Christmas at Marlene & Larry's House

When we left the Quad Cities, we were headed East to Josh’s sister’s house for the Christmas weekend. We had such a wonderful time with Larry, Marlene and family. Dylan was completely loved on the entire time we were there.

Setting the table for our Christmas meal

On Christmas Eve, we went to church for the Christmas service and then headed back to the house for a wonderful Christmas meal. Marlene and Larry cooked up an incredible feast.

And we had to have Christmas toasts! There was a Sparkling Cider toast and a Corona Christmas toast. Good stuff!

On Christmas Morning, the younger kids were SO excited to open their presents, so we had an early wake-up call.

However, Marlene and Larry did tell them that they had to wait until at least 6. So, I was woken up at about 6:09 and present unwrapping commenced at about 6:15. I left Dylan in bed, but he heard all the excitement and woke up anyway. He was a little too tired to get into it like the other kids but he tried. As you can imagine, there was an late morning nap in store for him.

Cute Side Story: When we opened an 8x10 photo of the family (taken last summer at Grandpa West’s funeral) sent from Joe & Cindy, Dylan was very interested. He inspected it closely, and found his Grandma Cindy (you can see him pointing at her in this photo). He still likes looking at that photo. I keep it on a shelf low enough for him to reach. He carries it around the house checking everyone out.

We tried taking a family photo, but it was a little early for all of us and Dylan wasn’t really in the mood. Oh well, it works.

Strangely enough, I think Dylan’s favorite Christmas gift was actually Larry’s. He got a massage chair. Dylan saw all of us trying it out and decided that he wanted a go at it. We put it on the lower back setting so it was perfect for him. He sat so still and was so serious the entire time he was getting massaged. I thought it might freak him out, but he loved it. How crazy is that?

We left on Christmas afternoon to start our drive home. I know Dylan enjoyed his time at Aunt Marlene & Uncle Larry’s house just as much as we did. It was so special to be able to spend the holiday with them. We are very blessed to have such incredible people in our family.

Dylan and his cousins 

Michigan Trip Continued...1 Funeral for a Great Man

I think I was putting off writing about this day because I feel like anything I wrote just wouldn’t seem to be enough. But, I will do my best...

Josh’s Grandpa, Ed West, died while we were in Michigan. He died on August 24 at the age of 91. I had only known him for six years, but I learned very quickly what a kind, gentle, admirable, and honorable man he was. He was nothing but wonderful to me since the day I met him. Even though Dylan will never remember his Great-Grandpa West, he will know his memory and legacy through us.

Cindy, (Josh’s mom) loved her dad very much and I know she inherited much of his compassion. I also know that it meant so much to her that her entire family was there at her father’s funeral. That’s right! 1 husband, 5 children (and 3 additional children in Larry, Eric, and me!), and 8 grandchildren.

It was the first time that all 8 Grandkids have been in the same place at the same time. We did our best to get a good photo of them all!

Listed from oldest to youngest: Dalton, Morgan, Logan, Meredith, Mallory, Lucas, Jessie, and Dylan! What a crew!

Anika with Josh, Logan & Dalton

I, of course, couldn’t pass up an opportunity to have my photo taken with 3 of my favorite young men! How handsome are they all dressed up? I’m a lucky lady to have them in my life!

It was a lovely service, and I am so happy that we were there to be surrounded by our family. Thanks to all of our family and friends who showed us their support. Grandpa West was a great man, and I guarantee you that our little family will do our best to make him proud. We love you, Grandpa!

Michigan Trip Continued...1 Family Cookout Courtesty of the Cadaret’s

On the last Friday that we were in Michigan, The Cadaret Family put together a cookout for our entire family. It was so thoughtful of them. And it was a wonderful chance for all of us to spend some quality time together.

Shauna, Gary & Sally Cadaret

Who are the Cadaret Family? Gary, Sally, and their daughter, Shauna, are Joe and Cindy’s neighbors and close friends. I first met them in 2005, when after an hour of meeting me, Gary (who LOVES to retell this story) told me that even if Josh didn’t know it yet, I was the one. Josh proposed to me the following year. I guess Gary was right!

"Mmmm! Corn on the Cob!"

The Cadaret's put together a huge feast for all of us.  This was no small feat considering there were over 20 of us there! Burgers, dogs, salads, carrot cake, and more! We stuffed ourselves - it was wonderful! And Dylan really liked the corn on the cob that Carson and Marsha brought over!

It was the night before Grandpa West’s funeral so it was really nice for all of us to spend some quality time together at the house. It felt wonderful to be surrounded with so much family and so much love. Josh and I are blessed with such a amazing family.

I think Dylan really liked being spoiled and loved on by so many beautiful ladies! Both Aunt Marlene and Cousin Morgan loved their Dylan-time!

Aunt Marlene even gave Dylan his bath and put him to bed that night so that Dylan’s Mama could enjoy some relaxing time. I was very grateful for the adult time…and I think Aunt Marlene really liked the baby time. It was a win-win!

It was the perfect evening, filled with food, fun, family and friends. A HUGE thank you to the Cadaret Family for throwing together such a nice evening. You are truly wonderful friends.

Michigan Trip Continued...3 Days of Torch Lake

I had never heard of Torch Lake until I started dating Josh. He told me that it was the third most beautiful lake in the world (and the two ahead of it on that list were in Europe). My response was, “According to you?” Apparently it was according to National Geographic. Since then I have seen the quote from NatGeo and I’ve seen the lake…and I would have to say that Torch Lake is the most beautiful lake I have ever seen.

It would be hard for you to picture the Caribbean blues and greens in Northern Michigan, but trust me, they are there. My photos of this trip don’t quite capture the beauty of the lake. But it really is amazing.

Snack time with Grandma Cindy

Torch Day One
Josh’s Grandparents have a house right on the Lake. In just the few years that I’ve been around, that house has been the setting for many family gatherings. On the first full day that we were in Alden, we spent the day at the Lake House enjoying the family and tubing off of Eric’s new boat.

Wearing Cousin Morgan's Sweatshirt

To tell the truth, it was a bit colder than I expected. Coming from Southern Georgia in Mid-August, all I was thinking was hot, hot, hot! So Dylan only got in the water briefly. I think he panicked for a minute because it was nothing like his bathwater or the warm pools in Georgia & Florida! Thank goodness that Cousin Morgan wanted to share her sweatshirt with little chilly Dylan. He looked pretty darn cute in that sweatshirt...even though it went down to his toes!

Torch Day Two
Several days later, Joe, Cindy, Josh, and Michelle went down to the Lake House to clean and get the house fixed up. This was the Higgin’s Ice Cream day I mentioned before when I was doing everything in my power to distract Dylan from undoing all of the great cleaning and organizing that everyone was getting done. So Dylan and I went for a quick swim in the lake that day too. The water was a little chilly so it didn’t last long. But as short as it was, we had fun. And we were watching boats zooming by and we were working on the word "boat." He got as close as pointing and yelling, "BOW!" I'll take it.

Logan, Dalton, Marlene, Josh & Dylan

Torch Day Three
The last Friday that we were there, we headed down to the beach on Torch Lake so Josh could go tubing with the boys one more time. Let me tell you, Josh, Dalton, and Logan were daredevils out on that lake. They were flying all over the place. And Eric really loves throwing them around on that tube. I guess it’s just boys being boys - and they do it so well!

Dylan with Aunt Marlene

When we first got there, Dylan passed out and took a nap in the sand while I relaxed for a bit with Marlene. [Side note: I can’t tell you how nice it is to have such an amazing woman as my sister-in-law. She is always there for me when I need her and she has an amazing heart.] When Dylan finally woke up, Aunt Marlene took him to the shoreline to play.

Playing with Cousin Meredith

We didn’t even have time to get his swim suit on once he was at the water line. He got so excited and just went straight in. He was having SO much fun splashing in the water.

One thing is for sure - my son is a fish! He isn’t afraid of the water at all. He almost seems to like it when he's running so fast in the water that his feet can't keep up and he falls face first into the lake. As a matter of fact, most of the time he thinks it’s hilarious!

Our little family had so much fun splashing, swimming, and tubing in Torch Lake this summer. And being there with our family made it even better.

2 of Dalton’s Football Games & 1 of Meredith Cheering!

We managed to squeeze in several football games while we were in Michigan - Mancelona Ironmen Football and Comets cheerleading!

Josh’s oldest nephew, Dalton, is currently a Junior at Mancelona High School. He is also a major football stud! We were able to see two of his games while were there. I know it meant a lot to Josh to be there cheering him on. And Dylan got to experience his first ‘live’ football game!

Watching Cousin Dalton

Dylan was actually pretty amazed at all the action. He sat in Josh’s lap watching for an entire quarter. And he was right on queue clapping and cheering with the rest of the fans. He really liked clapping along to the fight song. I think the flag girls twirling around those huge flags helped too!

Unfortunately, there was about an hour of lightning delays (even though it only sprinkled rain on us and the lightning was far away). So we had to keep the kid occupied while there was nothing exciting to watch on the field!

Josh and I took him down on the grass in front of the bleachers and let him run around and burn off some of his energy. He had a blast! But between the two game delays and the running around, he didn’t make it through the whole game. Josh ended up carrying a sleeping (and drooling) baby on his shoulder during the last quarter of the game while he followed the team up and down the field.

Daddy, Dalton & Cousin Dalton

But I think we were good luck, because Mancelona won both of the games we attended. And they are still rocking that winning streak. Yay! I was such a proud Aunt up in the bleachers. It’s thanks to Josh that I get to call myself Aunt Anika and have such amazing Nieces and Nephews.

Cousins Meredith & Mallory

Over one of the weekends, we headed down to the Detroit area to visit the family that wasn’t ‘up North.’ When we rolled into town, we met up with the Luttrell Family to watch Meredith cheer at a John Glenn Comets game. We just missed Mallory’s game, so we didn’t get to see her do her magic. But I think Dylan was happy she wasn’t cheering because he was all about the hugs & kisses for his Cousin Mallory!

I think Dylan is getting used to the cheering from the bleachers thing!

Another nephew, Logan, is quite the football stud too! Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see him play this time. But, hopefully (since he is a Freshman this year), we will be able to see him play in the future.

I am so happy that we got to be there to support of our nieces and nephews. I really hope that we can get back there again and cheer on the rest of them doing their thing. We are so lucky to have such amazing young people in our lives. I couldn't be prouder of all of them. I met them all almost seven years ago, and I have loved all of them since then. Dalton, Morgan, Logan, Meredith and Mallory are all such amazing spirits. I am so blessed to be their Aunt Anika. 

Anika, Josh & Dylan at the Comets Game