Time with Family

The kids and I spent the last half of last week visiting with my brother and his family in Michigan.  My niece, Elynne, turned one on July 23, and we weren’t able to attend her party, so we decided to take these few free days to head that way.  Jeff had originally planned to be in Thailand when we were in Michigan, but his trip got pushed back.  So, he stayed home, for a change, while the kids and I were away!

Our normal route to Michigan includes passing close to Chicago, so that’s what I did on the way there…much to my regret.  Interstate 80 at Interstate 55 is down to one lane from three lanes.  So, no sooner did I try to get from 55 to 80, I drove right into a parking lot, where I sat for over 45 minutes.  When I finally cleared that, I noticed that the other side was just as backed up going back toward Chicago.

Hmmm.  Time for alternate route for the drive home.

The trip normally takes a little over four hours, and I had not planned on stopping to eat.  However, the traffic jam messed that up, and, while the older kids and I could wait, Jeremy really couldn’t.  So, I pulled off the interstate once I cleared Chicago to get some milk and yogurt for him.

The service station at which I stopped had neither, because their refrigeration system was down!  This meant loading back up into the car and finding something else.  By this point, I just pulled off at a Subway, and we all ate.  What a mess.

But once we got there, we had a really nice visit!  Elynne had only been five months old the last time we saw her, and she surely has changed a lot.  One thing that had not changed, however, was the fact that Jeremy looks like a big bruiser next to his petite cousin!  In these pictures, he is taking issue with the fact that Elynne will not let him have the toy guitar that Papa gave him as a gift earlier!  I love the expression on her face!  Neither baby is accustomed to sharing, so it was pretty funny to watch them.

My brother has built a beautiful play set in his backyard, and all four kids had a big time playing on that.

Elynne also opened her birthday gift from Charlotte, Elijah, and Jeremy, two books that she apparently liked very much.  She is just the cutest little girl!

The kids also got to visit with their Nana…

…and their Papa.

And we managed to get a picture of all four Hoyt grandkids, although neither baby was really cooperative.  (Of course, Jeremy wasn’t cooperative for ANY of them!)

It really was a lovely visit.  We even managed to visit the Cass County Fair one evening, which was definitely a blast from the past.  The only downside was the first night when Jeremy woke up in his playpen at 1:00 in the morning and then woke up every hour for the rest of the night.  I finally put him bed with me around 6:00, and we both got a couple hours of sleep!

I did take an alternative route home, and I got there in just over four hours.  Whew!