Michigan - Round 2

So Siena and I went to Michigan the end of June, and now this time, Matt went back there with us! There are a couple times each summer that Matt has a week off of football. When those times happen, we try to take advantage of it and go see family. Even though I had just been there, I was still very happy to be up there again. I'll take it when I can get it!
We actually didn't spend any time in GR this time. We stayed half the time with Pappa, Joyce, and Em up north in Mancelona. The second half was with Mom at Lake Leelanau. Both beautiful places!
In Mancelona, we stayed in a darling little cabin deep in the woods. The views were picturesque and the company was wonderful. We relaxed, played games, ate great food, and just spent time together as a family. It was a treat to stay in one place for a few days and not have an agenda. Much needed by everyone! There was a beautiful little fresh water stream that ran behind the cabin. The water was bitterly cold but we waded in it a little, and it kinda felt like I was on the set of Legends of the Fall. I think those few days are just what everyone needed.






A little quality time with Oma...

Opa and his little darling.
On a cloudy day, we headed into town to do a little shopping and brewery tasting.

Hup, Holland, Hup! A great win over Uruguay!
A clean baby is worth it, regardless of how it happens! :)

Midweek, Matt, Siena and I packed up and drove straight west to the other side of Michigan to spend time with Mom at the trailer. We didn't have the best weather, but that certainly didn't slow us down! We went wine tasting, a tradition Matt and I like to uphold. :) There are about 20 wineries up there and they are beautiful. It's fun to visit a few (and take a few "reminders" back with us). We also went down to the beach, went kayaking, and played with the other little ones around the campsite. I even got a tutorial about how to catch crayfish from a 6-year-old professional. I love being up there. I hope Siena remembers fond memories from up there when she gets older.
Grandma and Siena hung out while Matt and I tried all the wines. It was a perfect fit - a chauffeur and a babysitter, all wrapped up into one! :)
Lake Leelanau never felt so nice. And Siena couldn't get enough of the water...or the sand.





This is what our dates are looking like these days. We'll take it!

Trip to Michigan...and Peru

For the past few months, Matt has been preparing and planning a trip to Peru. This time, however, was different from previous trips. This time, he took 11 senior football players to experience life in a completely different culture and take their community service and leadership program to a different level. The boys raised money and worked real hard to get the means (and the attitude) for this trip. From the pictures I have seen and the stories I have heard, the experience they shared is one no one will soon forget. I feel very blessed to be married to a man who has the passion, instinct, attitude and desire to make something like this happen. God's hand was all over that trip. Glad to have him home safe and sound, but so glad he went.
(Check out the boys' blog on the football website: www.bshsfootball.com to see their experience in more detail - it's very worth it.)


While Matt and the boys were in Peru, I took Siena up to Michigan. No one was a huge fan of the two of us driving 10 hours by ourselves (including me), so I bought a plane ticket and she was my "carry on luggage"! :) That was an experience in and of itself. Wow. The one time it would have been very nice to have a peaceful, no delay flight was the one time it was the complete opposite of that. We had a 6am flight out of KC to Chicago (meaning Siena and I were up at 3am). We didn't end up leaving till 9, half of that wait time being in an airplane that held maybe 30 people. That made us miss our flight from Chicago to GR. We were put on another flight that left a couple hours after we got there, which ended up being delayed for 3 additional hours. We finally arrived at 5pm into Grand Rapids. We were a circus. But Siena was a true champ and was SUPER flexible and okay with everything. She was probably more okay than I was! She did great on the flights. So, what was truly important (safety and happiness) gave us no room for complaints.
This shows Siena's excitement (and mine) to FINALLY get on the plane to GR...sheesh!

Once in Grand Rapids, we had such a wonderful time. Early in the week, we went to Holland Beach with Oma, Opa and Auntie Em. It was a beautiful day and Siena thoroughly enjoyed the sand, water, and company. Super relaxing!





Siena and her one and only...Em.
Opa and the little one that stole his heart...





While we were up there, my grandma and grandpa moved into their new condo up in Grand Rapids. It is such a treat to have them up there! Now, every time we go back to GR to visit, we can see them too! It used to be an hour drive. They have such a cute place and they have made it very homey. It was great to be around to help them unpack, set things up, and just hang out with them. Siena helped by unpacking paper, crawling around the boxes, and taking great naps on the floor!!
What a little ham - we all have our hands full!


For the last couple of days, Siena and I went Up North to spend time with my mom. It's been way too long since I've been at the trailer (last summer I was busy getting ready to have a baby)!! We always have so much fun up there, and it was high time Siena got her chance too. That's a really special little slice of heaven up there. Siena was in for a treat...
Avocados - so tasty...and so stinkin' messy!
Siena's first experience with ice cream - she took FULL advantage!



Bath in a bucket!
Em and Siena - two of my very favorite people in life.



Getting back to Missouri was no less eventful. We were delayed over 3 hours in GR. That is not the airport to be delayed in. There is nothing to do and not many people to watch. So we walked back and forth down the one hallway, trying to stay busy. When we finally got on the plane to Chicago, I knew we were going to be cutting it close to make our flight to KC. So, the second we got off the plane, I put Siena in the stroller, stuck her diaper bag on top of her, threw my purse beside her, and held on to my rolling carry on. I pushed the stroller and pulled my carry on while I ran as fast as I could from one terminal to another, trying to get to our gate on time. I couldn't help but laugh out loud as I was running through the airport, knowing that if I saw myself, I would laugh at me. I barely made it and walked right onto the flight. Siena fell asleep before we even took off. Getting off the plane in KC was a much-anticipated moment, as Matt was waiting there for us. (He and the boys flew in a couple hours before we did.)
We both had a fantastic trip. Super great to see family and super special for Matt. But, as we finally sat down at the end of the day, after Siena was in bed, we were thrilled to be home again...together.

10 Months...Double Digits!

I was not planning on writing a separate blog entry for Siena's 10-month birthday...but she is doing so much these days! It's amazing how quickly she's picking up on things and learning new adventures. :)
Siena is eating lots of fun foods. She finally gets to eat yogurt, meat, and even table foods now. I love the idea that she can eat what I'm eating. It really is so much nicer. I'm kind of over the pureeing every single thing I come across to see if she likes it or not. :) She's a huge fan of avocado and watermelon. She chows down on her puffs, bits of cheese, loves her water from the sippy cup, and is super curious about food.
Her personality is totally blossoming. It's absolutely amazing to see her grow, learn, and try new things. She is still saying "momma" and "dadda" and lots of other little sounds. But we're also finding that just because she's not talking she is still communicating big time. She knows the signs for "milk" and "more" (very important vocabulary is a child's life!!) and she blows kisses, gives kisses and hugs, gives high fives, opens and closes doors, turns light switches on and off, and laughs and smiles all the time. She is also majorly into pointing. She points at everything!! She points to where she wants to go, we take her there, she touches what it is she wanted to see, and then points to the next thing.
Siena is also very mobile. She puts her head down and crawls at super speeds. She pulls up and walks along things like it's nothing. She even lets go occasionally and trys her hand at standing by herself. I think her record is about 15 seconds! :) With our help, she walks all over the place. She takes her little walker and goes all over the place. It's really great to see her with such determination to get to the places she wants to go.
She is also at the age that she is learning what she wants. She makes it very clear when she's happy and when she's not. When she's not tired, she's not going to sleep, regardless of how tired she is. When she's after a toy, she goes after it. If she wants something that I take from her, she is very clear about how upset she is. :) I hate to admit it, but I think she's getting some of her stubbornness from her mother...oops. :)
As Siena gets older, it's so special to watch her interact with others. She doesn't know a stranger and she is pretty good about going to see just about anyone. She shows her affection for others and as a mom, I really start to feel her love me back. That's a special feeling.
Here's our little angel out on the back porch...man, she looks old...


Her "cheeseball" smile - meaning: when she knows people are looking at her or taking pictures of her, she pulls out the "I'm cute" smile and milks it for all its worth!


One of the many million points in her little lifetime...


A very happy little girl.


If we say, "Where'd he go?", she puts her arms up and shrugs her shoulders...

Change of Plans

We are finding that sometimes life has to completely revolve around the little one! :)
Matt finished up the school year last Thursday - yeah!! We thought it would be fun to get away for the weekend while we had a couple days of freedom before football got underway and summer plans came up. Robert and Sharon have a trailer down near Warsaw, by Truman lake, and we wanted to go down there for the weekend and relax the three of us.
Friday afternoon, we took off in the late afternoon, and headed directly to one of the best little buffets you've ever eaten at. Charley's does buffet right. The food is delicious and typically the line to get in is around the entire restaurant. The food seemed extra delicious this time around because we walked right in and got to eating! Siena got a little mashed potatoes...but Matt and I ate everything else. As you can see, everyone was happy to be eating at Charley's...


Unfortunately, that's where the fun ended...kinda. We about ran out of gas (and the closest gas station closed at 7pm...small town...), the weather turned, and Siena decided she didn't want to sleep. We had a rough night all around. Saturday morning, I was tired and grouchy and Siena got a little stir crazy in the trailer. We couldn't really go outside because it was all rock, and Siena can't crawl on that stuff. We decided to go into town to get a couple snacks to keep us occupied through the day. While at Wal-Mart, we got the snacks and almost "bought" a free puppy. I think we just wanted to feel better and puppies always make you happy. Ha! I guess that maybe wasn't the smartest thing to do...we had to pass on the puppies. We went back to the trailer, and while eating a little lunch, asked ourselves why we were even there. Siena can't really do anything, she doesn't have much to play with, it's too hot and rocky outside, we had to be back for church on Sunday morning anyway...and I didn't feel like staying up forever with Siena Saturday night as well! :)
So, after getting to the trailer at 8:00pm on Friday night, we turned around and drove 2 hours back home about noon on Saturday. It just wasn't really what we had hoped for the weekend. It will be a great place when we can go on the boat and she gets a little older and can walk around the park. But, this time around, it just wasn't working.


When we got back home, we thought we should take advantage of our time together a little, so we decided to try and enjoy ourselves at the park. From the following pictures, I think you can see that everyone was in a much better mood...(when Siena's happy, everyone's happy!) We capped off our park date with a nice milkshake from Sonic. It all worked out in the end! :)






PS. Happy Birthday, Auntie Em!! We love you so much! :)