Michigan Trip and Summer Adventures

Michigan... the place that will always have my heart.

We spent a few days on the west side of Michigan with Mimi and Bupa and had a really special time. It's a simple vacation with endless beach hours, but it's everyone's favorite. The kids LOVE the beach and there's just something about those white caps and seagull cries that you just can't beat.

We had a little time before our rental was available, so we spent the day in St. Joseph. We explored a new (to us) beach, walked the shops, and enjoyed some icecream :)

The kids were excited when we got to the rental. They always love a new place to stay. We were 3 houses from our own private beach. And because it was still just a little early, before the official "summer season" for Lake Michigan, and because it was chilly, we had the entire beach to ourselves most of the time. Miles and miles of sand, all for us :)

The next day was hours and hours of beach time. The kids loved digging in the sand, burying themselves, and taking long walks along the shore. Oh and Mimi and Bupa's puppy, Ella, joined us too.

Quick trip back to the house for lunch and a break from the wind, then right back to the beach :)

That night we watched the sunset by a beach fire. So of course that also meant s'mores!

I always try to get some cute pictures of us on the beach. (If you haven't noticed) Ewan only likes wearing "slinky" clothes, so he refused to wear the outfit to match the girls. Oh well, this is real life anyway. I sure do love my little family.

The next day was... you guessed it... more beach time! We actually got in the water a little bit and didn't completely freeze. But again, because it was slightly chilly we were the only ones around.

And unfortunately, we had to cut our trip short. We were supposed to stay one more night and leave the next morning. But after finding 4 ticks in the house and 1 that actually latched onto Michael, we decided it wasn't worth staying. I was sad the beach trip was over, but happy to have had another year of sand and sun in my favorite place :)

When we got home, the next day we decided why not get back in the car and drive an hour south to go cherry picking and visit Lincoln's New Salem. I'm telling you, in the summer, we just don't ever stop! But who can blame me when there's cherries to be picked?? :) We picked 9 pounds of tart cherries!

We enjoy Lincoln's New Salem, which is a replica village where Abraham Lincoln lived for a time. We even got to see a rifle demonstration! There's something really simple and nostalic about the pioneer era. I try/wish to replicate a lot of that in my own life :) Although, I would never want to go without indoor plumbing ;)

When we got home, it was time to process the cherries. Isla and I made cherry pie filling and cherry jam. Pitting cherries is a labor of love!

I guess it's becoming a tradition to have a Father's Day/Pop Pop birthday/pool party in the middle of June. Any chance to be with their cousins is a great time. We celebrated with pool time, car rides, and presents :)

We are quickly checking off summer bucket list items. One of Isla's summer goals was to run a lemonade stand. Isla and her neighbor friend teamed up this year and made $14 each :)

The other day a friend asked if we had a busy summer. I told her we don't really have any obligations or things we have to do, but our days are full to the brim with all the summery things we want to do. This includes catching crayfish in the creek, swimming with our friends at the pool, gardening and eating all the freshest foods straight from the backyard, reading all the books for the library summer reading program, and spending long days in the sunshine. We officially LOVE summer in this house.