his eyes melt my heart every time I look at it and I thought I'd throw it in. We just got a riding lawn mower a week or two ago, so the lawn is looking a lot better groomed.

Manic Michigan Moments

We're on our first "official" family vacation, and everything is going pretty darn perfectly. We went to Mackinac Island today and rented bikes and rode the 7-something miles around the island. We ate the famous fudge. We crossed the giant suspension bridge. We checked out the Grand Hotel where Superman and Dr. Quinn fell in love. We caroused around with (get ready...) Grams and Gramps, Abe, Jamie, Walker, Cora, Brett, Isaac, Amelia, Lauren, and Felicia. What I'm trying to say is, we had a really good time.

Saturday was Grandpa Rennie's memorial service and it was beautiful. What a blessing that almost all of the family was able to get together. Grandpa would have loved it. Mom wrote a beautiful poem that she shared and Abe gave the eulogy. Then we shared good Grandpa stories. It was nice.

A good time was had by all

It's barely been a week since we left, and Mommy and Harrison are pining for Grandma and Grandpa. We had such a good time. Now we're counting down to the state fair!