Burgers 'N Blues

An annual tradition at Kalamazoo College is that Friday evening the last week of class, the Jazz band performs an outdoor concert, and dining services offers a cookout in addition to the regular cafeteria fare. This year the weather was absolutely perfect! Nathan and I met Suzanne and her kiddos for a picnic on the upper quad. It was so much fun! They all loved the music (one of Ellie and Gavin's babysitters, Aaron, plays in the band so that made it extra cool). Nathan and Gavin had a blast running around like maniacs on the quad--it isn't often when you're a little kid that you can just run free in a public place.

Front row "seats."

Toddler on the loose!

Suz, Ellie and I chose to relax on the blankets while the boys ran around.

Running and giggling!

Examining an earthworm

I bet you can guess what happens next...

"I sitting NEXT to the water fountain, Mommy!"

And... SPLASH!! Luckily he managed to avoid complete submersion, but I still stripped him down to his diaper for the ride home so he wouldn't get the carseat soaking wet. :)

Leelanau's Natural Beauty

Spring was in it's full glory all over the Leelanau Peninsula last weekend. The seasons are always a little slower to change up north, and the cool spring means that the flowers are about two weeks behind where they usually are. This is causing stress for the farmers, but the silver lining is that we were surrounded by flowers all weekend! I couldn't resist aiming my camera at something other than the kiddo for once.

Trillium were blooming all over the woods around the cottage.

Bleeding Heart right outside the back door.

The orchards were absolutely gorgeous.

View of the bay and marina from the beach by Florence and Basil's.

Our own mini-marina.

Dune grass

Memorial Day Weekend Fun

We had a really great Memorial Day weekend--I love our annual tradition of spending the long weekend in Northport, even if it does mean braving all of the holiday traffic on the the highway to get there.

Todd, Nathan and Grandma Florence walking to the annual car show in the village park. One of the great things about Flo and Bas' new house is that it's in easy walking distance of the park, marina and town.

Nathan couldn't believe his luck--all these awesome cars and he was allowed to run around like a maniac exclaiming over each one. He was in heaven!

Basil's '62 Buick

We spent some time on the beach by the cottage--with a truck in hand, of course.

Checking out the mucky area that separates the sand from the Bay.

Due to my spicy cravings, we've started calling the baby Pepper. Here's Pepper's first trip to the Bay--I'm 23 weeks pregnant, and that belly is growing! :)

Nancy got Nathan a Nerf golf set, and the whole family took it for a spin.

Another highlight of Nathan's weekend was helping Daddy wash the Jeep.

Monday morning it was finally warm enough to head down and spend some time on the beach that Florence and Basil have shared access to with their new place--it's right at the end of their street and SO nice. I think we'll be spending a lot of time there this summer.

Papa and Nathan checking out the water--it was beautiful and calm but numbingly cold.

The freezing temps didn't stop N from having fun though.

I know, I know, he's adorable!

Three generations on a beach exploration mission.

I was there too. :)

Nathan and Papa both like to have projects rather than sitting still, so they decided to rake the beach a little bit.

Hanging out at Florence and Basil's

Memorial Day weekend was the first time that Nathan and I visited Florence and Basil's new home in the town of Northport. We stayed at their place, and it is so nice! Lots of space and THREE bathrooms! It is a totally different vibe that the rustic, woodsy setting of the cottage, and there are things I like about both, so it will be nice to switch up where we stay depending on our mood (and how many people we'd have to share the cottage's one bathroom with!).

Todd and Nathan having some chips out on the deck.

Grandpa and Todd supervising from the back of the truck.

No question that these three are related!

Grandma and Grandpa's next door neighbor was generous enough to share his kids' toys with Nathan. As you can imagine, the tractor was a big hit!

Grandpa got this keyboard for Nathan at a garage sale. N and Nancy were a duet pair made in heaven!

The guys entranced in an old movie.

The neighbor's swingset and playhouse also saw a lot of use from Nathan.

This year Nathan fits a little better on the tricycle Grandpa restored for him.