Summer, Sweet Summer!

It's time to SOAK UP THE SUMMER SUN! It finally feels like summer around here! (We just turned on the air conditioning.) We're settling into a summer routine and really enjoying it. (This post is brought to you by the letter S!)

We're slipping and sliding...

 Picking strawberries...

 Celebrating "Summer with the Saints"...

 And of course SWIMMING!

We had a great time swimming with our friends today! And yesterday we really enjoyed the first "Summer With the Saints" gathering of our homeschool group. (Thanks Jen for organzing!) The idea for this and the activities we did are from Jessica at Shower of Roses.

Right now we've got a Summer Storm rolling in, so I'd better get off the computer. Have a great weekend!

Vacation Chronicles - Mackinac Island

One of the great highlights of our Michigan vacation was the day we spent at Mackinac Island! We drove about 30 minutes from Julie and Bud's house to Mackinac City and boarded a ferry boat to the island. (There are no cars allowed on Mackinac Island.) We were there for the first day of their annual Lilac Festival. The island looked and smelled beautiful!

The first thing we had to do on the island was buy sweatshirts. It was cold! The next thing we did - because Ray was SO excited about it - was rent bikes. Unfortunately, the only bike they had with training wheels was just too wobbly for Adam to ride. So, he and I strolled through some shops. Of course we had to check out the fudge shops! We watched them make fudge and we sampled our fair share! Meanwhile, Jon and Ray rode EIGHT MILES all the way around the island. They had a wonderful time and Ray is so proud! (Somehow I neglected to get pictures of the bikes or the fudge. Oh well!)

Adam loved this turtle. He even ate his lunch sitting here.

We spent a good part of the day exploring Fort Mackinac. We watched cannon and rifle firing demonstrations. We toured all of the buildings and learned what life was like for the soldiers who lived there in the 1880's.

Locked up at the fort with the boys!

Check out these mean soldiers!

Trying out the soldiers' life

Watching a (mechanical) re-enactment of a battle at the fort.

We also visited an island attraction called the Butterfly House. We had a great time observing so many butterfly species from around the world.

Beautiful lilacs, happy mom, goofy boys!

Well, those are the highlights from our Michigan vacation. Thanks for reading! I guess this is the modern version of the old fashioned vacation slideshows. At least you can just skip these posts if you're not interested. :) If you ever get a chance to visit Michigan, I hope you'll enjoy it as much as we do. Don't miss Cross in the Woods and Mackinac Island! They are real treasures of "that State up North!"

Vacation Chronicles - Part Two

We spent the second part of our Michigan vacation in and around Cheboygan. We stayed with another of Jon's sisters, Julie, and her husband Bud (and their dog Charlie). They live right on the shore of Lake Huron... and they have a bunk bed. So the boys were in heaven there!

Here are some pictures of this part of the trip:

Mackinac Bridge! This beautiful bridge connects Michigan's lower peninsula and upper peninsula. Jon has fond memories of visiting this area as a child and he was excited to bring the boys here. We all enjoyed reading about the amazing feat it was to build this bridge. In this picture you can see the boys chasing sea gulls on the shore.

We drove across the bridge and visited this wonderful site tourist trap. We had fun playing miniature golf (again!) and finding our way through a cool maze.

Ice cream! Although I SHARED this big scoop of ice cream with Jon, I do have to admit that I was not able to stick with Weight Watchers as much as I had hoped. The good news is that I did not gain any weight back. The bad news is that I'm having a difficult time getting back on the wagon.

I took this shot standing in Julie's yard. Although it was pretty cold, they boys insisted on daily beach expeditions.

How sweet is this?! Ray wrote "I love mom and dad" in the sand. I wish I could have gotten this shot without my shadow in it.

I just love this shot. He is growing up so fast! It is so fun to watch him study things.

Here's Ray standing outside Uncle Bud's furniture store.

Julie and Bud make and sell this really cool wooden furniture! The boys wanted to bring this bunk bed home.

Aunt Julie and Uncle Bud... very fun people to be with!

Aunt Julie took us to a fish hatchery. We all had lots of fun feeding some beautiful trout.

This is the world's largest crucifix! It is part of a beautiful shrine called "Cross in the Woods." Jon and I visited here when we were dating and I loved coming back with our boys. (I just wish it was closer so our homeschool group could take a field trip!) The Cross in the Woods Shrine includes a beautiful church which has a wall of glass behind the altar... through which you can see the crucifix. We had the privilege of celebrating Mass there on Pentecost. It was amazing! Shopping in the gift shop was fun too!

Here Jon and Ray are praying at a beautiful sculpture of the Holy Family. The grounds at Cross in the Woods are filled with lovely little shrines and statues as well as outdoor Stations of the Cross.

Could this be my future bishop? Adam was in rare form as we walked through the really cool displays of priests and nuns. They actually had nun dolls (much smaller than these mannequins) from every congregation in America, each with that group's particular habit. So cool!

After Mass on Saturday night we went to a great Italian family restaurant. After dinner we played next door at this park. The equipment had to have been from the 50's or 60's. We had a blast!

Coming soon: The final installment of the "Vacation Chronicles"... our trip to Mackinac Island!

Vacation Chronicles - Part One

We're back from a grand Michigan adventure and I'm happy to be back from my blogging break! At this point, the good news is that my ankle is doing GREAT and it seems that we are FINALLY all well. Thanks be to God!

The bad news is that our crazy days of sickness and trips to the ER continued during the first half of our trip. On the first night - at a hotel - Ray woke up with the stomach flu. It was quite a mess. Then, later in the week, Jon had to take Adam to the ER in the wee hours of the morning with what ended up being acid reflux. It took all of us several days to begin to feel "normal" again. We also battled TONS of mosquitos. They seemed to like Adam and me the best.

However, despite some struggles, we did have a fun trip and it was nice to have time together away from our normal routine AND time with Jon's family. We spent a few nights with his mom in Midland and then ventured further north to visit two of his sisters.

The main highlight (and reason for our trip) was the celebration of our niece's high school graduation. We've been promising Addie for three years that we would make this trip. She and her family (Jon's sister Susan and her husband Earl) live in South Boardman (near Traverse City) and we had never been to visit them.

We had the extra exciting privilege of hearing Addie give the valedictory address! She did a fantastic job! We are so proud of her! It's hard for me to believe that the cute little flower girl from our wedding is now this beautiful, poised, mature young woman. She is headed off to college in the Fall and we know she will do great things.

We spent several days with Addie, Susan, and Earl and we are so grateful for their wonderful hospitality. Here are some pictures of this part of our trip:

Addie gave a wonderful speech at her graduation. We had front row seats!

Addie and the boys. She is always so good with them! They really love their cousin.

Addie and her parents

 

Aunt Susan taught us about beekeeping. She also showed us her HUGE garden!



Wading in Fife Lake

Making s'mores!

One of Addie's friends welcomed us to his family's farm and took the boys on a tractor ride.

Adam with Snapper

Uncle Earl took Jon and the boys on a fishing expedition. Look what Daddy caught!

Adam showing off one of the fish he caught. When they got back to the house, the boys couldn't wait to show me the fish in the cooler. Adam opened it up and exclaimed, "Mommy, at first these things were LIVING!"

Showing off the catch! As soon as they got home, Uncle Earl gutted the fish and Aunt Susan fried them up.... and we all gobbled them up! You can't get fish more fresh than that. Yummy!



Aunt Susan took us into Traverse City and showed us around. This shot was taken at the pirate-themed mini-golf.



We took a beautiful drive to Mission Point (between the two bays in Traverse City).  We enjoyed collecting beautiful rocks and running along the beach. I was amazed at all of the orchards and vineyards in this part of Michigan.





Jon and Ray playing cornhole outside Susan and Earl's beautiful home in the woods.








Lots of family and friends gathered for Addie's graduation party.



We were very happy to share in the celebration of Addie's graduation! After that, we moved on to Cheboygan to visit Aunt Julie and Uncle Bud. I'll post about that tomorrow!