Novemberness

Kate and Tricia took me to D-Town to celebrate my birthday a couple Saturdays ago. We saw "White Christmas" at the Fox Theater and ate a fabulous dinner at the gorgeous Coach Insignia restaurant at the top of the Ren Cen. We had the best time! Here we are on the new riverwalk.

Saul, Mags and I met Stacy and the Whelan girls in Ann Arbor early in November to have a cousin picture taken. Maggie was more than happy to let Sophie lead her around Briarwood Mall.

Here's Maggie and her Uncle Chris at Grandma Cheryl and Grandpa Dale's on Thanksgiving Day.

The Miller family Thanksgiving was supposed to take place at the Whelan house in Tecumseh on Black Friday, but the Whelan house was in quarantine (as almost everyone there was puking). Plan B was to visit Grandma Susie and Grandpa Eldie in the Pidge. We also got to see Aunts Diane and Dee. Here Maggie looks at books with Grandpa E.

Obama! Oh joy!

We couldn't stop smiling in the Rodriguez house tonight as the results of the election unfolded. We are humbled by the history of this day and feeling a whole lot better about tomorrow!

Fall Fun

The Thursday before last Maggie and I met our friends from our playgroup at Uncle John's Cider Mill in St. John's, MI. We went on a wagon ride and train ride, ate donuts, saw the pumpkin patch and the apple orchard... and M was the most excited to play in this little fire truck.

Grandma Susie came to library storytime last Tuesday when Miss Spider made an appearance! Maggie waved and walked right up to her, but she put on the brakes when I asked her if she wanted to give Miss Spider a hug.

One of Maggie's favorite things to do is clomp around in my Crocs.

Maggie also likes to chase Artie around shouting "Hug! Hug!" Sometimes she catches him, to his dismay.

Halloween!

On Friday morning, Mags and I went to our pal Owen's Halloween party. Clearly, this grumpy cow was up pasture nap time.

We ventured over to Tecumseh in the evening so Maggie could trick or treat with her cousins. We pulled M in the Whelan wagon and walked her up to a few houses. She had a grand time; she mostly enjoyed seeing the other kids in their costumes. She did incur an injury by tripping on a hoof and wiping the sidewalk with her nose and lip. It was a quick recovery, though. There's no crying in trick-or-treating. Princess Lucy took a break from sprinting from house to house to pose for a picture.

We had a Halloween sleepover at the Whelans, and Lu showed some of her exuberant love for Maggie on Saturday morning.

On Saturday afternoon we went to visit Grandma Cheryl and Grandpa Dale. Mags finally cashed out near the end of the Michigan game and let it all hang out.

SNL

I know we're all fans of Sarah Palin and none of us could resist seeing her on SNL last weekend. SNL is on much past Maggie's bedtime, but she got to catch part of it Monday night on NBC news as she ate her supper. Here she shows her appreciation for what Amy Poehler is throwin' down.

Weekend Snapshots

On Friday night we had Rodriguez family dinner at Red Robin. Maggie was in heaven: milk out of a straw AND a green crayon. The waitstaff sang the birthday song for three tables while we were there. M clapped after each one.

On Saturday while Saul was at the Michigan vs. Toledo game with his mom, dad, and brother, Chris, Maggie and I spent the afternoon at Aunt Mimi's (Mindy's) house. Mags was obsessed with her landscaping stones. Here she is Barocking the vote.

Once M dragged herself away from the stones, she was very pleased to find some pumpkins on Mimi's porch. She tried mightily to move the bigger one, but eventually gave up and buddied up with the little guy.

Random Maggie Pics

Cheesin' in her new cow pajamas

Cruisin' with her pal, Elmo

Hangin' out in an Ann Arbor Jimmy John's on game day with Grandma Cheryl and Uncle Chris

Chillin' with a bucket on her head

How Merlot Can You Go?

On Saturday, September 13th, Tricia (right) and I took Kate (center) on an abbreviated tour of the Southwest Michigan Wine Trail to celebrate her birthday. Tricia's little sis, Holly, chauffered us around in T's minivan for the day, and well, we had fun. Here we are at our first stop enjoying a tasting. There's nothing like a 10am splash of wine!

It RAINED, not drizzled, for the entire day. Precipitation could not dampen our spirits with so many spirits to imbibe! I took this photo outside the Warner Winery in Paw Paw. This place was so cute and quaint, but we found its staff to be, well... a bit Van Buren County. Let's just say we weren't the only ones in that joint who'd been drinking. We later found out that 3 hours after we left, a tornado touched down in the courtyard where we were standing.

In Coloma we visited a little gem called The Chocolate Garden, home of world-famous handmade truffles. Unfortunately there weren't free tastings offered here, but the goods did not disappoint.

Maya Papaya

I shudder with shame that it has taken so long to introduce our new niece! Sophie and Lucy's little sister, Maya Claire, was born to Stacy and Kevin on July 16th. She came into the world at 7 lbs. 8oz. and 21 in. Third time's a charm, that's for sure!

Here's the little bugger with her eyes open.

Here's a more recent picture with Grandma Susie. It's hard to believe that the newest Whelan is already almost 3 months old. She's filled out quite a bit since she was born. She's a very good baby.

Safari in Battle Creek?!

Once again, we apologize profusely for the blogging drought. Yes, we are fairly busy, but that's not a good excuse. We're just lazy. This excursion dates back to a Sunday in mid-August (Ah, remember summer?). We met my mom and dad, who were taking care of Sophie and Lucy for the weekend, at the Binder Park Zoo in Battle Creek. It was a beautiful day for zooing, and we had a great time.

The best attraction of the Binder Park Zoo by a landslide is the realistic-looking safari section. We spent quite a while on the platform where you could buy biscuits to feed the giraffes. I've never been so up close and personal with a giraffe. I had no idea that they have such crazy black tongues. If you squint you can see a zebra in the background of this photo.

Mags had fun clowning with her cousins.

Hitting the Bottle

We don't know what to do with Maggie. She's staying in her pajamas all day, refusing to let go of her pink spoon, falling down... clearly she's been drinking.

Truly a Toddler

A week ago today Maggie finally took her first unassisted steps! We didn't capture the first voyage on film, and our attempts to recreate the moment were mediocre at best, but you can get the idea. Mags has a thing for water bottles. I'd gotten back from running (translation: barely jogging, which explains me being a heap on the floor), and Saul was playing with Maggie. He let go of her, and she careened over to get my water bottle. She's no longer a quadriped! Well, actually, she still reverts to crawling most of the time. It's much more efficient.

The Lenawee County Fair! Yeehaw!

Last Saturday Saul & I got together with his mom & dad to take Maggie to the fair. She loved the animal barns, and she squealed with delight to see all the critters up close. We were the most fond of the goats. They would not go unnoticed.

Here's Mags taking in the sights...

Maggie seemed pretty excited to play the duckie game, but once she learned that she didn't get to keep the duck that she grabbed out of the water, she wasn't so happy anymore.

TC Trip

A couple weekends ago Saul & I went to Traverse City for a few days to celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary. We stayed at a beautiful resort right on the bay, and this was the view from our second story balcony.

This was the same view at night.

Here we are on Old Mission Peninsula. We took a wine tour, and the landscape was gorgeous! I believe this stop was Chateau Chantal. We had to share our tour van with a bachelorette party... that was interesting!

On the way back home, we drove down the West Michigan Coast. We ended up staying one night in Grand Haven. We were driving past the waterfront and discovered that we were just in time to see the historic water/light fountain that was set to music. It was a sight; this picture doesn't do it justice. The fountain has been a summer attraction since 1967.

Touchdown!

It's never too early to get ready for football season. Maggie will signal a touchdown if you prompt her by shouting "Touchdown!" I'm still working on Hail to the Victors. I think she'll have it down by the time September rolls around...

Here Maggie drives her cart into a wall and asks Artie for help.