Dance Party U.S.A.

Charlie Jo Jo and her Aunt Stephanie had a wild dance party in Michigan. If you watch closely, you can actually SEE the little wheels turning in CJ's head...

In case you wondered if Don was really Quinn's dad... (vol. 2)

NOTE TO SELF: Do not expect any more Christmas or birthday presents from Don.

Day 2 of Michigan trip - Happy 4th of July!

Quinn can smile AND chomp on toys at the same time!



Tandem diaper change.



Swimming at the Brookwood pool was surreal for Corey & his sister, Stephanie. They swam in that pool as kids and never dreamed of taking their own kids there!



Quinn did not like the cold water. He would prefer a nice warm bath, thankyouverymuch.



All Charlie Jo wanted to do was snuggle with her Great Granny Taylor.



The cousins wore matching 4th of July outfits courtesy of NanaB and Granddad.



Bath time for Quinn! Notice how he looks much happier in this water.



Charlie Jo only requested that Granddad read this book to her about 847 times.



I had nothing to do with Charlie Jo in the fountain. That was ALL Corey.



CJ led an informal female conga line around the house after dinner.



NanaB and Granddad's newly-added family room worked great! We sure put it to good use on that trip.

It's never too late.

I have been delayed in posting photos from our recent trip to Michigan for the simple reason that I was not sure what to call it. A vacation? That doesn't seem appropriate for driving there to attend a viewing, funeral, and burial of a dearly departed relative. But we sure did have a lot of fun and see a ton of relatives. It's silly how I get hung up on little details like these, but sometimes it's enough to paralyze me and prevent me from posting. Instead of doing my blogging duty, we spent the last few days catching up with Joslyne and Zozo. More on those adventures later!

Anyway, the weekend in Michigan went how Grandpa Stringer probably would have wanted it (yes I know that sounds like SUCH a cliche) -- we all got together and enjoyed each other's company while remembering him. Here are some photos of the fun times we had on the first day we got there (since we arrived at 12:01 a.m., this is technically true):

Charlotte ran all over NanaB & Granddad's yard and made sure to explore every inch.



Then, she performed the time-honored tradition of helping the older generation figure out new technologies.



Corey picked up CJ's cousin Quinn, Aunt Stephanie, and Uncle Don from the airport (it was Quinn's first airplane ride!) and Quinn showed off how he is learning to sit on his own. Corey, ever the doting uncle, proclaimed that Quinn must have learned to sit from his dog, Kayla. Nice, Uncle CoCo.



Quinn took a turn in the Nakayoshi House once CJ finally vacated the premises.



We had a quick dinner...



... and then the relatives started showing up! First, Quinn got to meet his Great Aunt Sibyl.



Next, all of the Taylors from Pennsylvania, New York, and Washington D.C. arrived with Granny & Grandpa Taylor in tow.



Erin and Granny T. decided the babies shouldn't have all the fun in the Nakayoshi House.

New Skill

Charlie has a new skill. She can unscrew the tops from jars.

We are now out of tarragon.

Oddly enough, she did this while listening to Sabotage by the Beastie Boys.

This photo just says it all, doesn't it?

Great Grandfather George P. Stringer

We're up in Michigan right now not on the sailing weekend originally planned for the holiday but to mourn the loss of Corey's beloved Grandpa Stringer. Though Charlotte and I only knew him a short time, we loved his gentle nature and sweet smile. One thing we will always treasure is the letter he wrote to Charlotte not long after she was born. We'll miss you, Grandpa Stringer!

Bring it!

Due to dubious taste in movies on their mothers' parts, Charlotte and Zoey were exposed to a viewing of "Bring It On: All or Nothing" this afternoon while they played. Perhaps inspired by the sheer goofiness of the film, Joslyne and I adorned the girls with beads, a tutu, and a flowered headband. Next time, we will show the girls some feminist movie of female empowerment and will eschew shallow frivolity. The photos probably won't be as fun though. Here are the girls rocking out as their mothers watched quality cinema.

Luxury

Zoey's grandparents have an indoor pool in their complex, and we were lucky enough to score an invite yesterday afternoon! The girls had the whole place all to themselves. It was so luxurious to swim without sunblock or the scorching sun beating down on our heads. We're going to start bribing Zozo's grandparents to make sure we get invited back again!

Picnic in the park

On Tuesday we had a picnic in the park with the Marshalls. Charlotte loves to dip things into condiments, so I got her some mozzarella sticks and spaghetti sauce. She took dipping to a whole new level -- basically she dove in head first.



The wind kicked up a bit and Charlotte froze with a goofy look on her face while her hair blew in the breeze. It was hysterical.



Alicia made me promise to post this photo. Please do yourself a favor and click on it to view it larger.



Faithy taught CJ to play the bongo drums.



If it hadn't felt like 400 degrees outside, we could have stayed there all day!

A gorilla in the mist (in our midst?)

Thank you to Faith Carol and Alicia for teaching my daughter this valuable skill!!

Shear Genius

Let's just say I should NEVER be a contestant on "Shear Genius". My hair styling skills leave quite a bit to be desired. I just had to try pigtails though. Then again, putting teeny tiny rubber bands in the hair of a squirmy 15-month-old is pretty darn near impossible.

I didn't exactly use a comb to part the hair.



You can hardly see the pigtails from the front.



Ooh! There's one!



Don't pull them out already!!!