The Gypsy Caravan 2023

Thursday, January 2, 2020

Christmas with the Grands at Detroit Kid City

Happy New Year! I hope your celebrations were safe and happy! Me? I'm still in Christmas wrap-up mode!


I'm not sure the time leading up to our trip to the grands was exactly tranquil but it was calm compared to a few days with the Toddler Twosome! We arrived with fanfare! We really know how to light up a room!


(Those were a huge hit. It fit our oldest a little better, but that didn't stop the Little Guy from getting into the act!)


We arrived late Sunday and the next day Molly and I took the boys to Detroit Kid City, which is a "little town" made kid-sized, complete with fire department, grocery market, post office, barber shop, pizza restaurant, recording studio (it is Detroit, after all!) and an "up north" area.


The boys loved it!


Our Big Guy was fascinated by the mail at the post office...


....and loved the barber pole, swirling around!


Little Guy is big into music and "entertained" one and all on the piano!


In the "up north" area there was a large tent they loved and a spot for stories.


It was a great way to spend the day.


When we got home, we found Kevin and Rick in the kitchen. Rick made his jalapeno cheddar bread.


We also had time for a walk. Our Little Guy loved the Santa scene on a neighbor's yard.


Another neighbor had a little rock garden by his free library where kids could play with the pebbles and miniature fairy garden buildings.


And the guys did pizza for dinner.


There was also time for a little concert (call it guitar practice!). The Big Guy was bowled over by the music.


After dinner, we watched our friend, Robin Miner-Swartz, win her first game on "Jeopardy." I've known Robin since she was a baby and she's a wonderful person whose holiday generosity I wrote about HERE. She won two of her three games and no one could deserve it more!


Two more days (one more post!) to come.

(If you missed yesterday's spiced nut recipe, scroll down or check the links in the Christmas 2019 posts in the menu tab above!)

34 comments:

  1. Glad you had such a wonderful time over Christmas, thanks for sharing. Hugs, Valerie

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  2. A Happy New Year to you, too, Jeanie!
    (I hope I don´t loose another brolly to the wind, or through my head ;-)...)
    A very cool way to light up a room, I love this. Reckon the smiles helped a lot, too!
    A very sweet place you took the kids to. In kindy they have a (real) kitchen in kid´s size, so sweet. OMG is that last one a jail?! You sure got humor!

    Jalapeno cheddar bread sounds like to die for! Love the bowled over-scene, too, very funny. Hmm, that is some money your frind gets there! Nice! A wonderful, happy post :-) Thank you for all the smiles you gave me.

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  3. Wow, what a great play place. That looks like so much fun. Too bad we didn't have that kind of play place when we were little. Sounds like a fabulous visit with lots of holiday joy. I love the lights. Those must have really brightened those cute faces. Happy Friday. Hugs-Erika

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  4. Hello Jeanie,

    Your grandsons are so cute. Adorable photos. Congrats to your friend Robin on her Jeopardy win! Enjoy your day, happy weekend!

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  5. You people are dressed pretty lightly outside given the time of year. It looks very mild there. I suspect that the cheese jalapeƱo bread is the same as one Miriam made recently; it sure looks like it. And I have but one thing to say about the young musician at the piano - there is a Vladimir Ashkenazi in the making, a child prodigy to be sure. I will look forward to his debut with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra in a couple of years. As for the guitarist with the longer legs no doubt Michigan Segovia is an appropriate appellation, and he bakes bread too, and cooks pasta, and puts lights on his head - better hang on to him with the same tenacity he holds on to the handle bars on his bike. Well, most of the time anyway.

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  6. Fun times Jeanie, the boys are adorable! I love that the guys stayed home and cooked while you went on your outing!
    Jenna

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  7. Looks like kids and adults alike were having a great day. And I could almost smell that great looking bread! You are so lucky to have a baker in your life!

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  8. Oh I love these kinds of trips! Looks like a fun way to entertain the twosome and a good time was had by all. Amazing how the boys have grown. Such cuties...........

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  9. What a fun day, Jeanie. Those little guys are adorable. My favorite is of the Little Guy at the piano. Honestly, he looks right at home - I wonder if there is a tune in his little head. And, I would love to have a slice of Rick's jalapeno cheddar bread. It would be lovely with my soup.

    A happy new year and keep your adventures coming our way!

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  10. Sounds like you had a great time with the grands. Bet Rick loves that one of them is so keen on music.

    I love the sound of that Kid City, and it seems like the grands loved it too.

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  11. It looks like a wonderful time! That jalapeno cheddar bread sounds wonderful. Could you share the recipe?

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  12. Jeanie, I'm glad you are carrying on and still have the energy for it. Those two grands are the cutest!..Happy New Year to you all..xxoJudy

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  13. Great times! Love the little fairy and rock garden under the little library. The jalapeno bread looks terrific, and yay for Robin! I love seeing good deeds coming back in multiples to those who initiate.

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  14. My granddaughter had the same light bulb headband. It was a hit with our party too! How fun to know someone on a game show, and so glad she won. Looks like the kiddos had fun too! Janice

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  15. This looks like the perfect place to take children. Interactive areas are always fun and it encourages children to learn outside their normal circle of learning.

    Bread and pizza. You have made me incredibly hungry, now.

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  16. Fun and precious days! Your beaming smile says it all

    ~~~Deb in Wales

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  17. I love your posts . . .
    And your ENERGY .. .
    Like no other!

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  18. Those lighted headbands are hysterical! The grandkids must have love them! These photos of full of adorableness. How fun to see a friend on Jeopardy! Happy New Year Jeanie!

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  19. What a great visit, Jeanie, from the first illuminations of your lighted headbands, through the trip to Detroit Kid City, all the way to Robin's glowing smile at its close -- it all sounds (and looks) bright and beautiful! Thanks for the introduction to Robin and her inspiring holiday initiative. Suspect we may all need to know a little more about that jalapeno cheddar bread...

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  20. Wow...Christmas just keeps on giving for you two!

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  21. Lots of fun! The twosome were excited about trying many things.

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  22. Sorry I am late catching up with you Jeanie. What a great visit with those adorable toddlers, little ones make a Christmas so much fun! Detroit Kid City looks like a fabulous place for children to interact and use their imagination. We have a similar place here and our girls love it. How nice that the guys cooked while you had time to play.

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  23. The interactive play area for the kids is adorable.
    Congratulations to your friend, well deserved win.
    My 3 year old grandson love music and dance and we gave him a small keyboard for Christmas and we got an impromptu concert, lol. Kids are so clever nowadays!

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  24. Jeanie,
    what a great place for younger kids!! So cute!! Look like you all had a great time and Congrats to your friend!!Thanks so much for your visits!!
    Hugs,
    Debbie

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  25. What beautiful, precious family pictures. AND you would light up a room even without the headpieces. lol
    Congrats to your friend on Jeopardy. I love that show.
    I hope you and hubby have a wonderful, blessed Sunday. xo Diana

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  26. What preciousness! I wish I were a little kid. I'd love to go to that place. I can tell your little grands had a wonderful time.
    Happy New Year to you and your family!

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  27. Looks like a great time was had by all--I love the photos. This was a wonderful way to bring in the New Year! I'd like to get my hands on that cheddar bread recipe!

    Thanks always for your kind comments. I'm on the mend from the fall-at least the black eye has faded and I no longer scare people!

    Jane ❤️

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  28. Aww, the picture with you two is so cute, I love it! The boys did look like they are having a wonderful time. Happy New Year!! x

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  29. Kid City sounds awesome! Paul would love that! I think our Children's Museum has something similar. I got some tickets at a silent auction at work so am planning to take Paul there on a day when his daycare is closed (I've heard that weekends are incredibly busy so I think he'll do better on a quieter day!). Your headbands were awesome - I can see why the little guys liked them. Paul would be into them, too!

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  30. I have heard such good things about Detroit Kid City! I am glad that you had such a good time with the toddler twosome! :) And congrats to your friend! My English teacher in high school was a former winner, it was kind of neat. :)

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  31. These children - so absolutely beautiful in every way:)
    Precious gifts, those.
    Cheers to the love you share with those grands!
    - Jennifer

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  32. A lovely post to read … and your photographs a delight to see.
    I love the look of the jalapeno cheddar bread.

    My good wishes for 2020 … I think 2020 has such a lovely ring to it :)

    All the best Jan

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