Unfortunately a dreary day for sightseeing.
So let’s go candy shopping! Yummy caramels, toffee, and treats for the kids!
And let’s have lobster for lunch.
Day 3: lobster #3 — lobster BLT
Then it was off to visit the marina where mom and David left from on their honeymoon—they’re pointing to it!
Aaaand lobster rolls again for dinner. Mom makes them SOOOOO good we didn’t want anything else.
Day 3: lobster #4
His setup was much more precise…but then you had to be when doing two or more bushels at a time.
These were tomatoes from our own gardens! We’ve been picking them consistently but we can’t eat them fast enough so I had to make something…and pretty much everything starts with peeling the tomatoes.
While Katie was fishing, Owen went out in a kayak with Grannie!
He did really really well and had a blast!
Then of course Katie wanted to go. We told her next year she could go by herself but this year she had to sit with Grannie.
My mom always makes these in Maine and I love them so had to try one today when Tom and I went out for dinner and I saw all the perfect stones (and we were early for our reservation). It wasn’t the best placement for a photo but not bad for my first one. It was harder than I thought it would be—the rocks have to be just right.
Papa had cut out pieces for birdhouses so Tom helped get them all put together.
And then there was the painting.
Photos of the fully finished projects to come…Katie left hers out and it rained so she has to repaint it. And I didn’t get a pic of Owen’s.
Still wish it wasn’t 8 hours away.
Another week of grandparent camp for the kids and another week of respite for mom and dad! Everyone is having a blast!!
Since we live so close to family now…and the kids are getting older and more self-sufficient, we thought it was time to let them stay for a long visit with the grandparents! As scheduling happened to work out, we went to Michigan for our family Christmas and then left the kids there…and then Gramma Jean and Grandpa David would drive up to meet Papa and Grannie Lin to hand off the kids…and then we’d eventually drive up to the UP to pick them up. They would be gone a total of 19 days, 12 of which they were completely without us. Needless to say we were all looking forward to it…the grandparents were excited about having the kids, the kids were excited about fun with the grandparents, and we were excited to have some alone time and general peace and quiet.
Here are the pics from some of the adventures they had with Gramma Jean and Grandpa David!
Lake Margarethe – of course they made fast friends with other kids who where there!
When we were packing up to leave I found the bathroom cups grandpa drew for the kids.
And the meat festival begins…Of course Timmy brought a ton of his amazing brats…but this year he added smoked brisket to the menu! HOLY WAH!
And no, your eyes aren’t deceiving you…that’s a Gummy Bear brat. With real gummy bears in it. It wasn’t bad…just a sweet taste. I thought Katie would love it because she LOVES gummy bears but nope. Silly kid.
And the annual kid comparison! After last year when Owen was taller, Nick pulled ahead (which he should, as he’s almost 14).
2017:
The kids goofing around while I was getting the camera set up.
My test shot to make sure the settings were okay, and I loved it so much I kept it. It’s also fun to see how we can all pull it together for the real photo!
Nick and Owen…conspiring? Planning? Who knows.
Gramma created a project for the kids—money frozen in a block! They had to figure out how to get to it! (It didn’t take them long!)
Oh yeah! We also gained a dog for an hour or so. Mom didn’t recognize him and Tom called the number on his tag and it was animal control…?!? He was good and just hung out with us—got a few pets and belly rubs (Maggie pretty much ignored him). After awhile a young girl came looking for him—and we found out she was visiting someone in the neighborhood.
Overall it was a perfectly gorgeous day—not too hot and not too cold, lots of good food (too much, actually, but we’re Lens so it’s expected), and great visiting with family and watching the cousins play!
Remember last year when Gramma took Katie out on a birthday adventure? Well, she loved it so much they decided to do it again! But this year, Katie was really nice and invited her brother along, too, since she knew he’d have fun, too. Awwwww, what a sweet Katie bug.
They went to the city park and had a picnic lunch, skipped stones, and played in the river; then went mini golfing and to another playground; and finished off with ice cream from Dairy Queen and a quick treat from Dollar General! They had a great day!
Grannie and Papa wanted to celebrate Katie’s birthday since they won’t see her on her birthday so the kids helped make rice crispy treats!
Granny took on the huge challenge of cleaning up both kids rooms and switching out too-small and seasonal clothes…and one of the last things for Owen was a sock matching party.
I thought they were insane when I first started wearing them but now I LOVE them.
Tom has a TV in the garage for woodworking videos and to play music while he’s out there. Tonight it was a man cave while Gramma Jean watched Dancing with the Stars.
The last time we made them, Owen was a baby. They all went in the freezer and we will enjoy them all summer!!
They enjoyed the sous vide ribs so we decided to do the king of steaks—the cowboy ribeye!
I had Gramma search for her old Tonka makers (pie irons) and bring it! Tonight we had dessert—another day we’ll do pizza sandwiches!
Apple and Reese’s Marshmallow.
Our cowboy rib eye was deeeeeelicious! Some stir fried veggies and Brazilian Cheese Bread rounded out the plate. So yummy.
Owen loved Katie’s day with Gramma for her birthday and wanted to do it for his, too! Since Gramma was in Florida for his birthday, they did it this trip.
Gramma says:
Owen and I had a belated birthday adventure today; three parks, shopping for picnic lunch goodies and a stop at Dairy Queen for birthday ice cream treat.
Gramma even tried the roller slide!
SURPRISE! Daddy and Katie just happened to show up at Dairy Queen at the same time Owen and Gramma were there—totally unplanned. They sang Happy Birthday to him!
The kids had Parents Night Out and my mom and stepdad were here… So we went out for dinner and realized as we sat down in a crowded and loud restaurant/bar that it was both A) Cinco de Mayo and B) Kentucky Derby day. Thankfully it cleared out within 20 minutes because the race was over.
After, they went home to get the kids while Tom and I did our normal kidless shopping excursion.
Our first stop was Ross, where I saw these hideously hilarious “Protein Snacks” underwear for Tom. I queried Facebook to see if we should buy them and the answer was a resounding YES.
So we did:
Then it was down the parking lot to TJ Maxx (we shopped, but nothing as picture-worthy as the underwear) and then to Trader Joe’s (since we hadn’t been there yet).
And look what I fell into?! Teeny tiny margarita shots! So I succumbed. Yes, it was technically still against no sugar rules but I allowed it.
And then this…
But we didn’t get any chocolate.
And then we weren’t sure where to go and I said “Hey! I washed to try an Everything Croissant at Starbucks—let’s go across the street to check!” So we did and they did so I had a croissant for tomorrow.
And then we realized we were next door to a grocery store so we went in to look for polish meatball ingredients so I could make them with Mom.
