HAPPY BIRTHDAY

...Presents...


...surprise guests (we didn't know Aunt Tiffany and Sam were coming at all)....

...play time....

...cake...

First birthdays have it all!

Happy Father's Day

We celebrated Kevin's first Father's Day here today. All our parents came over for the afternoon. Kevin unveiled the new grill to everyone and then wowed us with delicious brats and cheese burgers. I am so full, but it was glorious. The weather was great, and Corinne had fun with her dad and her grandpas (and her mom, Granny, and Grandma too). Another successful and fun first holiday completed.

Corinne's first birthday is next week. I can not believe how quickly the year has gone. I guess that means first holidays are now over for her. I look forward to all the fun and fabulous firsts we have to come.

Our First Family Vacation

We spent the last four days in beautiful Frankfort, Michigan. For those of you unfamiliar with the area, please pull out your Michigan hand and point to your top pinky finger joint. That is where we were. Corinne was a trooper for the car ride up and back, almost no fussing. The weather was perfect, sunny with highs in the low 70s the whole time we were there. Corinne had a blast and could not have been more fun to be with. Her dad is a blast also. We had a great time.

Corinne and I are more than happy to ham it up for the camera. This was after we climbed 118 steps to a breathtaking view of Lake Michigan. The only problem was on the way back down. They were steel grate steps and I am afraid of heights. I am used to facing my fears head on, but not having Corinne in my arms wiggling when I do it. Don't worry, we made it back down without incident.

This is off the balcony at my parents' condo. That is the lake behind us. The sunsets were gorgeous, as always.

Corinne loved crawling around the condo. She is very speedy now and her favorite game at the moment is to go "kaboom". "Kaboom" is when she is sitting up and drops to lay down, then she laughs and laughs. We spent the first half of the trip encouraging "gentle kaboom". So, she would stop hitting her head on things like the fridge, the cabinets, the table, etc. With "gentle kaboom" she lays down slowly and looks around before she does it. She has now mastered this technique. The coffee table was a different height than the one we have at home and Corinne adored walking laps around it, swinging under it, and, of course, playing "Where is Corinne?" with Kevin, aka Peek.
She did sport her bikini on the beach. She was not sure about the sand, it felt weird. The water is still pretty cold, but she gave it a shot.

We had a blast this long weekend. I was able to sneak away for a nice long beach walk (my favorite thing in Frankfort is that the beach never ends). We went to the farmers market, had ice cream, played in the shops, swam in the pool, checked out the beach, and just enjoyed each other.

Thank you Grannie and Grandpa for watching Rufus and Simba and for sharing your get away place. It is nice to be home and to have the dogs with us again, but I think I could have stayed another week. I am glad we will be heading back up in a few weeks to spend more time on the lake with Grannie, Grandpa, Aunt Tiffany, Uncle Tommy, and Sam. Can't wait!

Corinne's First Pony Ride!