Relaxing At The Beach

While searching for things to do in our new city, we came across Spencer Beach in Rochester Hills. It was a great find on a hot day when all we wanted to do was stay cool. Even though it was a manufactured beach, Connor loved it. They had a wading area just for toddlers, a playground, concession stand and tons of sand! It didn't compare to our beach days in Oregon, but it was perfect for the giant heat wave of July!

Aquatic Center

The day we found out we were moving to Michigan, I started doing some research on all of the things our new city had to offer us. One of the things I found was a ginormous water park, equipped with slides, a lazy river, and a great tot area. Connor and I decided to check it out one hot summer day, and even though it was crazy busy, it was so worth it.

They had a wading pool area that the little ones could play in, and a slide that led into it. I helped Connor up the stairs and tried to explain to him how to stand in line, but that failed. The older kids cut in front of him, and he just stood there. I guided him up to the top of the slide, ran back down to the bottom of it to catch him, and waited in anticipation of seeing his face. Well, he decided he wasn't ready to go down yet, and just stood there. The other kids in line were getting frustrated with him so they decided to walk in front of him and go down themselves (the lifeguard wasn't back yet, I guess they get breaks too, but it makes it extremely difficult to help them up the stairs and then run and catch them lol). Once the lifeguard came back, she helped Connor get on the slide and come down, and from there it was over. We spent an extra 20 minutes in that area, with Connor bouncing back and forth from the wading pool, to the slide, to the water fountain area. Two hours later, I left with a wet, happy and hungry child, AND a two hour nap : )

4th of July - Detroit Style!

Even though Connor's only 2, we've made a point of going to the 4th of July parade every year, no matter where we are residing. He was 4 months old at his first, and I can remember feeding him and his eyes darting around as the lights and sounds distracted him. His next parade, at 16 months, he sat with Daddy and I and took in all of the fire trucks, dancers, horns and "floats". At this one, not only did he get giddy when we saw the fire trucks, but he'd run to the curb whenever they threw candy out (it was an election year, so we scored so much candy and free swag!) We'd constantly hear "Look Mama, look Dada!" Whether he was sitting in his stroller with his sunglasses, or sitting on the curb eating his bagel, he had fun. It was about an hour long, and around every corner there was something more to ogle at. It gave us a great impression of our new home!

Our 1st Weekend in Detroit

Moving is no fun. Ever. While it's nice to explore your new city and see where you're going to be living for a long period of time, adjusting to time changes, environment changes, and a whole mess of other changes can be challenging for any person, no matter how old. Going to the grocery store is no longer easy. Finding a pharmacy can make you go crazy. Waking up and not having your friends there is trying. Trying to explain to your 2 year old why he isn't going to see his friends anymore is heartbreaking. We live and we learn, and put one step in front of the other until we're ready to sprint. Having your best friend and son right next to you makes you keep going and recognize the light at the end of the tunnel.

We decided to lay low our first weekend in our new city and spend some time together as a family so we can tackle this journey together. It was so stinkin' hot out, so we decided to explore something in our very own backyard. The community pool. Daddy and Connor love swimming together, and I swear, one day Connor will have an occupation either in music or something water related. The kid is literally a fish!

Splish Splash

After the zoo the boys were pretty much exhausted. It was hot out that day, so we thought a perfect end to to that day was to have the boys play and swim in the pool at Aunt Dawn & Uncle Andy's house. They putted around on the ATV's, and bikes first and I must say, Joe's a great driver! He drove the boys around and Connor and Thomas got a couple turns at driving as well. Now I know why you can't get a license until you're 18 :p