Dinos in AA

One of the things we love about Northville, is how close we are to Ann Arbor. As everyone knows, we fell hard for Bloomington back in the day...so AA is as close as we can get to feeling like we're in Btown - but with less Hoosier Hysteria and more "maize & blue." It's still a college town and we love visiting.

U of M has a free Museum of Natural History. We have been wanting to visit - so we packed everyone up on Saturday afternoon and walked around. We saw a lot of fun things!

Josie wanted to see if she could open her mouth as wide as this prehistoric sea creature. Nope.

And Jack stood up as tall as he could next to a giant dino leg.

This 26ft canoe had to be lifted by a crane and through a window - so it could be on display. We thought it might be a fun addition to the lake house.

The museum building itself was gorgeous! Tons of marble and intricate detail.

Before we left I had Josie stand next to the Earth and I asked her where she wanted to go. "I want to go everywhere!" she told me. For some reason I feel like I will be hearing the words "study abroad" in my future...

Music Makers

My mom and I took the kids to the Northville Farmer's Market on Thursday. The Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra was there with instruments for kids to try out. Jack played the violin and Josie tried out the cello. Jack decided after a few minutes he'd like a faster beat...perhaps he's more of a fiddler.

Not surprising - he was pretty dang good on the trombone! I'd rather not foster that one...

 Josie attempted the clarinet, but she has a lot less "hot air" than her brother.

After playing the instruments, we ate lunch and listened to members of the A2SO play for us! It was a very cool way for the kids to explore music!

Uncle Jon Visits Michigan

Uncle Jon was in the "North" for a friend's wedding, so he flew out of Detroit and came to Northville for a quick visit. Yesterday, he took on the Hands On Museum with us. It was on our Summer Fun List and I knew it wasn't happening unless I had an extra hand. Jon was awesome!

He and Josie played at the water table for a long time! She couldn't get enough.

 Jack was ALL OVER that place and had SO much fun discovering new things.

 He and Uncle Jon launched a rocket. Jack thought that was pretty great.

He also discovered the hologram of a little boy in an old-time General Store. Jack was so confused why the boy wasn't answering him when he yelled, "Hey BOY - what's your name?"

Before we left - we had one more visit to the water table. Josie was soaked, but she didn't care. She was just happy to be having so much fun with Uncle Jon.

For lunch - we hit up an Ann Arbor favorite, Zingerman's Deli. Holy cow. SO good. But really pricey! In the end, Jon and I agreed it was worth the money. (Please ignore my "man-she-really-looks-pregnant-state")

Uncle Jon read the bedtime stories and it was pretty much the cutest thing I've ever seen.

And then he read a funny part of the book, with such enthusiasm - both kids CRACKED up!

Seriously. How great is Josie's belly laugh? We hope Uncle Jon comes back soon! He has a new nephew to meet...any day now...any day...

We Have NEWS

Tyson and I are excited to announce that Jack & Josie are expecting a sibling in August! I'm 14 weeks along and starting to feel like a normal person again. We heard a heartbeat at 9 weeks and saw the baby at 12 weeks. No decision yet on whether we will be finding out the gender...but lets be honest - we're 2-2 finding out.

Here is what I can tell you:
- Josie wants NOTHING to do with the baby. If I'm holding a baby, she gets upset. We have some work to do. She's a mama's girl.

- Jack has been asking some VERY interesting questions. First he thought the baby would come out my feet. No. Then he thought maybe my mouth. No. He thought aloud the belly button might be an option...but has since settled on "a red door." I'm currently pleading the 5th.

- I haven't had any cravings or aversions (except whatever I am cooking for dinner). I ate a lot of oranges at first. Oh - actually Jolly Rancher Jelly Beans have been a permanent fixture in my diet. Not a lot, just a few a day. I liken them to my daily prenatal vitamin, except they don't make me gag and they're delicious.

- This baby will be born at the University of Michigan Women's Hospital. I am using a midwife and will deliver at the birthing center. I'm pretty excited about it...well, as excited as one can be when delivering a baby. I think it's a great fit for my ideal birth plan...let's just hope the baby cooperates.

- This baby will most likely NOT have a "J" name. We do have a few "J" names we both like, but I'm doubting we end up choosing one. We are not the Duggar family.

More info to come. With the winter we've had so far - August seems REALLY far away, but I know it will be here SO fast. We are excited (and a little scared) about this new journey. As we all know, Zone Defense is HARD for Hoosiers.

Beautiful Butterfly

The other day the kids and I took a walk around our AA neighborhood - to mail some "fan mail" - and we saw the most beautiful butterfly! Every time I see a gorgeous butterfly I think of my friend, Erin, and her sweet baby boy, Christian. You can see her post about Christian's Butterflies HERE.

Anyway, when we saw the butterfly we stopped to watch it for a while. Jack asked a lot of great questions...and thanks to my stint in Kindergarten, I was able to answer them.

Josie liked the butterfly, but preferred to watch it from a distance.

And this would be the part when Jack picked up a stick and pretended to drink nectar from the flower with his long "butterfly tongue." I'm sure the neighbors think we are completely normal.

It's Moving Day! I will be SO happy to see all my "stuff" unloaded off the truck. But I don't want to see the truck again for a LONG, LONG time.

Rush Hour

On Thursday we had a Kelley (IU) event for GM in Royal Oak. It was taking place in a park and it was family friendly. My friend Christina and her husband (Lucas & Chloe's parents) recently built a new house in RO and I thought I'd swing by before the picnic to say hi. 

Apparently my 15 months in Fort Wayne made me forget that BIG cities actually have traffic and a real "Rush Hour." I left  Ann Arbor at 4:30 - an hour and a half before the event was supposed to start - and sat in bumper to bumper traffic for thirty minutes. I think this is a classic case of Road Rage Karma for all those times I got mad about the 15 cars backed up at a stop light on Illinois Road in Fort Wayne... 

Jack - who recently announced that he "only sleeps at night time" (aka: has given up his nap) - was napping in the backseat. I checked on Josie and she was doing this:

Then - 15 minutes and ONE MILE later - she was doing this:

Very lady like, Jos. You really need to stop spending so much time with your brother.

Lunch Date

My kids and I are in full-on "summer mode." I honestly never thought it was possible for them to sleep in past 9:00am and be up past 10:00pm... But it's happening. The late nights are kind of annoying, but the late mornings - well, they are amazing. And it's only mildly embarrassing that I have to tell people I can't be anywhere before 10am... Honestly, after rushing them around for the entire school year, I will just embrace these days of lounging in our PJ's. Who cares?

Yesterday after some phone calls for the new house, I asked Jack if he was ready for lunch. He said, "NO" and that he wanted to go to the park and play. So I packed up a lunch and we went to the park.

Jack scaled the rock wall with ease and told me he wants to climb one that "goes up higher in the sky." Lovely. He's {still} fearless.

15 minutes later he announced he was pooping. And we had to go home. Potty training? Well, Josie seems to like it. 

Excuse me, I think I need a drink.

What's Going On?

Not much is going on in Michigan these days...other than the Tigers are on a winning streak. And we will have a new house in ONE week. I must say, I'm tired of living out of a suitcase and judging by Josie's 2am cry-fests lately - I think she's tired of sleeping in a pack & play. Poor Jos.

I bribed my kids with rides on Sandy the other day at Meijer. It's the cheapest bribe out there: one penny.

Jack insisted on eating his dinner wearing his "work glasses." It may have been a nod to the Despicable Me minions...but regardless, he ate his dinner.

And, finally - I'm {still} not a millionaire.

Temporary Home

I snapped a few pictures the other night to share with my mom, since she hasn't seen where we are living in Ann Arbor for the summer. Thought I share with everyone so you can see our temporary home for the summer - or as Jack calls it "our vacation home."

This is the house we are living in until mid-August. It's in the Oxbridge/Burns Park area (for anyone familiar with AA) - and it reminds me of Foster Park (for FW people). Basically a lot of older homes, large lots, and huge trees.

I love that every house is different! Some are old, some are brand new. Some are colonial while others are modern. It's so fun to walk/drive around and just look at houses! And I've been surprised at the number of front yard gardens. (pictured above) Am I missing something? Perhaps people tend to their garden better when they have to walk past it a few times a day?!?

My buddies - Coop & Tuck - take me on an evening stroll around the neighborhood every night. They LOVE all the smells and since there are so many streets, we can take a different path every night. They look forward to it. And, I won't lie, I do too.

Raptors

I lured Tyson and his cousin, Blake, to the Leslie Science & Nature Center (LSNC) on Saturday by telling them we would see some "raptors." They were expecting dinosaurs. (not really) I was as giddying as a kid on Christmas, because I knew the LSNC has a Peregrine Falcon…and you know how I love my falcons!

There she is - the falcon! She was cleaning her feathers. She's amazing. She was bred for the sport of falconry, but couldn't cut it as a hunter. Since she was considered "tame" she couldn't be released back into the wild. She now lives full-time at the LSCN and is used for educational purposes. She lives with a few different types of owls, hawks, vultures, and eagle. There was also a critter house - with bearded lizards (pictured above), turtles, frogs, snakes, an iguana, some rabbits, and a salamander.

It was a really fun morning! Glad we could spend some time with Blake and Nuala!

 Jack, Josie, and their 2nd cousin - Nuala.

Nuala kept Jack in line.

After seeing the animals and birds - we found a couple large hills to wear the kids out on. They ran up and down them…then the adults ran up and down them (not in the plan). By the time we were ready to leave, everyone was ready for a nap.

But - Josie gave me a few slaps on my face to help wake me up… Thanks, Jos!