To Michigan We Go!

While Matt went to Peru a few days after I got back, Siena and I took the opportunity to see family in Michigan. It's a great way to do things. We'd be missing Daddy like crazy if we were just sitting at home. Might as well go and spend some time up in Michigan to pass the time! :)
When you have an almost 2 year old, you just never know what you're going to get on a trip. Especially just the 2 of us traveling...with one plane seat. Once again, little miss Siena rose to the occasion and was a champ. Sure, there was hardly any room for me to breathe, let alone put all of her "keep her occupied under every circumstance so we don't get kicked off the plane or get dirty looks" toys. We survived and even had pleasant rides to and from GR!
What was extra special about this trip is that my family from Seattle was in town the same time we were. They hadn't met Siena yet, so it was about time! Spending time with just about EVERYONE at Grandma and Grandpa's house was perfect. (They even got me to involve myself in a 3,000 piece puzzle!) And combine that with wonderful nights out on the deck with Pappa and Joyce and Em...I'm one very happy, very lucky girl.
Here's our week, in a nutshell of pictures:

The first couple of days were nice...the rest cloudy and kinda rainy. We got a quick swim in between rain showers. But Siena and water have a magnetic attraction, so here we are (I'm freezing)!

One night, all the girl cousins planning a night out. We had so much fun telling stories, talking about the past, and just spending time together as friends. I love them dearly. Oh, and then that night we played Telephone Pictionary. HILARIOUS game. Must be played.
We went with Oma and Opa to Fredrick Meijer Gardens to see some of the fun stuff they have for kids. It was so cute to watch Siena (try to) be independent and do things on her own and explore. They had a fun children's garden and a trolley ride. It was the perfect thing to keep a very busy girl occupied. :)




Siena and her buddy, Radar.
Siena with her very favorite Oma and Opa...
...and Auntie Em too.
We spent a lot of time with Great Grams and Gramps. They are such wonderful people and I love them dearly. Siena loves them too. It was the pefect catch-all for the family. We all crashed there multiple nights...just being family.
My wonderful family from Seattle! So wonderful to see them! Briana and Chris, we missed you!!

My very favorite, wonderful cousins: "Coubin", "Nic", "Hez", "Magan", "Kawri", "Bice" and "Wiwy" (not pictured: "B-Money" and "Ty").

Siena stuck between her Momma and her very favorite Grammie!

Going home is always a good feeling too. Especially when that means we get to see Matt! Our trip back to KC was a little more eventful. Our plane got delayed out of GR and that was going to cause us to miss our next flight. After going through a LOT of runarounds with that, we finally got put on a plane to Minneapolis. Once we landed there, we (and by we, I mean I) RAN as fast as we could to another terminal. Mental picture moment: Siena stuffed in her stroller with her legs hanging out the side, holding on to my purse. Our carry-on bags (all 3 of them) stuffed underneath the stroller. YaYa, the monkey, flopping under my arm. Me, running as fast as I could, pushing the stroller and pulling our other carry-on suitcase. All the while, Siena is saying, "Momma, what doin?" "Oh, nothing honey. Momma's just running her butt off so we don't get stuck in Minneapolis!! Just hold on." It was a funny moment - once we got to our gate.
All flights were good. Safe. Home at last. And another wonderful trip.