Summertime

Last week we were in Michigan with my family, all 16 of us. Some of our highlights:

I thought it looked like Emma stepped into a painting.  We couldn't believe the whitecaps on Lake Michigan!

Wave jumping with "Bomba Dave"

Salmon dinner on the beach (with grilled corn & baked potatoes) to celebrate 

Dad and Mom's 35th Anniversary

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Paddleboat Ride with "Bama Jan"

4th of July

 We celebrated the 4th of July with Jeff's family in Elkhart.  It was such a fun weekend with everyone.  These cousins love being together.

 The three boys (age 10-13) slept in this tent a few nights.  They set it up themselves and also built campfires at night.  It was neat to see them tromping around the woods, being adventurous together.

 The guys went on a canoe trip one afternoon. While they splashed in the water and tipped a canoe,

 the ladies were in the woods having a tea party!  Jeff thinks the neighbors might have been watching us out their windows...  :) 

 It's always a special time of sharing, praying together, and eating sweet treats.  I'm glad for Emma to get to experience this with these women-cousins, aunts, grandma, and great-grandma.

 Since the weather was nice, we played out in the creek a lot-canoeing, tubing, and splashing. I liked seeing Emma laughing as she tubed down the creek with Aunt Melissa.

We are thankful for the family God has given us! 

Little Eden

The kids and I got to spend a week with my parents at one of our favorite places in the world, Little Eden, in Onekama, MI. Since we live in the city, I really appreciate the times the kids get to just live in their swimsuits, going from one water activity to the next!

 Good times for bonding with Grandma Jan!

Emma took good care of this sweet birdie one day.  She literally held him all day long and looked for worms to feed him.  She's a nurturer!

Here are the makers of the wooden boats for the Friday afternoon boat competition.  Dad assisted them on their projects, made from scrap wood from his woodshop.

Clayton and my cousin Wyatt laughed so hard together as they tried to tip this boogie board in the water.  They were whooping and hollering. 

 Hudson jumps off his sand hill while Clay and Emma walk the Lake Michigan shore.

 Emma and Cousin Mattie perform "synchronized" cartwheels off the blue water mat.

Love, love this place! Thanks, Dad and Mom, for all your help this week. Some of the words we came up with to describe our week: Fire. Marshmallows. Kayak. Snack Shop. Canoe. Cabin. Sand. Waves. Sunset. Boat Race. Tubing. Greased Watermelon Contest. Frog Race. Laughter. Family. Story telling late at night.Fun!

Backpackers

 Jeff took our oldest two on a17 mile backpacking trip to the Smoky Mountains recently.  They came home with lots of stories of their great adventures with Daddy in the woods.

 Oatmeal for breakfast

 Clay was in charge of securing their food from any wildlife.

Cozy campsite.