I had promised Owen we would take him so today was the day! Both kids had a blast! (I remembered to take cups!)
Owen was very proud of this:
Category Archives: Firsts
All the pics from my day at once.
She always wants to comb my hair but I only let her on days that I wash and condition it.
He said it was costume day so we did this (he can’t get in/out of his costumes by himself).
ABCs while shopping.
This is what she was busy doing while I wasn’t watching. And this is her pout when I tell her she needs to pick them all up.
She tried a ham and cheese (no condiment) sandwich—and actually ate most of it!
I decided to make my all-time favorite garlic toast today because the bread was on sale B1G1 at the store.
“Mama, I want to put the water in please.” Except 98% of it didn’t make it in.
Outdoor lap selfie!
The little stink beat me!!
Kids in trees!
Guess which one loved it and which one was scared to death?
Katie loved it and Owen was scared—he liked the first 10 seconds of Tom lifting him up into the tree but then it was a constant stream of “I’m scared, I don’t like this, I want to get down!” I told him I wanted a picture and held my phone up, he saw it and smiled brilliantly for the photo above, then that was IT.
An Elsa braid!
Katie wanted Elsa hair so Gramma did the best he could since Katie doesn’t really have enough hair for a French braid. Katie was thrilled!
Kaliseum Daredevils
We took the kids to Kalkaska today for open swim…and boy did they have a blast! Owen was excited to go down the slide again (mom fail: I may have forgotten to mention he did it for the very first time when he was there earlier this vacation). I LOVE the faces he makes. 🙂
My favorite:
You see his harem standing by watching him, right? 🙂
Katie really wanted to go down the slide but she was too little…or so we thought. The lifeguard came up and told Tom she could go down as long as he was at the bottom to catch her. So Owen took her up:
There were other kids going up and they were getting too close to them on the stairs so Owen put his hand out to stop/block them and protect Katie. And then he guided her into the slide while he made sure to keep everyone back. Awwww, I know. 🙂
Here she comes!
Caught her!
Her reaction? She LOVED it and wanted to go again! (But she was done after the second time!)
I still can’t believe it—Owen was 6.5 when he finally went down the slide…and Katie was 3! You can tell who the family daredevil is!
Campfire and fireworks!
Thanks to the magic of a little packet from the fireworks shop, this is how we do campfires on vacation… 🙂
Katie’s first sparkler. She was…intrigued. She didn’t love it and she didn’t hate it.
And then the fireworks! It was a wild crapshoot because we didn’t know what 90% of them were supposed to do…we just stood back and watched…and we had a few close calls with things whizzing by us and up and into the neighbors yard. EEK! But the kids loved it!
Well, they thought some of them were a little loud. 🙂
Of course we did the pooping dog again!
And we still have a bunch left that we hope to get to before we go home!
Owen’s first Fun Run!
Owen ran his first Fun Run (with daddy!) this morning during the AuSable River Festival! (Sidenote: it will always be Milltown to me…though AuSable River Festival does fit better.)
Katie wanted to run…on daddy’s shoulders. 🙂
We had time to waste before the race started so we wandered around downtown and ran into Papa and Grannie! 🙂
And a pout for good measure.
Pre-race announcements:
Heading to the starting line!
There they go!
Heading a block back to the finish line—it won’t take them long!
Here they come! There was no official time or finish places, but they were in the top 10!
And here’s the start—and finish—all in one video!
Post-race snacks! 🙂
Katie and the Christmas Tree
We were getting the house ready for our Len Christmas in July and got out this ceramic tree. It’s old—my mom made it for my Grandma Katie (Len) in the ’70s and I’ve always loved it. Katie was enthralled with it, too…and one of the first things she said was “There’s no star!” My mom said that Grandma Len had said the very same thing and even attached a fake star to it. I don’t think I ever really noticed that it didn’t have a star—or I did, but didn’t think it was any big deal. Amazing how the original Katie AND her namesake both had the same thought. 🙂
An awesome new playground!
Gramma Jean said there was a new playground by the house so on the way home from Kid Fest we stopped to check it out.
HOLY CRAP.
It’s bigger and nicer than the playground at Owen’s school!
Hopefully we’ll make it back at least once before we leave!
Kid Fest!
It’s Milltown week so we took the kids downtown to Kid Fest! They had a blast!
She LOVED the popcorn. The SnoCones…not so much.
Making bracelets and necklaces with Gramma.
Then Owen got to ride in a racing canoe!! Some of the racers were the back seat paddlers and took the kids up and down the river. It was his very first time in a canoe and he loved it!
If you notice, he’s watching what the pro does and copies him to steer the boat!
He said he was a little scared at first but then he was okay! We were SO proud of him!
Owen loved sitting in the big fire truck—and even got to turn on the lights and the siren! Katie wanted NOTHING to do with any of it. 🙂
Getting a ninja turtle mask!
And lastly, our crazy photo booth pictures!
I’m not saving that Lego.
Subtitled: Well that’s a first.
Subtitled: That’s not how you play with Legos.
Subtitled: Owen put one up his nose, Katie ate one.
Subtitled: There will be NO pictures of this.
Subtitled: SERIOUSLY?!
Submitted: Katie ate a Lego head today.
Tom and I were in the office and Katie was watching TV. She came into the office and said she put Elsa’s head in her mouth. She knows she’s not supposed to put toys in her mouth and she usually tries to hide it, so we were interested. Tom asked where Elsa’s head was and Katie pointed to her throat.
What?!
We asked if it was in her mouth. No.
We asked her to go find Elsa. She was indeed headless.
We asked again where Elsa’s head was and she pointed to her throat.
Kids. 😐
Someone was excited!
We surprised the kids with a bouncy house and this was Katie’s reaction to seeing it for the first time. How can that not make you smile?! 🙂
Fairy Camp!
I signed Katie up for a Fairy Camp every morning this week at a local dance studio. We didn’t tell her about it until last night…and she was EXCITED!
I had this outfit picked out for her until I re-read their email and it said “no skirts”…
I didn’t really think they meant tutu-type skirts but I didn’t want to take a chance, so we switched to fairy (Tinkerbell) pants.
Stealing my sunglasses. 🙂
I asked about the skirts and she can wear tutus so the rest of the week will be easy. I just have to decide what she’ll wear on her birthday Friday—the Frozen “3” shirt with a big matching foofy tutu or her real ballerina outfit. 🙂
It was really hard for me not to be there and take pictures…
When we picked her up I asked if she had fun. YES!! (I didn’t expect any less!) She had a craft project (mini water bottle filled with blue water and trinkets), she told us about her snack (rainbow goldfish), and showed us her dance moves when we got home!
Katie started her swim lessons!
She told the instructor that she didn’t need a hat because she had one at home—which of course she didn’t because it was Owen’s. 🙂
I was giving the instructor Katie’s water background (she’s not really afraid of the water, she wears a puddle jumper and roams the entire pool, etc.) and the instructor said it wasn’t that important right now because they mainly just play in the water, blow bubbles, get them used to getting their face in, and assisted floating, etc.
Floating!
Waiting her turn.
I think she’s the youngest in her group. (Technically since she’s under 3, she should be in the Young Minnows, but since she’s SO close and she’s familiar/comfortable with the water, the owner said she was a candidate for the Minnows!)
Blowing bubbles!
Playing after her lesson!
Then it was time for Owen’s lesson. I stayed to watch Katie play so I didn’t get too much of Owen…but he was learning a new kick.
Their first fireworks!
We knew the weather was going to be a crapshoot, but we figured we had to try since they were just three miles from our house!
It started off well enough…Tom and Owen went off to check out the food offerings and Katie and I had a picnic (oranges, string cheese, cheddar Chex, and a juice box) which she loved: “Mama! This picnic is the best ever!”
And even though it was sprinkling, she was running around in the grass and having a blast…until she realized she had a boo boo on her foot and then she turned into a hot mess drama queen as seen here.
Then as soon as daddy came back 15 minutes later, she was all smiles and amazingly forgot all about her boo boo.
As soon as daddy laid down, she copied him. 🙂
Then I jumped in for a picture.
Owen had been off playing football with some kids but he came back to check in and said “We’re tackling and I knocked two people down!”
Since we had everyone, we took this shot. A lady behind us actually offered to take it but I said “No thanks, this is how we do it!” And it was perfect—done in one shot!
And then it started to rain harder. And it was chilly. And we had already been here two hours and still had about 45 minutes until the fireworks were going to start…do we stay or do we go?
The show was happening rain or shine and I hated to miss it after being there so long already…so we decided to go sit in the car and potentially watch from the tailgate or through the moonroof if it was a downpour. Thankfully it didn’t do much more than a light rain.
We had the car on to listen to music so the kids were having fun in the tail lights…
Owen: “This is burning my face!” 
…and playing to the music…
Owen being a lamppost:
And then the show started! They both immediately covered their ears so we got out the noise-canceling headphones for both of them.
Yes, I was happy we had the minivan so we could do this!
Both kids said it was the BEST DAY EVER and they wanted to know if we were going to go to the fireworks next year. Ha HA! I’ve created fireworks monsters!! (Tom doesn’t really care for them, but now we outnumber him three to one! And he really did enjoy watching the kids loving everything!)
P.S. Wow, this is post #6000!
Our first meal on the deck!
The kids were super excited!
Their first carnival!
The Workhouse Arts Center (just up the road from us) was having their first ever carnival! We’ve been wanting to take the kids to one to see if they like the rides, so figured the timing and location was perfect (we went as soon as they opened for the weekend)! Of course, the tickets are outrageous ($1 each or 48 for $40) and each ride takes 3-5 tickets (!) but since this was their first time, we went in for the whole hog.
We started Katie on this basic car carousel. She seemed to think it was fun but was glad to get off.
Then we walked around to see what else there was, and ended up at the actual carousel. Katie wanted NOTHING to do with getting on a horse and Owen was over the weight limit to ride a horse, so they both sat on the bench. Six dollars for them to ride around in a circle. NOT EVEN ON A HORSE! They didn’t LOVE it but they didn’t HATE it.
All they wanted to do was play the stupid games…which of course take CASH and not the tickets we’d already bought. GRRRR. So we made them try the mini roller coaster. Owen seemed to like it, but Katie DID NOT. She wanted to get off within the first three seconds…but she wasn’t screaming so we just let her ride it out. (Tom was going to ride it with them, but his legs wouldn’t fit!)
So then we said they could go to the games and that was all they needed to hear.
Katie wanted a duck. So $3 later she picked a super cheap plastic sword (you’ll see pics later).
Owen did a shooting game that was over so fast I didn’t even get a chance to record it or even take a picture! (It was a shoot until you knock a cup down game, so I thought it would take a bit longer than six seconds. It didn’t.) Owen didn’t get the choice of toy, but was happy with what he got.
Katie didn’t want to ride ANY more rides so it was all Owen. He didn’t want the ferris wheel (which I had no problem with since I don’t like them) or any of the bigger kid/adult rides. Part of me is glad we don’t have an adrenaline junkie, but I LOVED all those rides so I kind of wanted him to like them…but he IS only six. 🙂
Owen wanted to go in the Monkey House (basically a small mirrored maze, some fun mirrors, and a curly slide) and got a little turned around so Tom went in with him. Cost? $10. TEN DOLLARS. Breathe. Breathe. 🙂
Katie’s sword!
We convinced Owen to try the swing. He seemed to enjoy it at the start, but as it went faster and higher we saw him tilting his head to the side and Tom and I both thought he looked like he was going to puke. He never did, and it turned out it was just from centrifugal force. (We did ask him if he had felt sick at all on the ride—if his belly hurt or if his head felt woozy—and he said no. Phew.)
Of course there’s no refund on tickets and both were pretty much done so we wasted another $8 in tickets on a three-minute train ride. Sigh.
And to spend the remaining $10, Owen went down this slide twice. He did love it, though. 🙂
In the end, their favorite thing? The games. Owen wanted to go back, but we were busy the whole weekend. We will probably skip carnivals until they’re a bit older and may like some of the rides more.
Owen’s official t-ball pictures!
And the best thing? TRADING CARDS! (We won’t be doing them every year, but for his first year? You bet! We got to fill in the position so we asked what he wanted and he picked catcher!)
I can’t believe this hasn’t happened before now.
She went in to go potty while I was picking out her clothes…when suddenly I heard crying. I ran in there to see this.
She was not happy. But of course I took the extra 10 seconds to snap a pic before helping her out. 🙂 It was only pee water but I figured I’d better at least rinse her off—and she didn’t like that, either.
What a way to start the day. Poor Katie.
Game 5: Raptors vs. Hot Rods
Katie helping Owen get ready!
Owen being silly.
We got there early enough for some practice time.
Standing on a pillow.
He took a little hit in the face after a bad hop.
Now that’s a throw!
He was also the catcher again for an inning.
Unfortunately, we had a minor accident. Katie and Owen were both in the dugout when I called to Katie. Both her and Owen turned to come to me at the same time—I have no idea why Owen did, but he did. And didn’t pay any attention to what he was doing…and smashed Katie right into the big metal pole of the dugout. Tom and I both saw it happen, heard her head SMASH into the pole, and saw her sink to the ground. And start crying. Hoo boy.
All the surrounding parents were concerned, and one got us some ice but Katie didn’t really want it. We had a talk with Owen about paying attention. And cuddled Katie.
We gave her some Tylenol when we got home and after we ate lunch and she took a nap, she seemed just fine. But she’s got a nice goose egg. Her first minor injury. 🙁
Game 1: Raptors vs. Storm
I apologize ahead of time for the volume of photos…but this was his first real game so I wanted to show it all. I promise there won’t be nearly as many from upcoming games. 🙂
Practicing with daddy beforehand.
Typical Owen. He had grass-stained knees before the game even started!
Tongue out!
Not a kid from Owen’s team, but so cute I had to take a picture. 🙂
He had SO much fun and was SO excited about everything—it was awesome to see. And Tom had a great time, too, as he’s envisioned this for SO many years. 🙂
T-Ball Opening Ceremonies
Tom helped Owen get dressed for the opening ceremonies! I’m not sure who was more excited.
Owen was hamming it up in the mirror. Please excuse the disaster of a room. (We’ve been getting the downstairs ready for a dinner party so lots of stuff is being dumped in our room!)
Doing a little fielding practice with his coach.
We have to bring a ball for Katie to play with—she loves to play catch and she’s actually pretty good!
Running the bases just for the fun of it.
He had his tongue out in lots of the pictures!
The T-ball teams were the last to walk in.
All the teams lined up (all teams from all age groups):
And then it was back home to clean for our dinner party…and to get ready to go back to the fields for Owen’s game at 1:30!
Sidewalk chalk paint!
Even though I was the one that bought the paint, I really hadn’t been looking forward to it at all (because…mess!) but then I read this article on Facebook: Why You Must Let Your Kids Jump In Muddy Puddles (about the Muddy Puddles Project) and I instantly knew what we were doing today. If you read the article, get your tissues handy.
And a few close-ups of some of the drawings (taken the next day after they were completely dry):
Owen’s first T-ball practice
He actually missed the first practice since we were on vacation, but this was HIS first practice. He was VERY excited.
Running the bases before practice!
The ages of the team are 5/6 but Owen is honestly a full foot taller than most of them! Most of the kids are about the size of Katie!! (I think there’s another age 5/6 team but it’s for kids that have previous experience.)
Katie was a great cheerleader! “Owen, good job practicing. Keep practicing with daddy! Good practicing!”
Throwing drill:
Katie does whatever her big brother does—she was throwing pine cones at the fence just like Owen was throwing balls at the fence!
Getting their team hats and shirts! They’re the Raptors!
The kids’ first kite!
Gramma Jean had a kite that we took out for the kids. (We thought we had brought one but it turned out to be a glider instead of a kite.) The kids LOVED it!
Grannie finds the coolest things!
She found color-changing straws so everyone had ice in their drinks at dinner! If you look closely, you can see Katie’s pink straw is turning purple and Owen’s blue straw is turning purple!
First dolphin sighting!
And cropped so you can actually see them! I always say I’m going to take my telephoto lens, but I never do.
Katie liked watching them, too!
Fudpuckers Again
Last year the gang went to Fudpuckers while I stayed home to let Katie get a good nap. This year, we both went along.
They are known for the alligators…and I have to be honest and say they just creep me the hell out. /shudder
Beth and I decided to split this 40 oz margarita-ish drink.
And made mom try it, too. 🙂
Feeding the alligators.
Being a ham.
Attempting to get a cousin pic…and failing. 🙂
More creeptastic alligators.
Owen by his name that he wrote there last year.
Then this happened on the drive home.
Road trip dinner!
The kids’ first time at Waffle House—and both loved it (and both chose waffles and bacon)!
Our inaugural Saturday Night Spaghetti!
Some background…
I love having friends over for dinner. I like making new friends. So when I read this article last year—
Friday Night Meatballs: How to Change Your Life With Pasta (if you have the time to read it, please do!)—it hit a nerve and I immediately knew it was something I wanted to attempt. I promised myself that I would schedule something after the holiday season had settled down. Well, then life happens, and I didn’t actually get to schedule it until the end of January, with the dinner to be mid-February.
I posted the following invitation on Facebook and hoped for some responses:
[Photograph: Carina Romano]
Imagine my surprise when the RSVP slots were filled in less than 24 hours!! And lots more people LOVED the idea and promised future participation! 🙂
Unfortunately, the weather didn’t play nice and we had to postpone a week, but the original attendees were all still able to come! And everything went awesome! Six guests (plus kids) was just right. (This house is big, but for a dinner party, six guests is about the limit of dining space. I wish we had more room, or even a good place for another table!) Everyone got along and had a good time talking, the kids were all awesome (Owen had a new Lego buddy and Katie had a friend), and everyone stayed much later than I anticipated (they all left about 9:30). One couple said it was a great idea and they are thinking about starting something similar! Yay! During the event, I even stopped Tom and told him that I was very happy. He agreed it was a good night. 🙂 We both can’t wait to do it again!
Even though it wasn’t BUSY or lots of work, we were both kept busy visiting and prepping and whatnot, so I didn’t take pictures! The only one I took was of the kids’ table:
And this one was snapped by a guest (everyone liked the aquarium but the girls loved it!):
I hope all future dinners go as smoothly as this one did! 🙂
And then, even though it was WAY past the kids’ bedtimes, we let them stay up to watch one TV show to let them calm down. And this happened:
