Up North

There are some places that never seem to change ... and these days, that is a good thing. South Higgins Lake State Park is one of those places for me. Even though they have taken away the old metal merry-go-round (remember those things? I'm sure they're too "dangerous" for kids today) and added a new shelter, it basically looks the same way it did twenty years ago. And the smell is still the same. Have you ever noticed how some places just smell a certain way? All I need to do is stand there for a moment, and the smells take me back to so many memories, so many years ago.

Anyway, before I start getting too poetic on you ... it obviously is important to me, and my family, for Katie to know my grandma's cottage, and Higgins Lake. So we took her up there for a few days last month. She was a little hesitant in the water, but it is so shallow and so clear that she eventually warmed up a bit (she still wanted to be in my arms, though). She wasn't a big fan of the wet sand in her toes, but I'm sure that will change in time.

We also took a day to head up to Mackinaw City. While there, we just decided to take a boat over to the island. Upon exiting the ferry, I was shocked to turn right and see a sign for Starbucks hanging amidst all of the signs for fudge and t-shirts. Yes, Starbucks is even on Mackinac Island. At least there is no McDonald's. Yet.

Katie did well on Mackinac. She really liked all of the horses, though their smell can be insanely pungent. We walked around for a while, had lunch (practically free due to some nice people who gave us their pizza), and of course bought some fudge. We also took a walk by the Grand Hotel, but since they charge $12 a person just to walk on the property, we took the cheap route and stayed on the outskirts.

All in all, we had fun ... about as fun as a vacation can be with a toddler who doesn't rest for a single second (and hates being confined in a car). But of course she slept better at night than we did!

July

July passed in a flash. In sum: my sister was here and gone, Elizabeth turned one, Ang and Wooly got married, Scott and Lizz got married, we went Up North ... and suddenly the month was over. I guess it was pretty busy, but here we are, halfway into August, and I am wondering (as always) where the time went.

So, in the next few posts I will attempt to play catch up ... stay tuned.

Future Spartan

Happy 1st Birthday, cousin Elizabeth!

Wow, dudes

This past weekend was another flurry of activity. Friday night we had a visit from the Sicilia twins, aka "Katie's boyfriends." The Dudes, as Aunt Nikki calls them, are getting cuter every day (Nico is on the left, and Aidan is on the right). Ms. Kate seemed to enjoy having the boys here. She shared her toys and only tried to run them over a few times. She also had fun going through Uncle Lou's wallet. That's my girl....

Saturday we watched the "Thunder Over Michigan" air show from our deck. It was at Willow Run airport, but it may as well have been in our backyard. Katie loved the airplanes. Every time she saw one, she would point and say "wow." This is now one of her favorite expressions. We like it, too.

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

Ice cream

Katie, like most people, loves ice cream cones. Right now she likes vanilla, but I think that's because we haven't given her chocolate yet. We'll see. Her daddy likes vanilla, and I like chocolate, so it could go either way. Maybe she'll like chocolate/vanilla twist and split the difference. Firstborns are supposed to be diplomatic, right?

This picture was taken Sunday, when we went to Carvel with Auntie Sue and Grandma Michele. She made quite a mess of herself. But as you can see, when we took out the mirror to show her, she was all smiles.

We had more ice cream today with Grandma Pat, Grandpa Ron and Great Grandma Jean, who just arrived from Florida. Katie did well with her Great Grandma (sometimes she is a little shy around people she hasn't seen in a while). We look forward to them being able to spend more time together over the next month.

The walk

Katie loves to walk around with her hands behind her back. She does it unconsciously, seemingly in deep thought. It happens more often at night, when she is wandering from room to room before bedtime. I was finally able to capture it on camera tonight, right before she switched gears and ran in the other direction.

The funny thing is, my dad tends to walk the exact same way. I don't know if things like this are genetically inherited, but it definitely seems like more than just a coincidence.

Sunset on Liberty Street

Backyard fun

Bath time is always fun time at our house, as Ryan and Katie demonstrate in this picture. It doesn't have anything to do with this post, but I thought it was worth sharing.

Earlier, Miss Kate and I sat on the deck storage box, legs dangling, and shared a honeydew popsicle. Kroger has been making Melon Pops for as long as I can remember, but I hadn't had one in ages. As we sat there, popsicle dripping, beating our legs against the hard plastic box, I remembered similar days, long ago.

After that, we moved on to the bubbles. She can't blow bubbles yet, but it is fun to watch her try. She did wave the wand around though, and was able to make some thanks to a well-timed wind. You could tell she was very proud of herself. She then let me try for a bit ... I blew bubbles in her face, which always brings on the giggles.

I am grateful for Katie in so many ways, but I admit that one of them is a bit selfish ... I get to go back and experience childhood all over again. And this time, I will appreciate it so much more.

The lip

Here is the expression I mentioned yesterday. She had it out in full force while I photographed her eating her first chocolate chip cookie. I of course couldn't contain my laughter, which made her do it even more.

Today was a good day. It rained most of the day, which usually spells disaster for a stay-at-home mom. But we played hide-and-seek in the caterpillar (the one from the previous picture, minus the grandpa) and did a lot of bouncing on the upstairs beds. Kate loves to roll around on the beds. She'll run up to them, saying, "bup, bup" ("up" in adult speak) and will start giggling before you even put her down. We tickle, we jump, we look in the mirror (see previous post), and we laugh like crazy.

We laugh a lot around here. I want her to know how important it is to laugh ... at yourself, at life. I can already tell she has a good sense of humor. I hope she keeps it with her as she grows.

Tonight's dinner entertainment

Ann Arbor

Yesterday we took Katie to Ann Arbor, stopping first at Gallup Park, and then Downtown. She was enthralled with the ducks and geese at the park, and could have cared less about the playscape. After leaving there, we took her to Stucchi's for some Key Lime Pie frozen yogurt (Daddy's favorite). She ate some of her cone before it melted, then walked around for a bit on the diag (not on the M, for you Wolverines). She flounced, actually, in her little pink skirt. Somehow I, the tomboy, am raising a bit of a girly girl.

NOTEWORTHY ... Our current favorite Katie expression is "the lip." She sticks out her bottom lip and looks like she is mad at you. But if you do it back to her, she giggles. She is especially fond of doing this in the mirror. Actually, she is fond of doing everything in the mirror lately. I am hoping this doesn't last, at least until she is in high school (when it is inevitable).

Welcome

Stay tuned for posts about life with Katie D.!