Summer Time: Grandparents

Happy Summer! Alex recently finished first grade, already! It is difficult to believe! We had a little family celebration the morning of her moving-up ceremony at school!

Then, we packed and took Alex to Michigan to visit my parents! Alex spent a week on her own in Michigan, and she had a blast! This was her first time spent away with out one of us with her, and she did really well! We were really proud of her, and she is excited to return next summer!

While there, we celebrated my Mom’s birthday and my parents’ upcoming 50th wedding anniversary!

We visited for a few days before returning home, and Victory saw her Michigan vet, who we love, and it is wonderful that her vet in Michigan and Maryland are both fantastic — they make a great team! Victory will be having a surgery in July, to remove some masses.

While in Michigan, we got our fireworks, an annual tradition Doug started with Alex, and Victory came with us to pick out fireworks, as always! Alex is now fully stocked for the Fourth of July! We also celebrated Father’s Day together, a week early!

Alex had so much fun in Michigan, and we FaceTimed, nearly everyday! Alex went to her favorite independent bookstore by my parents’ house; she went to the Toledo Zoo where she fed the giraffes and saw many fun animals, including an octopus; she went to Greenfield Village where she rode the train, carousel, a Model-T car, and a horse-drawn carriage, while visiting many historic buildings in the village; and she had special lunches on the patio and she got to try some new restaurants that we do not have in Maryland!

Additionally, Alex did fun activities with my parents. She painted rocks; she made clay animals and other types of arts and crafts; learned the beginnings of how to crochet; made cupcakes and she picked out decorations and decorated them for Father’s Day; she made peanut butter fudge with my Mom; she made a model dinosaur with my Dad; and she fed the birds and squirrels at my parents’ house, to name a few.

Here is Alex feeding a squirrel!