Up North

After I flew back to Michigan, we drove up north to Up North. After checking into our motel and a quick nap, we headed over to the Jolli Lodge just south of Leland, Michigan.

GrandDad and Charlotte went down to the beach to wade in Lake Michigan for her first time. Peter also dipped his little toes.

While the family speculated whether or not the rope could hold my weight, I found out that I'm still terrified of swinging on the rope swing.

Enjoying Uncle Doug's grilled whitefish dinner on the shores of Lake Michigan.

The next day, we headed over to Traverse City to take in the Cherry Festival Parade, Charlie and Peter's first parade. Charlie sat up front with Ellie and her friend.

After the parade, we hit a few wineries.

On Sunday, Peter, Charlie, Mom, and NanaB took it easy on the beach at Suttons Bay while GrandDad and I had a sail.

GrandDad, NanaB, Charlie Jo, and Peter on GrandDad's boat.

Skipper Charlie Jo takes her place at the helm, and Peter is appropriately concerned.

Once Peter put one of our two heirloom ancient life preservers on, he was ready to go.

Taylor Day

On Thursday, Niki and the Mugwumps got together with Granny Great and Grandpa Great. Granny Great and Grandpa Great took them to the Van Hoosen Children's Garden, to the Duck Pond, and to the Brookwood Pool. Unfortunately, it appears that we only have pictures from the Children's Garden (probably because Niki accidentally left the camera at the Children's Garden). Quite frankly, I wasn't there. I was at work, then flying all over the East coast trying to get from Nashville to Detroit. So, I'll do my best with these captions. Niki tells me that they had a great time!

Granny Great is a very active member of the Garden Club, which put together this garden. The Garden is at the historical Van Hoosen Farm. Van Hoosen Farm was a very successful and advanced farm owned and run by Sarah Van Hoosen, a descendent of the founder of Stoney Creek (Rochester's initial settlement).

The Garden is gorgeous.

The Garden has its own little Stoney Creek school. The Rochester school system still runs the original one-room schoolhouse in Stoney Creek. All third-graders in the system (including me) spend a week at the school reading from primers and churning butter. Niki just pointed out how Stoney Creek is also spelled "Stony Creek" on signs all over Rochester. I told her that I thought "Stony" was the correct spelling, but it turns out both are right. Here's a funny discussion of the confusion over the spelling of Stoney v. Stony Creek in Rochester.

Peter was a very willing pupil.

Professor Taylor and his assistant, Charlie, wrote on the blackboard while Peter took notes.

After class, Charlie took off on the tractor.

Back at Camp NanaB that night, the Stringer's Japanese Friendship Ball House Fortress came out. Peter was very concerned about what was going on inside.

So, he went inside to find Charlie goofing around. Soon, I arrived back from the airport with GrandDad and we went to bed excited to head Up North.

Camp NanaB

On the morning of the 5th, I flew back to Tennessee, but Niki, Charlie, and Peter stayed in Michigan at Camp NanaB.

Charlie and Peter visited NanaB's library. Charlie admired the library's reading boy while Peter chewed on McGee the bear.

Charlie rocked on the library's rocking ducks bought in memory of Grandma Stringer.

Then, Charlie and NanaB gave Peter and Niki a puppet show.

The next day, NanaB took Charlie to a program at Dinosaur Hill, a nature preserve in Rochester Hills. I used to go to programs there when I was a kid.

Peter set up camp in the middle of NanaB's new family room and played.

Each evening, Charlie read books with someone in the family before going to sleep. She slept on a hide-a-bed in GrandDad's office, which used to be my room. She was tickled that the couch became a bed.

Peter dressed snappy and found a chair that matched his eyes.

NanaB and GrandDad took Charlie on an adventure in the front yard that involved a map.

They followed the map down into the rock garden . . .

. . . and found two special sparkly rocks!

Fourth of July in Michigan

On July 3, the TN Stringers loaded up Charlotte's Big Red Van and pointed it north to Michigan.

After 9 hours on the road through Kentucky and Ohio, we crossed into Michigan, and found a playground at the first rest area. Charlie was delighted!

Right by the swings, Peter found a map of Michigan and plunked himself right in the middle to watch the action.

Even Niki had fun on the swings!

After about another hour on the road, we pulled up to Camp NanaB!

On the Fourth, Niki and I visited our friends Brad and Amanda and their new son. He's a beautiful little boy, and we can't wait to spend more time getting to know him. He fell asleep in my arms - I could have held him all morning. Brad and Amanda look great, and seem to be getting into the swing of being parents very well.

That afternoon, we were invited to a party with NanaB and GrandDad's Dance Group. Charlie found a little friend Josiah, and had a ball!

Peter wiggled around in the grass on his belly.

When we got home from the party, GrandDad lit some sparklers for Charlie and Peter.

For some odd reason, Charlie declared that she liked the smell of the sparklers. Toddlers are weird.

Happy Fourth of July!

Charlotte's audition for America's Next Top Model

Can someone please forward these shots to Tyra? CLEARLY, Charlotte is a modeling prodigy.






Okay, maybe not. But isn't that a beautiful dress that Charlotte's Greatest Aunt Janet made for her?

PUPPIES!

Some of our neighbors breed a litter of Great Danes every few years, and four weeks ago a litter of six puppies was born. I packed the kids up in the stroller and headed down the street so CJ (who fancies herself an animal rescuer/adventurer) and PJ could meet them.



Lee said this was only the second day the puppies had been staying outside in their little kennel. Their momma, Bella, was inside escaping the constant onslaught of sharp little teeth and nails.



CJ kept exclaiming about how cute the puppies were, but she kept her distance for a few moments while she checked them out.



They are RIDICULOUSLY cute!



I was trying to hold a wiggly PJ while taking photos, so this is the only one I got of CJ with her new buddies.



Here's a shot I stole from an e-mail Lee sent. They are the sweetest little pups! It's hard to imagine that they will soon grow as large as small horses.

Thar she blows!

I spotted a tiny fleck of white on Peter's lower gums tonight. I tried to wipe it away, but it didn't budge. Looks like Petey Pie's first tooth has erupted! I think it's the lower front left tooth. Now for the nearly impossible task of getting a photograph of it...

Let the mess begin!

Now that Peter qualifies as a "steady sitter", he is ready to try some self-feeding. So far, he is not able to put things like puffs in his mouth (they get lost in his chubby little fists), so I decided to try the net feeder with a little bit of avocado inside. He actually "got it" a little more than his sister did the first time she tried it, but then he realized that it was a whole lot more fun to use it as a paintbrush and gavel. The mess he made was phenomenal.

Charlotte, of course, couldn't let Peter have all the fun. She insisted on using a feeder herself (good thing I have two), but wanted me to put pieces of her quesadilla in it instead. Let's just say that quesadilla is NOT the best food for a net feeder. After a while, she requested some avocado, but then she informed me it was "yucky" and gave it to Peter. Peter gleefully seized the opportunity to make double the mess. Oh my.

Cheesy McCheesersons