Crunch Time

We're having a baby.  Have you heard?

I know I haven't talked about our new addition much on the blog and I think that's some of my mommy guilt.  I have never felt guilty with Lincoln before.  I've always dropped him off at day care and known he was well taken care of.  Whenever we've left him at home with someone, I've always felt the same way.  This time, though, I'm struggling with dividing my time between him and the new baby.  I never want Lincoln to feel like I've forgotten about him or that he's being replaced.  I want him to always know how special he is.

I was talking to a friend from work today and she reminded me what a fantastic gift we are giving Lincoln by giving him a sibling.  I love my brother and sister.  They are the people I turn to the most when I need someone's advice, help, guidance.  They were my partners in crime growing up.  They know me better than just about anyone else.  They make me laugh like no one else.  Sure, we had our moments (let's be honest: we still do) but without them, I'd feel incomplete. 

This is the gift our parents gave to us, and this is the gift we're giving to Lincoln.

There's no way else for me to say this: we're TOTALLY NOT ready for Busy!  It's bad news.  My office that will be her room, is still my office.  I cleaned out the closet a couple months ago, but other than that, it's still full of all my work stuff.  The color is going to stay the same.  We may put on a second coat of paint, but that's it.  Thanks to Joelee and Jason for the crib and the 2 totes FULL of clothes and shoes.  I know it'll fall into place and all work out, but I'm still stressed.  I've been told by more than one person that babies don't need that much.  And, truthfully, Lincoln slept in his car seat his first couple nights of life, but it's so stressful thinking about everything we need to do before she's born!

We're working on names, but for those of you who are dying to know her name, we're not telling you.  Quite frankly, she probably won't have a name until the moment she's born.  If the first time around is any indication, she probably won't have a name until the day we leave the hospital.  Only 10-ish more weeks of waiting!

I'm planning on going back to work once Busy is born.  My plan is to work until she's born and take 12 weeks off.  I have to say, to anyone who thinks otherwise, maternity leave is not a vacation. Sure you're at home with the baby, but you're also up at night with the baby, comforting the baby when she cries and cries and cries...I remember the first time Joelee came to visit us after Lincoln was born.  I remember sitting on the couch while she was holding him and seriously feeling deliriously tired.  I'll never forget that feeling.  Having a newborn, ladies and gentlemen, is not a vacation.

As far as everything else with the pregnancy, it's all going well.  I have some back pain, but not like the first time around.  I was nauseous for the first 20 or so weeks, but I'm thankful I could take medication to make the nausea go away.  I don't have gestational diabetes, but my iron is low.  Lincoln is starting to have a hard time getting on my lap.  :(  I'm trying to keep it normal for him, but it's getting harder.

The next 10 weeks will fly by!  I CANNOT wait to meet our little sweetie!!

Last Days of Vacation

It's always sad to leave vacation and go home, but there is something to be said for being home and in your own bed.  So looking forward to going to sleep tonight!

Our last couple days were spent close to the cottage.  Pietro and his boys hung out yesterday in the morning.  We decided to go to the beach.  It was the perfect beach day!  The boys had fun rock hunting and playing in the sand.  Kirk and Lincoln decided to fly a kite.  It took a little bit to get the kite off the ground, but once he did, it was high flying! 

We were so sad to leave this morning, but ready to come home.  I had to take a picture of Kirk's favorite place in Grand Marais: the brewery.  I know; I'm not surprised either!  We stopped in there yesterday to get a couple of t-shirts and a growler refill and the ladies knew Kirk.  It looks like a hole in the wall, but the food is great and per Kirk, the beer is excellent.

On our way home, we stopped along Route 2 and took a dip in Lake Michigan.  The lake was warmer than Superior, obviously, which  made me happy!  Lincoln was running to me sitting on the beach and then running to Kirk in the water.

Once he was tired of playing in the water, he played in the sand, I know: shocker.



So, here we are, back at home until our next vacation.  Who knows when that will be!  We spent a lot of time talking about next year seeing as there will be 2 little munchkins.  We may be skipping the UP next year and sticking closer to home.

We were surprised to see our kale, basil and cilantro so big!  Even the tomatoes sprouted while we were gone!  Thanks to my friend Susie who watered our plants for us while we were gone.  It doesn't sound like it rained (except Monday) so I'm sure they would have died without her help.

Thanks again for following us on our vacation.  The reality of a baby joining our family in a mere 11 weeks is starting to sink in...

Vacation Days 4, 5 and 6

Sorry about the lapse in updating.  I haven't been up early enough the last few days to make it "into town" to update the blog.  I can tell you we've had 3 fun and relaxing days!

Tuesday we went back to Munising for the day.  We made stops between here and there to break the trip up.  Our first trip was to the Log Slide.  It was also Lincoln's first trip in the baby carrier hiker backpack.  We weren't sure how he'd feel about it, but he loved being up high and seeing the world from a different point of view. 

It was just a short hike, but there were dunes he would not have been able to climb on his own.  Kirk and I have both been to the log slide before, but it is such a cool view of the dunes and the lake.  It's always one of my favorite stops.

My biggest goal heading to Munising was going to the farmer's market.  We were there at 4:00 when it started and it was chaos!  People love their farmer's market around here, apparently.  We got some bread and jam.  I really wanted fresh produce, but that was a no-go; unless I wanted rhubarb or radishes.  I love Munising.  I've always thought if we ever moved to the UP, it's where I'd want to live.  It's a beautiful setting.

After traveling all over town Monday and Tuesday, we felt like we owed it to Lincoln to keep the car time to a minimum.  In the morning, we tried geocaching around Grand Marais.  I've been totally excited to try geocaching.  I know Lincoln's still young to do this type of treasure hunting, but Kirk and I still wanted to try.  Well, we failed!  Geocaching-5 Us - 0!    We both just wanted to find 1!  That's it...just one!!!  Oh well. 

Kirk searched for this one.  The clue was "Welcome to Grand Marais".  We found nothing.

I can't remember the clue to this one.  All I remember is neither of us found it.

There's another we tried to find and the title is "E-Z-1".  Nope, we didn't find that one either!  One was on someone's property and another one is somewhere at the boat dock.  We've been back to look for the boat dock one twice and still can't find it!  I'm determined to find one!

Wednesday afternoon we went to this great little beach we found about a half hour away.  It is my favorite beach we've been to up here, ever.  The views were great, the sand was nice, the water was clear.  The only problem was that it was a little cold Wednesday (although I did somehow manage to burn sitting on the deck at the cottage earlier in the day).  There was rock hunting, playing in the sand and you guessed it: more rock stacking.  This time courtesy of Kirk.  He's getting good!



Yesterday we went on another hike in the morning to the Grand Sable Dunes.  Last time we did this hike was about 4 years ago (I think?  Maybe 3?) and I swear it was easier then!  Darn pregnancy!  It was another nice day out and the views were great once we got to the top.  Kirk and Lincoln hiked out a little bit further than I. 

Kirk's friend Pietro brought his two sons, Tristan and Jonas, over yesterday.  The boys played on the deck with trucks (literally a bucket of trucks) and then we went hiking.  This time we went hiking to the Grand Sable Lighthouse.  I must admit: I bailed after about 1.25 miles.  I knew I had to walk back.  The idea of walking another quarter mile there making it a 1.5 mile hike back was daunting.  We stopped at a great beach along the way before the boys went on their way.

Kirk and Pietro have been to the lighthouse before.  The last time they were there it was closed.  Aaaand, maybe it's just not meant to be since this happened to them again!  It looks like it's a cool lighthouse (if that's your thing, I suppose!) from the outside.

Pietro and his boys set up their trailer in the driveway.  I think we're going to hang out around here today for a few hours before they leave.  Not sure how long they'll stay today, but it has been nice having company.

We leave for home tomorrow.  Sad day, but we have had a great week!  The weather has been so nice.  It was a little chilly for a couple days, but from what I hear it's going to heat up this weekend!  There have been weather advisories since Wednesday letting people know the heat index is going to be 95-105.  The worst part about that is no one has a/c here.  At least we have a/c at home.  Our first couple days here were so hot!  I'm glad we were here this week and not next.  At least at home I can be pregnant and in a/c. 

Thanks again for checking in on us and our little vacay.  It's been so fun!



Vacation Days 2 and 3

I love the first few days of vacation.  The week is just beginning and you feel like you have so much time to do so many fun, exciting and new things. 

Moving at a slower pace is hard for me.  I am a go-go-go type person.  It usually drives me crazy when I have to wait longer than a few minutes for my food to arrive or for my bill to come, and if I have to wait in line for a long time, forget about it!  Up here, though, things move at a slower pace: it's just the way it is.  I have no choice but to get used to it.  This year I'm appreciating that more than I have in years passed.  I like that our days are going slower and I'm appreciating the conversations with locals more than I have in the past. Aaaaannd...as I sit here, I cannot remember how this was supposed to tie into the blog, soooo...I'm not sure what that says about "appreciating the slower pace".

Sunday we spent the day looking for just the right beach.  Our beach is nice, but, quite frankly, the hike out to the beach is a long one and I really don't want to do it more than once a day.  As the case would have it, though, we ended up at our beach at the end of the day.  Linicoln was in heaven, again!  It really is so fun to see him running into the water (Daddy close by, of course.  Mama avoids the ice water at all costs.)  He did play in the sand a lot more than he did on Saturday, thankfully!  He's discovered the sand.  YAY!

Our beach is rocky.  We saw a lot of people on the public beach agate hunting.  Apparently, it's a thing to do up here, agate hunting, that is.  Kirk and I aren't even sure what exactly an agate is.  There are books at the cottage and we still can't figure it out because all of the rocks look like they could be agates if they were polished.  Anyway, my new obsession is rock stacking.  Kirk and decided if it were a Minute to Win It game, we'd have to stack 10 rocks in 1 minute.  Impossible! 

There are rocks in the cottage so I, of course, brought the rock stacking inside.  I'm getting better!  My own little Stonehenge.

We brought a couple of life jackets for Lincoln since we knew we'd be at the lake a good portion of our trip.  Think this one is too big?



Yesterday, we headed into Munising for the day.  It was a strange day weather wise.  It sounds like there were some fierce storms at home.  We also had some nasty weather, but thankfully, the storming was done and it was sunny in Munising by the time we got there around 11:30.  We stopped for lunch and went to, where else, the beach.  We decided to go to Miner's Beach which is a great beach with fantastic views of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

Kirk loves Lake Superior even when it's not warmer than 50 degrees.  He's crazy (no really) and I'm pretty sure Lincoln is finding a love for the ice cold Lake, too.

We had so much fun yesterday hanging out by the beach. It seems strange to me that we are spending our vacation in the UP by the beach, but we totally are!

There are a couple funny things Lincoln is doing these days.  One is copying, sure annoying, but cute nonetheless.  We had corn on the cob for dinner a couple nights ago.  I took Lincoln's corn off the cob, but he wanted to eat it off the cob like us.  It was funny watching him eating the corn on the cob.

Lincoln is really chatty.  He talks a lot and while we can only understand about 50% (that's generous, probably more like 35%) of what he actually says, there are some funny things he says.  Right now our favorite thing he says is boat.  Yes, boat.  It sounds like he's saying "about" like a Canadian.  When we see a boat, we try to get him to say boat cause it's so funny!  We have to get it on video camera. 

We're really enjoying our week!  This morning it's chilly; I don't think it's supposed to get marmer than 70.  It's been so hot and humid that 70 is a nice break.  Sounds like Kirk's friend from PA school, Pietro, is going to come visit Wednesday or Thursday with his boys.  We're looking forward to the company!  Hoping he'll make it up for the visit.

Kirk made it out to sunset over the lake last night.  I swear I'm going to get up in time to see sunrise one of these days!

Thanks for checking in with us on whle we enjoy our vacation.  Looking forward to more days at the beach with my boys.  :)

Vacation!

It's time for our annual vacation to the UP!

I have to start by telling you, the place where we are staying is truly a "Great Escape".  I guess I shouldn't be surprised, as this is how it was advertised, but there's no tv, no phone, no internet...it's a step back in time.  I do have cell reception and I was in internet withdrawal, so here I am "in town" stealing the local market's wireless connection and updating my blog.  :)

We left yesterday and stopped in Indian River to see one of our old college friends, Jill.  I met Jill in one of my communication classes.  She actually showed up late the first day of class and I was HORRIFIED and kept wondering who was this chick who showed up LATE on the first day of class.  We both laughed about this story yesterday, but neither of us can remember what class it was or how we became such fast friends.

Jill eventually changed her major and is now teaching English at Charlevoix High School.  Whenever we come up north, we always try to meet her and hang out, even if it is just for a quick minute.  Last time we saw her, I was actually pregnant with Lincoln, so it was fun for her to get to meet him.  Hoping she'll get to meet Busy (my name for the unborn baby) long before she's almost 2 years old.

Lincoln loved Jill and warmed up to her right away.

After our stop in Indian River, we made our way to Grand Marais.  It was a long day of driving and we got a little antsy; especially Lincoln.  He was just a little slap happy as we made our way up here.

It's a beautiful area with sun, beach and sand.  I must admit: we were both a little surprised at how remote the cottage is.  I'm not sure why, because we totally knew what we were getting into!  There are neighbors, but it still feels like you're all alone.  Without the internet or tv, I was able to finish a book last night.  I'm hoping to finish a couple more by the end of the week.

When we got here, we unpacked and got Lincoln some dinner.  We decided to head out to the lake before we got him ready for bed.  Another confession: we were surprised how far the lake was from the cottage!  It was obvious it wasn't right outside the place, but good gravy, it's a walk away!  Don't get me wrong, it's a straight shot out the front door, and maybe it's the sand or because I'm out of shape, or because, oh yeah, I'm 28 weeks pregnant, but it was worth it!  I will admit that.  I love being close to the water.

This is the view from our cottage.  Beyond those dunes is Lake Superior.  It's deceiving: it's still a little bit of a walk from there.

Kirk and I both thought Lincoln would be excited...for the sand.  We know he loves water, but oh my gosh, he went running for Lake Superior.  Who does that?  It's like swimming in ice water!  We were totally just planning on going out to see the water and didn't put him a swimsuit let alone a swim diaper!!

I'm hoping today or at some point in the week, he'll discover the beauty of the sand and not have both of us chasing after him as he runs toward Lake Superior (Swede style for all you Schultz's and anyone else who knows that story)!

The weather is supposed to be hot and humid today and tomorrow and then cool down in the middle of the week.  I think we're going to do some hiking, geocaching, waterfall hunting, exploring...who knows what the week has in store for us!

I love this picture!  We're not sure what our view is of yet.  The log slide?  Grand Sable Dunes?  Either way, we hope to find out soon.

I'll try to get out here again and "steal" the internet from the local market, which, as the case may have it, also has gas, food, spirits, souvenirs, visitor information, etc...

Last weekend we took a road trip to Elletsville, IN (near Bloomington) to visit Kirk's brother's family.  Kirk's whole family also made the trip down.  We left Thursday night and came home Sunday.

We had a lot of fun seeing the sites and hanging out with family.  Friday we went to The Wonderlab Museum in Bloomington.  It really is a great children's museum.  I'm pretty sure Lincoln was in heaven playing at the water table. 

They also had a bubble room dedicated to bubbles. Seriously?  Lincoln was in heaven.  Water?!  BUBBLES?!  It didn't get any better for him.  Olivia was kind enough to play with the bubble with Lincoln.

This was one giant bubble.  You would push the big metal rectangle down and slowly pull it up and a big bubble would form.

There were also a lot of other "thnigies" for him to play with.  Don't ask me what they are or what they are supposed to represent.  All  I know is Lincoln had a great time hanging out and playing with everything.



My personal favorite thing about the museum?  The smocks for the water table.  Take note, daycare!!

Saturday was a relaxing day.  Lincoln and I did some exploring around the city, came home for nap time and then Lincoln took his first dip in a pool.  It's no secret he loves water and for the record I've TRIED to sign him up for swim lessons here but they fill up so quickly.  Last time I tried signing him up a week before the classes start and there were already 5 people on the waiting list.

Needless to say, he loved the pool!  LOVED IT!  It was so fun watching him in the water. These pictures are terrible!  I swear he loved it.  My camera was dying!

Gavin let us borrow his floaties.  When Lincoln put them on, he floated around the pool (with a little help from Daddy) like he was an old pro.  I swear...he really did!  Although I have no pictures to prove it...

It was a really fun weekend in Indiana!  We're looking forward to doing it again sometime soon.

The last weekend in June is always Balloon Festival in Howell.  It's just another podunk activity here in Howell that we love!  The best part about the weekend is always the hot air balloons flying over our house.  Well, they don't always fly over our house but we can usually see them from our house. 

This was a great year for the balloons and we were able to see all of them fly over.  We didn't let Lincoln stay up last year to see them, so this was his first year seeing the balloons.  It was slightly anti-climactic, but he did seem to love them once he realized what was going on. 

We're looking forward to the 4th of July Holiday and seeing our family and friends.  We leave for our vacation the 9th.  I'm hoping we will have internet access so we can keep everyone updated like last year, but I'm not counting on it! 

Thanks for checking in!