Michigan trip. Jan 10-29, 2024

...and we are back in Michigan!

Amanda is headed to Alaska to help with Caitlyn and Mina, so Dean and I are helping with Amanda's kids while she is gone.  The timing on this worked great for us, Amanda drove herself to the airport, and we landed a few hours later, and drove her car home.

We all got into making royal icing butterflies.

There was lots of cookie making.

Mike was working, and the kids were out of school because the temps were dangerously low.  Wind chill of a -23 while the kids would be waiting for the bus just doesn't work.  I think while we were there school got cancelled 5 days because of the temperatures.

We took the kids up to our house where Miles insisted on making "sugar glass"

  It was so cold that the lake froze.  Our neighbors shoveled it off, and then let the hose run on it so it was a perfect skating rink.  

Amanda, meanwhile, was in Juneau, where they were having the snowiest January on record!

Her flight home was cancelled because of the snow.  She was supposed to come home the day before Mike was to have a procedure, and she missed being home for that.  Dean took Mike, and I was on kid duty.    So glad we could be there to help out, and so glad Amanda was keeping an eye on Caitlyn and Mina.  James had to return to work while Amanda was there.

Another reason we went out to Michigan in January, which we swore we would never do, was to watch Dex perform in the All State Band concert, which was held in Grand Rapids Michigan.

(Last year we ended up spending January in Michigan because Dex was in the hospital)

Amanda, Dex, Dean and I went to Grand Rapids on Wednesday, Jan 24, Dex had band practices all day Thursday and Friday, with performances Friday night and Saturday morning.

While Amanda was with Dex at the practices, Dean and I went exploring Grand Rapids, and a day trip out to Holland, MI.

Along the Grand River were the giant blow up frogs.  I was in heaven!

Grand Rapids had a winter festival going on while we were there "World of Winter".  The largest winter festival in the U.S.  There were over 80 ice sculptures, and lots of fun activities.  The blow up frogs were part of the festival.

ice organ

Giant octopus

...and more huge frogs!

Holland, Michigan.  It's located on the shore of Lake Michigan.

We came back in time to watch Dex perform with his school band.

Mike and the twins arrived in Grand Rapids, so we went out and explored the city.

Fun entertainment on the ice rink1

Amanda, Nora, Erika, Dean, Dex, Miles and Mike

Saturday morning we got to watch the All State Band.  We had fun seats, and the concert was awesome!

This was our AirB&B in Grand Rapids.  It was a quaint place, with the hosts paying attention to detail!

We really enjoyed our time here!

We flew home on January 28.  Our plane casts a shadow on the clouds, I thought it was pretty cool!

Dean was doing yoga on the flight, yeah, that's not weird at all!

We will be in Utah for about 36 hours, and then onto Alaska!