After our successful drive to St. Louis back in March (thanks in part to the purchase of a portable DVD player), I was feeling rather brave and decided to plan another one to Grand Rapids, Michigan, to see my sister Kirsten and her family. We spent an awesome Memorial Day with them last year and looked forward to another wonderful visit. This time, however, Kaiser and I would be road trippin' solo. Daddy can't get time off work again until August, so unfortunately we had to leave him at home for this adventure.
I got the boy up early on Thursday morning, and we were packed and ready to leave by 8am. Kaiser did great keeping himself occupied with Cheerios, toys, and books during the morning; we only stopped for one potty/Starbucks break and then at Subway to eat around noon. After lunch, I busted out the trusty DVD player. Meet the Colors, Letters, and Numbers entertained my traveler (now rapidly approaching his naptime) for a couple more hours. Looking in the rearview mirror at his zoned-out expression, I thought that he would doze off while watching, but by golly, the stinker hung on. By around 2:30pm, he was completely exhausted and cranky as could be, and even Buster wasn't doing the trick. Mommy had to hold the steering wheel with her left hand while rubbing her boy's leg with her right hand to help calm him down. Kaiser finally gave in and fell asleep, and I hoped he'd be able to get a decent hour of rest in before we arrived. No. Such. Luck. He stirred and awoke crying just 20 minutes later. :(
By the time we pulled into the Walstads' driveway, I definitely felt like my right arm was going to fall off! Kaiser was greeted with excitement by his three cousins, Connor, Sydney, and William, and his Aunt Kir Kir. We came inside and spent the next couple of hours just hanging out and playing. Sydney took right to mothering Kaiser and did a fantastic job entertaining him after the long ride.
"You know Syd, you're pretty good at this reading thing."
"I wonder if she'll read me another one?"
Didn't take this guy long to get comfortable in his cousin's lap.
What 17-month-old doesn't love a good silly face?
Uncle Kent also got home from work not too long after we arrived. Kaiser and I had planned to go to Connor's baseball game, which we thought started at 6pm, but when we found out it wasn't until 7pm I thought it'd be best to stay at home so he could get to sleep at a decent hour.
"GO Connor GO!"
Love my sweet nephew!
Kirsten and William stuck around until our pizza dinner arrived, then they left for the game. Sydney decided to stay home with us for the evening, though.
"Thanks for letting me borrow your special eatin' seat, William."
After dinner, it was pretty much straight to the tub and then bed for Kaiser. Not surprisingly, he had absolutely zero trouble winding down, and was asleep in no time. Sydney and I had a couple of hours of girl time, during which she decided to play a little game of dress up...
Channeling Lady Gaga?
Other than that oh-so-strange fashion show, the rest of the night was a pretty quiet one. :)
We took our time getting up and around on Friday morning. Connor had spent the night with a friend; Sydney and William woke up before Kaiser and were anxious for me to go downstairs to get him so they could play with their cousin already!
"I hear him, Aunt Kyndal!"
What a goof.
That afternoon, Aunt Kir Kir, Sydney, Kaiser, and I went out to eat lunch at a Marie Catrib's, a great little restaurant that we went to last time we were here. I had a delicious pita with falafel, tabouli, and hummus--YUM! Kaiser shared Sydney's ham and cheese sandwich and really enjoyed it.
Blue-eyed beauties.
Kaiser fell asleep in the car on our way home, so I let him stay up to play for a bit before finally putting him down late for his afternoon nap.
Newest game: Peek-a-boo through Mommy's legs.
After the kidlet was asleep, I joined Kirsten, Connor, and Connor's friend, Jake, for a boat ride. The boys wanted to go tubing, and they needed a spotter. After a few laps around the lake, the kids requested that I drive them to Rudy Kazoody's, a candy store in downtown Rockford. Brett and I took them there last year, as well, so we had to keep up the tradition. Plus, once Connor said, "Aunt Kyndal rocks!", I couldn't say no. :) This time, however, I informed my dear nephew that I didn't think I'd be joining him in any cricket-eating shenanigans.
So Connor ate a larvette, instead.
He and his buddy got huge jawbreakers and fizzy Skittles (first time I'd seen those!), and Sydney landed on her favorite berry candies and some wax lips.
Pucker up, Baby.
When we got back, I found Kaiser cuddled up with Aunt Kir Kir and William on the couch. He had woken up crying from his nap after only about an hour. Bummer! Since he was awake so early, we went outside to swing for a bit to pass the time.
So wish we had one of these at home!
"Could you put down the camera and push us, please?"
Connor, it's not you. It's him.
Kirsten and Kent made some tasty grilled BBQ chicken for dinner, which we ate out on the deck. Shortly thereafter, Kaiser retired for the night. He was super worn out after such a short nap! Once he was down, I headed out back to join everyone on the beach. Kent had built a fire, and we made some s'mores for dessert and watched the kiddos play.
Lovely view.
More goofiness from the almost 3-year-old.
He does his best watergun shooting in the buff.
On Saturday morning, Uncle Kent was busy with yardwork, Aunt Kir Kir and William went to the grocery store, and Connor and Syd were out on the lake with their friends, so Kaiser and I spent some time together outside.
He was putting my unopened Coke Zero up to his lips and saying, "Mmmm!"
Precious. Precious. Precious.
Just while we were in Grand Rapids, Kaiser started doing this weird thing where when he is frustrated about something, he will kind of yell and stick out his tongue at the same time. It's so bizarre! I hope it's just a phase and passes quickly. I couldn't even tell you what was upsetting him here:
Very attractive, Kiddo.
When Kaiser was tired of just hanging out in the grass, we went swinging for a bit. Then we sat down on a towel in the shade of a tree, where we enjoyed snacking on animal crackers and reading books for a while.
Not ready for the big swing yet!
One of many attempts at a decent Mommy-Son shot.
Aunt Kir Kir and William joined us out back when they got home. We all headed inside to eat lunch, then decided to go on a short boat ride before Kaiser's nap.
Waiting patiently to board the boat.
Cute cousins.
All strapped into his life jacket. When Aunt Kir Kir let go of his hand, he toppled over!
Just a little snug.
We kept the pace pretty slow as we rode around the lake. Kaiser seemed to enjoy it, but I could definitely tell he was about ready to nod off at any minute, so we pulled back in and I put him down for his nap pronto. While Kaiser slept, I grabbed one of Kirsten's People magazines, parked it in a lawn chair, and soaked up some sun. That evening we ate another delicious meal (pork tenderloin, vegetables, and apples from the grill) out on the deck.
Unfortunately, once this child has his milk, pictures become impossible.
Kaiser was excited to learn that the whole family was going to Rocky's to get some ice cream after dinner!
"I scream, you scream, we all scream for ICE CREAM!"
Once Mommy sat with her treat, he quickly assumed the "mooching" position.
Getting a taste of Connor's rainbow sherbet.
"Soooooo gooooood."
William modeling Kaiser's hat.
We rolled our full selves home and threw the sticky boys in the tub together. This was only Kaiser's second time to bathe with someone else, and he had lots of fun!
Both looking at the camera = SUCCESS!
William showing off his dinosaurs.
"Why are you laying on your tummy? Mommy tells me to sit on my bottom."
My little angel.
"Do wha?"
After Kaiser's bedtime, Kirsten and I watched a sappy movie on TV. Pretty soon I started battling some nasty heartburn (oh, the joys of pregnancy), so I took a couple of Tums and called it quits.
Sunday morning we were up and at 'em early to make it to church at 8:20. I waited to get Kaiser up as long as possible, and then he had an audience as he ate his breakfast.
"For the life of me, I can't figure out what's so entertaining about me and my oatmeal."
The service was great, and Kaiser had lots of fun in the church nursery. Before heading bakc to the house, we stopped by the dam in downtown Rockford. I had hoped to get a picture of all the cousins dressed nicely, but unfortunately someone's son wasn't willing to cooperate. (Ahem.) So the mommies had to jump in, and Kent took a picture of us all together.
Sisters and their broods.
Wish Daddy were here!
Not sure what he was thinking about when he made this face.
Since we went to church so early, we still had plenty of morning left when we got home. Aunt Kir Kir suggested going to a nearby playground, so we drove down the road to check it out. Unfortunately, I think the hot, hot sun and the sand (which apparently my child is not a fan of) were a bad combination; there was lots of whining and tongue-sticking-out goin' on. We did have a few minutes of happiness inside the little play house there.
A little cooler in the shade.
Laughing at William.
Kaiser's almost smiling here, right?
The kidlet perked right up when we got back home to eat lunch. Go figure. Connor put on some tunes in the kitchen and the two of them had a dance party!
Show us your moves!
Put your hands in the air like you just don't care!
Thoroughly enjoying his leftover grilled veggies.
"My lunch is so yummy!"
Kaiser took his time eating, and when he finally finished we joined Uncle Kent, Aunt Kir Kir, and William for a boat ride. This time, Aunt Kir Kir was going to water ski! We couldn't wait to watch her in action.
"I think I'm getting used to this..."
Which of these kids looks like he's having fun?
"Are we ready yet?"
Unfortunately, this ride was a big fat FAIL! Mommy made the mistake of sitting with Kaiser on her lap in the front of the boat. I guess our position, combined with the fact that we were going much faster this time, scared the living daylights out of my poor baby. He started wailing immediately and didn't stop until we stopped. I felt horrible, but I didn't feel like I could walk to the back of the boat safely with him, and Uncle Kent couldn't slow down because Aunt Kir Kir was up on her skis. Once we were back safely on land, I plopped Kaiser in the swing to help him chill out a bit.
"Now, this is much more my pace."
The boy was pretty tuckered out by the time naptime rolled around, and he slept solidly while I laid out and read down by the water. I also served as a spotter for Connor and his friend Logan again while they tubed. We ate an early dinner of brisket sandwiches, potato salad, and baked beans. Then we all got loaded onto the boat to take a nice, slow, leisurely ride.
Too busy talking to the other kids to pose with Aunt Kir Kir.
Upon trying to start the boat's engine, we quickly realized the battery was dead. Boo. Uncle Kent did his best to find a way to jump it, while we just waited on board. Kaiser had fun playing with the steering wheel and keys for quite a while.
"Just wait till I'm old enough to take this for a spin!"
It got a little stuffy under the boat awning, so we got off to get some fresh air and waited on the swing, instead.
Another self-portrait attempt.
Best we could do.
Aunt Kir Kir and William took a dip in the water while they waited!
It was taking longer than expected to find a solution to the battery problem, so I took Kaiser inside to cool off. I stripped him down to his diaper and let him relax and watch Meet the Numbers for a few minutes. Then I brought him back out for more swinging (We just couldn't get enough!) and to share some of Uncle Kent's homemade orange sherbet down by the water with the gang. Bedtime followed shortly thereafter.
"I love it I love it I love it!"
"Hey! How did all of that yummy sherbet disappear so quick?"
Memorial Day Monday we woke to gloomy skies, and it poured rain on and off throughout the day. It was hard to want to get out and about to do anything with the yucky weather, but we did venture out with the kids for a quick trip to Target when it semi-cleared up after lunch. Bad thunderstorms picked back up not long after we got home, and Kaiser had a tough time winding down because of the loud noise. He eventually fell asleep, though, and I came in to wake him early that evening so we could go out to eat some Mexican food for dinner. Kaiser shared chicken soft tacos with Mommy and of course gobbled them right up!
The boys after dinner at Cinco de Mayo.
If my flash had gone off a split-second earlier, this would have been a great pic!
Syd had him in stitches on the ride home.
Spoiled by all the attention from Connor!
He's comin' to get ya!
After expending all that energy rough-housing with his cousin, Kaiser welcomed the chance to rest our final night there. I packed up our bags and got as ready to leave as possible, then joined him relatively early.
The boy and I hit the road back to PA on Tuesday morning. Aunt Kir Kir had left for work at the crack of dawn, but we got some time in with Uncle Kent and the kids before they headed to school and work. I knew Kaiser would miss his cousins, and I would miss the sound of his little voice saying "Hi Cah-nah!" and "Hi See-ney!" with such enthusiasm.
"Are you sure I can touch Syd's glitter ball?"
"I've got to get me one of these!"
Final pic. :(
We said our goodbyes and all rolled out about 8:15 am. Thankfully, we had a smooth and completely uneventful ride home. I was pretty proud of my preggo self; I only needed to use the bathroom once! We stopped for lunch a little after noon at one of the many nice service centers along the turnpike.
Already wishing he lived closer to his aunt, uncle, and cousins!
After our stop, it was a breeze getting back to Pittsburgh. Kaiser chilled out while watching his DVDs, fell asleep for about 45 minutes, and then woke and continued to watch for the half an hour or so we had remaining. I thought he'd be somewhat tired when we got home at 3:15, but the kid was wired. You would have thought we lived in an entirely new house; he went from room to room, "rediscovering" and pulling out everything! At least he stayed occupied while I got some things put away and waited for Daddy to get home. Kaiser and I had a blast during our trip, but were of course very excited to see his face come through the front door! As always, we missed him mucho.
Kirsten, Kent, Connor, Sydney, and William, thank you so much for another awesome Memorial Day weekend! We are so blessed to have you in driving distance, and we hope it's not too long before you can return the favor and make it to the Burgh to come visit us. We love you so very much!
