Trip to Indiana

Although finances were tight this summer, we found a way to manage enough funding for a trip to Indiana as soon as my ESY (Extended School Year for those keeping score) ended on August 12.  We left promptly on Saturday, August 13th, for the Hoosier State to visit some of Colleen's family and our friends.  It's usually a busy week for us as we typically try to get as many people fit into a rather tight window throughout the week on top of making sure the children are tended to and that we make some stops along the way that we or one of us typically enjoy.  We did pretty good this year, and got away without spending loads of cash, which was nice.

Trip to the E.R.

Although it was a relatively frugal trip for us, it wasn't without some excitement.  Day 2, less than 12 hours after our arrival at Col's cousin Kelly's house, Christopher, wound up from being in a car off-and-on for 10+ hours the day before, was freakishly hyper....jumping around, doing flips, jumping on the couch, and off the couch, et. al.  We tried to keep him settled, but it was a challenge.  So I went upstairs to run him some bath water and give him a bath before taking him somewhere to run it off.  While I was upstairs, however, one of Christopher's jumping adventures turned into a trip to the E.R. as he learned that jumping from a couch to a coffee table is not conducive to "fun times."  Three hours and three stitches later, we returned to Kelly's house with a defeated and somewhat deflated little boy.  Don't worry though, his reality check was only effective for about 2-hours....then Yahoo-Serious was rejuvenated and back to form.

Trip to the Potowatomi Zoo

Christopher with Joanna checking out the Bengal Tiger

Christopher posing in the cut-out the only way he knows how....being a goof.

 Our trip to the Potowatomi Zoo was a lot less dramatic in many ways.  We met up with Colleen's cousins and their children for the adventure.  It was pretty fun, but Christopher was a hot mess during a lot of it due to his being very tired. Otherwise, he loved watching the animals (the Bengal scared him a bit) and feeding the ducks (although he wanted nothing to do with feeding the goats in the petting zoo part..."They're stinky, Daddy.").  Matthew spent the day chillin' out in his stroller. He, unfortunately didn't give us a lot of photo ops during this trip, but I did manage to get a decent one of him in his stroller.  Col's cousin's kids were very, very helpful throughout this adventure and the entire trip for that matter.

I have no clue what he was checking out here, but whatever it was, it must have been astronomical!

We saw lots of different animals.  We saw Flamingos, Alligators, River Otters, Kangaroos and Wallabys, Chimps, Wildebeasts, Ducks, Koi Fish, a Bengal Tiger and a White Tiger, and a really, really big lion that had a large sign on the cage that read, "WATCH OUT FOR SPRAYING LIONS".  Thankfully, he was comfortable with his territory when we were there.  His spraying zoo patrons apparently made the South Bend Tribune!

 At the Berrien County 4-H Fair in Berrien Springs, MI 

Matthew is apparently ready to go...chillin' out in the passenger seat of the car happy as a clam just before we left for MI

 We were also able to make a trip up north 10-minutes to visit our friends, Larry and Chaya and their grandson, Gabriel.  We met them at their house and followed them 10-more-minutes north to Berrien Springs to check out the 4-H Fair.  Christopher rode some rides...Matthew ate like a fiend...and we got a sno-cone.  All was well with the world.

 Shipshewana and Feeding the Ducks at ND

Christopher looking at some goldfish outside the Blue Gate Restaurant in Shipshewana, IN (aka, Amish country).  We were waiting for a table and he needed to get outside and walk before he got us kicked out! (kidding, of course). We'd just finished shopping and were ending our day-trip with a tasty meal.

 Without question we made our annual trips to Shipshewana, IN for a little day-trip shopping.  It is Indiana's Amish country, so there's a lot of "country-decor" and awesome food.  I spent a bit of cash in the music store there (pretty cool one actually...lots of unorthodox instruments that they leave out so you can play) and a toy store.  I don't mind the trip because that's where I typically hang out.  Christopher spent most of the day with Colleen while I was with Matthew.  I tried to get pictures, but he wasn't cooperative or in the mood for such silliness.  He just wanted to nap.  That picture of Christopher is the only picture that came out from that leg.

Notre Dame is next to Godliness in my in-laws' lives.  Every year we go to the campus, check out the bookstore, and do something else...go to the Grotto, simply go for a walk, or....

Christoper outside the Hamme's Bookstore in South Bend, IN.

...feed the ducks and geese by Notre Dame Lake.  Christopher was very funny...holding his bread out and prompting the water fowl calling sheepishly, "here, buddy......here, buddy..."  It was very cute until a Canadian Goose approached and totally kaboshed the whole thing (they're mean not-so-little critters).  Matthew didn't care about any of it!

didn't give two shits about the ducks or geese

Some Random Pics

Aside from the stitches on day 1 and some minor fits and scheduling conflicts, the trip overall was very fun.  We got to go to Col's other cousin's lake house, which was cool because a lot of people came over and we got to see everyone at once.  We got to meet up with some friends of ours on 2 separate occasions, which was nice.  Unfortunately, we didn't get to meet up with everyone, but that's how it goes sometimes. 

Matthew's 1st Birthday Cake and Cakes of Birthdays Past

Here's the story-by-picture of the makings of Matthew's Chicago-Bears themed Cake. 

The Cakes of Birthdays Past

Christopher's 1st Birthday Cake - Chicago Cubs Theme

Christopher's 2nd Birthday - Airplane theme

Christopher's 3rd Birthday Cake - Train theme

Matthew's 1st Birthday Cake - Chicago Bears Theme

Matthew's 1st Birthday Party

 

  

 I have to admit that there was a point when I didn't think the party would go on.  There were some hitches in the road.  Thankfully, we were able to prep early for what we needed....well, let me rephrase...Thankfully, Colleen has the foresight and ability to plan and initiate a party properly.  She was constantly thinking of the many intricacies and idiosyncrasies that such events require (a fantastic trait to have as I do not have this ability).  I was able to fulfill my required "follow instructions" accordingly and was able to apply my time management skills on the day of, which is a forte of mine.  The planning began a couple of weeks prior to the event.  The location of the party determined and negotiated with Nana Marianne, the catered food was ordered, the family and our cooking menus were organized, the other food/drink/party favors/et.al.  All being said, the planning period of the party went off without a hitch....aside from the cake, but I'll get into that later.

The day of the party began appropriately.  We went to church and ate breakfast at The Garden of Eatin', a Sunday staple.  Then the running commenced..."RELEASE THE HOUNDS!" accompanied by a bugle call went off in my head around 10:00 am.  The expectation of complete frenzy did not disappoint, as Colleen and Nana Marianne got to work at the house to prepare for the get-down.  I was in charge of the driving, hauling, and helping set up.  Uncle Pat ran to get the catered food while Aunt Bet and Emily brought extra chairs and ice. Everyone worked very hard to get things going so that it would be all done by 2:00 pm.  It was stressful for all of us, and there was some risen tension that almost came to head a few times.   Calmer heads did prevail, however, and everything was in place right at 2:00!  High-fives and bottles of beer should have been raised in celebration of the monumental collaboration....in my mind, they were...at least in my mind.

Guests started arriving right on time.  Slowly, people started seeping in soon thereafter.  Beer bottles and cans cracked, appropriate socialization commenced...introductions of people who didn't know one another, being friends to other friends or family.  Things were going swimmingly until one of the guests received a phone call from a party-invitee and family informing them that their car had broken down across town stranding both parents and all three children at a gas station.  Me and the phoned-friend went to get them and bring them to the party after they had arranged for a tow...and returned about an hour later to get the husband.  No big deal...everything got taken care of and the family was transported home without a problem.  We had arranged for a wader-pool for the kids who weren't cool with swimming in the big pool...it progressively deflated as the party went on. An intermittent thunderstorm broke out in the middle of the party, but dissipated within the hour allowing the sun to shine brightly for the remainder of the evening...only leaving crazy humidity in its wake...but that's what the pool is for, right?  Those were the only hitches that occurred during the whole shindig.  I think I would call that a complete success.

The food was amazing, being the catered food from Smokin' Dudes BBQ (pulled pork and chicken wings) or the food prepared and brought by family (mac-and-cheese, Italian sausages, meatballs, et.al.).  There wasn't much left at the end of the party....again....win.  The guests were great, reporting that they had fun and loved the food...and the impromptu games of beer pong...I think I'd call that a sweep.

Colleen did a great job on the cake (from a literal point of view, we both prepared the cake, but Colleen did the dotting...as far as I'm concerned, she prepared the cake). We had a pretty major hitch during this process as the first sheet cake broke beyond repair on the first try.  The second sheet cake broke was well, but it was "fixable" with an impromptu chilled icing cast.  Then the original icing wasn't working, so Colleen had to buy a different brand of icing after some google-based research.  Given those circumstances, the cake was a complete success I think. I did the dying of the icing.  After completion, chilling, and transport to Nana's house, the cake was put on the kitchen table for display. When we brought the cake out for Matthew's party, Christopher got jealous and pouted for about 5-minutes away from the group while the cake presentation "celebrations and singing" was being prepped, but then bucked up when the guests began singing Happy Birthday.  He opted, then, to come over and be a "supportive big brother" as Matthew needed "help" blowing out his candle.  He then melted down because we weren't getting a piece of cake to him fast enough.  Sometimes it's the little victories that matter, right?  Matthew loved the cake...smashed it as a matter of fact....not only all over himself, but also all over Nana's tablecloth, floor, and glass tabletop.  Again, I think it was overall win here as well.

All-around, it was a fantastic day.  We couldn't ask for better guests.  The family and friends who attended were all fantastic.  We got a lot of support from many family members, which we really appreciate...from Nana to Aunt Bet to Jackie K. to whoever we might have missed...we really, really appreciate everything you all did for us.  We couldn't have pulled this off without your help.