Pantry Thieves

These pictures are from about three weeks ago. I was playing on the computer in the den, when I heard some rustling going on in the kitchen. I thought that Dana was playing, so I just let it go for awhile. Eventually I got up to make sure all was ok. I found Harris eating a poptart he opened himself and Dana watching intently. Of course it was shortly before dinner time so his appetite for dinner that night was ruined.

I had to laugh when I first came out and caught them. Harris looked up at me and then started scolding Dana, "No-no Baby!" Luckily for her, I didn't buy that this mess or Harris stuffing poptarts in his mouth was all her fault.

Last Zoo Trip of the Season

Mid September the kids, grandparents, and I made a trip to the zoo. Max & Cathy have a grandparents pass, so they have taken the kids quite a bit this year. I tagged along this time hoping to get another fun day with the kids before it closed for the season.

Here's a few snapshots from that morning.

Love the double stroller. Harris can hop in and out easily up front and Dana gets a nice comfy view.


Harris runs through the tree house. He's not the type of kid to stop for poses for Mom's camera.




The Capuchin monkeys are always cute.


I think the Gibbon monkeys were the most entertaining that day. They came right up to the front of the cage and started howling at us.

The female was especially vocal that morning. If you're interested in what they sound like, just follow this link.

Vacation - Part II: The Beach

These are the photos from the morning we spent at the Warren Dunes on our recent vacation. It was a beautiful day. The water was really cold, so we didn't swim. We did get our toes in the water a bit though. The sand always feels good on the feet.

Dana did really well. She didn't try to eat too much sand. She stayed on the blanket most of the time.


There's a little sand on her tongue here.




That's about as far as Brian went in.









Harris wanted to eat all the snacks shortly after we arrived.

Of course this attracted the sea gulls.

The Harris started throwing animal crackers to the birds.

This was one of the lucky ones.

His favorite sand toy was the watering can.

I love this picture. This kid loves to yell so this picture is a pretty good representation of Harris.

My favorite picture from the day.

Vacation - Part I

On September 9th, we went on vacation with Brian's mom, Cathy, and stepdad, Max. We had rented a cottage in Lakeside, MI which is right across the Indiana-Michigan state line.




The cottage where we stayed was named The Cozy Cottage. When the cottage was booked, we knew it was close to the beach. It was only a short walk, but it was a treacherous walk with a stroller. To get to the beach, there's a dirt path which goes through woods. Then there is a long flight of wooden stairs that take you down to the beach. When we first arrived, we went down to the beach and had both kids in the double stroller. When we got to the path, Brian got the stroller wheels caught on a big tree root, so it was a rough ride. Then when we arrived at the stairs, he managed to make it half way down where we then stopped on the landing. We decided to abandon the stroller by that point, since it wouldn't be easy in the sand either.

We finally made it down to the beach and it was beautiful. The waves were so high that day. The noise of it made it hard to have a conversation since it was so loud. We relaxed for a little bit. I don't have pictures from that time. I didn't even bother to pack the camera. I'd glad of that since it would have been one more thing to carry down the stairs.

The cottage was very cute I thought. It had three bedrooms, two baths, sunroom, and hot tub. We enjoyed the hot tub, especially when the kids went to bed. I don't think I'd ever want to own a hot tub, since you only use it for short periods of time. It was nice though.

Here's some pictures of the cottage. They're not mine. I copied them from the website where the place can be reserved.

On the second day that we were there, we went to the Warren Dunes and enjoyed the beach. There was hardly any people there. Just a few retirees, and young couples with little kids. I have lots of photos from that day, but I'll post them in a separate entry which is soon to come.

On the third day, we went to a great store called I Love Toy Trains in New Buffalo, MI. We thought Harris would like it and he did. They have tons of Thomas the Train. They also have the real deal toy trains like the Lionel brand. It was a cute shop. Our course Harris got to pick out a wooden train for his set. He chose Henry. He also got a bridge race track setup for the Take Along line. He loved playing with that once he got back to the cottage.

Here's a picture of the store. Again, this is not my picture - just something I nicked off the internet. I didn't have my camera with me.

Here's a video of Harris playing with his track. He's gets upset when Dana comes along and ruins the setup.

Brian and I were also able to go to the outlet mall in Michigan City which I love. Brian got bored pretty quick since he's not much of a shopper. I think he regrets going with me although the time away from the kids was nice. He told me that the next time that we go, I can drop him off at the beach while I shop.

Here's some snap shots of the week:

Harris watching his Thomas video.

Grandma read Harris a story before bed.

I love how they both have their arms up.

Daddy trying to steal a kiss.

Dana was just starting to push up on all fours when we went on this trip. It didn't take her too long to figure out how to crawl.

We had a nice time on the trip. It definitely is more difficult to vacation with little kids. Vacations are not the relaxing get aways they once were. Just the packing alone was crazy and we were only gone for three days. Working around the kids' naps is also a challenge. There really are only one or two windows of opportunity to get out and do things. The rest of the time is spent tending to their needs. Even with all that, we had a good time.

August Photos

Ok, here's the rest of the photos from August. I'm only a month behind :(

Dana is usually very happy when she wakes up. I just love to see that smile when I go in to get her.


I had the bouncy chair put away in Dana's room and Harris dragged it out. He's always loved to sit and relax in it.


My mother-in-law made cupcakes for my birthday. Harris just loved eating them with whipped cream. Harris calls them cake-cake.




Daddy loved eating them too.

No cupcakes for Dana, but she's as sweet as a cupcake.

Harris is very possessive of his blanket.

In the morning, we get lots of sunlight in the kitchen. I like to try to use it for photos sometimes.