Another weekend, another steam show

On Saturday I took the kids to a small steam stow in Clarksville, Mi. My dad and brother had their engine there to run a large sawmill. Due to naps and the heat we were only there about three hours but had fun seeing a couple engines and the sawmill being operated. The kids also enjoyed the fact that one of the food vendors had four small puppies for sale. I think they spent 45 minutes playing with them. Oh well, as long as we had fun.....

August Vacation Part 2

The second part of our vacation we spent at my sister-in-law's parents house in Boyne City. It was so relaxing there. They have a little waterfall that collects into a pond where the kids were able to catch some frogs. We went and got ice cream and played at a park, and Sunday Julie joined us when we went out on their sailboat. I have never been out on a sailboat and loved it. The kids had fun and it was so peaceful gliding through the water without the engine noise or vibration with engine powered craft. Just the wind and water. Julie and Emma got doused on the return run, but the sun was out and we all had a memorable time. Look out Jay, we will be back! A special thanks to Jackie's parents for letting us invade for the weekend, hopefully their dogs will forgive us for making them stay closed up most of the time!

August Vacation Part 1

Part 1 of our vacation was spent Wednesday through Friday at Young State Park. This might be our final camping weekend for a while due to logistics so we tried to pack some activities in. We went boating, bike riding, watched a beautiful sunset, and tried (failing miserably) to keep the kids semi-clean. We had great weather, quite possibly ending my apparent abilities to have storm systems follow our minivan on the way to the campgrounds. A special thanks to Uncle Tony and Aunt Audrey for allowing Mandy, Alex and I to use their bedroom in their fifth-wheel and Mandy's folks for letting Emma and Olivia crash with them in their camper.

Aunt Audrey's Retirement Party

Saturday we went to Aunt Audrey's surprise retirement party. We didn't make it for the actual surprise part since we tried to get the kids somewhat of a nap. She had no idea about the party, so well done everyone! It was great seeing everyone and spending time with family. If everyone had as much fun as we did then it was a wonderful success. A big thanks to Mike and Nikki for opening their home up to host the party. Well done!