We went to Kalkaska today so we could go with Grandma Marsha and Uncle Rob to see some relatives who live out in the middle of nowhere. Katie enjoyed standing in the breeze and looking out the front door.
Tag Archives: Grandma Marsha
Dinner in Traverse City
We took Grandma Marsha and Uncle Rob out for dinner to Traverse City and we picked Harrington’s On The Bay. It was quite yummy—and while Owen was really good, Katie was pretty good but got a bit antsy/squawky towards the end. Owen was a MUCH better diner than Katie is so far…but she’s a MUCH better eater (tonight she ate calamari, French fries, asparagus, filet mignon, yogurt, and chocolate cake).
Outside, after dinner:
Happy Early Birthday, Katie!
Her second first birthday onesie!
Her birthday balloon and bib at the hotel for her party!
Making faces with Papa.
Amazingly, she didn’t dive into the cake.
Singing Happy Birthday and big brother helping blow out the candle! (Yes, it’s a little blurry. I have a FAIL every now and again.)
Also amazingly, she didn’t make much of a mess. Yes, SHE got messy, but she ate the whole piece and none hit the floor!
Her new suit and coverup from Grauntie Rose!
Up and out completely on her own!
She would have dove in had Tom let her.
It was impossible to get all three looking at me at the same time.
She kept trying to drink the water!
She loved playing with Papa’s toes!
Drying off with Grandma Marsha.
Waiting to open presents!
A fun game Katie had with some grandparents…
Tonight’s Skype
Katie crawls up…
…and over Tom.
While Owen is off wandering.
A great day to be outside!
Wow. Just wow.
Today was one of those rare North Carolina days where the weather is perfect, there’s a nice breeze, there’s no bugs, and it’s perfectly glorious to be outside…so we took full advantage of it!
I got out the kid enclosure our friends loaned us to put Katie on the deck under the umbrella (so I didn’t have to worry about sun) and she didn’t mind it too much.
And then he climbed in with Katie.
Meanwhile I was catching up on some of my big ol’ stack o’ magazines.
And Owen was running around playing with/snapping his Indiana Jones whip (something he’s not allowed to do inside), running around the yard, climbing on his playset, and playing with his army men* that he earned this morning for pooping. 
And here you can see him in all his adorable action:
We came inside for a little bit because after her nap, Katie was NOT having it…but when daddy got home, we decided to eat dinner outside!! By then it was a little cooler but still definitely worth staying out to enjoy it.
Ahhh, spring!
* The army men were an unplanned surprise. They were a gift from Grandma Marsha probably two years ago (in a Diego backpack) that we just tucked away until he was old enough to play with them. And I had kinda forgotten about them as they were in Katie’s closet (Owen’s old closet). But today, Owen happened to be in her room with us and the closet doors were open and his inquisitive eyes glommed on to Diego RIGHT away: “What is this?!” Then he opened it and found the army men…which I then immediately used as a potty training bribe!
Skype Craziness
We have no idea what got into him during the Skype with Grandma Marsha.
Just a little late…
I had the bib sitting out to use on Easter but then I just completely forgot it so she didn’t wear it until today. Oops! Thanks, Grandma Marsha!
Owen in Elmo’s World
Grandma Marsha, Owen LOVES LOVES LOVES his birthday game! Here he is having fun in Elmo’s World!
Brrrrr!
It was cold enough this morning to need a hat! He doesn’t like wearing hats as much as he used to when he was little, so I’m amazed he even put it on at all! See, Grandma Marsha, I said he’d wear it SOME day…
Happy 4th Birthday, Owen!
Fun with leftover Lego parts!
Balloon fight with Grannie Lin!
Posing with his presents—and in his birthday shirt—for another birthday picture!
Katie in her new party dress…with Grannie (and a gift from Grannie):
And trying to peek around me to watch TV like Owen does:
Owen’s finished (lame) Lego cakes:
The appetizer set up:
Attempting to Skype with Gramma Jean/Grandpa David and Grandma Marsha/Uncle Rob (it didn’t work too well—our network couldn’t handle it):
Most of the attendees:
Singing Happy Birthday:
Really excited about his new Xbox Sesame Street game from Grandma Marsha and Uncle Rob:
And the guitar I found on clearance for $3 (and took the batteries out ahead of time!):
He did pretty well opening presents…except he really loved the first things he opened (Lego Cars and a Ninja Lego) so he wanted to stop right then and play but we made him keep going. We did stop about halfway through, though, because he was losing interest and really wanted to play. Which was just fine.
One last attempt at a good Katie pic:
Our attempted family photo:
And just for comparison…last year’s photo:
Merry Christmas!
Well this morning was…not quite what I expected. I thought Owen would wake up and be super excited about Santa…but all he wanted to do was play his Xbox game. 
We excitedly said “Owen, who came to visit last night?” and in the most quiet and bored voice simply said “Santa.” Not quite the response I expected. About 20 minutes later we convinced him it was time to check out what Santa left—and he was a bit more enthusiastic. Here we are coming down the stairs to find the stockings…
And then it was off to see the presents…where he got upset because Santa ate “his” (Owen’s) cookies—even though Owen didn’t want any himself last night or this morning—and then back to happy again remembering there were presents to open.
Of course, he was happy to pose with all the presents:
And smiled with one when I asked him to:
And enjoyed playing with some of the things:
But honestly, he seemed less than thrilled with most of his stuff (though I guess to be fair, it’s hard to get excited about clothes or games when they’re in a box). I mean, he enjoyed opening them (which I guess is good enough, right?) but then they were pretty much immediately tossed aside and it was on to the next present. (Yes, I know he’s three. But it was just such a change from last year when he wanted to play with everything as he opened it). He did like a few things (meaning he expressed some awe over them—like both new Xbox Lego games, his Cars cars, and his Indiana Jones minifigs)…but the biggest hit wasn’t even from us or Santa—it was a bug vacuum and fishing rod (that you put your iPhone in to pretend fish) from Tom’s mom that were both immediately turned into guns. And an activity box that was for Katie.
I guess I was expecting too much from a 3yo, right?
And less than an hour later, he was already done playing with everything new and wanted to play the stupid xbox game I had hoped would be forgotten about with the appearance of two new games. I feel bad that I’m a little upset, but I just keep telling myself it’s not a big deal, it’s not a big deal, it’s not a big deal because I know he’ll eventually play with everything and like the games, etc…but it was just a bit disappointing because it wasn’t what I envisioned (and you think by now I’d know better).
There were lots of smiles and fun moments, though.
We Skyped with Grandma Marsha and Uncle Rob while Owen opened the presents they sent and some from Santa and mom and dad.
We had labeled everything with big name tags because Owen knows his name, so with just about every package he picked up he said “O-W-E-N spells me—Owen” and it was completely adorable. So then it was funny when we caught him opening a package for me and we said “Owen, is that yours?” YES! “Owen, whose name is on the label?” He looks for the label, sees it’s not Owen and immediately says “I’m sorry! So so sorry!”
Katie enjoyed the tags on one of her gifts:
And Charlie enjoyed a box in the middle of the floor—and watching everything from her perch:
And he was excited about this Captain America figure…
…until Tom pressed the button to make it speak and it freaked Owen out:
And he liked his trampoline…for about 15 seconds. (That was free so it may end up being gifted elsewhere because we don’t really have room for it if he’s not loving it.)
So overall I’d say it was a success, even if it didn’t go quite as we planned.
Owen’s Monster
Thank you, Grandma Marsha. He LOVES it.
Owen’s walkabout
Skyping with Grandma, Owen is showing her all of his robots.
Then he decided to take Grandma Marsha on a walkabout. It was hilarious, because he doesn’t quite grasp what she can and can’t see and was in his dark playroom showing her a puzzle that makes noise when you turn the lights off.
The end of a long day
We spent the day with Grandma Marsha in Kalkaska and had a nice picnic get-together with Tom’s friends and family. Owen got to play with a lot of kids his age (though, honestly, he didn’t really play WITH them) and he missed his nap. When we finally got back to Grayling, he crawled up onto the couch with his B…
Earlier, between rain showers, daddy and Owen attempted bubbles (this also averted a meltdown, of which I can’t even remember the problem).
And Grandma with Katie…
Amazing full double rainbow
We were getting ready to leave Grandma Marsha’s place when Tom came running in (from packing the car) saying there was the most awesome rainbow outside…so we all went running. Of course I had my phone, and tried to get a panoramic shot as it was starting to pour down on me… It’s a decent picture, but certainly doesn’t do it justice.
As we were driving away, I kept trying to take pictures through the car window, so Tom stopped in the parking lot of the hospital a few blocks away so I could get out and try for more pictures. It was the biggest and brightest rainbow I’ve ever seen! And it lasted a good 15 minutes–and probably would have lasted longer except the sun was setting!
Game Day at Grandma’s!
We spent the day at Grandma Marsha’s place, and it just happened to be MSU game day! We all had our jerserys—and the boys played football and hot potato! I love Owen’s guffaw.
I caught Owen catching the football!
And I got to take a little nap with Maggie…
Feeding the fish!
Tom and Grandma Marsha took Owen to the fish hatchery—and he seemed to enjoy it a little more than he did last year.
Cool new bowl!
Thanks, Grandma Marsha—I love it!
He knows all the tools!
He knows all the pieces, though whether he’ll answer you on command is another story. Thanks, Gramma Marsha—he LOVES them (especially the screwdriver, which he uses to fix his cars)!!
Owen’s 3rd Birthday Party!
Owen’s birthday cake—he was so excited he wouldn’t stop jumping for me to get a good picture! (It was made by an acquaintance of ours. I decided to splurge this year and have someone else make it so it was his first REAL birthday cake!)
This is what it looked like after I decorated it with his own Cars cars (while he napped):
Family photo!
Since he had so many presents, we started opening them before the party. He loved the bowling pins from Grandma Marsha and Uncle Rob! (After we played with them as actual bowling items, they turned into soldiers!)
I have no idea why he plugs his ears, but it happens often:
Drinking out of his new big boy Cars cup!
“Happy birthday to you…”
Trying to blow out his candles…
We didn’t get a group picture, but we celebrated with Papa, Grannie, Dad, Mom—and our good friends Roger and Ursula and their kids Virginia and Caroline!
Sunglasses, pizza, and Skype!
He saw these sunglasses sitting on the counter and has co-opted them as his own. He was super excited to wear them and wore them around the house for quite some time. He just LOVES them.
Tonight was the first night we gave him mini slices of pizza instead of cut up pieces—and he seemed to do just fine!
The glasses make another appearance during a Skype call with Grandma Marsha and Uncle Rob!
New squirt gun!
Learning how to—OOPSIE!!—use his new fish squirt gun! Thanks, Gramma Marsha!
Sushi?!!?!?!
At our sushi buffet lunch today with Grandma Marsha and Uncle Rob, Owen was intrigued by the stuff on my plate so I let him grab a piece of sushi…which he proceeded to (of course) dip in yogurt and try to take a bite of!!!!!!!111!1!!
He didn’t get much of a bite—and then the roll basically fell apart—but it’s the first time EVER he has reached for something on our plates that was new to him! He then proceeded to eat a few small bites of tempura sweet potato and Korean beef!!
Knock me over with a feather.
Everyone at the table (well, mom and dad especially!) was cheering madly. The other patrons surely thought we were insane.
Birthday Party!
I was really excited about decorating Owen’s cake as a baseball—I baked part in a round Pyrex bowl and did a flat bottom layer. That part went fine. The frustrating part came when I tried to decorate it—the tiny tube of “cake decorating gel” I bought was basically useless—it was too sticky and didn’t come out of the tube evenly, making the lines and intricate designs of the stitching impossible. So I was bummed.
Owen noticed the gifts on the table and wanted to sit in the chair, so we put him up there and Gramma Marsha gave him a car from one of the bags so then he played with that and the peeked into a bag and found another car. So he was playing with both of them…and making car noises! (He had never done that before!)
Then I decided to give him one of my gifts—a box of 10 Matchbox cars—and this is him seeing them in the box and signing “more!”
Taking a break from playing with his cars.
He loves having Happy Birthday sung to him!
Enjoying the cake!
Everyone who was at the party!
His new thing.
He loooooooves this bucket now. I keep all his balls in it, and he’ll come down from his nap, toss out every single ball, then hop in and just sit there, or watch TV from there. Thanks, Grandma Marsha!
He also likes getting pulled around the floor in it…and then Tom picked him up and carried him around, then gave him a bumpy ride!
Ooooh, sparkly moving fun!
Thank you Grandma Marsha! I love it!
Fun! Book! Noises!
The duck is his favorite—it’s the smallest animal, so the greatest chance of hitting the noise button! Thanks, Grandma Marsha!
Owen’s New Helmet!
Owen just LOVES the pumpkin basket that Grandma Marsha bought him!
Christmas in Grayling
We went up to Grayling for the long holiday weekend. We went over to Kalkaska on Christmas Eve Day to have our Christmas with Marsha and Rob and then Christmas Day we exchanged gifts with Marge, then my dad and Linda came over for lunch and Owen time. Here are some of the best shots:
Grandpa Mike brought over a sled for Owen, in which he THOROUGHLY enjoyed being pulled around the house!
We were able to finally take him sledding outside later in the weekend. Cousins Isabelle and Gabrielle were there to help! Here are some of the best shots:
It was great being able to have the entire family together again (the last time was actually just in July, when we all vacationed together in Kentucky). Here’s the annual group shot and the Christmas shirt photo with a new inductee:
A boat for the boy…and a trip to the lake!
Since we were up in Grayling, Gramma Marsha came over to visit. She also brought Owen a gift—a blow up boat, complete with leg holes and a horn! It was perfect, as we were planning (hoping!) to take him to the lake (for his first big water experience) that weekend.
What was funny, though, was me reading the box: “For ages 6 months to 12 months. Up to 20 pounds.” 88| That meant we had better use it that weekend, otherwise he would be too big! (Yes, he is only six months old…but remember, he weighs as much as a 12-month old so he was already at the max weight!)
So just in case the beach thing didn’t work out, we had a photo op at home beforehand:
So then it was off to Houghton Lake to see Rose and Jim at their cottage. They have lake access just down the street, so we all walked down there, cameras and towels and boat in hand, boy in the stroller, hoping for it to go well.
Things started off well, but then he wasn’t anywhere near the water yet.
Unfortunately, it was windy, which made the water a bit choppy.
And the water was cold, so it took about five seconds to register that he didn’t like it so we pulled him out.
But we still wanted to try the boat. And this picture pretty much sums up his entire first lake experience:
So much for my grand visions of a nice and warm day, with the sun having warmed the first two inches of CALM lake water, with us sitting next to the boy IN the water, watching him play and kick. |-|
Then it was off for a pontoon ride around the lake. Rose and Jim didn’t have a baby life jacket but they did have a kinda small one—which Owen didn’t really like, either (but then, he was hungry—so once the bottle was finished, he was much happier). That said, his helmet was really in the way:
…so we eventually took it off—and once the helmet was off and he relaxed a bit, things were better:
…and he eventually fell asleep!
