All in the Family - Add an Artist

Our families are a great group of people, and I think most people would agree would this opinion. We do have a lot of fun together if you couldn't already tell from our many family related blog posts. And yeah, of course we love them very much. We feel very blessed.

Selfishly we also have to acknowledge the convenience that our family provides as well. I'm not writing here about living in proximity to one another; I'm writing about the diverse skills and abilities that they all bring to the table.

You need a car fixed? I know a mechanic who can fix anything.

Bangs a bit long? Jordan at Salon Cheveux takes care of our hair.

Need a babysitter? Too bad, I'm not sharing.

Time for a family photo? Walcott Imaging is so where it is at.
Preguntas? Need help with your Spanish homework? We've got teachers and Spanish speakers.

Electrical work or repair? Dan is our man.

Need something engineered? Ya know, those kind of folk are good to have around.

Advice or guidance? We would label more than one of them very wise.

And now, we add an artist to the list. Lisa, sister-in-law, just graduated from Cranbrook earning her masters in sculpture. We attended her art opening last weekend at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Detroit, otherwise known as MOCAD.

Congratulations Lisa!

Chugga Chugga Choo Choo

In case you missed it, my son is officially obsessed with trains. In a month or so we will celebrate his birthday with a “Choo Choo I’m 2” party – there was absolutely no question about the theme of this party.

Trains seem to pop up lots of places, and even when they didn’t Bright could often (not always) satisfy his choo choo fix. Roller coasters looked enough like trains to appease him, and my son must not be the only one with the obsession because trains of all kinds spring up quite frequently at tourist locations.

We even watched and rode Disney's monorail when we were on Disney property. We also packed up some trains and tracks from home and took them on our trip, and we were so glad he did. He took Thomas to Sea World, and he has even started requesting to sleep with a Choo Choo. The last two nights he has even asked for train track in his crib, but that's where this momma drew the line, but I couldn't help but laugh. I wouldn't even dare guess how many times this little guy says "Choo Choo."

Looking at some of these pictures even makes him smile followed by a spirited, “Please!” Which we interpret to mean either take me back to that train or even better could you buy that for me?

Spring Break 2010: Mammoth Cave

Mammoth Cave National Park was close enough to our overnight driving stop, that we decided to visit it on the way home. None of us had ever been to Mammoth Cave. Because we are all early risers now, we did some minor hiking on trails right outside our hotel. We went to some lookouts and even saw quite a few deer up close and personal.

We then took a two hour tour into the cave. What an experience! Bright even enjoyed it too. I'm fairly certain that at least two grandparents wouldn't have enjoyed this excursion let alone approve of us taking Brighton. Jon says it's definitely not something we have to do annually as it was both fascinating and freaky at times, but were are certainly very glad to have experienced it.

Our tour guide was an attraction himself. He traced back five generations for us beginning with his great-great-grandfather in slavery in that very area. Through the generations then his family had lots of involvement in Mammoth Cave even well before it became national park. Not only was he great at his job, but his position is steeped in tradition far more than we could have ever suspected. What a story!

Spring Break 2010: Sea World

We were able to break our visit to Sea World into two half days thanks to a promotion they are offering right now which was perfect for our family as Bright still needs a nap. This also permitted us to avoid the hottest and busiest time in the park as well as see and experience the entire park with the exception of the roller coasters.

Sea World was a great experience for all of us. We were so glad we decided to go. Sea World is such a unique combination of features, and we thoroughly enjoyed nearly everything we decided to see and do. The shows were really impressive although we were slightly disappointed with the Shamu Show, but heard later it is ½ of the show it used to be due to the recent death there.

Bella Breakfast

Other than this giant chicken last fall, our first character experience was for breakfast with Elmo & Friends this past week. Brighton did really well and was only slightly scared by the very large and active Cookie Monster. Unlike the rest of Orlando, it was surprisingly not that busy here, so we got lots of time and access to the characters. When Elmo finally came out, Brighton could hardly believe it. He shouted and pointed “Bella!” in wide eyed amazement. Yes, Elmo = Bella. He inadvertently swaps some of his sounds around, which we really have to work on as one of his dear little friend’s names is Bella, and we’ve already had it on several occasions that we are not sure whom is he referring to. Anyway, the Bella Breakfast was a blast.

Gatorland

If it wasn’t for a recommendation from friends of ours at church, we would have never ventured out to Gatorland. It seriously ended up to be one of the highlights of our trip although you really can't tell by the picture above. Has anyone else been there? Oh my gosh! We saw so many HUGE alligators. We watched a couple of shows: Gator Wrestling and Gator Jumparoo. Jon and I even sat on a real alligator, plus I decided to pay $5 to hold a huge snake. It wasn’t something I was dreaming to do on spring break, but I thought when again will I have a chance to drape myself in a python – Gatorland is that place.

Sunshine, Swimmy Diapers & Suncreen

We're home from a fantastic vacation to Orlando. The weather was absolutely perfect for the entire week of Spring Break 2010. Not much time for sun tanning ourselves on this trip though, but that’s the way life goes for us now. We went through lots of sunscreen, swimmy diapers, and enjoyed lots of visits to the pool. Back to reality tomorrow, but more from our trip will be posted soon.

Right in our Backyard

We have a swing set...right in our backyard. Yipppeee! Lots of thanks to those that helped in the construction and especially to my husband in the many hours it took to put the thing together. The project started in the barn already this past winter; it was no small task. It's finally finished, and it's fabulous. The constant smiles and squeals of joy make it crystal clear that Brighton couldn't agree more.