Stuff We Do – Smells Like Popsicles

Grandpa Time

We are up north with my dad for a week – boating, paddleboarding, fishing, and euchreing the days away. Carson has become obsessed with making lanyards, and Mallory has decided that baiting a fishing hook and taking off the fish she catches isn’t very gross (but please stay away from me with that stuff!).

The weather has been OUT.STANDING this week. The forecasts warned of rain the middle of the week but the closest we got was a couple rumbles of thunder yesterday afternoon but it never actually rained.

Carson’s hair is getting that late-summer-whiteness, and Mallory seems to still be growing …

Carson, Football, Mallory

Michigans Woman Up Front

It’s no secret that the band is one of my favorite things about football game days. My kids share my love of the band and the excitement the band adds to the football gameday experience.
This year, the Michigan Marching Band has a female drum major. The kids & I ran into her when we were walking out of the stadium a few games ago and I got witness Mallory be a little shy for the first time in a long time (she’s normally very irreverent).
How stinking cute are they?

Go Blue.

Carson, Football, Mallory

Saturday in East Lansing

Carson has been begging to go to an away game this year. With only four options, one being not remotely an option (in Columbus) and another being a plane ride away (at Rutgers) and another being the same weekend as the kids big swim meet (at Iowa), that left the game in east Lansing as the only opportunity. I’ve been to EL before. They aren’t usually very nice. I’ve taken the kids before and the fans still aren’t nice (one time I asked the dude behind me to watch his language because of the kids and he told me I …

Carson, Football, grandpa, Mallory

Diary of a Football Saturday – 2015

I love going back to read my 2009 post about going to football games. There are a few things that are the same but I wanted to write an update.
These days I wake the kids up by blaring the Michigan Marching Band “Fire Up It’s Saturday” album. They do a little moaning and groaning but the lure of tailgate donuts is too much to keep them in bed for long.

Carson has been going in early with Rick lately which usually results in some fun pictures from Rick:

Mallory used to help me make the jello shots for the tailgates but when she …

Carson, Football

No Offense

We are watching highlights of the Michigan-Northwestern game from yesterday and Carson said “they were the best defense but we have the best defense. That’s not a ‘no offense’, I’m just sayin’.”

Carson, Mallory, stb, travel, vacation

Henry Hall – 26 years later

Earlier this month, the kids and I finally were able to make the reunion weekend in Ludington with a group of my friends from freshman year at Western. We all lived together in Henry Hall and though I haven’t been great about keeping in touch, thank goodness for Facebook and for Susan for continuing to host this fun weekend.
We got there Thursday night and the kids wasted no time getting in freezing Lake Michigan – even though I forgot Mallory’s bathing suit, she just went in in her shorts & shirt (she really does love the water!). I couldn’t dare …

Mallory, swimming

Swim Swim Swim

One of my favorite things about this summer has been watching Mallory be part of swim team. Swimming has been something that has been up & down for both kids, and in the past Mallory hadn’t been super excited about doing swim team and the necessary swim team meets (I was afraid she inherited my non-sports competitiveness and not her dad’s love of races).
When we realized that we’d have a sitter for this summer, I asked Mallory again if she wanted to try swim team. I was beyond surprised when she said she’d try it out, even though it meant …

Carson, Football, Mallory

The things you find

The things you find on your camera three months later.
This is from the Michigan-Nebraska game in November.
I mean, honestly.
And then there was this one – my dainty children eating cupcakes with a fork. They always have great manners like this.

Carson, Football, Mallory, stb

Minnesota – October 2013

My children still love going to football games. We did have that one glitch where Mallory wanted to know why her friend got more staying home days than her, but that was because there had been like 5 home games in a row, and then we did two away games in a row, and Mallory was burned out. But that was so 2011.
These days, the kids are awesome. They are great at the tailgates because there is tons of junk food and Carson can play football down the hill. We can watch the team come by in their busses two …

hockey, stb

Out of retirement

I came out of retirement this fall to play hockey again. A friend asked me to play and I said I could play the home games only and they said yes so I signed up. Our team name is the “Mag-a-ritas” and Mallory asked me if I play on this team because I like margaritas. Um, sort of…maybe?
Both kids, Rick, and my mom and dad came to my game tonight. It was pretty fun having them all there and hearing the kids yell “GO MOM!!!” and “GO MAG-A-RITAS!!!”. I learned, however, that it is a good thing that …

Smells Like Popsicles

All About Mallory & Carson

Category: Stuff We Do

Grandpa Time

Michigans Woman Up Front

Saturday in East Lansing

Diary of a Football Saturday – 2015

No Offense

Henry Hall – 26 years later

Swim Swim Swim

The things you find

Minnesota – October 2013

Out of retirement