New Jersey Weekend

We try to make it out to Jersey once or twice a year to see Steve's grandparents.  It worked out for us all to get together a few weekends ago. Steve's parents flew in from Colorado, his brother from California, his sister from Ohio and his brother-in-law flew in from Europe (he had been away on business for several weeks).  

We bought the cheapest plane tickets we could find.  We flew a small airline (Spirit) that your ticket only buys you a seat on the plane. If you want to take luggage, pick your seats, or drink/food for you flight, you have to pay for each addition.  They allow you 1 free carryon item like a backpack (12"x14"x16").  Since Bean is under 2, she was a lap baby.  I took on the challenge of packing an entire weekend's worth of items into 2 small bags.  Challenge accepted!

(I got all over our clothes - including swim gear and flip flops - and toiletries into into my carryon.)

(I made a smaller entertainment bag for Bean and was able to put that bag into my carryon as well.)

(My carryon with all our items.  Steve had his computer, new camera, and our rain jackets in his backpack.  Our bags were heavy, but they were small!)

We left on Wednesday night after I was done babysitting.  We loaded up the car and headed to Detroit.  We stopped for dinner at our favorite restuarant in Toledo -- Maumee Bay Brew Pub.  We didn't get there until almost 7 and had to wait for a table.  Bean did great and the food was well worth the wait. We got back on the road just after 8:30 and still had about an hour to get to our hotel.  Once we got there (to the right one, went to the wrong one first, haha), Bean and I got ready for bed and we hit the hay! She slept in between Steve & I in a king bed.  We all pretty much slept great (I kept hearing people in the hall and even banging on our door) and woke up by 6am.  We got ready, got to the airport, and ready for our flight at 8:30!

(While waiting to board the plane, Steve took Bean around the airport to let her run off some energy.  They had a little play room for kids.  Bean loved playing with the airplane!)

(Bean slept on the plane! It was a perfect flight! The guy that was supposed to be in our row got moved to a different seat, so we had the row to ourselves.  We had space to stretch out and Bean was able to sleep the whole time.)

We got to Nanny/Poppy's before everyone else.  We were at there house by 11 am.  Since Bean got a small nap in the morning, we decided to eat some lunch then take her to a nearby zoo.  The Cape May Zoo is free (but they suggest a donation) so we figured even if we were there for 20 min, it would be worth it.  The zoo was neat, but it was also packed with people! I was surprised how busy it was for a Thursday morning.  

(Some of the animals were hard for Bean to see.  There were boardwalks that you walked over and near some of the animals, and she couldn't see them from her stroller.  Our favorite animals were the bears and giraffes!)

Even though she couldn't see all the animals, she still enjoyed the trip and we headed back in time for her to fall asleep in the car.  We stopped at a store on the way back so that she could sleep and I could pick up the necessities that didn't make the cut in our luggage - diapers, sunscreen, etc.  

Steve's dad, brother, sister and brother-in-law all arrived in the afternoon and evening.  We enjoyed catching up with everyone and of course watching Bean be crazy.  Bean slept in a pack'n'play in our bedroom.  Well, that was the plan.  She would go to sleep in it fine, but would wake up in the middle of the night.  I'd just throw her up in bed with us and she'd fall right to sleep.  I had a little fear that her sleeping with us at the hotel and then again in Jersey would take us back to where we were a few months ago when she'd only sleep in bed with me.  But that fear was silly.  She went right back to her normal sleeping when we got home.  

On Friday morning, we made up lunches and headed to the beach.  Just as we got in the car, it started to sprinkle.  The forecast all week called for torrential rain on Friday, but by Thursday it just said a 15% chance.  We took the risk and lost.  It was cold and rainy when we got to the beach.  We still went ahead and set up thinking it could clear up.  Bean was miserable and hateful.  She just sat on my lap and wouldn't do anything.  I can't blame her.  I'm not a fan of rain and the wind made it cold.  She usually loves playing in the rain, but I think the wind is what upset her.  

(Hateful selfie)

(Ashley did her best to try and get Bean to chill out.  It didn't work.  After a few minutes, she would just cry for me.)

(We were the only crazies at the beach!   Steve's mom arrived Friday morning.  She came straight from the airport to meet up with us.  We ate our lunch on the beach and then we called it quits.  Since the weather wasn't clearing up, I wanted to get Bean back to the house so she could take a good nap.  Just Steve, Bean and I left, everyone else stuck it out.  They were rewarded with the sun and warmth later in the day.)

(Steve's cousins who live nearby came and stayed the night while we were there.  Bean loved having the extra attention and playmates!)

(Playing on the golf course with Benjamin in the evening! Mommom and Poppy chaperoned and chased after the kids.  Mommom even helped Bean find a golf ball!)

(It took entirely too long to try to coordinate this picture.  This was the best I came up with after bribing Bean with chocolate.)

(On Saturday, we headed back to the beach!  Poppop, Steve, Bean and I got there first.  Bean was less than thrilled to be back at the beach.  However, she at least stood on the sand this time.  She stood in this spot for a good 15 min and wouldn't move.)

(She slowly transitioned from only standing to playing in the sand.  She still wouldn't move her feet though! Once everyone else arrived, she got lost in the spirit of the beach and finally moved from her spot.  I didn't catch a picture, but she spent a good while playing in the sand with Ashley & Ian! Bean also wouldn't take her shoes off.  Mommom tried multiple times without success to get them off.)

(What a better beach selfie!)

(We ate lunch at the beach and then Bean crashed.  She slept about an hour with me holding her.  She probably would have slept longer, but the tide was coming in and a big wave brought the water close to my chair and I startled her with my reaction.)

Steve and I went for a walk and left Bean to play in the sand.  When I got back, she realized I had been gone and got a little clingy to me.  She wanted to go down and play in the water, but wanted ME to go with her.  So I took her down until the water was just below her knee.  When a wave would come, I'd pull her up and she'd "jump" the waves.  She LOVED the water and didn't care that it made her cold.  She would be shivering waiting for the waves, but she didn't care.  She cried when I made her go back and warm up. 

We stayed at the beach through the afternoon, and then headed back to the house to clean up and eat dinner.  Once that got accomplished, we loaded up the cars again and headed to the boardwalk for the evening.  It was cooler than we had prepared for, so I made good use of my rain jacket!

(Family photo on the boardwalk!)

(There was a lot going on and Bean loved to look at it all.  She especially liked watching the pirate and parrot moving around.  Everyone took turns pushing Bean in her stroller.  Our boardwalk snack of choice this year was ice cream.  We usually get funnel cake, but the birds were being crazy! And of course, no boardwalk stop is complete without a taffy purchase from Shriver's!)

(Even though it was past bedtime when we got back to the house, Bean was wound up.  We let her stay up and torture uncle Ian for a little while. Once she tired out, Mommom read her stories for the night.  She picked her books for the trip - a Sesame Street book, a Dora book, and a book about eating 5 fruits & veggies each day, haha.)

The weather on Sunday was beautiful and would have been the perfect beach day; however, since we were flying out later in the day, we didn't want to go to the beach in the same day.  So everyone stayed around the house and got to enjoy some last minute Bean fun.  Ashley brought down this little car from the toy room upstairs and Bean's eyes lit up.  She couldn't wait for Ashley to get ready to take her out for a spin.  

(Eagerly waiting Ashley to take her for a walk in the car!)

(Only issue was that there wasn't any place to put your feet.  I think the idea was more for the kid to do all the moving, and the pole was to steer.  However, Bean wanted to be pushed.  I tried to make her sit with her feet up on the top, but she kept pulling them down  -- of sliding off the seat, oops!)

(The walk in the car became quite the production.  I just took a couple pictures, but didn't go with the posse.  I gues they only made it about half the block before the turned back around.  The whole issue with where to put her feet wasn't worth the walk!)

When they came back from their walk, Steve decided he wanted to go on a donut run.  I never turn down a donut so I took orders -even though no one else wanted a donut.  They were all saving room for Manco & Manco's pizza.  So back to the donuts.  Steve found a local bakery via Trip Advisor that was nearby.  So Steve, Ian and I headed off for donuts!

(Chester's Pastry Pantry Bakery -- because a donut shop needs more than one name, haha.)

(Since Ashley stayed back to watch Bean, I told her I'd capture the ambiance of the shop.  They sold all sorts of goodies - gingerbread cookies, sugar cookies, ice cream cakes, donuts, etc.)

(Ian wanted a picture with Chester.  Okay, maybe that isn't the official Chester, but who was I to crush Ian's dream?!)

(A girl after my own heart! Those donuts were delicious!)

(The rest of the morning was spent in the backyard playing with the car! Bean could crawl in & out and push the car around on her own.)

(She would also get Ian to push/pull her around the yard.  She would just let her feet rub in the grass.)

Scott & Ashley were the first to depart.  They had to head out right after lunch.  Our flight was later, so we were able to put Bean down for a nap.  We were all packed up and ready to go when she got up.  We said our goodbyes to everyone and headed to the airport with Nanny & Poppy.  We flew in and out of Atlantic City, which is like 20 minutes from their house.  Everyone else used the Philly airport, which was a couple hours away. 

(On the way back, we had to share our row with a lady.  She had the window and didn't seem bothered by Bean.  Bean was a little crazy on this flight. Since it was in the evening, she wasn't tired.  We entertained her with reading, coloring, and playing some Mickey and Dora apps on my phone.  Thankfully, the flight was short - 1.5 hours. Too much longer and I would've gone crazy!)

We got to Detroit around 7 in the evening.  We stopped at a Taco Bell (which ironically was the same one that we stopped at when we picked Steve up from Detroit after his China trip) and ate dinner.  Bean was tired and cranky and just wanted to continue watching Dora in the car.  So we obliged her crazy and let her zone out to Dora in the back.  We didn't get home until almost 10! Bean went right to sleep and was obviously glad to be home (and reunited with big "bay"!  We took her "little bay" with us leaving the bigger blanket she usually sleeps with at home).  Another great weekend with family in the books!

5 Years & A Sick Baby

It is hard to believe that Steve and I have been married 5 whole years! It seems like just yesterday we were saying "I do" and starting our senior year at Purdue.  But a lot has happened in those 5 years - living in 3 different states, changes in jobs for both of us, home ownership, travelling the world, a baby, and so much more.  I wouldn't change any moment of it!

This past year from our last anniversary, has definitely flown by.  Our time is now consumed by our daughter.  Since having her, it seems like each day goes by faster and faster.  For our anniversary this year, Steve made it extra special by planning a weekend get-away -- Kid Free!

Leading up to the weekend, I was really nervous about leaving Bean.  It marked our longest time away from her as well as being away from her overnight! Steve has been away from her when he went on his business trip, but this was my first time.  It was easier and harder than I thought it would be at the same time!

Just hours before our departure to head to IN to stay with my parents for the night (Bean would stay with them the whole weekend), I was finishing up packing and about to put Bean down for her nap.  When I picked her up to go rock her, I realized she was really warm.  I took her temperature and it was 100.5.  Yikes!  I put her to nap and called the doctor.  I was guessing it was just teething (I had just given her Tylenol about an hour prior because she was cranky and drooling like crazy), but didn't want to risk it with us going away for the weekend.  The doctor just happened to have an opening in a half hour (and the office is 3 minutes from our house).  I let her sleep for as long as possible, then headed to the doctor.

The fever was confirmed.  The doctor came in and after a quick inspection declared she had hand/foot/mouth disease, even though she only had 2 spots in her mouth and the fever.  Since it is viral, there was nothing else to be done other than Tylenol & Advil around the clock.  Wonderful.

With plans set in motion, we cleared the sick baby status with Ahm & Abo (my parents) and headed their way.  Bean was a little cranky at first in the car, but then fell asleep.  We woke her up for a dinner stop, and then she played in the car the rest of the way -- perfect!

(You could tell Bean felt miserable.  For a good 30 min in the car, she just zoned.  She just stared and held onto her toys.)

She did extremely well that night, considering she didn't feel good.  She did wake up a couple times in the night (I woke her up once to give medicine & check temp).  Her fever went as high as 102.5 with medicine in her system - eeks!  I was quite nervous about the temperature, but knew there was nothing we could do for her and she was in safe hands with my parents.  So Friday morning, Steve and I headed up north to Michigan for the weekend.

We stayed at a B&B in Allegan, MI called Castle in the Country.  It was an old Victorian home turned b&b.  The breakfast they served was outstanding! Stuffed french toast, cinnamon rolls & quiche.  Yum-o! During the days, we traveled to surrounding towns to explore and eat.  We spent one afternoon in Saugatuck and the other in Holland.  In the 48 hours we were away, we ate at Hercules Bar & Grill, Salt of the Earth, deBoer Bakkerij, Captain Sundae, and Food Dance.  All of the food we ate was delicious, but I'd have to say my favorite was a toss up between deBoer and Food Dance.  deBoer was a dutch restaurant that served brunch.  We were still full from our b&b breakfast, but didn't want to miss out and ate there anyway.  It was delicious!  Food Dance used only local ingredients and made everything from scratch from hamburger buns to ketchup!

(Castle in the Country -- we stayed in the "Golden Tower" which is the upper room of the turret on the left.)

(Upon entering our room, there was was a hallway with the bedroom off to the left, a closet and bathroom to the right, and a little vanity at the end.)

(Bathroom)

(Vanity -- boy do I wish I had a set up like this!)

(The bedroom was in the turret, so the room was circular with a very tall ceiling.)

(While in Saugatuck, we took a chain ferry to get to the other side of the lake.  This is the only chain ferry in North America, and only 1 of 3 in the whole world! The ferry is cranked across the river via a chain that lays on the bottom.  You can see the chain on the lower right of the ferry.)

(Sitting on the chain ferry.  It only took a few minutes to get across the river.)

(Once on the other side, we hiked up some steep steps, to get over a hill -- which I later figured out was a sand dune -- and see a beach on the other side. Boy was that a steep climb!)

(Keep going Steve!  The steps really wouldn't have been that bad if it weren't for the fact that we were still recovering from our ridiculous run the weekend before.)

(Made it to the top!)

(Looking out over the lake and down into Saugatuck.)

(So I was a little hoodwinked in the whole, "oh you walk up some steep steps, then back down and we'll hang out at the beach."  I was prepared for sand, but not walking down steep sand.  I had to take off my flip flops, but then was all nervous about stepping on sticks.  Steve thought I was being hilarious and decided to capture my intense sand dune walking.)

(Oval beach! The water was quite cold, but people were still in the water.  We sat on the beach a little bit and recuperated before heading back to the ferry.)

(So instead of walking back up over the hill, we walked around it, which ended up being quicker and easier.  Along the way, we saw my "favorite" animal -- a deer.  Throughout the whole weekend, we saw deer, wild turkeys, chipmunks, squirrels, birds, and rabbits.)

(After spending the day in Saugatuck, we headed to Salt of the Earth.  The restaurant has it's own garden outside that you can walk around and see where some of its produce comes from!)

(The next day we spent in Holland.  After our brunch at deBoer's, we walked up another sand dune via steps.  Only these steps weren't steep.)

(After the little hike, we got some ice cream!)

(And then we went on a walking tour of historic houses in Holland.  Steve loves walking tours and rather enjoyed this one.  I on the other hand thought, "seen one historic house, seen 'em all".  Okay, really I enjoyed walking around with Steve and watching him in his element.)

We got back to Bean a little after noon on Sunday.  We were very excited to see her and she how she was feeling.  Her fever had broke on Saturday and she was doing much better.  Everyone who saw her agreed with me - we don't think she really had hand/foot/mouth.  Not sure what it was, but she definitely had a touch of some virus.  We are very thankful Bean has been very healthy and think maybe she was over it so quickly from having a good immune system.  We hung around my parents for a few hours (we weren't ready to get back in the car), Bean & I even went swimming!

(What Bean was up to all weekend -- playing and being the center of attention!  Since she was sick, plans had to change and she was confined to the house.  That means no visitors - including cousins!  Poor Bean & Poor Ahm!  She now knows what my life is like in caring 24/7 for Bean!)

(We couldn't leave Ahm & Abo's without a dip in the pool!  This child is 100% water baby.  She would be completely happy if I let go of her and she could splash and play all by herself.  She just has to figure out the whole swimming and not drinking water first!)

I am extremely thankful that God has blessed my family in the way it has.  I have a very godly husband who is intentional about keeping our marriage strong, not just for us, but for our little girl.  I am looking forward to the next adventure with Steve by my side. Happy 5 years!

Oh, and I definitely won wife-of-the-year with my gift.  I was so excited to give it, I didn't care about what I got in return.  Steve and I try to keep our gifts along the lines of whatever the anniversary year is.  I.e. 1st year is paper, 2nd - cotton, 5th- wood. . . He got me a build your own bird house, which we'll do together sometime soon.  But here was my gift:

(I spelled out our last name using pictures from our previous trips:

A - eiffel tower in Paris

C - reflection of an arch on water in Rome

K - a knight on a horse in a castle in Segovia

E - coast line of Sausalito looking at Golden Gate in San Francisco

R - statue of a bear and tree in Madrid

M - church front in Brussels

A - Bell of Notre Dame in Paris

N - Arch de Triomphe in Paris

All of the pictures are on put on top of a map we used while in Barcelona.  Steve plans on hanging it up this weekend!)