Tulip Time

As some of you may know my favorite flowers are tulips. Every year Holland, Michigan has a tulip festival the first week in May. We wanted to take Xavier up to Grandma and Grandpa's one more time before our move. I thought it would be fun to go to the festival and spend some time with the in-laws.

While we were driving to Holland, Tim took an opportunity to tell Xavier that the tulips were very special here and that we can't pick the flowers. We reminded Xavier that he could smell the flowers. Hoping that would be enough, we proceeded to get out of the car and Xavier refused to sit in his stroller. Xavier wanted to push the stroller instead. As we rounded the corner from our parking spot Xavier spotted a row of tulips. He insisted on smelling them. I obliged. The next second he was picking a precious tulip and handing it to me. I didn't know whether to kiss him for being sweet to pick me a flower or yell at him for not listening. I just put him in his stroller. We didn't want anymore tulip fatalities on this visit.



Xavier is trying really hard to look happy, but he really wanted to race on the grass.



There are so many kinds of tulips here and they are everywhere! This place just makes me smile and is my little piece of heaven on Earth.



I love the red and white in this flower!



What a handsome bunch!



On our way back to Grandma and Grandpa's house, Grandpa surprised Xavier by taking us all to the Ice Cream Caboose! Xavier saw the caboose and instantly had to run to the steering wheel so he could steer the train. Future conductor at your service.



After our ice cream treat we headed home. While in the car Xavier asked Grandpa about a hundred times if he'd play catch with him when they got home. Sure enough before Xavier's little feet hopped out of the car he was telling Grandpa to get his mitt.

The other funny little side note is that Xavier calls G-ma and G-pa's black cat Bent Ear because one of its ears bends down. After we left to drive back to Lansing, Tim's mom called and said she found Bent Ear locked in the attic. Mind you, this cat is an outdoor cat and rarely comes in the house. So Bent Ear must have somehow snuck in the house and ran upstairs. There is a toy room next to the attic so we don't know if Xavier lured the cat into the attic and shut the door on him or if the attic door was already opened and the cat just ran inside. Maybe Xavier just closed the door not knowing Bent Ear was in there. But we think the first story is more likely since the last time we were at Grandma and Grandpa's Xavier hid his shark and dolphin in the attic and we spent the entire day trying to find them. I guess Bent Ear is the only one who knows the true story.