2-Year-Old Jack

 On September 12, our baby Jack turned 2 years old!  We took cupcakes for snack at Gabriela's house, his little in-home daycare that he goes to 2 days a week and had a special birthday meal at our house that night for supper complete with some of his favorite foods:  spaghetti with meatballs, broccoli, and more cupcakes of course.  He had been singing "Happy Birthday" to himself for several weeks leading up to the actual day so he was thrilled to actually have everyone join in with him this time. 

 As you can see, he was overjoyed with his birthday presents that he opened that night.  He loved that Little People garage with lots of ramps, his Lightning McQueen pillow, and the "race car" T-shirt that Phil designed for him.  It says "Ask Me About Cars".  We also used his birthday as an excuse to buy a bike trailer, something we should have gotten years ago.  We've been taking lots of family bike rides these beautiful fall days.  Sasha usually starts off on her own bike, and when she tires we bungee cord it to the trailer and she hops in with Jack. 

 Since my parents were in Portugal for his actual birthday, we had another larger family celebration the following weekend down at their house.  He was very pleased with his Cars cake.  Unfortunately Sasha came down with a stomach bug hours before the party and did not even feel well enough to come sing Happy Birthday to him. 

Labor Day Weekend at Tamaya

 We originally thought we would drive to Colorado for the holiday weekend to explore a new town there, but the thought of a long trip in the car shortly after returning from Michigan sounded less and less appealing.  So we decided to check out the Tamaya Resort 40 minutes south having heard good things from our neighbors and friends.  It was the perfect end to summer and so relaxing for all of us. 

 The kids spent a lot of time in the splash pool and hot tub.  Neither Jack nor Sasha love swimming or water in general, but they can't get enough of hot tubs.

 Sasha is really into taking pictures these days.  Finally Phil and I can both be in a photo at the same time!

 Each evening they had a Native American story teller tell traditional tales around a campfire with smores afterward. 

 There were all kinds of fun activities scheduled throughout the weekend, one being the 3-legged race that Sasha and I entered.  We came in 3rd which won us a free drink from the snack shop (below).  This may have been the highlight of the weekend for Sasha.

 Every day they also baked loaves of native bread in the outdoor traditional oven and had a bread buffet with all kinds of butters and preserves for the guests to sample.  Yummy!

 We took advantage of the network of trails and free bike and bike trailer usage on the property.  Sasha tore it up on her new bike that we had brought along, even doing a little off-roading at times.  All in all it was a super fun weekend and we will definitely be returning next summer.