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James Birthday 2013
This years James Birthday was celebrated from morning to night. It began with Mom and Dad dropping off cupcakes for James class so they could have a celebration there and continued when he got home.
James Birthday came at a time when his Aunt was in the hospital. We usually celebrate James birthday with his Aunt Peg since they fall on the same date but with Peg in the hospital it was not to be for this year. James went and visited Aunt Peg, but we decided not to exchange gifts with her till she got home.
We decorated the kitchen up with a couple helium balloons (not as easy to find helium these days, supposedly in a year or two there will not be any helium left on the planet except for the stockpile for blimps and such) and scattered his gifts all around. James received alot of cards from relatives and really did very well for himself with over a $100 in spending money (he is saving the money, which sort of surprised us, as soon as he spends it we will take pics and let everyone know what he bought with it).
After a brief birthday celebration at home we had to go to Hoover school for the Parents/Teachers meeting (which James enjoys as he gets to see some of his classmates after school hours which is always fun).
A very different birthday than the ones in the past, but still a special and fun day.
Rainbow over Home 2013
This is the first time I remember seeing a rainbow right over our own house. James thought it was great and wanted to look for the pot of gold.
Moms Birthday 2013
Mom’s birthday came (as you know she is 29) and we decided to celebrate with a trip to Frankenmuth (our anniversary is also during this time and we ate at Frankenmuth on our Honeymoon so we thought we would do that as well).
However when we arrived we found out that there was a huge festival going on and we could not even park the car because of the large crowd. The parking was completely filled up and it took us 20 minutes just to drive out of the mainstreet area. There was also an auto show going on along with the festival so it was a very busy little town. We went to Bronners for a look at the latest Christmas decorations, then went to Spirit Halloween in Bridgeport for a look at the latest Halloween decorations (Mary had a coupon for 20% off and we used it to buy a microwave cling that we will use this Halloween). We ate at a restaurant on the way home and had a great time even though it was not the chicken dinner we were expecting to have when the day started.
On the way home we stopped at a couple shops, James picked out a few things as well so it was really quite the day!
End of Summer 2013
This summer started off hot then cooled down, but James did take advantage of both the hot days and the cool days in various ways. For the real hot days he had his slip and slide going in the back yard, cooler days he would work on his chalk projects.
After the Fourth of July it seemed the weather really became mild with average temperatures in the mid 70 – mid 80. This was unusual to be this cool in July and August but opened the door for many outdoor adventures where you did not have to avoid the sunlight.
Highlights of this year for James would have to include the slip and slide days of June, Mackinaw, VIP camp, and all the fireworks on the Fourth of July (we trusted James to light a few this year).
James will begin 5th grade tomorrow and we are all looking forward to that. Mrs Jent will be his teacher again this year and we are all happy about that.
Last Spring when summer started for James he brought home a sunflower from school that he planted, shown here is James and the sunflower and how well he took care of it.
City of Detroit 2013
Dad had some business downtown and spent some time in downtown Detroit. We were right across the street from Hart Plaza and had a great view of the Ren Cen from our window.
During lunch break I was able to get some great pictures of some of the art around Detroit. To my surprise I found a bust of Abraham Lincoln in the woods (I saw it from the window and investigated it from there, you cannot see it from the street as it is surrounded by trees). I also saw the Princess boat which has dancing and a night club atmosphere, reminded me of the Boblo boats which my family road so many times in the past.
Great parking available, I parked in the center medium on Jefferson, take the Lodge to Jefferson, then right past the “fist” is an underground parking structure in the center medium that is very convenient in and out. Rates go from $5 to $15 ($15 is for a full day of parking)
Mackinaw 2013
A quick visit to Mackinac city on a beautiful summer day. James got to stop at Sea Shell City on the way up as well and picked up a new hat for his collection. We noticed that a new attraction was at Mackinaw Crossings – a Haunted House. We did not go through the house but it looked pretty cool from the outside. James and Mary spent most of the time at the beach where the air so so clear you could see past the UP as far as the horizon. We had smelt baskets for lunch, a treat for Mary and then picked up some fudge, a treat for James.
Note for historians – Why James is holding his breath and making silly faces in these pictures I have no idea.
Abbotts 76th Magic Get Together 2013
We attended Magic week in Colon MI this year for the sixth time in a row. James had fun as usual and came home with many “items” from the Magic Capital in Colon MI. We saw a couple magic shows while in town, visited the magic museum, visited the magic dealers in the auditorium, and spent time at the arts and crafts show in town.
The magic show was over two hours making it the longest event James has sat through, and he enjoyed every minute of it and got a magic set as well at the show.
This was the 76th Abbott Get Together, do not be confused by cheap competitors trying to have their own magic week. Make sure that it says Abbotts and that it is in Colon MI. Next years dates are Aug 6-9 and it will be the 77th Abbott Get Together (they began in 1934 but missed a couple years due to wars and such, you can view their history at http://www.magicgettogether.com ).
U.S. 12 Garage Sale 2013
Once again we went on tour down US12 (known as Michigan Avenue around here) for the annual garage sale. Last year the weather was bad and we only made it to the Irish Hills, this year the weather was perfect and we made it all the way to Cold Water!
James picked up some toys for virtually nothing, and Mary did well finding some awesome quilts and other items that she hopes to resell on Ebay.
The Halloween crop this year was very limited, not much for Dad to get. I think we cleaned out the Halloween stuff over the past couple years at garage sales. James is trying to get a road map of every state in the U.S. and actually is more than half way there.
Heritage Park Petting Zoo 2013
James visited this park a long time ago, once to see President Bush and the other time visiting the petting zoo, you can see the pictures still on this blog.
This summer his VIP camp visited Heritage park and James had so much fun he brought his family back the next Sunday.
James favorite animal is Stormy, a Gray rabbit. He loves all the barnyard animals but Stormy is his favorite. The turkey who kept strolling around the barn was pretty cool as well.
Many barnyard animals this day and all were very tame and friendly, a lot of fun for the entire family and only $4 per person.
Dads favorite was the Duck
Marshall Blues Festival 2013
This was the ten year celebration of the Marshall Blues Festival and I think we have attended the last four. This year we did it a little differently as James and Dad stayed for the event with Mom. The music was great and the weather was absolutely perfect.
Strolling around town we stopped in almost every store on mainstreet. Everyone was very friendly and helpful. A very pleasant experience as always in the town of Marshall.
Marshall is located at the intersection of 94 and 69, about an hour and 40 minute drive from Detroit.
One the way home we stopped in Jackson for dinner at a Chinese buffet on 127 (James really enjoys the Chinese buffets).
