Anticipation

Because we are heading to Sunflower Farm in the morning, and because we are going with some of our very best friends, the Rices, I am absolutely giddy with excitement. Last October, we went with our cousins, Katie, Porter and Paisley. With this upcoming visit to the farm, I went back to look at that last trip and realized I'd never blogged the pictures, so here they are!


We started the day playing in an old airplane. Porter was excited to be the pilot!

Then it was off to visit the sheep and give them a bit of a corn snack.

How precious are these sweet cousins?!

Waiting for our turn for a horse back ride, Paisley, Elizabeth, and Emily talked to the horses.

Getting those horse back riding helmets on!

Emily got to go first this time. Look at this big girl riding a horse! She loved it!

Addie was up next. She got to ride the little pony, and got to hold onto the saddlehorn like a real cowgirl.

Elizabeth got to take her first ride with Mama. She was pretty excited!

Porter rode like a natural. A true cowboy on the back of this horse.

Paisley got to ride with Mama, too. What fun!

Emily tested out this rope swing....

...while Addie bonded with this little friend over the magic of Frozen shirts.

Zip Line Time!

Porter found the giant sandbox and made himself right at home with the trucks.

Right by the sandbox there is a little house we've never explored, and the girls had a blast climbing to the kid-sized loft above and watching their friends play below.

Tire swing!

This handsome guy did a little strutting for us.

A little corner of the farm we hadn't visited before...complete with cozy swing and cozy coupe.

And right around the corner from this corner, was this.... the largest collection of outside toys I've ever laid eyes on. Cars, bikes, scooters, roller skates...just about everything you can imagine. We hung out here until the 1:00 bell ringer came around, letting us know the farm would be closing.

While the kids entertained themselves, I got a couple pictures of some of the awesome folk art that can be found on the farm.

 On our way out to our cars, the kids found the pumpkin patch.

I was awed, as usual, by the amazing view of the mountains that comes with a visit to the farm.

Can't wait to go back!!!

Up North

This year we decided to spend some of our time here in Michigan up north on the coast of Lake Michigan. We wanted the girls to have a beach experience, so we got a hotel room for a few nights and drove four hours north from Sue and Larry's to the beautiful little town of Traverse City.

Road Trip!

1st Stop: Good Harbor Beach

Swimsuit? check, Floaties? check, American flag? check!!

A giant sandbox, here's Addie laying in the sand after belly flopping into the waves while yelling "Catch a wave!"

Emily got right to work collecting rocks

Let's get as sandy as possible!

Plant the American flag and get snacking

Chris loved the cold water

A nice lady offered to take a family picture

Sand Castles

Yay!

That first evening, we stopped at a beach playground at Suttons Bay before heading out to dinner.

Swinging in the sunset

The girls found daisies 

Warm sand

Elizabeth wanted to go wherever the seagulls went. She was on the hunt.

Wearing dresses CeeCee made

The next day, we went to North Bar Lake, a tiny little lake that is just a short dune climb away from the huge Lake Michigan.

The girls had a great time in North Bar lake. It was small and unintimidating, and it was a wonderful spot for splashing. 

Then we took the little hike over a dune to see the big lake, where the shoreline was thick with rocks.

Emily was in rock collecting heaven

After swimming, we stopped at the Sleeping Bear Dunes, where Addie was psyched to race to the top.

Hiking.

We could not catch up with the girl!

The other two needed a little help

Very warm sand

After getting to the top of the first little summit (we did not make it all the way to the top, but we'll be back again another day!) Addie decided to log roll down the entire dune. She'd stop every now an then, when she started going sideways, to reorient herself, but she really did roll the whole way down. After running up and rolling down the whole thing, she was wiped out and snoozed hard in the car on the way to dinner.

Dinner was at Boone Dock's in Glen Arbor, a restaurant Eric and Cathy had introduced us to when we went two years ago with Elizabeth. It's has a wonderful covered outdoor seating area, and the burgers are delicious.

After dinner, we couldn't resist the ice cream shop next door!

Hotel Shenanigans....this was our family's first experience in a hotel room, and even though we played a lot of musical beds during the three nights we were there, we figured it out and made it work.

Our last day up north was a little cloudy and chilly, so we shopped in town and then ate lunch and played a little at the Suttons Bay playground.

Aunt Ellen gave each of the girls a five dollar bill to spend on whatever they wanted on our trip. Addie chose a music box and a bottle of juice for Addie Bo, her baby. Emily chose a music box and a coloring book, and Elizabeth finally chose a crawling caterpillar after picking up and dropping just about everything in the store. :)

Cutie!

Good climbing, Em!

Addie Bo, Addie's baby, went everywhere with us on this trip

Sweet smile from a sweet girl

After lunch, we took a car ride to Esch beach, where it was so drizzly and windy, Chris was the only one to walk into the water. We ate dinner at a little fish n chips joint and then headed back to our Motel 6, where we slept one more night before heading back south to Sue and Larry's.

It was a wonderful little trip, and I hope to do it again next year. There are so many beaches to explore, and it was so fun to play, relax, and unwind together.