Vacation - September 15-22, 2007

These are photos from the vacation we took to visit with my Aunt Sharon & Uncle Ernie up north in Gaylord, Michigan. We had not taken a family vacation since before I got pregnant with Ammon (so it had been just over 3 years). In September we decided that we really needed to take a vacation before winter....or else it would be 4 years (and we didn't want to break any records in that department). We were fortunate to have beautiful weather, especially for September 15 - 22nd. Their house and property are absolutely GORGEOUS....as you can see from the pictures. Aunt Sharon and Uncle Ernie were incredibly kind to let us stay with them. And they were so much fun too. It took Ammon a couple days to warm up to them, but when he did he was hooked! He surprised Uncle Ernie one night by running right up to him and hugging him. He was pretty free with the hugs and kisses from then on!

We were so happy that my mom (Barb) came along with us, so Ammon could get some quality Grandma bonding time. Ammon loved being able to see Grandma every day from morning until bedtime for a whole week!!! He went through withdrawal when we came home...but he adjusted.

Ammon had a lot of FIRSTS while we were on vacation. He had his first boat rides (first paddle boat, first motor boat and first row boat). He played on a sandy beach for the first time....and boy do they have nice sand on their beach. He fed deer and got to see elk for the first time. He played with frogs and turtles for the first time.....and couldn't get enough of that!!! Their pond has a lot of frogs in it, and the lake has a lot of turtles. Uncle Ernie found a turtle and put it in a box so Ammon could see it when he woke up from his nap. He had Aunt Sharon paint Ammon's name on it (she used water based paint)....that's why you might notice in the pictures that Ammon's name is on the turtle. I guess it was a "painted turtle." (I couldn't resist.)

One day after we returned home, Ammon was fussing a lot while I was trying to change his diaper. I started singing "When You're Happy and You Know It" and it wasn't working at all that time. So, I started singing a song about his adventures with the turtle on vacation...and he quieted down instantly. When I was done he kept asking for, "More 'urtle." (That's how he says turtle) Later he started asking for frog songs. I kept singing these songs I would make up on the spot for several days. One night as I was singing him turtle and frog songs at bedtime, Jared got online and looked up some turtle songs. I was able to get a couple turtle and frog songs I could sing to Ammon instead....and he asks for them all the time. (He's obviously too young to realize that his mommy isn't that great of a singer!!)

A little background note here: Ammon's fascination with turtles actually started on August 23rd when we had our annual Teddy Bear Picnic at my mom's. She invites all her grandkids over for a picnic with teddy bears and she always has fun things for them to do (including the teddy bear parade every year). This year her theme was "Lets Go Fishing." She had a baby pool set up for them to "go fishing." For each child she had a string attached to a toy (turtle, snack, lizard, etc) and they were covered with blue tissue paper. This picture will better illustrate:

Well, Ammon pulled out a TURTLE and it was love at first sight!!

Since it was attached it a string already, Ammon decided to take it for a walk!!

The Teddy Bear Picnic Gang: Morgan, my mom with Ammon in front of her, Teague, Connor, Abigail, Joe, Braeden & Jessica.

Now back to our vacation: We were also able to visit our long time family friends, the Schira's, who live in Boyne. Dave Schira was my dad's best friend from the time they were just little tykes. Ammon was able to sit on what they jokingly call "The Widow Maker." It's a 4-Wheeler that has had a few accidents. About 20 years ago I was riding it on their property before they built their house and I ran right into a tree and broke 2 of my fingers in 5 different places around the knuckles. Fortunately, I had my helmet on...because my head bounced right off the tree. In case you're wondering how an excellent driver like myself could run into a tree. Well, I was about 16 at the time and I was following a path through the woods. Just as the path turned to the left, there was a log in the path which caused the 4 wheeler to go up into the air. When I turned the handle bars nothing happened because my wheels weren't on the ground to turn me....so I ran right into the tree. Ouch!!! Don't worry....Ammon was just sitting on "The Widow Maker" not riding it!!!

Well, I hope you enjoy the slide show. We sure enjoyed the trip!