CarrieDaway

I posted our plans for October and thought it might be nice to follow-up for once. It was a SUPER busy but fun month and here are the highlights.

• Pumpkinfest @ Wilson Barn: We didn’t take full advantage of all of Wilson Barn’s activities  but we did enjoy a nice photo opp!
• Family Photos @ Greenmead: We also pulled off some nice family photos sans independent photographer at Greenmead.
• Mid-Michigan Road-trip: Our weekend getaway was SO much fun! Dow Gardens are gorgeous and I can’t wait to go back next year when Sam can walk around and explore more. The Saginaw Zoo is picturesque, well laid out and has a nice variety of animals to visit. I was even surprised to find I enjoyed going to Bronners. We got there late so did a whirlwind run through but I’d even consider going back to window shop a bit longer.

• Magic School Bus Live @ Michigan Theater: Lucas and I just made our date to see Magic School Bus live. He enjoyed the show, found his favorite episode in book form and has been watching The Magic School Bus Rides Again non-stop since – I really hope Netflix releases season 3!
• Anniversary Dinner @ Flowers of Vietnam: We switched things up this year and didn’t go to The Dearborn Inn (mainly because I’m too big to even try my wedding dress on) but we had a perfect dinner at Flowers in SW Detroit.
• Halloween Party @ Franklin Athletic Club: I took the boys to a toddler Halloween party and Lucas made friends with my co-worker’s son which is always nice. My favorite part was us dressing up as Toy Story 4 characters – mom bought the boys their costumes and I did a quick DIY for mine.
• Maureen Brosnan House Party: We hosted one of Livonia’s mayoral candidates for a Q&A session and I was really impressed and excited about her plans for the city. It was also a dream come true to invite friends over to talk about civic engagement and politics.

• Jurassic World Preview @ Little Caesars Arena: Lucas LOVES dinosaurs so I was really excited when I got the opportunity to take him to preview the Live show coming to town in November. The animatronic dinosaurs are so life-like and I tried on the tools and didn’t do so bad as a puppeteer. Lucas was intimidated by Olive the baby dino but Sam pet her. In typical toddler fashion his favorite part was chaulk dino prints leading from the parking garage to the event space.
• Trailhead Playground @ Maybury State Park: There are a lot of new playgrounds being built and this one tops the list with a zipline swing, ropes course and firetruck. It’s also right next to Maybury Farm.
• Towers of Tomorrow @ The Henry Ford: We’re members of the museum so I love to stop by at least once a month to get the money’s worth. The Lego exhibit is free to members and I was really surprised and impressed by how much time and attention Lucas gave to building.
• Harvestfest @ Robert Valade Park on the Detroit Riverfront: A really cool new beach park (no water access) that will be a lot of fun in the summer. The Harvestfest was really well done and they had an awesome Spider-Man.

• Danny’s Birthday: I got Danny tickets to Beer Fest for his birthday. Our celebration with the boys was low key – a chocolate cake, home-made card and some specially selected beers.
• Jane Fonda & Lily Tomlin @ The Fox Theatre: When I learned these two were doing a show in March I was determined to go. I’ve been counting down the days and they did not disappoint. I laughed non-stopped for 90 minutes and felt so much joy and admiration for these to octogenarians who aren’t giving up the hustle or into old age. I can’t wait for the next season of Grace & Frankie.
• Halloween: We did pre-school’s Halloween Parade through the hospital as a family in the morning and the Hakalas joined us for our annual trick or treating tradition. It was a rainy day but the girls trekked out as Angelica and a Cat with Lucas not far behind for a bit as Leo. Sam made a cameo appearance as Donnie.

Misc. happenings: Lots of progress made on getting the house organized, trying to go greener with The Grove Collective, and reading The Nightingale.