Cruising to Milwaukee

A month or two ago we were in search of a fun vacation idea during the month of June when Carter and Mia's daycare lady would be on her own vacation.  We immediately thought of visiting Elsa and Claire and when we heard Elsa was performing in a dance recital during this time frame, we had to make it work.  To make it even more exciting, Grandma Baldwin was also planning to fly in from Florida!  We decided it would be really fun to take the big boat over instead of driving, this also made the trip much easier on me since Dave stayed home to work on projects.  We counted down the days and finally our trip was upon us!

The kids started out loving the big boat.  Carter was especially intrigued with the whole experience and begged to look at the engine room.  While unfortunately we could not view the "engine room" (if there is such a thing) we did get a chance to go up on the top deck and enjoy the views.

Here we are waiting for the boat to dock and let us on.

 
Getting settled and checking a few emails.

About half way there (it's only a 2.5 hour ride) Mia declared she was done with the boat.  She didn't have the patience I had hoped for, but we made it in one piece.

From the moment we set foot in the Heinrich house, we played.  I don't think we stopped playing the entire 4.5 days we were there.  The kids had a blast just spending time together and they all got along so well.  It was really a special thing to watch.  From the playroom to bubbles to the zoo to Elsa's recital to a nature center, we were non-stop on the go and having fun.

 
This was Elsa's adorable dance outfit.  I like Elsa's dance pose for the picture.

Here the kids were congratulating Elsa after the big recital.  She did a fantastic routine and was by far the cutest dancer in the whole thing.  Elsa's other cousin, Karina, also came to watch.

Lots of snuggle time with Grandma B.  I'm sure her hips were tired after the kids glued themselves to her all week.

The Milwaukee Zoo was fantastic and we had a beautiful day to enjoy it.

Here we are at Elsa's preschool which is also a nature center.  They have incredible sights and fun trails that lead down to Lake Michigan and other fun spots.  The kids had a blast running around and Elsa really enjoyed showing off where she went to school.

HOORAY for Milwaukee!  We had a blast!!

Thank you to Lee and Bob for everything, we really enjoyed our vacation!

Summer Kick-off

Memorial Day weekend was hit and miss as far as weather was concerned.  We had a few activities planned and while some were cool, others were down right hot! 

We got our first sail of the season on Grandpa's boat.  The kids loved it despite the sprinkles and thunder.  It was also a pretty cool day so sweatshirts were a requirement.  Regardless, we had a great time. 

Carter absolutely loves to help Grandpa steer and work all the gadgets on the boat.  He's our gadget boy, after all.  I think before long he'll be able to tack the jib on the leeward bow (he'll probably also learn sailing terms more accurately than I have).  He seems to love the whole experience. 

Mia also had a good time even though she got a bit buried in her life jacket. 

The next day was incredibly hot and we decided to get out the kids' bounce house and slip-n-slide.  Much like last year, neither of them did a lot of slipping or sliding, but they did enjoy running down the mat and splashing in the little pool at the end.

Mia also got into doing tricks at the end of her turn.



Here they are in the bounce house.

Here's hoping we get many more hot, fun weekends in the months to come!

Towing Time

Carter pulling Mia in her car with his jeep. They were cracking up.

MAY 2011

It's been quite a while since our last post.  I guess we've been tied up! 

Here are some things we've been up to this spring:
Easter trip to Milwaukee
Preschool end of year events
Landscaping projects
Dragging out and breaking in our outdoor toys and kid vehicles
Enjoying the warm-up in weather


Mia has learned to ride her bike (somewhat) and we're gearing up to take Carter's training wheels off this summer.  Here are some pictures of Mia getting the hang of things.

The kids ask to go outside every day now that it's warm, even in the rain.  We love hanging out in our yard, playing on the play equipment and coloring with chalk on the driveway.  I'm so glad they love being outside.

We're looking forward to a fun summer full of exciting trips and events.  We'll try to keep this blog as up to date as possible.  If you don't see any posts, we're outside enjoying ourselves!

Big Girl Times Two

Mia hit two major milestones over the past 2 weeks.  First and most exciting, she turned two!  Second and most relieving, she is potty trained!  I guess "trained" sounds so final and complete, so maybe "training" is more accurate.  At any rate, she is definitely our big girl now and we are so proud of her.

We celebrated her birthday with a few different events.  First, we took the kids to Meijer Gardens to see the butterflies.  The kids definitely prefer to love the butterflies from afar.  Any flying friend that attempted to land on us caused a few screams, but they enjoyed running around the greenhouse and posing by the big butterfly.  It was a beautiful exhibit and it gives me hope that spring is coming!  We can't wait to play outside at the Gardens.

We also took the kids up to the "Great Wolf Lodge" in Traverse City for one night.  For those who don't see the TV commercials that come on every 2 minutes, Great Wolf is a gigantic indoor water park and hotel.  We all had a so much fun!  It's really entertaining for all ages (now I sound like those commercials), Mia and Carter both had a lot of age appropriate options and so did Dave and I.  Plus our room had a kid "wolf den" area which the kids loved almost as much as the actual water park.  They have a story time before bed where all the kids gather to see large furry characters read books, and lots of games and shops all over the hotel.

Dave's family also came over for some pizza and cake to help us celebrate.  Mia received a ton of cool presents, she loves her new apron and kitchen items, plus her adorable new outfits for summer.  She also got some neat bath toys and paints.

Another of Dave's fantastic cakes.  He made the fondant from scratch!

We also celebrated with Grandpa and Grandma J.  Grandma made a delicious upside-down pineapple and banana cake for both Dave and Mia and they brought a cool bouncy alligator toy for Mia.  Both kids really enjoy jumping around on "Yippee the Alligator." 

Mia also went to the Dr. for her 2 year check-up and she did very well.  Only one shot with minimal crying and she excels in language and fine motor skills.  She weighs in at 24 lbs. 5 oz. (21st %), is 33.5 inches tall (42nd %), and her BMI is 15.3 (20th %). 

Last but not least, potty training.  Last weekend we tackled the dreaded potty training.  We subscribe to the philosophy outlined by Lois Kleint in her "Potty Train in Three Days" book.  For anyone out there contemplating this stressful feat, I highly urge you to get this book.  It works.  No pull ups, no back and forth on diapers, just underwear and accidents (sounds awesome, doesn't it?).  Be prepared for lots of laundry and the feeling that you have a new puppy in your house, but after a few days, you really see the switch go off in their head.  Mia is on day 9 and I'm actually confident enough to write about how well she's doing.  She gets it!  She is going on 48 hours without an accident!  That includes naps and nighttime!  She actually tells us when she has to go too.  I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders.  I can actually devote myself to something other than worrying about when the next accident will be.  It took her about 5 days to really get it and I know she'll still have some accidents, but I couldn't have asked for anything better.

A supply of 'Dora' underwear = $20, potty seats on every toilet = $60, NEVER buying diapers again, you guessed it, priceless.  

I also have to give a gigantic thanks to Grandma and Grandpa B. for enduring and helping with days 1 and 2 of potty training.  They happened to be in town for a long weekend and came by to see the kids.  We were knee deep in carpet cleaning and they helped us stay sane.  Thank you!!!  Mia also thanks you for the gift for her college fund and the cute doll clothes!  Sorry, no pictures, I was not in the frame of mind to snap pictures that weekend.

It's crazy what can change in a week or two.  We are so proud of our big girl and love how grown up she is getting!