Great-Grandpas

Today was my Grandpa's 84th Birthday.  We went over to his house for a family gathering.  It was great to get together with everyone.  My Granpda is such a special man.  He is a wonderful person and a fantastic grandpa to all of us and the best great-grandpa to his great-grandchildren.  I love how he has accepted our spouses as his own grandkids.  I've heard him say more than once to Kirk that he loves him and he always bear hugs us all as we leave.  He works 2 days a week (still!) at a bank, walks miles (I think 6?) a day, maintains his home (seriously does all the landscaping!) and in the winter he snowblows the entire block.  He is an amazing grandfather.  I love him to bits.  So does Lincoln.  Happy 84th, Grandpa-Grandpa!

On a sadder note...

We lost Kirk's grandpa on July 5h.  Kirk's grandpa had been sick for the last 10 months, or so, but it's never easy to lose someone you love and this was no different.  Grandpa Gotha served as a medic in World War II and had a large impact on Kirk choosing to go into the medical field.  I love Grandpa Gotha like he is my own grandpa.  He will always hold a special place in my heart.  I will always remember him being full of life and telling me one of his many stories.  He could make a mean apple pie (his secret was the salad shooter to cut the apples) and his chocolate chip cookies were so yummy!  

When Lincoln was only about 3 weeks old, we brought Lincoln to meet him.  Lincoln couldn't take his eyes off of him.  It was so sweet.  I'm so happy he had the opportunity to meet his great-grandson.

We miss you, Grandpa!

Vacation Day 7

Oh, vacation: why must you come to an end?

What a fantastic vacation we have had.  It has been the perfect mix of relaxation and seeing the sights of the U.P.  I know, "seeing the sights of the U.P." doesn't really make sense, but there is so much to see up here.  It really is beautiful country.  I was happy to see license plates from as far east as Connecticut, as far south as Florida and as far west as California.  Michiganders aren't the only ones enjoying the U.P.'s beauty.  (I sound like a walking ad for the Upper Penninsula!)

We ended our trip on a relaxing note.  This morning after we meandered around the cottage and left late.  It was a cloudy morning but there wasn't any rain in the forecast (If there is one thing we've learned since we've been here it's that the weather changes from hour to hour here.  It drives me crazy!).  We went on another hike to another waterfall.  It is called Canyon Falls.  It was a really nice hike and the falls were really pretty.

We came back this afternoon and skipped stones.  Seriously: I could sit by the lake and skip stones all day long.  So nerdy, yet oh so very relaxing.

Kirk and I are both anxious to get home.  We're looking forward to getting back on our routine.  Traveling with Lincoln has not been as easy as we had anticipated.  We've done our best to make sure he stays on his schedule and we follow his routine, but it's hard being away from home for all of us.  It's felt like a nice, long vacation.  I'd love vacation even more if we didn't have to go back to work next week!

Thanks for following along with the blog.  I know it wasn't one of the most exciting vacations we have taken, but for us, it was really fun.  I think we are both willing to admit we look forward to the days whenLincoln's schedule doesn't rule our vacation.  But, that being said, Kirk and I had fires almost every night and made hobo pies, s'mores and hot dogs.  AND I got a book and a half read!  That never would have gotten done at home!

Vacation Day 6

Boring vacation days are the best!

We started out bright and early looking for a breakfast joint.  Seriously, someone should move up here and open a restaurant.  We searched everywhere and finally found a nice little place a few miles away in L'Anse.  Our waitress loved Lincoln so much she picked him up and gave him a tour of the kitchen.  Little guy is getting tours everywhere!

Since we were in L'Anse we searched for a couple waterfalls we had read about.  We were only successful in finding the Powerhouse Falls.  Very pretty!

We came back, napped, gave Lincoln lunch and headed out in search of some unnamed waterfalls we had read about.  We had to hike out to them which was really nice.  We've been wanting to hike but have had other plans every other morning.  This was Lincoln's first hike and his first time in the Bjorn.  He actually loved it.  He was so cute kicking his feet and I swear he was always putting his hands behind his head like he was relaxing.

The falls were also really pretty.  I think they really are unnamed. 

After that we went to the Michigan Cafe and Brewpub and had a nice linner.  I had a peppadew panini.  I had no idea what peppadews were but they are spiiii-cy but it was so good.  The beer was good, Kirk's food was good and we have fallen in love with Calumet.  What a cute U.P. little town.

We came home and enjoyed the sunshine.  We're thinking we may leave tomorrow night so this will be our last night here.  I hate leaving vacation, but I'm looking forward to going home. 

For those of you who are tired of hearing about our vacation (wouldn't blame ya!) there are a couple of small things new with Lincoln.  He's talking so much.  He does this funny voice that sounds like he's yodeling.  It's so funny.  It's just "yody yody yody dody dody dody" over and over again.  It cracks us up every time.  A couple mornings ago I went to get him out of the Pack and Play and he was sitting up.  He hadn't ever gone from a laying down position to a sitting position, and he hasn't done this since, but I know it's just a matter of time before he's doing it all the time.  And, finally, Lincoln isn't crawling yet.  I was certain he was going to start crawling right before we left for vacation, but he didn't.  He's now slowly rocking and moving backwards on his tummy.  He's also started bear crawling.  Soon I know he'll be crawling and our lives will never be the same!

Vacation Days 4 and 5

Sorry there was no update yesterday.  It was a pretty uneventful day.  The morning was beautiful.  Lincoln took a long nap so Kirk and I were able to sit out by the water and enjoy the sun and read our books.  We hadn't had a chance to enjoy the morning by the lake because we are always on the go.

Kirk's parents came over for a quick trip from the cabin they rented for the week.  We went to lunch in Houghton at The Library Pub.  Kirk's parents took Lincoln back to our cottage and Kirk and I took a quick trip to Gay.  We had to go to the Gay Bar.  I'm so glad we didn't have Lincoln cause it wasn't a kid kind of place.  The food smelled delicious, but we just had a beer and headed home. 

We were so excited to see another amazing sunrise this morning!  Thank you, Lincoln, for making sure we are up byy 6:15 every morning to see it. 

Today we finally made it to the beach.  We found a couple of really nice beaches.  One was called Agate beach and the other Misery Bay.  They were so sandy and the water isn't too bad, believe it or not.  Kirk read somewhere it's 20 degrees warmer than normal this year. 

Lincoln loves the sand.  What he really loves is eating the sand.  Gross. 

Seriously: couldn't help but to NOT share this picture.  When I first met Kirk, he had "chops".  Isn't that what they call big sideburns?  Now we know what Lincoln would look like if he had chops:

After the beach (Lincoln only lasted about 2 hours.  Could have been worse!) we made our way back to Calumet.  I took a tour of the Calumet Theater.  It was beautiful and is still actually a working theater.

The highlight of our day today, though, was our private tour of the Red Jacket Brewing Company at the Michigan House Cafe and BrewPub in Calumet.  Kirk went in with Lincoln while I was at the theater and while the door was open, the restaurant itself was not open.  When I got there he went back in one more time just because and the owner took us in and gave us a free beer.  We were excited about this but even more excited when she brought us back to her husband who runs the brewery.  It was so cool!  They told us all about the beers they've brewed in the past and he even showed us the ins and outs of how they make their beer.  It was awesome!  I didn't take any pictures in the actual brewery, just in the restaurant of Lincoln, of course!  :) 

We're going to go back tomorrow and buy a couple t-shirts, eat some food and drink a couple beers.  It's the least we can do for the free tour.

Tomorrow sounds like it'll be another day in the sun!  I don't want vacation to ever end!

Vacation Day 3

Weeell, we didn't make it to the beach today. We visited a beach, but we never actually set up shop and enjoyed the beach like we were hoping. The fog didn't lift off the lake until close to noon! We left this morning around 9 a.m. and it was actually worse than then it had been just a couple hours earlier. Crazy.

We drove from here to Eagle River and Eagle Harbor. We made a couple stops at a couple of waterfalls. I don't know what it is about waterfalls. I know it's just water falling, but they're so pretty. Love them.

Eagle River Falls

Jacob's Falls

From Eagle Harbor we headed up the way to Copper Harbor. It was really clearing up by then. We stopped and had a nice lunch at Harbor Haus. A little German place. I went authentic and got wiener schnitzel and spaetzle. It was excellent! Kirk had trout wrapped in bacon that was also excellent. Lincoln enjoyed people watching and applesauce. I wish I had his life!!

We've been researching beaches in the area to find a good one with lots of good sand. It amazes me how different the shoreline can be from beach to beach. For example, outside of our cottage there is no beach. It's all these sandstone type rocks.

I found this beach that I thought would be perfect. Sounded like they had a lot of shoreline, beach and even fishing in the Gratiot River. I thought it sounded perfect: Lincoln and I could sit in the sand and Kirk could fish. We visited it today and it's a really rocky beach. Probably not perfect for our almost 11 month old seeing as he loves to put anything and everything in his mouth.

The scenery along our drive was amazing. The rock formations, the trees, the water. I forgot, even just for a minute, we were still in Michigan.

Looking forward to tomorrow and another day of relaxation!

Vacation Day 2

What a relaxing day.  We were up at the crack of dawn (literally) thanks to Lincoln (no more sleeping in on vacations!).  Which, as it turned out, was actually just fine because we were able to see the beautiful sunrise over Lake Superior.  Amazing!  I'm sure we'll be up every morning for the next week and I'm sure it'll be just as amazing.

After the sunrise we went to breakfast in Houghton and drove around Houghton and Hancock.  We stopped at the Keweenaw Brewing Company and had a beer.  I couldn't resist getting a picture of Lincoln in the brewery. 

This afternoon, we came back and relaxed.  We thought it was going to rain, but it only sprinkled and then was sunny.  Lincoln had his first experience with Lake Superior.  I'm not so sure he was a big fan!

Tomorrow is supposed to be a gorgeous day.  I think we're going to head up to Copper Harbor and enjoy the sun there.  Bring on the beach!

Vacation or Bust!

Vacation!  Oh, how I love vacation!  I love it for many reasons (not having to work, being with Kirk and Lincoln, relaxing, the beach, etc...).  We took a little vacation to the U.P. when Lincoln was only about 5 weeks old.  He was so good and slept just about the entire time.  It's amazing how much 9 months can change things!!  He hasn't quite been as sleepy this time around.  We try to start the trip around the time of his morning nap so he will sleep in the car.  Once he wakes up, we're never really sure if we're going to get our happy Lincoln or the one who is mad he has been sitting for hours in a car seat.  I must say, though, he's been a troooper!

We started our travels on Thursday.  We drove to the Traverse City area where we spent the day and night with Kirk's brother Doug, his wife Lynn and their kids, Noah, Olivia and Sophia.  The weather was PERFECT!  It was sunny and warm.  Their cottage was really nice and on an inland lake.  We spent the day in Glen Arbor.  We had never been but it's such a cute and quaint town with restaurants and shopping.  We had a really nice day.  That night we sat around the bonfire way too late talking and reminscing. 

Friday morning we headed to the cottage we usually visit every summer with Kirk's family.  It is up near Munising/Manistique.  It was only the 3 of us.  Kirk's parents are spending the next week there.  They had planned on coming up yesterday also, but couldn't so we just hung out.  Kirk fished on Friday night while I read on the dock.  Lincoln slept the night away enjoying the up north air.

On our way to the cottage we are renting, we stopped in Marquette and Big Bay.  On our way from Big Bay to the cottage we had quite the adventure.  Almost the entire trip was dirt roads.  It made the trip looooong.  At one point we saw a sign that said "Baraga" and decided to take that dirt road instead.  BIG mistake.  It was a skinny road and we have since decided probably a 2 track for four-wheelers.  We were both totally stressed.  The giant limb in the road that had not been moved should have told us no one had been on the road in awhile.  Instead, I got out of the car and held the limb to the side while Kirk drove around it.  We turned around a couple miles in.  Turning around was hilarious!  Poor Kirk...it was Austin Powers style.

We did see a lot of people stopped along the side of the dirt roads.  We couldn't figure out what they were doing.  We finally realized they were picking blueberries.  We stopped for a little bit and enjoyed some wild blueberries.  They were so good!

It took longer than expected but we finally arrived at our final destination!  We are staying for a week at a cottage waaaay up in the Keweenau Penninsula.  The cottage is between Chassell and Baraga and is right on Lake Superior.  Actually, as I type this, I am enjoying the view of the lake and the sound of the waves.  I love it!  We don't have a lot planned while we're here.  I think we'll go to a couple of breweries Kirk wants to visit and tour the Penninsula.  Maybe a copper mining tour?  I'm sure we'll visit waterfalls, lighthouses, beaches, trails, shipwrecks, etc..  I'm sure it won't be long enough!

I'll keep the blog updated with our up north adventures.  :)

Backyard Shenanigans

It's been so hot and sunny and we're totally taking advantage of it.  I love that Lincoln is at an age where we can go outside and play.  I get tired of being cooped up in the house all day long.  (Major props to stay at home moms!!)

We have so much fun playing with Lincoln outside.  Going on walks, going to the park, blowing bubbles, playing in the pool.  We try to keep him as busy as possible.  In a year HE'LL be keeping US busy!

 

Other than the 4th of July, there is nothing going on around here.  Lincoln is getting a little closer to crawling.  He crawled backwards once, but that's it.  And that was a week ago!  I have a feeling he'll start crawling the day before we leave on vacation in a couple weeks.  That'd be our luck.

Oh: I took this picture the other day.  Lincoln always does this with his toe.  It's so funny!

It's hard to believe he'll be a year old next month.  Where has the year gone?

Happy 4th of July!!