Calvin's trip to the big lake

Well, last weekend was Calvin's trip to the northern lands of relaxation, a.k.a. Cortney's childhood summer destination, and this week we bring you Calvin's trip to the western lands of beach fun, a.k.a. Jon's childhood summer destination on Lake Michigan in Holland.  On the way there we made a quick stop in Grand Rapids at our friend Sue's house - just long enough to feed the little man and get back on the road.  Then Calvin was a big hit at the cottage gathering in Holland, but was the cottage gathering a big hit with Calvin?  He really seemed to like the sand and the water.  Of course it's not like we threw him into the surf, but we did dangle his toes in the waves and press them into the waterlogged sand, an activity which really made Calvin go into deep thought mode.  But we figure that he enjoyed it because it triggered a 20 minute run of smiles and cooing that the whole family enjoyed - you can fool some of the people all of the time...
In any case, the day on the lake was enjoyable for all of us and there are lots of pictures in the "Calvin's ninth week album." 

A summer without a vacation...

is no summer at all.  That is why we decided to take the plunge and drive four hours in our Vibe with our three dogs and our seven week old infant to get to Harbor Springs, Michigan's center for relaxation.  We're not sure whether the plan would be considered more or less ambitious because we embarked on this trip at 9:15pm last Friday.  The point of travelling so late was to fit into Calvin's schedule, of course, since he now rules this household!  By leaving that late we were able to feed and bathe him and read him his bedtime story, all as usual, but then put him to bed in his car seat instead of his basinet, hoping he wouldn't notice and wake up.  We really lucked out and were able to drive straight through to Aunt Lonnie's without hearing a single peap from the little guy, or the dogs for that matter.  Whenever plausible this is clearly the way us to travel.

Calvin experienced a lot of new things.  We took him into Petoskey on Saturday to peruse the annual sidewalk sales and to pick out his baptismal outfit from The Circus Shop, a special children's clothing shop at which both Cortney and her mom shopped when they were younger.  On Sunday we took him for a walk through Harbor Springs and down to the marina to see the beautiful sailboats before the Regatta, and got to see a beautiful thunderstorm roll in, too.  On Monday we went back into Petoskey and took a walk through the marina there, and back into town for ice cream from Murdick's.  We ate lots of good food (which Calvin got to enjoy indirectly), and we enjoyed visits with people we don't get to see often - Aunt Lonnie, Uncle Smokey, and Helene.

Calvin must have enjoyed his first vacation.  How do we know?  The little guy was so enthralled he refused to take a nap!  We have heard the old saying about needing a vacation from your vacation, but now we understand oh so much more clearly.  He did sleep.  His nightime routine wasn't too off, and of course he slept through all of our excursions, but when we were trying to relax at home he demanded to be held by someone...anyone.  So vacation for Calvin meant constant attention and coddling.  We don't know what we would have done without three extra sets of arms (Nonnie, gram, and grandpa, that is).  Thanks to their help we actually returned home today feeling rested and ready to keep trucking through the days and nights of infanthood.

Three years and a baby

Today we celebrate three wonderful years of marriage, and all the wonderful things that those three years of marriage have brought:  We celebrate three years worth of nightly sleep overs, weekend zoo trips, and summer vacations;  We celebrate our house, our jobs, and our years of school;  We celebrate the joining of our families, the love of our pets, the birth of our son.  As usual we celebrated our anniversary by going back to the dinner spot of our first date - Macaroni Grill (what will we do if they close?), only this year we made an extra stop in order to drop Calvin off with his gram and grandpa.  This was our first evening out since June 9, and everyone took it well.  Look, Calvin even gave us a tentative wave during our send off ;o)

Beer and sports

Last night was Calvin's first "beer and sports" experience.  Yes, beer and sports.  After almost a week of near sleepless nights trying to get Calvin's schedule back on track we decided that an evening at the bar was in order.  Well, not really, but you go where the food is and Casey's is a great place for great food and just happens to be a (non-smoking) bar, so that's where we went.  Dinner was relaxing for us and strangely exciting for Calvin, who was wide eyed and looking around throughout the entire meal.  Then what better way to follow a great beer and burger at the bar than with a good sports game, so after ingesting said vices we took Calvin to watch his uncle Curtis play soccer.  The game was really enjoyable, especially in the cool evening breeze, and the fresh air was just as invigorating as the beers and burgers, except for Calvin who was rather sleepy after a day of extended alert periods.  Lucky for us, something worked and last night we actually got some good sleep again!

Playing hot potato, I mean, baby

Yesterday was the first day of the Ann Arbor Art Fairs and, as in years past, we braved the teeming masses for an afternoon of art and heat.  This has long been a tradition for Jon's family and is one that we have come to enjoy.  Yes, count us among the population of locals who really enjoy the Art Fair, in spite of the traffic and crowding it unleashes on the city.  Of course, this year the visit provided a different kind of art for the extended family to enjoy - the newest member of the family.  In fact, the party game during lunch, and again during the after Fair party, was Hot Potato, with Calvin playing the part of the potato, of course (for evidence of said game see all the new pictures in his week five photo album).  Ultimately, we enjoyed the Art Fair as usual, avoided buying any art as usual, and really savored the food at the after party as usual, all with Calvin (who mostly slept) in tow.  Don't worry, Calvin, you will get to enjoy all the tasty food indirectly.

By the way - can you find Calvin in these pictures?  We'll give you a hint - he's ensconced in high tech sun protection and baby wearing gear.