WinklerWorld: Our little corner of the web

Friends and Sand and Water and Sky and Wind and Chocolate on Top

We made a little trip to Berrien last Friday- to visit a couple of friends and take Alexander to the big sandy expanse of Lake Michigan. We had a hard time getting a hold of our elusive Fusté friends who had recently moved, but we dropped in on their new abode in hopes that we might find them anyhow. Sure enough, we caught them, just in time to interrupt their homemaking project and invite ourselves for lunch. We got to meet their new little Melanie (just a few weeks older than Aidan) a touch before her nap, and though we didn't get to do all the catching up we needed, it was good to see happy friends in their beautiful new spot.

We then met up with Holly after work and her little Robbie and although weather was too cool and very windy for swimming or even extensive beach lounging, we made the trip to St. Joseph anyhow. Robbie was walking and cruising about, eating a bit of sand- or at least as much sand as cracker in his sandy hand, and still not too sure about the water :). Alexander loved the beach, running with Papa and being buried in the sand. After a bit of bribing (it was very windy) he dared go near the water and then we couldn't pull him away-- letting the waves lap over his feet, ankles, knees... "okay, that's far enough Alex!" He put up his little 'gas pump' stick in the sand and wrote 'letters' on the shore. He was too busy running around to sit and do any digging but was very excited about someone else's monstrous hole they'd left for his enjoyment. He called all the seagulls 'ducks' in spite of being corrected several times, and was happy just to hang out with our little crew. Aidan was content to snack with Mama and Holly and Robbie on the beach, and chat a bit on the blanket as long as we kept his face out of the wind. He touched his toes to the water with a little shiver, but not too much reaction. Just soaking it all in, I suppose. When all was done, we hiked up the long hill with our strollers and Alexander waddled behind in his pull-ups (shorts were a wet, muddy, sandy mess) to the car for a fresh change. We bid farewell to our friends and made a last-minute stop at our favorite South Bend Chocolate Factory for some choice cheesecake, mint chocolate chip ice cream for Alex, and luscious milk for Aidan. We were glad for the little family 'vacationette' day, and were thrilled to watch Alexander loving the beach so very much. We are already planning on a return trip next year, and hoping for a more summery day.

Fusté pic from their site- we didn't get one before Melanie went to sleep :(
We've also uploaded a few new misc. pics (and beach pics) to flickr! >click here<

By Winkler World Online
On Sunday, August 23, 2009
At 10:40 PM
Comments :

When the cat's away...

This year while David was down in Ecuador, Michelle came down to spend some time with us and it was certainly a whirlwind of a week! Tuesday, we jaunted up to Saginaw to visit Oma (A2's Great-Grandma), chat a bit, play a little 'fire truck' and take a dip in her pool. Wednesday, we stopped by Brian and Renee's on the way up north to drop off some goodies and visit with the Pomeranian pups before they headed to new homes. And Wednesday through Sunday we returned to Uncle Jim's cottage to spend a few days down by the lake. It was a grand time as Trent and Lexi were also staying with Jim and Marlene for the week. Alexander was just giddy to have more cousins to play with. He and Trent spent hours playing diggers, little people town and splashing in the water. But his favorite game of the week had to have been Connect Four, where laughing laughing, he would scramble to get his chip into the top slot before his worthy opponent, then shriek with delight when he "won" again. (it's a race of checkers to the top of the board don't you know? Forget the whole "four in a row" thing.) We took a couple jaunts on the boat (even Nana went for a spin), got to be the first to try out Uncle Jim's new steps (the new landscaping looks really good) and had a few yummy treats- including a Mama/Alex favorite-- dunking graham crackers in milk out on the deck. And for the most part, he even managed to hold himself together in spite of missed naps nearly every day. Our mild little Aidan was just along for the ride. He was happy to go lap hopping, lounge in his new little blue chair and make adorable faces for the camera. He did head down to the waterfront on occasion and dipped his feet in the water without much reaction. However, he'd fill the cottage with his new little laugh when Mama tickled his toes or chatted up close-- especially when on the changing table-- oh, he would giggle and giggle to Mama's delight. It was a lovely retreat for our little crew + Nana and Grammy. It was nice to spend some more time with Jim, Marlene, and Karen, and some fun kiddo play with Trent and Lexi. We even got a surprise visit with Mike and Dee on Sabbath evening. Still, by Sunday our little crew was ready to head home and reunite with our beloved Papa. We're looking forward to our vacation all together next year!