up north weekend

We went up north to my parents house in Houghton Lake for a long weekend. We were just up there for Fourth of July and the kids loved it, so we thought we could come back again. We rented a boat one day on Houghton Lake. My mom stayed at the house with Ben since I didn't think he would have much fun on the boat. So Ben and Grandma got to spend some time together. Jacob, Sam, Andy and I had a nice time on the boat. Although it took a long time to dock anywhere, including a sandbar, which took us almost an hour to get the boat up to so that the kids could get off and play at the beach. Friday we went up to Mackinac Island. We have not been there for several years and this was Sam and Ben's first time there. Jacob loves Mackinac Island, as do Andy and I. It's just such a pretty place and so relaxed. We had a nice time there. The kids loved throwing rocks in the water and playing around. We had a nice time just walking around and taking in the sights. Jacob loved the little shops and checking everything out inside them. Sam loved all the horses and had to point out every single one. Ben just hung out in the stroller and loved the breeze! And of course I took a ton of pictures (and had the kids wear matching outfits!). Saturday we went over the Higgins Beach South State Park and had a great time just hanging out on the beach. The kids just played in the sand and water. Even Ben played with the sand a little bit this time. We was really nice to get away and we really had a great weekend!


Pictures...
Boatin'
Mackinac Island
Higgins Beach

happy birthday kelsey

We celebrated Kelsey's 13th birthday today (although her birthday was really over a month ago!). I can't believe she is officially a teenager! We went over to Rob and Patti's in the afternoon for a BBQ. The kids had a great time with some water guns and the water hose! It was a pretty hot day, so it was a great way to keep them cool and outside! It was a nice afternoon, thanks guys! Here are some pictures!

happy fourth of july

This weekend we went up north to my parents house in Houghton Lake. We had a really nice time. It was nice to all spend time together and not have to be anywhere at a certain time. To just forget about the daily routine of life for awhile! The kids had a ton of fun at the beaches and we went for lots of walks and bike rides. The weather could not have been more perfect. It rained on the way there and then it was lots of sun and the perfect temperature the entire time we were there. Here are some (okay a lot) of pictures from the weekend.