Dodge Mansion

We visited the Dodge mansion today. The grounds were absolutely beautiful. I felt like I was in Europe. This is an age long gone. Imagine living in this 88,000 square foot mansion. Pretty amazing. One of the highlights was a little cottage (pictured below the mansion) just about half mile away through the woods where Dodge built his daughter a miniature house to teach her house skills such as cleaning, cooking, etc. Everything is miniature. She had a sitting room, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, etc. All the rooms were completely furnished with beautiful furniture, but the size of an 8 year old. I'm talking vanity, grandfather's clock, stove... I would love to have a house like that all too myself. He even built a guards house next to it so that she would be safe. I didn't have any pictures to do it justice. I have to go back with my Mom and take the tour. I don't think my boys would have done too well.

Village Raises a Child

Today I was reminded once again what an influence my neighbors and friends have on my children. In the left picture one of my neighbors is teaching Thomas about flowers. He asks to go to her house everyday and can already list many of the flowers and bushes at our zoo. In the picture on the right one of my neighbors is teaching Thomas the proper stance to get a groundball. I am realizing more and more everyday the impact that other's have on my children's lives as well as the impact I can have on other children's lives. I'm grateful and I consider myself very lucky that my current neighbors and friends have been a force for good. It really is true that a village raises a child.

Summer Fun

Although, there are a few things about Michigan that I don't love: 10 below with a wind chill, mosquitoes, scary bugs, and humidity. There are plenty of things that I do: great friends, spring, fall, summer, swimming, flowers, lakes, beaches, hikes, and lots of great activities. Here are some of our favorite summer activities. Roasting marshmallows and making smores at our neighbor's house.

Watching the Detroit Tigers play baseball.

Swimming, swimming, swimming!!! This picture was taken at an indoor water park close to our house. We also really love swimming at our friend's houses. They are the most generous people in the world and everyone is always invited.

And it wouldn't be summer without corn on the cob and mud holes. The best part about getting dirty is having me spray them off with the hose. They love it.

I will need to be reminded of how much I love Michigan in about six months when the temperature is freezing with a wind chill of well below zero.

Fourth of July

I think the Fourth of July just might be my favorite holiday. It's summer time so the weather is nice. You get to hang out with family (if I lived closer) and friends all day, eat great food, hopefully go swimming, and relax with hardly any preparation or expectations (like Christmas.) So great. We started the day by attending our Church's flag raising and pancake breakfast. You should have seen the thickness on these pancakes. They were incredibly huge. I must admit I was instantly weary and did not want to be caught off guard with some nasty uncooked pancake mix, but although thick, they were cooked all the way through. Kudos to the volunteer chefs.



After the activity, we rushed to our local community parade, which I absolutely loved last year. It failed to disappoint my high expectations and we had a great time watching all of the fire trucks and crazy stunt people walking around. I must admit my criteria for a good parade are relatively low: easy to park, not too many people, and free candy. Really everything else is a bonus. The great thing about local parades compared to big city parades such as Philadelphia, Detroit, Washington DC, and Provo, Utah (Not a big city, but huge parade) is that people are usually nicer and much more laid back about security. The policeman and local news camera man both asked if there was anything they could do to help (you can see them standing around in the background of the picture of Steve and the boys). They also don't care about little kids laying in the street or playing with the caution tape. All policeman should be like that. Bless them. I have also had great success in sitting next to people who are so kind and fun to be around. For example, we sat next to this small group of Grandpa and Grandmas who were thoroughly entertained by our kids. The Grandma sitting right next to me was hilarious. When passed a chip clip from a passing politician, she quickly put it in her hair making me and her small group laugh. Once the comedian, ever the comedian.







After the parade, we went to our friend's house to swim, eat some hamburgers, and watch fireworks. Donny managed to swipe a couple of cupcakes when no one was looking, which was often. Happy Fourth of July!