It starts out packing. Carrie is notorious for packing way too much. "Where are you going?" I always ask when I load her bags into the car. Yes, plural, 'bags'. And that was pre-baby. We agreed this time she would need to trim the load. So instead, she would use Benjamin's bag as an annex to her normal load. We arranged our cat/house sitters (Barberini's), left the house a disaster and headed to SFO.
We met up with the Noyes'. Typical airport bs (lines, security...). Waiting at the gate was fun. The babies loved it.
Having babies is good for getting on the plane. You get to move ahead of the line. That was the only time though. We still had to wait at security and getting off the plane. The plane ride was better than expected. We all sat together. Traded books, took pics, traded babies, played with toys and took naps.
The Congers greeted us with a convoy. Judy and Honda escorted her royalty, Princess Buttercup and Papa Dale and the Merc took the Willards. We would stay 2 nights in Dexter and then make the trip to the UP. Judy and Dale really have gone out of there way and beyond the call of duty of grandparents. The house was fully loaded with toys and baby stuff. Everything you can think of. (I don't think of this stuff so thank God for them.) Carrie also did a great job too of ordering diapers, wipes and food to arrive ahead of us. There was this really cool tent/fort that Judy had for the babies that even an adult would love. It was one of my highlights.
The Dexter house is so big and there are so many things for the kids to do. Ben took an instant love for the stairs. He scaled them like a pro. He took one little spill where he rumbled down (rumbling down stairs is a Willard past time. Tommy and I used to do this at Grammy and Poppy's).
On Wednesday we headed north. Same convoy, same passengers. The trip north was fairly uneventful. We stopped a lot to feed babies and stretch. You know, your typical roadtrip. Once again, Judy and Dale packed like pros. We had sandwiches, snacks and drinks. Crossing the Mackinaw bridge was cool. I started a video on this trip. A real video camera that would later eat the tape so my footage of the bridge is lost. The bridge connects what is known as the 'mitten' and the Upper Peninsula (UP). The UP is aka as upstate. My brethren might enjoy that little note. Arriving at the cabin was so awesome. Once again, that house was equipped for babies and a party. Everything. Kayaks, Hammocks, Beer, Toys, Beer, a ski boat, Toys, Strollers, Beer, Rocks, a lake, Toys and Beer. What more could you ask for. 10 days of relaxation at the Lake House. Ahhh..
We were lucky enough to have the entire upstairs of the lake house. Dales kids (David/Chelsea, Matt and Kelly/Craig) would be arriving in a couple days and staying close by at the neighbors guest houses. The babies went nuts upstairs. They interacted so much and chased each other and just had a blast. It was def a highlight of the trip watching Alina and Ben together. A prologue of what is to come with them.
Sleep was a different story. We didn't get a lot of it. Ben was up a lot at night time and so were we. He usually sleeps through the night. Blessed are we, Judy would sometimes get up early and take Ben and give us a couple extra hours of sleep. Ahh. We needed it because our days were filled with so much. Playing scrabble, feeding (yes, sort of like the zoo, as Judy referred to it), going in the water, kayaking, hiking and prepping for dinner.
Dinner really was a highlight. Judy and Dale agreed to buy all the food. Yes, ALL the food. Thank you. All we had to do was cook it. So each day we had teams of 3 prepare a meal. Such a great idea. I can't really decide on a favorite meal. Carrie's pork tenderloin? That is the safe answer. I know the worst meal and it was the fried forearm. Yes. I am the victim of my own disaster. I was frying eggplant, the Fiacco/Mahan way when the pan decided to run off the stove. My instinct was to catch. I thought reflexes were built in to save you? Sort of like the Shark blinks its eye when it attacks prey. Or a baby's hands prevent falls? Well, the oil ended up burning me good. Everyone reacted like trained pros. That first night of pain was bad but since then it just looks like a sunburn that is peeling. Seriously though, dinners were outstanding. I can't wait until we do it again.
The Lake. So many awesome things to say about the Lake. It's beautiful and crisp and clear. When you swallow water on your take-off (waterskiing) it doesn't taste horrible. It's perfect for Kayaking. Boy is it cold. I am not talking Ocean Beach in SF. We are talking north. Canada north. There was all this talk about the water being too cold for babies, blah blah blah. Ben was a champ. The water in Lake Huron was breathtaking but he got in there with me and he loved it.
You can't see his face but you will have to trust me! ;)
We did so many other little things, I feel like I could just keep writing. Grandma Jude took the babies on walks in the double stroller and with the backpack. We went hiking to this little paradise called Narnia. Games like Mexican Dominoes were played. It takes a while but get it. It is so much fun. And Carrie and I made it to the Championship round at Euchre. We lost to the new champions, David and Chelsea. Good on ya! We also did Best and Worst. This was a time at dinner when we would go around the table and tell your best and worst moment of the day. My best is that we did things as family would. I tried to get a moment now and then and just take it all in. It was very special. We are blessed to have such wonderful family. My worst was saying goodbye. We made a permanent mark in our memories. Many more to come.
The trip back to Dexter was much quicker. The babies slept a lot. We had one little accident where Benjamin fell out of his highchair. It was my mistake. Lots of blood but no permanent damage. More of a wakeup call for parents. Saturday we got on our plane and headed home to California. Alina and Ben had a couple unhappy moments on the plane but we managed just fine. Rodge and Mere might feel different? Good to be home in SF. Gene and Emily had cleaned our place and ordered pizza for our arrival. Thank you. It took three days for us to get back into the rhythm of being home. We long for the lake house.
Until next time...
