The boys are quite accustomed to this trip since they've been doing it all their lives. They love to pack their backpacks with things to do and with snacks. They especially love getting to watch DVD's in the van for part of the trip. This time, however, we left home in the afternoon, after their final Good Shepherd class for this year, and (fortunately for us) this is what they looked like for a good part of the trip....
The best thing about going to Michigan is seeing Grandma! She couldn't believe how big the boys have grown since Christmas.
On Saturday all of our aunts (Jon has FIVE sisters), uncles, and cousins gathered at Grandma's for a birthday party for Adam and Kelly.
Adam got lots of cool birthday gifts, including his first fishing pole. He really wanted to go fishing on Sunday, but the weather didn't cooperate. Another really awesome gift he got was an Imaginext Space Shuttle set.
Ray also got a special surprise on this trip. One of his uncles gave him this BIG BOY BIKE! It's a bit too big for him really, but he thinks it is totally awesome! It was quite an accomplishment for Jon to load this bike, all of Adam's birthday gifts, and all of our other Michigan "stuff" into the van for the trip home. But he did it!
We swam THREE times in the three days we stayed at the hotel. We really like the hotel where we stayed (The Springhill Suites). The front desk lady even brought out little toys for the boys when she overheard us saying "Happy Birthday" to Adam at breakfast!
The boys LOVE spending time with their cousins! Grandma requested a NICE picture of the seven of them. Look who spoiled it! (Fortunately, we did get one decent shot for Grandma.)
Adam has a special fondness for his cousin Emmett. They played outside quite a bit on Saturday and Emmett even came swimming with us that night. It is so great for the boys to have these "big cousins" to look up to and learn from.
Sunday was really rainy and wet. The boys were thrilled to put on their rainboots and go walking and exploring in the woods with their cousin Addie. They looked for bugs and splashed in every puddle. They were soaked and filthy and so happy when they came back to the house!
We made the return trip on Monday and the boys thoroughly enjoyed watching "Toy Story" (which was a gift from Grandma). They laughed and shrieked through a lot of it. Today I've been unpacking and doing laundry and recovering from the trip. The boys have spent the day pretending to be Buzz Lightyear and Woody in the backyard.
These family trips are very special to us and I know the boys are creating bonds and memories that will last a lifetime.
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