Picking Rasbebes in MI

We made it to Michigan, our first stop in the States!  Finley did fine with the flights, other than a couple of short screaming sessions on the long flight.  Nate and I sure did appreciate that Finley had his own seat for the first time, although that will be painful for our wallets!  We're all trying to get over jet lag now, which is rough.  Poor Finley is also trying to adjust to new surroundings and people, and is terrified to go into the Pack-n-Play here.  That means we currently get to sleep with the whole family snug in one bed.  But the benefit with that is when Finley wakes up and starts to freak out in the middle of the night, we're right there to grab him and try to calm him before he fully wakes up.

We're staying in the old Dennison cottage on our own this summer for the first time, where Nate stayed growing up.  This will be a very different experience, as we will have our own space and therefore maybe feel a bit more like we're on vacation and creating our own family memories.  We will also get to see both sides of Nate's family (his mom's and dad's) over the whole two weeks this way, since we can see whoever whenever, instead of our usual half/half split.  In fact, it's only afternoon and we've already seen both sides today!  Of course, there are a couple of differences in staying in a cottage/cabin versus a real house.  We have many mice friends staying with us, for example.  I don't really care as long as they keep to themselves, but they have been a bit loud at night so far!  Speaking of bringing the outdoors in, here was another little friend who greeted me this morning on the soap:

We discovered while we were at Jane's house that Finley super enjoyed picking her wild raspberries (or as he says, "rasbebes").  So this morning we went to a u-pick farm about 15 minutes away.  I would say it was a huge hit!  The raspberries were just the right height for Finley.

At first, Finley did pretty well about putting most of the raspberries he picked into the basket.

Raspberry picking requires a lot of concentration...

...and guidance from Mom and Dad regarding which raspberries are ready to be picked.

Soon enough, Finley couldn't take it anymore and just starting eating raspberries like nobody's business.  They were just too darn good, and he couldn't resist.  (Probably didn't help that he didn't eat much for breakfast that morning.)

We tried to take a quick picture, but Finley wouldn't stop eating long enough!