Michigan Vacation 2019

Back in July, we crossed another state off our list with an amazing trip to Michigan. 

Day 1: We traveled to Warren Dunes State Park in Michigan for some dune and beach fun. 

Day 2 - 4: Traverse City, MI

Traverse City was beautiful! We loved everything about the cute, clean, and friendly town. We kayaked the bay and were amazed that we could see all the way to the bottom of the lake as far out as we were! We enjoyed sailing Lake Michigan on The Schooner Manitou, climbing Sleeping Bear Dunes, visiting the National Cherry Festival, swimming at the beaches, and camping at TC state Park. 

Day 5-6: Mackinaw City, MI

From TC, we drove to Mackinaw City for some more fun. We stayed in a water park hotel and enjoyed a local playground. The first night in Mackinaw City, we discovered nearby Headlands National Dark Sky Park.  We loved viewing the moon, Saturn with its’ rings, and all the other stars and planets in dark sky. We learned tons from the onsite astronomers who even shared their professional telescopes! It was awesome!  

The next day, we ferried over to Mackinaw Island for a day of biking and exploring. The boys loved the island! We spent about eight hours biking the outside and inside of the island trying to find all the playgrounds. Our favorite was Turtle Park right in the middle of the island next to Fort Holmes. The boys also enjoyed learning the history of the fort from volunteer actors. 

Day 7: Indiana Dunes National Park

On our way home, we made one last stop to spend the day at Indiana Dunes National Park in Indiana. We biked from the visitor center to the start of the 3 Dune Challenge. Honestly, it wasn’t much of a challenge compared to the Great Sand Dunes in Colorado. But, it was fun anyway! Then, we biked to the beach which was actually closed because of dangerous waves. The boys were allowed to go just close enough to be splashed and cool off from our hiking and biking. 

Michigan was gorgeous and fun! It’s definitely a place to return to soon. 

Happy 10th Birthday, Kai!

Happy 10th birthday to our Kai Bear! You make the world a better, happier place!

Happy 11th Birthday, Sage!

Happy birthday to a most awesome kid! You make the world a better place with your big heart and big ideas. We love you more than all the quarks in the multiverse. ❤️

Hope you had an awesome day with all your favorites:
McDonalds hotcake breakfast
Pepperoni Pizza for lunch
Qdoba for dinner
Park time, presents, and the annual reading of your birth story!

Camping with Cousins

For their birthdays, the boys asked for a camping trip with their cousins. So, last weekend, we packed up the car and headed to Quivre River State Park for some fun. The kids loved riding their bikes all over the park, hiking through the creek, and playing games by lantern light. Kai and Noah kayaked the lake while Sage tried to catch the many catfish in the swim area. Later, Sage and I took a night hike with Aunt Sarah and Noah to learn about the nocturnal insects and animals at the park. Kai stayed with Uncle Jon and learned how to make apple cobbler on a camp fire. It was delicious! Besides Kai contracting the world’s worst case of chigger bites, we had a fantastic time enjoying cousin time and nature. Thanks, Jon and Sarah, for joining us!

Soaking Up Summer

The summer of 2019 went flew by in a flash! We packed our summer with lots of fun and adventures. The last couple weeks included a zoo trip with cousins, City Museum, a rainy morning at Flying Spider, lake fun, and playing tag in the maze at the Botanical Gardens. 

Cline/Kelly Family Lake Weekend

We also celebrated PaPa Cline’s birthday with our annual family lake weekend. We were only able to stay about 18 hours, but managed to squeeze in dinner, watermelon explosions, Ghost in the Graveyard, swimming, tubing, and lots of giggles while playing “Court” with cousins.

Kelly Family Reunion

This weekend we celebrated another Kelly-Mitchell Family Reunion. It was great to see everyone and catch up with each other.

It’s the Little Things

Last night, at about 2 am, I heard one of the boys get up and go to the bathroom. Shortly after, Kai crawled into the bed with me.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“My tummy hurts,” he said. “But I feel better being in here. I feel better being next to you.”

While hearing your child up with a tummy ache in the middle of the night is never fun, hearing him say he feels better next to you simply melts your heart. As the boys grow older, these type of moments are less frequent than when a kiss from mommy cured all their boo boos, or “tough boys.” So, I delight in these moments, even at 2 am.