Who's a big girl?

Sydney got lots of brownie points with Mommy and Daddy last night. Why? Because SHE SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT!!! Being in a perpetual state of teething, Sydney's had a rough couple months, which means so have the rest of us.

Just yesterday, I was talking to a client who just returned from maternity leave. Her 3-month-old son is doing really well at sleeping. This was not something I really wanted to hear, considering my 13-month-old daughter had slept miserably the night before, waking up three times. Sydney's ears must have been burning!

Thanks, Grandma Elouise for sharing this photo. It's about time I posted another story about Sydney. My last few entries have all focused on her big brother.

WEEEEEEE love the tire swing!

Add this one to our list of favorites: the playground next to the Bong Heritage Center in Superior. Two different (and elaborate) jungle gyms, diggers and a tire swing. Lake Superior is right next to it, so the setting is gorgeous.

Addie and Lily joined us there Saturday morning. Sydney was there, too, but just didn't make the picture because she's not quite ready for the tire swing.

As kids tend to do, they pretty much ignored each other for the first half hour or so. Then, when we said it was time to leave, suddenly they became the best of friends. Lucky for them, we decided to have lunch together, so they had lots of time to play together.

Mommy learned two important lessons about sunscreen on Saturday. Remember to apply it to the back of your neck if you're wearing your hair in a ponytail. (Yes, I am a red neck.) And the facial moisturizer with SPF has a hard time working if you forget to put it on. Lovely!

Jack of all trades

What do you want to be when you grow up? The multi-faceted AJ seems headed in several directions: Army soldier, doctor, Bob the Builder and football player all at once.

Considering he put this ensemble together himself, I think it's safe to guess that his future career will NOT be in fashion design.

Ruling the world will have to wait a minute

The vanity/grill has yet another use. Tipped on its side, it now serves nicely as a bulldozer. AJ pushed it into the kitchen declaring as authoritatively as a three year old can, "I will rule the world! I will bulldoze the world!"

He then abruptly stopped and announced, "Mommy, I have to go potty."

And off he ran. A few minutes later he was back, ready to conquer all.

Show me those muscles!

He's got the physique, the moves, the charm... look out for this one, he's going to be a lady killer. This photo was taken on the beach of Burt Lake, where we stopped to play after rafting down the Sturgeon River.
AJ enjoys the beach. Not so much because of the water, but because of the people he can meet. Earlier in the trip, we stopped at the beach across the street from our hotel. AJ introduced himself to two gorgeous young women wearing incredibly skimpy bikinis. I repeatedly tried to coax AJ away so that he'd stop bothering them, but they thought he was cute and insisted, in their rather thick accent, that he was no problem. (I learned later they were from Molrovia.) At one point, AJ picked a wildflower and presented it to one of the women. For the next several days, AJ was very proud to tell people, including strangers we met while waiting for elevator, "I met some ladies on the beach. I talked to two girls on the beach."
I'm sure there are young men five times AJ's age who can only wish they had that kind of luck with the ladies.

Magical Mackinaw

Ahhh... our vacation is now just something to look back on with fondness. But what an awesome week it was! It was so much fun to watch AJ and Sydney play with their cousins. It was as if they picked up where they left off when we visited them last February.
Our adventures included a tour of historic Fort Michilimackinac, trips to the beach, swimming in our hotel's waterpark (once we switched to decent hotel, but that's a story for another day), a raft ride, more playground visits than I can count, and, of course, a ferry ride to Mackinac Island.

As we drove home on Saturday, AJ said he didn't want to leave Michigan.

I answered, "I know, but we have to."

"Why?"

"Because vacation is over."

"Why does it have to be over?"

Welcome to reality, sweetheart.

Daddy's spaghetti

One of Jeff's cooking specialties is meatballs. He uses a mix of hot sausage and hamburger. They're huge. They're awesome. But when you're a kid, nothing can compete with sucking in the noodles. I'm pretty impressed with Sydney's dexterity. For the last two months, we've been eating lots of wider, easier-to-grab noodles. Guess we don't have to worry about that anymore.



If you look closely at AJ's arm, you can see his mystery rash. These photos were taken Tuesday night, which was day two of the rash, when it had cleared off his torso and migrated to his arms and legs. Thankfully, the rash is gone now. We never did figure out its cause.