Michigan Day One

The girls decided to switch to vacation sleep mode and slept until 7:45ish. Here's Allie hanging out on her big, comfy bed.

Because we were all tired from a long day of driving, we decided that our first day in Michigan would be a hang out and visit day so we headed over to Mamaw and Papaw's house after our free breakfast in the hotel lobby. The girls had seen the indoor pool and kept asking when we could go swimming so we decided to add that onto the agenda for the day as well.

My grandparents, who are transplants from Kentucky, have lived in the same house since I was a baby. I don't often get to play around with my wide angle lens so I took the opportunity to do so that morning.

I really wanted a picture of my grandparents standing on the front porch but, of course, with all the craziness of a million people going in different directions and the heat and then their central air system blew up, I didn't get one. That's my thing now. How cool would it be to have a picture of your house with your family on the front porch or steps over a series of years? I think I need to set up my tripod and take one of us on our front porch and do so at the same time every year.

My cousin is now 20 years old but years and years ago, my grandfather built this little playhouse in the backyard for her as my aunt and uncle live nearby.

The little house only has one room and is completely weatherproof. My grandmother now uses it for storage but she cleaned it out so that the girls could enjoy it. She still has all of the kitchen toys that my cousin played with years ago.

The girls loved it!

One of the things that I really like about the area where my grandparents live is all of the stores. It is set up so differently from where we live. Just within two blocks surrounding our hotel, we could find 25 different restaurants and stores galore. While the girls played, Rich and I ran to the grocery store to pick up some food to have for the girls since they are such picky eaters. Plus I drink five cans of diet pepsi a day.

Grammy and I were on a shopping mission to find fabric and other related sewing supplies. Is sewing becoming a lost art? I really thought that it was making a comeback but we don't have many options for fabric stores around here. Didn't Jo-Ann used to be Jo-Ann Fabrics? The other fabric stores around us have all closed down. Mamaw mentioned that a Walmart near them sold fabric so after lunch, Rich, Grammy and I, along with the girls, headed over there.

Rich also wanted to purchase water wings for the girls to use in the hotel pool. It seems like everyone on the internet is raving about puddlejumpers but I didn't want to spend the money on those and I didn't want the girls using something so structured because we are trying to teach them to swim and I didn't want them so reliant on a flotation device.

Rich found water wings for $1 per pair so I couldn't argue with that and I managed to pick up a few inexpensive dress patterns for the girls along with some Winnie the Pooh ribbon.

We eventually made it back to the hotel pool and the girls had an absolute blast. We had to help them a lot at first but Allie and Em started to show a bit of independence. I don't have any pictures from that swim time because I was in the pool but expect some more swimming posts soon.

Rich and I decided to change up the sleeping arrangements. Because Allie and Em together can lead to the nighttime crazies, we put Allie and Anna on the sofa bed. Rich laid down with them until they fell asleep and then he moved to his own bed, which was previously Allie's bed. I slept with Em in the bed pushed against the wall. Em can be a bit clingy.

Allie woke up at 3:30 in the morning crying hysterically. I couldn't even figure out who was crying at first because it didn't even sound like her. She wouldn't settle down with Rich so she climbed into the bed with me and Em. Being kicked and pushed out of the bed for the rest of the night wasn't so much fun but I had to laugh every time Em pushed at Allie. I wanted to ask, "How do you think I feel?"