For the third year in a row, we headed over to Milford for the Memorial Day parade. This time Miss Jan joined us and we found a new viewing spot (though probably not the best of our 3 years of attending this parade). Helen donned her stars and stripes legwarmers for the occasion.
We ended up where the road splits with a small median. Unfortunately for us, the parade route went on the opposite side of the median from where we settled. So it wasn't as easy for the little kids to see.
Micah got a better view up there. Still, the kids enjoyed it. And we'll try again next year, picking a new spot again. We do like the parade though - lots of focus on veterans and those who we memorialize on Memorial Day. Plus, the kids like the marching bands and Jeeps!
Jan then joined us for a cookout at home. We ate our lunch out on the patio and had just about finished when it seemed like rain. We got our plates, etc, and Helen (in her highchair) into the house just before it rained cats and dogs for about 10-15 min. Later, we took Jan out for dessert at Ritter's Frozen Custard (which Henry thoroughly enjoyed - obviously), while Daddy put some time in at the office in the basement.
Between the excitement of the parade and the camping the night before, all three kids fell asleep very quickly at nap time!
After the kids got their jammies on in the evening, they played "rolly ball" with Daddy. Helen likes being "big enough" to be included in this game!
Tuesday morning we made a trip to the library and Micah wouldn't leave the car when we got home, even after everyone else was out, because he was too busy reading his book.
The weather was nice this week (sleeveless tops and shorts on Tues - that's pretty good for Michigan at the end of May!) and we spent a lot of time outdoors. The boys were very proud of making it all the way down the the mailbox on our walk (actually, Henry does pretty well - he was able to walk to the mailbox younger than Micah did).
Helen just loves being on that car - she thinks she's quite the big kid.
She's started chewing on the boys' Squigs (probably they feel nice on her teething gums).
Playing outside a lot means we sleep well - so Mom is a big fan of this nice weather also!
Henry turned 2 1/2 this week. He continues to entertain us (here he is, using his chainsaw on a block tower). He only calls Mom "Mother" (no longer "Mommy"), which draws smiles from friends and strangers alike. He is a compassionate boy and started kissing the top of Helen's head (she's not always a fan of this). He also bounces back very quickly from injury - usually ready to get right back in the game.
Kickball (or basically kicking the ball back and forth and chasing it all over when it doesn't go directly to the intended target) was another event this week.
The green bouncy ball moves pretty quickly all over the driveway, so the boys run a lot in this game.
While the boys were out playing, Mom discovered some new flowers this year we had never seen before. Perhaps the deer had eaten them in previous years (or perhaps Daddy had weeded them out in previous years).
Dad decided to play his own version of the kickball game - trying to kick the ball as high up into the air as possible. The boys thought this was awesome...
... until the ball ended up in the woods. Thankfully, Daddy was there to be the one to get it out (Mom doesn't let the boys into the woods alone, for fear of ticks or poison ivy). Other outdoor activities this week included playing hide and seek, picking mint for tea, bike races, helping Dad mow the lawn, playing soccer, and finding snakes.
But the biggest excitement of the week came when we discovered that a new fawn was born in our front yard!
We had seen the doe laying in the grass just beyond our retaining wall for a long time Wed morning. We could only see her head, so we didn't see the actual birth. But around 9:30am she was standing up and had a little newborn fawn with her!
It was absolutely incredible. There are times when Mommy misses living in more of a subdivision with closer neighbors to socialize with or maybe more cars to entertain the kids as they pass by. But when something like this happens, we realize how blessed we are to be in a place that has a wide variety of nature and wildlife to entertain and impress upon us the majesty of God's creation.
Seeing these sights of mom and infant deer also solidified Mommy's position that Daddy could only hunt "daddy deer" on our property during hunting season - nobody's going to take out Bambi's mom on our watch (no matter how many plants she may eat in our garden)!
It was rain boot time again after lunch!
In the afternoon, another mother deer was lying on the ground outside Helen's balcony. We wondered if perhaps she may also give birth - and we'd have a front row seat. But after a bit, the original momma deer, whose baby was born in the morning, came and had a stand off with this doe. Eventually, this doe was chased out of here!
While Mommy was watching the fascinating drama unfold among the does, Helen scooted herself on over to Mommy and grabbed on. She thought she was pretty hot stuff!
On Thursday, God gave us another day of great weather. The grass dries slowly with our shaded front lawn, so the boys often have to wear their rain boots in the morning when they go out. But they don't mind one bit! These boys would live in rain boots all the time if they could.
The boys decided to bring out the bubbles from Miss Peggy again on this morning.
Henry worked hard to get those bubbles out! He was irritated that Mom insisted she hold the container of bubbles. But Mom remembers well enough from her childhood what happens when kids hold their own bubbles!
(Micah did end up spilling his after declaring himself big enough to do it on his own.)
Helen enjoyed watching the bubbles from her vantage point in the Bjorn.
After lunch, Mommy decided to work on getting Helen acclimated to being in the bathtub, trying to reduce her fears of taking baths (she's hated them forever). So all three kids climbed in the tub without any water to just have fun.
Helen seemed to have fun and they boys thought it was goofy, too!
Mom also piloted taking Helen outside in the play pen with a sheet on top to protect against mosquitoes. The thought was that maybe it would give Mom some freedom to accomplish something like weeding while Helen was outside. However, it was a very small baby step; Helen didn't really want Mom to be out of her sight, and she wasn't really keen on the concept of being roofed in. Oh, well, it was worth a try. She was entertained by the boys' antics down below on the driveway, riding their bikes. And she was fairly content - as long as Mommy stayed right by her.
While Helen and Mom hung out up there, the boys collected a few treasures in the yard and brought them up on the patio to share with Mom.
That evening, Mom finished putting together the book Micah and Henry created for Poppa's birthday present.
Friday morning we were back outside as the boys rolled down the hill, laughing as their rain boots fell off.
What a jolly time!
We had a lot of iris plants pop up this year as well - more than we remember previously. However, the deer find those quite tasty, apparently, because the blossoms were quickly eaten off (next year, Mom will cut some and bring them in the house to enjoy them longer!).
We continued to work on Helen's water acclimation with a bowl of water and some toys on the kitchen floor. She was tentative, but did enjoy playing with the toys.
In the evening, we went over to Walled Lake for a birthday dinner celebration for Poppa. We attempted to get all the grandchildren together for a photo. They're a bit wiggly (some even more than others). So here's what we got...
Albert quickly stole the show.
Then we had another photography session to take shots of the kids with Grandma and Poppa.
Sweet little Bennett just slept through it all (next summer will be a different story, of course!).
Saturday morning - books and snuggles in Mom and Dad's bed. The best way to start a Saturday!
We headed back to Walled Lake for more time with cousins. Henry just can't get enough of those babies!
Elijah stood still long enough for a photo.
Finally Henry got a turn to hold Bennett again.
The kids were happy to utilize the picnic table on the back patio. Henry loves his fruit!
We had chipped in with Grandma to get Poppa a barrel-style composter for his birthday. It took 1 pastor, 2 actuaries, and a 4.5 year old a couple hours to get that thing together!
And a few more photos of Helen on Sunday as she proudly displayed her ability to stand up!
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