Spring Break in Michigan

We enjoyed a wonderful time in Michigan a few weeks ago during Concordia's Spring Break. Jessica and her husband Todd kept us the night before we flew back to TX (watch out...these pictures are in reverse chronological order). Our God-daughter is Hannah, and Ian is pretty interested in the rings Hannah has.

Kim and Jess taught together when we lived in Michigan--they are still good friends.
Caroline came over for brunch on the day that we had to leave to return to Houston. It looks like Hannah is now a bit camera shy.
Say cheese!
Matt's Aunt Mary and Uncle Doug met us at a mall in the Detroit area for a few hours on Friday. These two have a lot of experience with little kids: they have 7 grandchildren of their own.

Ian loved the St. Patrick's bib that Grandma made for him. If you look closely, you can see the evidence that confirms Ian had a great time playing with the red finger jello.
This star tastes good.
"Grandma...did you know that they are trying to take a picture of us as we are cutting shapes in the finger jello?" Ian
Grandma and Grandpa got Ian this nice outfit to wear on St. Patrick's Day.
Ian enjoyed swinging on the tree swing in Grandma and Grandpa's back yard.
Grandma took Momma, Daddy, and Ian to "Book Nibblers" story time at the Zeeland Library during the week. Ian especially enjoyed playing with the bubbles after the friendly librarian read a book and led the group in some action songs and chants.
Grandpa balanced work and relaxation well during our visit. We are pretty sure that Grandpa was quizzing both the monkey (in the yellow coat) and Ian regarding the best color to paint/dye Easter eggs when this picture was taken.
Both Grandma and Grandpa (pictured here) helped out with a few diaper changes and getting Ian dressed for the day.
We played some games as we were relaxing in Michigan. In one of our several games of Rook, Kim had the best possible hand you can get (click on the picture if you are familiar with the game and need a better look).
Our friend, Beth, came to visit during our first weekend in MI. Beth had made this bib for Ian shortly after he was born, and he was able to put it to good use during our time together.
Ian's Uncle Andy and Aunt Beth spent the first weekend with us--they made the trip all the way from Minnesota.
Ian is trying to explain to Aunt Beth that grabbing a lamp is sometimes more fun than looking at a cordless phone base.
Both Grandpa (above) and Grandma (below) enjoyed introducing Ian to some of the COS members after the Sunday worship service.
Uncle Andy and Ian share some "din-din" time together.
Ian loved it that Uncle Andy and Aunt Beth made the long drive to be with us for a few days.
Grandma reads very well, and Ian enjoyed learning about caterpillars with her.
The video below shows one of Ian's favorite toys from our time in Michigan: the dancing monkey.



The step was another fun "toy."