Minnie's Fourth Birthday!

It's hard to believe but Minnie turned four on Thursday, April 28, 2005! He went to bed the night before as a three year old and woke up as a four year old. The kids went to school in the morning, and I picked the kids up for lunch. I took the kids out to Boston Market 'cos dad told them that they the "best macaroni and cheese." The kids agreed that their macaroni and cheese was delicious. After lunch, we stopped off at Baskin Robbins for a yummy ice cream cone.

Minnie received balloons for his birthday from Grandma and Grandpa. The man asked if there was a "Michael Michaud" who lived in the house. Minnie was a little bit shy, but then realised that the balloons were his! :O) He loved them!


Minnie, Yummers and Birthday Balloons!

Bird's Nest Cupcakes
We also made "Bird's Nest Cupcakes" for Minnie's birthday. They look great, tasted great, and we had fun making them, too! As you can see below, here is some of the finished product below. The leaves are spearmint gumdrop leaves. The eggs are Coconut and Buttered Popcorn Jelly Belly Beans. The nest consisted of Chow Mein noodles held together with melted marshmallow and butter. Cool, eh?


Voila! Some of the finished cupcakes.

Friday, April 29, 2005 | Grandma and Grandpa Arrive
Grandma and Grandpa were driving eight or nine long and hard hours from Nashville to Michigan to wish Minnie a happy birthday. Yummer had the option of going to Junior Jazzercise or seeing her grandparents on Friday night. Grandma and Grandpa won out! :O)

Saturday, April 30, 2005 | Guernsey Diary
We had a busy day on Saturday. The kids had their first gymnastics glasses at the SPLITZ Gymnasium and LOVED it! They enjoyed tumbling around the facility. Afterwards, we headed out to Guernsey Farms for an Open House to see how ice cream, milk and other dairy products were made. Unfortunately, when we arrived and parked, we discovered that there was already a two hour wait for the tour! So, we decided we would have a nice lunch and ice cream treat there.

There is a family tradition of eating ice cream under the big trees and on the big rock in front of Guernsey's. We decided to carry on a bit of tradition and have the kids get on the rock for a picture.


Yummer & Minnie on the Big Rock at Guernsey's on Novi Road with Roger in the background.

Sunday, May 1, 2005 | Presents!
One thing I did not mention earlier was that Spring Clean-up date was on Saturday. This is the only day of the year where we can put out as much trash as we want on the curb without having to pay a tag fee ($ 1.50 per bag to have your trash thrown out - outrageous!). This, along with getting an area cleared for Minnie's big present gave us plenty of motivation to begin cleaning up the basement!

The big present was Minnie's Lionel train! It has the normal whistle and bells. It also blows smoke and has lights. Very cool present. Minnie also received a nice suitcase, a marble race, Batman figure, Batman shooter and clothes.


Marble Deluxe - Over 100 Pieces - Cool!

Monday, May 2, 2005 | Chuck E Cheese
Let me tell you that I am not the biggest Chuck E Cheese fan. However, that was until we went at 4.00 in the afternoon... It was perfect: Not a lot of pushy kids (and parents) which in turn leads to less screaming and chaos. Lesson learned: Take the kids to Chuck E Cheese on a late Monday afternoon. The kids played a whole bunch of games thanks to Grandma and Grandpa and redeemed their tickets for three prizes apiece.


The Two Anitas at Chuck E Cheese.


Minnie (with a Roostertail) and Roger.

Snow in Late April? You betcha!

On April 24, 2005, the strangest thing happened in the state of Michigan. It snowed, and we actually had accumulation. It was quite a change from the previous week's record of 80 degrees! I've said it all my life... Michigan weather is SO unpredictable. The plants and flowers were starting to come up, too. As you can see in the pictures, the leaves were already on the trees.


Snowing in the back of the house on April 24, 2005!


Looking out on Union Street - April 24, 2005.

Our First Family Fishing Trip (04.16.2005 - 04.17.2005)

On a beautiful weekend recently (April 16 and April 17, 2005), Michael, Grandmother Anita, Yummers, Minnie and I went fishing! For some reason, Minnie had it in his heart that he really wanted to go fishing and would ask everyday during our trip to Quebec when we were going to go.

Saturday, April 16, 2005
So, we went to two locations to catch a fish after we came home. The first location was at one of the small ponds on Schoolcraft Road by Hines Drive. While we were fishing, a Parks Officer questioned folks who were fishing whether or not they had a fishing license. We learned that kids who were 18 and under did not have to having a fishing license. Good thing to know.

After some time, it was fairly clear that today would not be a day where we would catch a fish. While we were fishing, there was another man who was walking around throwing his line in and around different areas of the ponds. Apparently, these ponds have some good sized fish. They just weren't biting today. He recommended another park in Plymouth with a little lake on McClumpha Road.

After bidding farewell, we decided to eat lunch and let the kids play in the park across the road. Tomorrow, we would go to the park on McClumpha Road.


The two Anitas at our first swimming site on Schoolcraft and Wilcox Road.


Sunday, April 17, 2005
We went to the park on McClumpha Road and were a little more successful as you can see! :O) Minnie and Yummer both caught a bluegill each. It was a really exciting time for both kids.


Minnie's first catch - a bluegill!


We're looking forward to more fishing trips!

Morrissey: "Who Put the M in Manchester?"

He never fails to amaze me. Morrissey is still very clever, and the voice is strong and clear. I listened to the DVD at work this morning which made me pull out the "World of Morrissey" CD out of my desk drawer. It was really cool to see Alain Whyte, Boz Boorer and Gary Day in the band again as well. Gotta keep those rockabilly cats employed...


Morrissey still from "Who Put the M in Manchester?"


Great still of Mozzer from the same DVD.

Thanks to my brother, Tien, for the AWESOME birthday present!

Quebec City, Canada: Part 8 (Toronto and the CN Tower)

After four wonderful days in Quebec City, we had to head home. We had a three hour layover in Toronto, Canada. The Toronto train station is across from another Fairmont property, The Royal York. Michael took a cute picture of the kids on their cool couch.


Anita & Minnie posing on a fancy seat at The Fairmont Royal York in Toronto, Ontario.


We decided to explore Toronto a little bit more. On our walk in downtown Toronto, we saw the CN Tower on our left! we decided to go up and see the amazing views from the world's tallest observation deck at 1,465 feet. A wonderful way to spend our time.


The kids standing next to a replica on the way to the top of the CN Tower.


The kids and downtown Toronto below!


Another view of Toronto and the kids.

Overall, we had a great time and looking forward to coming back for a visit.

Quebec City, Canada: Part 7 (Miscellaneous Pictures)

Here are some other pictures of our trip to Quebec City. Of course, a stay at a hotel would not be complete with a trip to the swimming pool! Le Chateau Frontenac had something at the pool that I've never experienced ... pool attendants! Their changing rooms also had a "dryer" (more like a wringer) to dry out your bathing suits. Pretty cool.

Anita and Minnie are having a ball in the kiddie pool. Doesn't Minnie's eyes look green? Sometimes they look green, and sometimes they look brown.


Anita & Minnie swimming at Le Chateau Frontenac's kiddie pool.


Smith is a very common name in the States ... Michaud is a very common name in Quebec. If you look in the phone book, there are over four pages of Quebecers with the Michaud surname. It's pronounced "Mee-show."

Roger reminded me that his grandfather was from Quebec. Perhaps the following Michauds are relatives! :OD


Could Yves be related?


Florent ... very interesting name!

Quebec City, Canada: Part 6 (The Country Tour)

On the second to last day of our trip, we decided to go on a bus tour and explore a little bit of the country (or the area outside of Old Quebec).

We traveled to the Island of Orleans. No stops here unfortunately - hence, no pictures. The island is comprised of many houses that were over 300 years old. The tour guide / bus driver pointed out the houses whose doors and windows were set very low to the ground. Three hundred years ago, the average height of a man was about five feet!

Our next stop was the Montmorency Falls. Niagara Falls gets a lot more publicity, but the Montmorency Falls is 23 metres taller than Niagara Falls. Take a look at the map on this web site. We crossed the bridge even after reading a sign that three people had plunged to their death when the original bridge fell apart. But, you must realise that the bridge had long been replaced since that incident.


Montmorency Falls


Our next stop was Saint Anne de Beaupre Basilica. Grandmother Anita recalled coming up the steps when she was 14 on a family trip to Quebec City. It is an impressive and beautiful church both outside and inside. I found another site with additional history about the Basilica.


Fancy some Holy Water?


Crutches and other aids left by those who were healed.


After our visit at the Basilica, we went to the Albert Gilles Copper Works museum / store. This was very interesting because he created 51 copper panels depicting the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

Finally, our last visit was to a Bee Store where there was a complimentary wine tasting. They specialise in creating wines with honey. Roger and I found some honey made by a Michaud family in France.

Overall, a great way to spend four hours and learn more about Quebec.

Quebec City, Canada: Part 5 (La Citadelle)

La Citadelle is an active military garrison that is a "must visit" if you are interested in military history or in Quebec's history. Check out the history and more information at their web site. It is about a 15 minute walk from the Chateau Frontenac. On our way there, we walked on top of the surrounding walls which is covered by grass. It was very windy when we visited La Citadelle. Our tour guides provided a great overview of the history and purpose of the structure.


The kids in front of La Citadelle.


Yummers running around on the flat area on the way to La Citadelle.


Anita, Minnie, me, and Roger with "Rachel" and Le Chateau Frontenac in the background.

Quebec City, Canada: Part 4 (Funiculaire and Quebec City's Lower Town)

You may wonder what a Funiculaire is ... so did we! What did we do? We went to check out it was and discovered it was a neat way to go to Quebec City's Lower Town. The fee was nominal, and thankfully there were no lines.


Anita, Roger, me, Minnie sitting on the base of the Samuel de Champlain statue in front of the Funiculaire.


The kids and I in front of the Funiculaire.


Going down to lower town ... See the other one coming back up?

We walked all around Lower Town and marvelled at the stores. It was a breath of fresh air to see historic and original buildings being utilised. While admiring the architecture and the city itself, we had an important mission: to find a coat for Anita. We had accidentally left her jacket on the train! Although we were visiting Quebec City in April, it was still fairly chilly (about 10 - 15 degrees colder than Michigan).



We were looking for a coat for Anita, but saw this shirt in the window...


A street in Lower Town.


There were several very interesting lifelike and realistic murals painted on the sides of the buildings in Quebec City. Take a look at the pics I posted.


The kids in front of a mural in Lower Town.


Another mural painted on a side of a building.


While we were in Quebec's Lower Town, we found this and HAD to snap a picture!


We loved the message on this weight which translates to "Roger loves you!"

Quebec City, Canada: Part 3 (Le Chateau Frontenac)

The hotel Michael chose was the Le Chateau Frontenac, a hotel with a magnificient history. It is a mammoth structure and according to many sources and much of the literature that I've read, it has the distinction of being "the most photographed hotel in the world."

Many historical figures have stayed here, and many decisions have been made at the hotel. Winston Churchill, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and other important figures from World War II had made important strategic decisions at the hotel including the invasion of Normandy. Princess Anne of England also stayed at this hotel during this time.

We spent a lot of time exploring the inside of the hotel floor by floor. On the second and third floors are plenty of black and white pictures of the hotel's history. It was eerie in one way because the hallways were very long and never seemed to end (ala "The Shining").



The view from our room in Le Chateau Frontenac ... not the St. Lawrence River, but it is still easy on the eyes!


The kids and I with the magnificient Le Chateau Frontenac. This side is facing the St. Lawrence River.


Le Chateau Frontenac in the background. The French Embassy (white building) in the foreground.

Quebec City, Canada: Part 2 (En Route to Quebec City)

As I mentioned earlier, it was a twelve hour train ride to Quebec City. We read, drew, ate, and of course, got plenty of sleep. Minnie slept quite a while on the train.


Zzzzzzzz ...

Quebec City, Canada: Part I (Departing Windsor, Ontario)

For my "milestone" birthday, Michael and his parents planned a trip to the lovely city of Quebec City, Canada. We decided to take the rail there and purchased tickets through Cam Am Travel. They are a travel agency who have great rail and hotel package deals. It is pretty old school where you pay over the phone and they mail (- yes, mail -) you your travel tickets. There was a bit of confusion over when the tickets were coming which led to several terse phone conversations with the folks at Cam Am. We did get the tickets several days before we were to depart. A little bit too close for me, but I got over it.

We arose at 3.30 AM to get ready and drive to the train station in Windsor, Ontario. Fortunately, there wasn't too much traffic, and the station was easy to find. As you can see in the picture below, it was still pretty dark outside. Our train departed Windsor at 6.25 EST. Twelve hours of travel laid ahead of us.


Anita & Minnie leaving the Windsor (Canada) rail station.

I'm a Teenage Fanny!

Man-Made by Teenage Fanclub -- out on 05.09.2005!

I was so psyched to see that one of my favourite all-time bands has a new album coming out. All live dates at the time of this post are only in the UK right now. Let's hope they make a stop in Detroit soon. We need a serious dose of Scottish rock here! :O) Check out their website at:
http://www.teenagefanclub.com/