MI - Dow Gardens

Mom and Dad had lots of enjoyable outings planned for our visit. We enjoyed beautiful weather for our visit to the Dow Gardens in Midland. The botanical gardens cover 110 acres and include a Children's Garden, Color Garden, Pineside, Stream Walk, and Estate Garden.

 

 

 

Although nothing has matched it yet, Dow Gardens did remind me a little of The Butchart Gardens in Canada. I loved that each specie of tree and flower was labeled. I'll need a separate post for all those beautiful goodies!

We may have made a mistake by giving the boys a map of the gardens early on. After a short while they were directing us to the Children's Garden, and Zach was insisting that we were lost and was asking people which way they should go.

I don't think we saw all of the gardens, but spending extra time in the Children's Garden wasn't a bad trade off. It was such a fun place to hang out! There were vegetable gardens to where you could pick and sample the ripe veggies, big bubble tables and wands, an unpredictable "splash pad," huge sunflowers, and rows upon rows of the cutest scare crows standing guard over children's' garden boxes. So much fun!

 

 

 

 

We ended our visit with a quick walk through the Rose Garden before making our way out of the gardens. It was such an enjoyable outing!

 

They smelled so delicious, he just had to have a taste!

It wasn't enough that we found the Children's Garden, after he'd had enough, he was fixated on finding his way back to the parking lot.

 

MI - Henry Ford Museum

Carrie and Archer coming with us to Michigan was supposed to be a surprise for Mom, but the cat got outta the bag the night before we arrived, but I don't think she was any less excited to see them! Mom and Dad have loved Skyping with Carrie and Archer, so you can imagine how excited they were to get their hands on the cute little guy.

Since we arrived early and were in the area, Mom and Dad took us to the Henry Ford Museum. So naturally I expected to see a lot of cars, but there was so much more to the museum, and we all loved it! The boys naturally became bored after a while, especially with the things the rest of us were interested by, but there were always things to distract them from their boredom.....

There were several presidential cars on display, this one being Kennedy's.

Once Dad told us they had the Rosa Parks bus on display, I think I must have asked a dozen times where it was. We finally got to it toward the end of our visit. It was probably my favorite...next to the big orange truck!

The museum was huge, and at our pace I think we did well to cover as much as we did. It was a great way to kick off the start of our trip. 

He's got his wings!

I had threw out the option to Carrie to come along with me and the boys to visit our parents in Michigan, but after a less than successful trip to Island Park with Archer, she had some reservations about how he would do. I'm thrilled that she decided to join us and that the flights worked out to where she could. We seriously lucked up and not only got on the first flight out to Detroit, but got seats next to each other as well. After surveying the large amount of missionaries on board our flight, Carrie was confident out plane would not be going down.

On board Archer was charming the pants off of anyone who caught sight of him. He was bouncy and happy and sticking his tongue out at everyone. He slept some of the way, and the only time he ever got fussy was for a minute or two on the decent into Detroit when his ears were having trouble popping. 

I know all too well the anxiety that comes along with a first flight with a little one, or any flight with a young one. For weeks up until our first flight with Ben and Zach, I was seriously dreading the trip. I could identify with Carrie and felt that same relief leaving the plane as I did with the boys on their first time. It's like taking a deep therapeutic breath after holding it for the duration of the flight. I'm so happy I was able to take that first flight with Carrie and Archer.

Carrie and Bobby love to travel, and I know that after Island Park they were questioning whether that would be much fun for them after a rough week with Archer. I hope our flight did a little to restore that adventurous spirit of theirs. Kids are usually pretty good at adapting, you just have to keep exposing them to different adventures, but just in case there is some resistance...there's always an Auntie Ruthie in the wings more than willing to babysit!

Minnesota

Our original plan for visiting my friend Lyndsay in Minnesota was slightly delayed, so I'm thrilled that we were still able to make it happen. We spent most of week hanging out at her home with her family, and we had an awesome time! If you were to transplant our old single 20-something selves into the same situation, we probably would have been bored to tears...I guess our idea of fun has changed quite a bit since spouses and kids have entered the picture.

I don't think Evy quite knew what to think of these crazy boys at first. 

Lyndsay and her hubby Bud's home was situated in a great spot that made me feel like were miles away from anyone else. Their home is this super cool modified dome house that's huge, and the property surrounding it is equally as great. There was plenty of room inside and out, and the only time we ventured out was to a couple of nearby parks. 

Our time hanging out was easy and relaxing, which pretty much mirrors Lyndsay's personality perfectly. I love being around her, and our visits are too few and far between. It was great to be able to spend some time getting to know her husband a little better and soak up Evy, who is growing up way too fast! The boys were also thrilled with their time with Alana when she was with us. If it weren't for my parents, who were anxiously awaiting our visit, we would have loved to stay for another week.

I've always joked with Lyndsay about never visiting her in the winter, but after our time there, I would be more than happy to visit her anytime of the year. 

Thanks Lyndsay and Bud for opening your home to us and for the wonderful hospitality! I loved our visit, and hopefully we'll enjoy another one before too long. 

A week with Nini & Papaw

August was slapped full of trips and fun! After my backpacking trip, I headed to Louisiana to pick up the boys from Nini & Papaw's. The boys were happy to see me, but I knew they had a great time while they were there. They had lots of stories to tell me about their new friend Jayden, feeding the donkeys, getting their first wasp stings, visiting the fire station, etc.

Knowing that the boys were in good hands and had lots of fun things to do, made it a lot easier for me to relax and enjoy my time in Yellowstone. I didn't have to worry a bit about them. Thanks Margaret and Alfred for taking such good care of them!