Detroit Wedding

The oldest of my three 1st cousins got married this summer.  Scott and Auguste threw a fabulous wedding celebration in Detroit at the very top (71st floor) of the Marriot Renaissance Center.  I debated about going out because I was just a few weeks post knee surgery at the time and still wasn't walking too great.  Derek encouraged me to go and suggested I bring Liv with me.  So, we made a girls trip out of it, and I'm glad we did.

Liv was more bored than I anticipated on the airplane flights and kept constantly asking if we were there yet and how much longer.  I chuckled to myself when I looked over and caught her playing with her ice just like this.  It brought back a memory of flying with my younger brother Mitchell and him doing the same thing (a game which he entitled "roast the chicken").

I got to meet most of my Mom's cousins and they all told me stories about my grandparents I had never met which was neat.  Sounds like my Grandmother (or Aunt Helen as they all referred to her as) was the favorite Aunt.  So kind, never raised her voice, and she was the best cook who seemed to be able to whip up anything with whatever was in the fridge at the drop of a hat.  My Mom's cousin Pam loved Aunt Helen because as child she had severe asthma and every other mother was too afraid to have her at their house, but not Aunt Helen she would let her play and even have sleep overs.  My Grandfather sounds like a character.  He loved music and he and his brothers were always playing banjos and such together.  They all loved to play pranks and swapped stories about times when they would sneak into the horse races and such.  It seems like all the boy cousins were kind of afraid to cross my Grandfather, but the girls all had different recollection and thought he was sweet to them and that he adored his wife Helen.  It was a lot of visiting with old people and hearing family stories which at times was boring for Liv, but she did pretty well, and we did some other fun things to make up for that.

She loved the wedding.  She literally danced the entire time the band was playing.  Never took a break except very briefly to eat a few bites of dinner.  The band loved her as their most adoring fan and let her sing a few lines into the microphone.  She had more energy than all of us.  Benazir danced with her, then Nathan, George, Babi, Me and after she had tired all of us out she just danced with all the rest of the wedding attendees that she didn't know.  They had this really cute photo booth that she also enjoyed.  

They would print two copies of the picture strip, one for you and one to glue into a book for Scott and Auguste.  Benazir also snapped this cute pic of Liv.

  Liv displayed her typical infatuation with brides and attached herself to Auguste whenever possible.  At the wedding she kept giving her flowers and over the weekend as we hung with them she was always sitting on her lap or holding her hand.  I hope Benazir didn't feel replaced as Liv's most recent bride infatuation.  

Saturday morning after the wedding while most of the wedding party was hung over and recovering from the night before, Babi, Papou, Liv and I woke up early and drove out to cast lake.  My Mom's family owns property on the lake.   I remember going there as a kid and that it was shallow for a long long way which is perfect for kids to play.  Liv loved this.  

Babi, Liv and I swam and made some sand castles on the banks while George watched some soccer games on his phone.  There was a cute little duck family that came right up to us.  The water was so clean and I decided that outside of Detroit, Michigan is really a beautiful state covered in beautiful blue lakes that have gorgeous houses built around them.  

That evening we all took the People Mover to Greektown for dinner with Scott, Craig, Auguste and Aunt Jan.  George ordered for us all which was fun, but overall Mom and George felt Detroit greek food just couldn't compare with that in Chicago.   Then, we all ordered pastries from a little pastry shop a few doors down and walked back to the hotel.  I would have to say that of all the places I have traveled (New York, Chicago, out of the country) the most unsafe I have ever felt was walking in down town Detroit at night.  Perhaps traveling alone with my daughter played into that.  For one, as caucasians, we were definitely the minority.  We counted about a dozen police cars driving down the street on our walk back.  Policemen were stationed on every corner and I heard numerous people we passed talking about the guns they were carrying on them at the moment.  It probably didn't help that early that day Scott had been telling us about his high school and how he had witnessed rape, overdose, gang fights or something along those lines on almost a daily basis.  Definitely made me feel like we don't have it all too bad out here in Utah.

Sunday morning, Nay and Benazir flew out early.  Mom and George got up and took them to the airport, and Liv and I miraculously slept in.  We had just enough time to order some room service for breakfast before we had to check out.  Liv was so excited that they had Eggs Benedict!  

Our hotel room had the greatest view of the river and Canada across the way.  After we checked out, we drove across the bridge of the Detroit River, to Windsor Canada.  I sang O Canada with Liv as we crossed the bride (still remember most of it from elementary school when we lived there).  We met my childhood friend Sara Mullen's Mom at Tim Hortons and ordered a box of TimBits and hot chocolate so Liv could experience something Canadian.  

Then, because Canada Day was coming up they had a little fair going on with rides near the river.  Canada knows how to party!  They had free pony rides, some real fun rides, and even some princesses dressed up and walking around.

The view from across the river of our hotel was beautiful.  

Mom and George visited with Colleen and her boyfriend while Liv and I played some games and rode the rides.  

She won two stuffed animals that she has slept with every night since.  When we got in the car to cross back into the USA, Liv realized she had left her kitty in the bed at the hotel which resulted in a dramatic episode of tears.  Luckily, we stopped at the hotel on the way to the airport and convinced a bellhop to let us in and were able to recover the beloved kitty from the room.

On the flight home the stewardess asked if Liv would like to see the cockpit.  I waited for her and gave the stewardess my camera.  Liv came back and told me she got to sit in the pilot seat and when I looked at the photo I was shocked to see that indeed the pilot had given up his seat and let her take the wheel.  Not sure if she realizes what a novelty that is in this post September 11th world.  

What do you do in the Summer time when your Mom has a bum knee?

I've been trying to come up with fun activities for my kids to do this summer that don't involve a lot of walking or anything too athletic for me.

Currently our schedule looks like so:
Monday- Liv is taking a tap and ballet combo class just in the month of June
Tuesday-  We resurrected the neighborhood art group.  The first one we made these flags on Flag Day.  (We also put the flag out in front of our house and Olivia made us all say the pledge of Allegiance and sing You're a Grand ol' Flag)

Wednesday- We got tickets for the Scera Summer kids movies, so we go every Wed at 10:30 am.  Jens Thorsted works then, so it's fun to buy our popcorn from him.  The kids are pretty good in the movie Carter has the hardest time and comes up with multiple excuses to get up and go check on Jens (multiple trip to the bathroom, getting a booster after saying he didn't need one because he's not a baby, popcorn refills--my kids ate a whole large popcorn plus the refill)
Friday-  Swim lessons with our favorite Aubrey in the neighborhood at her home pool.

It seems we are constantly running between the above schedule, me going to physical therapy twice a week (my kids enjoy that because various friends in the neighborhood rotate letting my kids play), and working two afternoons a week (also loved by my kids because I've hired Megan Riley to watch them over the summer and they love her).

Also each day we have been trying to do a learning time at home where Liv works on her reading (she is really putting it all together) and the boys work on letters and sounds, and they all do some workbook pages that Poppi and Lynn gave them.  The kids actually rather enjoy this and I have been amazed home much they are taking in.  Additionally, I have been trying to get them to clean up a little bit each day to earn the fun activities we have planned for the day and they seem to be agreeable to that as well. They all like feeding the dog for me.

One day I told them if they picked up the whole toy room I would take them to the BYU creamery for ice cream (Liv has been dying to go back ever since Derek took them there after the Bean Museum one day).

If we're home in the afternoon I always have them take a little rest time downstairs with a movie.  Carter my nap lover almost always falls asleep, Camden often does, Liv almost never.  If I don't put the kids downstairs for the rest time, Carter usually takes it into his own hands to put himself down for a nap.  Often with his arms back behind his head like this.

And this time in front of the bathroom door.

I try to come up with something to make for dinner each night.  Mostly because I enjoy it, but also because it seems to be the one household task that I am able to do and it makes me feel accomplished.  Carter loves this time of day and assists me start to finish every time.

The kids were seen in constant flag adoration on Memorial Day when we put our flag out in front of the house.  The went out multiple times that day at times just to talk to the flag, "Hey flag!  How are you doing?  You have a beautiful waving!" Liv proudly serenaded the flag by belting "You're a Grand ol' Flag."

Summer has been a constant flood of kids from the neighborhood playing at our place and vise versa.  One day the girls in the neighborhood all styled each others hair.  This is the hairdo they created for Liv.

Liv lost her first tooth and I'm not sure who was more excited about the the tooth fairy coming,  Liv or Carter.  I twisted it mostly out and then she did the last pull herself.  It was right before bed and all the kids were in their jammies, but Liv begged to run two doors down and tell her friend Chelsea that her tooth had come out and Carter went with her to excitedly tell her family about how the tooth fairy was coming that night.

We've hit the highland splash pad twice and the Riverwoods splash pad once.  I fear I haven't been as good at taking pictures lately.  Probably because juggling all the kids and the crutch I usually walk with monopolizes my hands.

Uncle Jon invited the kids out on his boat one evening.  I had a baby shower to attend to, so Derek took the 3 kids by himself.  The kids still love boating  and tubing no surprise there.
 

The garden is in sad condition this year.  I think Derek is realizing how much I actually did in the garden now that I am not doing any of it.  The weeds are almost as prevalent as the vegetables.  We currently have lettuce and the peas just got ripe enough to pick.  The kids have enjoyed eating those.

Summer Fest

This weekend we went to summer fest.  I swore left and right that I had no intention of chasing the kids around there and standing in line and doing rides, but I got pulled in somehow.  Derek did the Rotary traditional pancake breakfast.  We went at about 9:30 am which I decided was the best idea ever.  We ran into both the Thorsteds and the Davis family and they were able to help me make and carry all my kids food.

Just as we were finishing breakfast...the guy running the big slide (which is Liv's favorite summer fest attraction) had just waxed the slide and needed a few people to slide down to rub the wax in.  So, all my kids got to ride for free.  Tyler Thorsted was kind enough take my boys down.  Then, we saw Kassie Vought from our ward who has face painting skills had set up a both, so I let each of the kids get their faces painted.


Then, it was 10 am and the carnival opened and Derek was still cleaning up breakfast, and I noticed that there were absolutely no lines at all, so I decided to buy some tickets and let the kids ride a few rides while Derek finished cleaning.  Well, before I knew it, we had riden 5 rides, used all the tickets, and Derek was just finishing.  So, I did summer fest with the kids by myself with my bum knee and one crutch.


But then my knee killed and I was exhausted.   So, we brought everyone home and I got the kids to go downstairs to watch a movie for rest time.  I told the kids if they took a nap they could stay up and watch the fireworks later that night.  Both boys slept, Liv did not.

We had the Riley family over for a BBQ dinner.  Afterwards, we all worked together to thin our fruit trees. Then, we lit the fire pit and made s'mores.  Then baths for everyone to get the camp fire smell off of us.  At this point is was 9:30 and all the kids were acting fairly exhausted so we tried to put them to bed.  Liv fell asleep within minutes and the boys were probably almost asleep when the loud sounds of fireworks began outside their window.  They both groggily came out of their room in the jammies rubbing their eyes and asking what that noise was.  I grabbed them by the hand and said, "Let's go see."  So me and the boys sat on the curb in front of our house and watched the fireworks light up the sky.  I feel bad that Liv missed it, but she didn't take a nap (and there is always the 4th of July).

Little Mermaid at the Scera Shell

A few months ago my friend Carly Pendleton suggested we take our daughters on a girl date to see the Little Mermaid at the Scera Shell Outdoor theatre.  It sounded like a blast, so I got us tickets and we set a date.  I didn't factor in the fact that I would be one month out from my knee surgery.  But despite my huge brace and a little discomfort I actually did pretty well hobbling into and out of the theatre and sitting on the grass for the play.

The fun thing about the Scera is that there is a huge grass amphitheatre and a whole section for just blankets.  Tickets are pretty cheap, and it's so fun to sit out on blankets snacking (they allow you to bring in your own food) and watching a show as the sun sets.  I didn't have time to get any good treats,  but I let Liv pick one thing from the snack bar and of course she chose dippin dots (or freeze balls as she refers to them).  Luckily, Carly made up for my lacking snacks and hit up the gas station on their way.  The girls happily gorged themselves on candy all night.

The play was super fun and the girls seemed to love it.  The costumes were incredible, sometimes they incorporated lights which was neat outside in the dark.   Liv was thrilled that her favorite Little Gym instructor Miss Kate was cast as one of Ariel's sisters.
 
 And at the end, even though it was already 10:30 pm and way past bedtime we let the girls stand in line to take pictures with the cast.   Liv even got Ariel to sign her play bill.