Memorial Day weekend started with Nick and his Dad taking Benny to a parade in Grand Ledge, Nick's hometown. Benny had a great time and proudly came home with a big American flag.
The next day, Nick's brother Matt and his girlfriend Jackie came into town. Along with Nick's parents, we all went to a Lansing Lugnuts baseball game. It was kid's day, so there were many activities for Ben to do. Here he is meeting the mascot, Big Lug!
On Memorial Day, Nick, Matt, Big Pa and Little Pa golfed 18 holes while the girls went shopping. We had a BBQ to celebrate later in the day.
Later in the week, Nick and I took the kids to Potter Park, the zoo in Lansing. We had a really fun day. The zoo is small, but really nice. Ben played on the playground, and Sophie went in a swing for the first time. I can't believe she hadn't been in one before, but by the time she was big enough, it was winter here. Don't let this picture fool you-she really wasn't sure about the swing. I'm not sure she breathed for the first 15 seconds in, but gradually she seemed to enjoy it a bit more. Sophie insisted on walking most of the small zoo. For the first time she also seemed to take an interest in the animals. After the zoo, we went to East Lansing for dinner at El Azteco-our favorite local mexican dive. Nick and I really like to eat there when we are in town.
Believe it or not, our big day continued after dinner. When we finished eating, we headed to a hockey game! Nick's cousin Jonathan plays in a high school league, even though he is in 8th grade. Ben had never seen hockey before, but now proudly declares it his favorite sport! He loved watching the game up close. You should have seen him jump when the players hit the glass!
Friday night was date night for Nick and I! We haven't been on a non Army event related date in over three years! We really, really need to find a babysitter in Kansas! Nick's parents kept Benny for the night, and my parents took Sophie. Nick and I had dinner, did a little shopping and then had ice cream at Coldstone. The best part was that we were able to stay at the Wild Goose Inn in East Lansing. It is this amazing little Bed and Breakfast right next to the campus at MSU.
The next morning we were off again! My cousin Sam, was having his High School Graduation Open House. There we were able to see all of my mom's family. It was so nice for Nick to see them too, as it had been a long while. It was a great party, but somehow I don't have any pictures!
That night we headed an hour south to see my dad's family. My Uncle Gerry was having a retirement party. There we were able to see my dad's large family. Again, we had a wonderful time.
The next day brought us two more parties! A graduation breakfast for Sam, and a Welcome Home Nick/50th Birthday party for Nick's mom, Kim! (Now you know why I haven't blogged in two weeks-we were non-stop busy!)
Here is Nick with the awesome cake we had for the party. He was so busy talking, I don't think he ever had a piece.
Ben stopped playing for a minute to take a quick family photo minus Sophie who was napping.
The party mostly consisted of Nick's very, very large family. Everyone was there, which is hard to believe considering how many people that is. Nick and his brother are 15 and 10 years older than their next cousin. After that, there has pretty much been a Cook baby born every year. Here they all are together, plus Benny and Sophie. By last count there were 13 cousins ranging in age from almost 2 to 30!
Here is another family photo, this time of Nick's parents, Matt, Jackie and our family. This may be Nick's mom's Christmas card photo!
The party mostly consisted of Nick's very, very large family. Everyone was there, which is hard to believe considering how many people that is. Nick and his brother are 15 and 10 years older than their next cousin. After that, there has pretty much been a Cook baby born every year. Here they all are together, plus Benny and Sophie. By last count there were 13 cousins ranging in age from almost 2 to 30!
Here is another family photo, this time of Nick's parents, Matt, Jackie and our family. This may be Nick's mom's Christmas card photo!
As you can see, we had a very busy two weeks. I didn't get to see any of my friends. Hopefully there will be time for that later in the year. We would love to head home to Michigan later in the summer, but with Nick's new job, we don't know what his schedule will be like.
Thanks to all of our family who made our time home so special!
4 comments:
Thanks so much for sharing your time with us.....it is so nice to finally have everyone together. Where is Buddy?????
Wow, that was quite the trip! Glad that you all had fun. And it always happens that you don't get as much done as you think you will on these kinds of trips, doesn't it?
Wow! You've been busy. Looks like you had a great time. Glad you & Nick got a date night in there. We have the same "no babysitter" problem and usually only get out for date nights when we have family visiting. Glad you're back safe & sound.
Sorry we missed you. The next trip we will definately have to get together. Looks like you were very busy and had lots of fun.
Kelley Yeo
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