The Monkey and the Bumblebee

I will get to the monkey and the bumble bee in a minute.

A good time was had by all yesterday at the cider mill. Actually, it was a good day all around. I got my hair cut in the morning before we left (she did a GREAT job!) and we headed out around 10:30 that morning. We stopped in Mt. Pleasant for lunch at Bennigan's which is always yummy. We picked up some food for Mason at Meijer and headed off to St. Johns to meet up with my mom and her husband Dave and Jason and Deanna.

Jason and Deanna were running late (which is understandable with a little one...I should know) but my mom and Dave were already there. Mason at some apples and ham with squash and then we wandered around the gift shop. The gift shop had really interesting trinkets from Curious George memorabilia to handmade candles. My mom and Dave had to leave early because my younger brother missed the bus home from school. Of course. Soon Jason and Deanna arrived with a very hungry and cranky Cole, so Brian and Jason went to get cider and donuts for Deanna and I.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the cider and the cinnamon donuts. They also have buttermilk and pumpkin donuts but I don't like those as well as the cinnamon. The cider is unpasturized....which is why it's so delicious.

So what's with the monkey and bumble bee business, you ask? Well we got Cole and Mason halloween costumes to take their pictures in. Cole was a bumble bee and Mason of course was the monkey.

As you can see from the first picture neither of the boys were willing to cooperate for the camera to take a good picture...but they were still adorable!!!

Uncle John's Cider Mill

I try to think of clever titles for my blogs but my brain is a little too preoccupied for such thinking.

Uncle John's Cider Mill for those who aren't familiar, is a family owned and operated, well...cider mill. They make their own cider, donuts and other sweet treats. There are hayrides, pumpkin picking, wine tasting and a haunted house (I think there's one anyway..) It's fun and a great family oriented activity.

Since living in Houghton Lake we're far from other family and friends, so whenever possible we try to get together with them when we're nearby. My brother and sister in-law Jason and Deanna are meeting us there and bringing their son (my nephew) Cole with them. I just love it when Mason gets to spend time with his cousin. He doesn't get to spend time with other babies his age, so it's good for him...anyway....we're all meeting tomorrow afternoon at Uncle John's. We are going to dress the boys up in their halloween costumes that Jason picked up and take some pictures amongst the haystacks and pumpkins...it'll be cute!!

We'll stop for lunch in Mt. Pleasant and meet up with everyone later in the afternoon. Stay tuned for pictures of Mason in his adorable costume :)

If at first you don't succeed.....

Toddlers with their mommys. That's what I was looking for today when I took Mason for a walk to the park. Every so often (ok, more often than not) I start to feel a little lonely when Brian is at work and sometimes it gets bad enough where I wallow in self-pity for awhile. Today was one of those days. But instead of wallowing, I decided I would take Mason for a walk to the park which is maybe a mile down the road. I was hoping to find other moms there with their kids. I didn't care how old their kids were, I am just DESPERATE to make some friends around here.

After feeding Mason his lunch, I stuck him in his walker, put him in front of the bathroom door and took a shower. Since Mason was born, I don't take a shower on a regular basis. Yes, that sounds gross, but I don't always have time and when I do Mason will fuss. So anyway, I am thinking that since I am on my way to possibly meet a new friend or friends, I determine that I should look nice. I wouldn't want to give anyone the wrong impression....like I'm a sleep-deprived, lonely, pitiful stay at home mom or something. Ha! I blow dry my hair, put on some makeup and stick Mason in his stroller. Off we go to the park.

As we approached the park I saw a few cars which got me excited and hopeful for other mommy's. The first woman I see looks like she just rolled out of bed and brought her kids here. She didn't even have any shoes on. Brave, I thought. I came to impress. What was I thinking. I do a once around the playground and the only other people I see are probably late 30's or so and their kids a bit older. I sat on a bench with Mason to let him watch the other kids, hoping maybe one of the other women, or even the men would start conversation. No one even looked our way, even as we sat on the bench next to some of them. Sigh. All that getting ready for nothing. And I'm hot and sweaty from the 80 degree weather we're having. After pushing Mason in the little baby swing for a while and going down the slide with him, I decide to go home. That's what everyone else had done, afterall.

Maybe next time.