Non-stop fun

Grammy, Papa, and Auntie Stacy came for a visit earlier this month, and the girls had a blast spending time with them. From the moment they arrived, there was something fun to do every day.

Grammy and Papa arrived Tuesday evening, and on Wednesday morning they headed out to Holland for some of the Tulip Time festivities. Normally there are thousands of tulips to see, but because of the unseasonable temperatures in March and April, the tulips had already bloomed and this year's festival was affectionately referred to as "Stem Fest." They were able to watch the Volksparade ("People's Parade"), complete with bands, street scrubbers, floats, and Dutch dancers. The only thing missing (and the most important thing in Alyssa's world) was candy.

Thursday was a work day - cutting down trees in the wooded area behind the house. There were lots of dead trees along the edge, so Aaron, Papa, and I worked to clear some of them out - what a difference it makes. The girls loved watching the trees fall and even helped pick up some of the sticks once all the trees were down. The highlight of the girls' day might have been cooking in the basement with Grammy and going to the park with Papa.

Friday brought the arrival of Auntie Stacy. Everyone got up early to head to Lansing to pick her up. After a visit to the Michigan State campus, they headed to a super fun children's science museum where they played in water, stood in bubbles, and more.

Saturday was a big day for me. It was the day of the Fifth Third River Bank Run, a 25k (15.5 mi) race that I'd been training for. While Aaron and I headed downtown early, the girls stayed here and made signs to cheer me on. How awesome it was to see everyone just a few blocks from the finish line, gave me the little push I needed to finish strong. They both really liked the snacks I got for finishing - granola bars, bananas, and bagel bites! As they were cheering for all the runners, Alyssa would laugh hysterically when a man would run past without a shirt "Ha ha ha! He doesn't have any shirt on!" - just wait until she gets to the beach this summer!

From there it was back out to Holland for the Muziekparade ("Music Parade"). It ended up being kind of rainy but we enjoyed all the bands nonetheless. Everyone got lots of cuddle time with the girls as we tried to keep them dry.

After dinner that night we had a little mini-celebration for Lauren's birthday, complete with cake and ice cream and presents. I think Lauren was most excited about the cake (especially the icing), but she enjoyed opening all her presents too. She's getting good at doing her Africa animals puzzle!

The next day was Mother's Day, and what a special treat to be able to celebrate with Grammy. After church, we made a yummy brunch and opened gifts. Grammy loved her mug and I loved my new hat! After resting (and napping), we headed downtown to explore. It was a quiet afternoon downtown, so we could walk around and explore, and we enjoyed a nice dinner out at Alyssa's favorite class of restaurant, Chinese. The girls shared an adult order of chicken & broccoli; there wasn't too awful much left for leftovers!

On Monday, the girls got to go have their pictures taken (a favorite activity for Alyssa) and then headed to Chuck E. Cheese for lunch and games. What a fun day! And finally, on Tuesday, we spent the morning at Meijer Garden's looking flowers, playing, and riding the tram learning about art. That night we lit our first fire in the new fire pit and roasted marshmallows - yum!

Everyone had to leave on Wednesday morning. We were sad to have all the fun end, but the girls were happy to get back to day care and their friends. They had missed their buddies. But they're already looking forward to another visit with their family this summer in Minnesota!