Michigan, Part I

Last week, we spent the week in Grand Haven, Michigan.  It was the first time Jim had been there since 2005.  I have gone up with the kids the past few years, but it was so much better this time!  I apologize for all the pictures in this post.  I took over 650 pictures on our trip, so it was hard to choose which ones to post.

We had some chilly days, and some warm days.  Even on the chilly days the kids wanted to go in the lake.  Jack is wearing jeans and Caeleigh is wearing a sweatshirt, but that didn't stop those two 4-year-olds from going in the lake up to their chests.

The deck was a nice place to relax, have a snack, and enjoy the lake view.

Jim "relaxed" by reading radiology books.

We had some nice sunsets.

 Here is the college/high school crew:

A delicious tradition: Ice cream at Miss Lisa's.

We took Jack to a Family Fun Center while Patrick napped one afternoon.  He (and Jim) had fun in the batting cages.

 Then, they rode the go karts.

Jack got to ride a kiddie go kart by himself.  He rode a few feet before the employee climbed on the side to help him steer.

One morning, we walked down the pier.

Then we went into town for breakfast and shopping.  Jim was excited to find a guitar shop!

On another morning, we went into town for a trolley ride.  The boys waited patiently for it to arrive.

Well, they waited patiently for a few minutes and then ran around.

Trolley!

More beach time:

Seattle

Last Saturday, we went to Seattle for 4 nights.  Jim had a conference, so the boys and I tagged along.  We were happy to get a non-stop flight, although it was still 4.5 hours in the air.  We left a little after 6:00 p.m., and didn't get in to Seattle until after 10:30 p.m. St. Louis time.  Did the boys sleep on the plane?  Not at all. 

On Sunday, we went to Safeco Field to watch the Mariners play the Rays.

It was a nice stadium and we had good seats.  We got to see a few former Cardinals play (Brendan Ryan and Adam Kennedy).

A view of Mt. Rainier from the stadium:

Jack with Ichiro Suzuki:

After the game, we went to the waterfront for dinner and a harbor cruise.

A view from our cruise.  The first picture in this post is also from the boat.

While Jim was at his conference on Monday, the boys and I walked down Pike Street Market. We didn't get any fish, but did enjoy some tasty cookies and fresh fruit.

We also visited the Seattle Aquarium.  Below is a picture of the jellyfish display the boys liked.

I think their favorite part of the aquarium was playing on this dorsal fin.

Monday evening we took the monorail to the Space Needle with a group of Jim's co-workers.  We found a nice restaurant nearby for dinner.

How many neuroradiologists does it take to read a map?

Jack's lack of sleep caught up with him at the restaurant.  He fell asleep before eating dinner.

During the day, while Patrick napped, Jack and I occupied ourselves with Uno, Go Fish, television, and blowing bubbles on our balcony.

On Tuesday, it was a bit chilly and rainy in Seattle.  After Patrick's nap, the boys and I walked to the Central Library, which is a pretty impressive building.  They have a great children's area on the first floor.  We took the elevator up to the top floor to see the view as well.  Jack liked that the elevators were encased in glass so he could watch them go up and down.

The children's area had books, games, and puzzles.  They had little puzzles...

...and big, floor puzzles.

Jack also enjoyed playing games on the computer at the library.

Our flight home Wednesday was nice.  We ended up having two whole rows (of three seats each) to ourselves!  Jim was able to rock Patrick to sleep, so we didn't have such a cranky kid.

Trip to the South

Last weekend, Jim and I enjoyed a road trip without the kids!  My parents kept Jack and Patrick for the holiday weekend, and Jim and I took off Friday afternoon.  Our first stop was Nashville, where I took one picture (in our hotel room before we went out for the night).

We had a great time in Nashville.  We walked around downtown and enjoyed a meal at a bar with live music.  There was no cover and we had a great view of the band from our seats on the balcony.  The band was really good, and we were excited to see good music for free.  Here's an article that includes some videos of the Don Kelley Band.  After dinner and listening to music, we met up with my college friend Alan and his lovely fiancee.  It was nice to catch up with them for a bit.

Saturday morning, we drove to Atlanta.  Jim keeps in close contact with a group of 11 guys from his dorm in college.  They call themselves the 11-man.  One of them was getting married on Sunday, and all of the guys (plus many wives and some children) came to Atlanta to celebrate.  Saturday night we went to the father of the bride's home for the rehearsal dinner.  The setting was great for the "Low Country Boil."  It was really nice to catch up with Jim's ND friends, who came from all over the U.S.

On Sunday evening, we went to the wedding.  Jim was honored to play his guitar and sing a song during the ceremony.  He chose In My Life by the Beatles, and it was great!  This is the only picture of us I have from the wedding:

On the trolley ride back to the hotel, after the wedding reception, the other passengers asked Jim to play his guitar.  He did and we all enjoyed singing along.  So, when we got back to the hotel, we all decided to sit outside, drink beer, and sing some more while Jim played his guitar.  The bride and groom (who changed clothes) even stayed to hang out.

Jim had his music binder with him so people could request songs.

We had a really great time!

In other news, I had an ultrasound today.  Here is our newest addition, due in September: