Mackinaw Island

After graduation while we still had David and his parents all to ourselves we went up north. Mackinaw city is on the very northern tip of the mitten that is MI's lower peninsula. Mackinaw Island is then just a short ferry ride away.


The island is adorable and the complete definition of quaint. Cute little shops and restaurants, no cars or buses allowed, just bikes and horse drawn carriages to be seen.


We made our way past the fudge shops, the old church, historic houses, up to the fort and then up and through the woods to Arch Rock. Grandma and Grandpa teaching Noah about tree gum, maple syrup and woodpeckers.


We then hiked back down past the Grand Hotel and into town for burgers, french fries and of course a little fudge on the side. We let the kids throw pebbles and huck rocks into Lake Huron with the Mackinaw Bridge and the Round Island Lighthouse in the background. It was sunny and gorgeous.

Noah kept asking when we were going to leave.

You see, we had a small indoor waterpark at our hotel.

Both boys could have spent all day every day at the water park. It was the perfect size for them. And did I mention that Noah's bed pulled down out of the wall? and that you could make your own waffles for breakfast in the morning? When it was finally time to head home, Noah said "but, this is our home."

He never wanted to leave that hotel.

Happy Mother's Day

Congratulations, David

Congratulations to Dr. David Wagner. Can you believe it? This man has put so much work into this degree. Our whole family has. We are so proud of him. And we both feel like we couldn't have done it without our amazing family and friends and the faculty, staff and students at MSU. Thank you so much!


One ceremony couldn't quite celebrate enough for all the studying, sweating, changing, dedicating, worrying, working, sacrificing, theorizing, and learning that has gone into this degree. But it sure was nice. Dave's parents were able to be here for the celebrations and celebrate we did.

Congratulations again, Dr.

Busy Day

Man, I love this kid.

A Picnic

Tonight we had a picnic. It was sunny, warm and oh so quiet. Not a soul at the historic village tonight. The boys had the playground all to themselves. Even the swings were still.

After sweet onion sandwiches and chicken nuggets Dave and I sat on the blanket while the boys climbed up and slid down. 'They're getting so big' we thought. 'When was the last time we sat down at a park?' we thought.


We walked down to the pond with the geese, past the big red barn, the old schoolhouse, and the general store. Man, I'm gonna miss this place.


We used to live in an apartment on the other side of the pond through the woods. Big and round with Noah I used to power walk through those trails to make sure my baby would be healthy. Then later with Noah in the jogger or in a backpack, then big and round with Gage, then with 2 boys. So many times on the trails, at the pond, the playground or through the bike paths.


Tonight I got this feeling like we could be doing things for the last time in our Michigan and not even know it. Surely we'll peek in the old farmhouse windows again, or try to crank the tall windmill... won't we? We have 2 months left, surely we'll chase those geese back into the pond or duck under the toll bridge... won't we?

hAPpY EaSTeR

This Easter we learned that Gage can peel an entire hard boiled egg all by himself, that Noah is very good at hunting for candy even when hidden in camouflaged plastic eggs, and that bright blue egg dye will come out of an upholstered chair.

This Easter we remembered some things we already knew. We remembered that we have wonderful friends with rockin' culinary skills, that brothers are absolutely adorable in white shirts with matching ties, and that cadbury mini eggs are still the most amazing candy.

And this Easter we took time to think about Christ's atonement and all that it does for us. The gospel message is so beautiful and so hopeful. He will help us become what we need to be. Beautiful. Hopeful. Happy Easter.

Butterfly Gardens

I took the boys to the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park to see the butterfly exhibit with some friends. It was huge. Tons of butterflies flying all around, landing past you, close to you, on you.

The boys were amazed and watchful...for about 3 minutes, maybe 5. After awhile Noah finally says "Mom, I need someplace where I can run and touch stuff."

Good thing they had a wonderful Children's Garden. Lots of room to run and lots of fun stuff to touch. So that's what we did. Especially boy #2, no stroller for this one. He wanted to

run

and run

and run.

I would love to go back to this place when the outdoor plants are all a' bloomin. But this time around there were still plenty of neat sculptures, play areas, sunshine and chasin' baby to keep us happy.