An EPIC Day at Sleeping Bear Dunes!

Scott was lucky enough to land a great job as a pilot for United, BUT that means a slightly unpredictable schedule.  We went ahead and planned this trip knowing he might only make it for part of it or not at all.  Well, he was able to make the drive with Brandi and the kids, stay for one whole day, and then head back to IL the next afternoon.  We take what we can get!  Even though none of us really wanted to get back in the car after driving from IL to MI the day before, we really wanted to visit Sleeping Bear Dunes while Scott was with us (for his extra hands and because it's fun)!  So, we loaded up and made the hour and a half drive to the dunes.  It took a big of work to decide where to get started, but we decided to start with a family-friendly hike: Empire Bluff Trail.  This was just right for our crew!  About a mile and a half round-trip with a beautiful overlook and good snack stop halfway :)

Snack Break!

Family photo op 

After we got back to the cars, we headed toward a beach area to have a picnic lunch and let the kids play on the beach and in the water.  This was a nice break :)

THEN, we headed to THE Dunes!  I wasn't really thinking I was going to run all the way up, but the excitement got the better of me and we all headed for the top!  Well, except for Ellie and Molly who made wise decisions to nap in the car.  Brandi and Scott took turns staying with them and climbing.  I really saw the difference between grown-up minds and kid minds during this activity: I knew that this wasn't really that fun, BUT I'd be really glad I did it and got to see the views and how far I climbed.  The kids just were tired!  LOL  There was no looking ahead for them.  They did pretty awesome, in spite of themselves!  

This picture is taken from the second landing area, or level, looking towards where we started.

Strong Kids!

This little spot of shade was a break spot to look forward to on the way up and down!

These four... Love them!

And, this is the last bit that Josh summitted on his own!  LOL

Such a fun family adventure on the eve of our 12th wedding anniversary!!!

Once we were back at the bottom everyone was ready for some sitting, water and snacks!  There was this really cute photo op all set up for visitors, but Graham was obviously NOT impressed!  After bathroom breaks and waterbottle refills, we selected a very friendly activity of the scenic drive!  LOL  Graham napped most of the way through this, which was just fine.

Stop #1

Stop #2

I don't know what number this was, but just Mommy and Jackson got out

SUCH beautiful views!

We had a great plan to eat in Traverse City before driving back to the house, but the wait was REALLY long!  We were impressed with how long the kids had hung in there so far, so we didn't want to try waiting for a seat at a restaurant...  Brandi and Scott researched and found this gem: The Filling Station  Pizzas and flights of beer were ordered!  We chose the outdoor seating at oversized picnic tables, and they were right along a no longer used railroad.  There was lots to look at AND there were several sandboxes for the kids to play in!

Pretty view at dinner

These two were really cute walking at sunset on the rails :)

The kids did SO amazing!  We are really glad we snuck in this fun-filled day...and really glad we don't have much planned for the next day--LOL

Off to Pure Michigan!

Our big summer trip this year was to Ludington, MI with the Buerstattes!!!  We were all REALLY excited to get away to a beachy place and soak up time with some of our best friends!  We also tried out Airbnb for the first time--eek!  The house looked too good to be true online, and it was EVEN BETTER in person!  #winning  We set out from Evanston in the morning and headed for Pure Michigan...with a few geocaching stops along the way ;)

 When we stopped at Big Red in Holland, MI for a geocache, I felt like vacation had truly started!  The view of the lake was beautiful, and we were all excited!  

 A gorgeous traveling day!

 Wearing their t-shirts from our Maine vacation last summer to kick off this summer!

We found the house in Ludington with no problem and the owners met us to give a little overview of the property and area.  We could not believe how perfect the house was as we walked around!

 This is the front entry (I'm standing in the kitchen taking the picture, but the front door is just to the left) which is a mud-room area and the laundry room.

 To the right of the front entry is the wide-open kitchen!  The kitchen was fully-stocked to even include kid-friendly dish sets and awesome insulated cups with lids that we took everywhere with us for our drinks!

 We were able to do a fair amount of cooking in this great sized kitchen!

 Main floor bathroom--it felt like a hotel!

 Beautiful walk-in shower

 One of three bedrooms upstairs--this one had a king-sized bed, big dresser and a closet with a cool sliding barn door.  Brandi, Scott and Molly slept in this room.

 At the opposite end of the hall, there was this second bedroom.  It had a full-sized bed...

 ...and a set of bunk beds!  Ellie mostly was the one to sleep in here!  But, we also knew we had it in reserve if some of the bigger kids had to be separated... ;)

 This was Josh's and my room--it had a full-sized bed and not much else, but we didn't need anything else!

 View out the upstairs windows--there was so much sunshine coming in!  

 View of the firepit area complete with comfy Adirondack chairs and a well-stocked wood pile

 View from the upstairs living room into the dining room and kitchen

 Upstairs living room with a piano and TV

 Pretty comfy!

 Brandi and I just loved this little table!  It was so pretty with the lights hanging above it, and it was the light we left on during the night in case anyone needed anything.  

 Heading downstairs, there is an exit to the yard.  If you U-turn from the stairs, there is a big under-the-stairs storage area full of outdoor toys and beach toys to use!

 The big kids bedroom is to the right and the downstairs rec room is straight ahead.  There is also a full bathroom off of the rec room.

 THE perfect room for our four big kids!  A full-sized bed, floor space for sleeping bags and a set of bunk beds WITH a trundle bed to pull out!!!  The kids did a pretty good job of playing musical beds so everyone got a turn on the top bunk ;)

 Downstairs bathroom

Not only was there a rec room downstairs to send the kids to, but it was well-stocked with movies, books, games, leather recliners AND a popcorn machine!  SO fun!  The hosts seriously thought of everything--this house was just perfect for our two families!  

We unloaded the car before I left for a grocery store run (Meijer was just 10 minutes down the road) and Josh and the boys explored the property.  We had pizza ordered for delivery when the Buerstattes arrived at dinnertime and we all got settled :)

Hello Summer!

We wasted no time with First Grade ending to getting on the road to start our summer vacation!  Jackson had a great year in First Grade with Mrs. Chapman :)

We picked Jackson up just a smidge early from school on the last day and headed for Evanston!  We were in a bit of a hurry to get there, because Larry, Michelle, and Madelyn were already there for a wedding!  We wanted to hang out with them as much as possible over the weekend while they were in town.

 Larry and me in our matching "Gilmore Girls" tshirts under the Northwestern Arch :)

We got to babysit Madelyn while Larry and Michelle went to the wedding they were in town for, walk around Northwestern's pretty campus (and grab some caches while we were there), eat at Herm's and some other fun spots, visit the Custer Street fair with the three cousins which was always one of my favorite things to do to start summer, play at the playground and celebrate Father's Day with three AWESOME dads!!!