The Great Wolf Lodge

A couple of months ago Ben's cousin shared a deal that the Great Wolf Lodge in Traverse City was running. We decided that a night away at an indoor water park would be a fun getaway for our small family. We went last week and had such a great time. It was just our family for two whole days. What a wonderful treat!

Part of the hotel room was sectioned off for the kids. They loved sleeping in the Wolf Den!

They even had their own little TV in the Wolf Den.

Although they each had their own little peephole by their bunk, they thought it was great fun to climb up and peer at us over the top.

Evie Kate is ready for the pool! She did great in the water! No tears, no fussing. I am so thankful for this girl's sweet spirit. She just goes with the flow.

Pizza for dinner! It was a late dinner since we had been at the water park. Evie was already sleeping. It's not always convenient to have the entire family sleeping in the same room but I have to say - we had no trouble with it at all! Evie slept right through dinner and the older two fell asleep early while Ben and I stayed up.The water park was a lot of fun. We went down small slides and big slides. We jumped on big floating lily pads and ran through the splash pad. We floated down the lazy river and swam in the big pool.
We had a great time. Ben and I took turns watching the kids so that we could go down the big tube slides ourselves. I wasn't able to take very many pictures because with three small kids both Mama and Daddy were in the water.

Our Old Kentucky Home

We spent Labor Day weekend in Louisville, Kentucky visiting with good friends and attending our old church, Highview Baptist. We are thankful for great friends who hosted us in their home, others who came to visit us while we were there and for still others who invited us into their homes while we were in town. We were able to see many friends in just a few days. Thank you, friends, for making us feel welcome and taking time out of your holiday weekend to spend time with us.
Owen was ecstatic to be back in Kentucky. He begged to go see our old apartment and, to my surprise, he remembered it. When we walked into church Sunday morning he jumped up and down and yelled, "IT'S MY KENTUCKY CHURCH!" And of course he had a blast visiting with his old friends. Being apart from friends for 8 months is a long time when you're just barely 4. I was so glad he remembered so many people.
Unfortunately, I took few pictures. Few as in three. That's it. Here are two of them.

Emma, Owen, Aubrey & Sara. These are Will's sisters.

And there is Will! Will was probably the highlight of Owen's trip to Kentucky. He frequently asked when we were going to see him and was just beside himself with excitement when we were finally able to say, "We're now on our way to Will's house!"

And of course we made sure to eat at Chick-Fil-A while we were in town. That was probably the highlight for Ben!

The Guys Go Camping

Ben and I camped every summer until we moved to Kentucky and had to put all of our gear in storage. Since our children came after we moved to Kentucky, they have never gone camping. Well that changed for Owen a couple of weeks ago when he went on his first camping trip with Daddy, his Uncle Jeff and his cousins. He had so much fun! He said he could camp forever. Ben told me that several times throughout the weekend Owen would say, "Thank you so much, Daddy for taking me camping!" I love his thankful heart.
I asked Ben to snap a few pictures of their trip so I could see all the fun they had. I was pleasantly surprised to find so many pictures on the camera when they got home. Here are a few:

Owen checking out the sleeping arrangements
The tent

Breakfast outdoors

Jumping on the sand dunes - it's Daddy's turn.

Going on a hike

More eating - it's what you do when you camp

Fishing

No fish were caught, but one of the boys caught this turtle.

Everyone took a turn holding the turtle.

Relaxing around the campfire.

Brenden with his Daddy

After they packed up camp they went putt putt golfing, rode go-karts and even splashed around on bumper boats. Owen had a great time driving his go-kart all by himself - until he crashed.

Brenden wanted to go on the zip line but then backed out. Ben went instead. I don't think he minded.

Brenden (almost 7), Owen (almost 4) and Cole (8).

I'm so glad these boys each have a good Daddy who is investing in them and raising them to be men. A weekend outdoors doing guy stuff without Moms and sisters around was just what they needed!

It's What I Asked For . . . I guess

My sister and I often joke that because we are always taking the pictures of our family we are never in them. So, I handed Ben the camera this weekend and asked him to use it for a while. It's not that I want pictures of myself for my own sake. It's because if something were to happen to me while my children are young I'd like them to have pictures to remember me by. I'd like them to know that even if they don't remember the things we did together as a family, Mommy was in fact present. Perhaps I think this way because my own mother died young. But nonetheless, it's how I think. So Ben took the camera, understanding my desire, and this is what I got.
I laughed when we got home and downloaded the pictures to the computer and found these. This is all of the pictures. This isn't exaaaactly what I had in mind; but he did take pictures of me, didn't he?

Yep, kids. Mommy was there!

The fact that I'm even posting should communicate that I don't want these pictures taken for my own sake. There is nothing flattering about them. Ha! I'm posting them because I think it's so funny and I know my sister will find the humor in it too!

The Last of the Island

These will be the last pictures I post of our time on the island, promise. There were many beautiful lilacs on the island. They were so big and smelled so good!
Owen with Ben's cousin, Blake. So I think that would be Owen's first cousin once removed?

It was a long day for Aubrey. Her sleeping in Grandpa's arms might have been his favorite part of the whole day!

Ben's grandparents outside of the butterfly house.

Arch Rock

My Family

The kids did a little artwork in the art gallery.

Trying on the top hats. It was a bit big so Grandpa helped hold it up.

Just being silly - one of the things they are really good at!

Ben pointed this sign out to me. Of course it made us think of my mom. She would have loved riding her horse around the island!

Hopscotch on the Island

Grandpa is teaching Owen how to play hopscotch.
He caught on.

The Butterfly House

We stopped in at the Butterfly House while we were on the island. Butterflies only live 3-6 days so we were asked to not touch them. But Grandpa couldn't resist.
Aubrey admiring the butterfly on grandpa's finger.

Inside the Butterfly House

If you look closely you'll notice the butterfly on Grandma's head.

Mackinac Island, Michigan

On Saturday we all boarded a boat and spent the day on Mackinac Island. The last time I was on the island was in 2004 when I took my students there on a field trip for a weekend. It was nice to go back! Our group on the ferry headed for the island. We sat on the upper deck where it was a bit chilly.

The kids snuggling with Grandma while enjoying the ride.

The Mackinac Bridge is about 5 miles long and connects the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan. It is the third largest suspension bridge in the world and the largest in the western hemisphere. When you drive across it you can open your car door and look down and see the water. The bridge moves to accommodate changes in wind and weight. It can move up to 35 feet in the center if there are high winds. It is especially beautiful at night.

The great lakes are great in size!

Aubrey with "Aunt Farah"

Here we are on our carriage ride. There are only 9 motor vehicles permitted on the island and they are never seen unless there's an emergency. The 600 residents who live on the island year round and all visitors get around by walking, riding bikes or riding horses. There are about 800-900 horses that live on the island. When you visit you can rent a bike, go on a carriage ride or rent a horse.

There is one small public school on the island that graduated six seniors this year. There is a post office but residents have to pick up their mail at the office. Mail is not delivered to their home.

The island is especially known for the Grand Hotel which has about 300 rooms that are all decorated differently. It's a beautiful hotel where many weddings take place and tours are given.

The island is well known for fudge. One can hardly visit the island and not have fudge!

There is a large home on the island that is used as a vacation home for the governor of Michigan.

There is a lot of history on the island too, which I love. Besides the fact that the 1980s film Somewhere in Time was recorded on the island there many more interesting stories. We toured through a tiny (and I mean tiny) three room home that is believed to be one of the first homes on the island. It couldn't have been more than a few hundred square feet and a man and his wife and their ten children lived there! We even saw the original wallpaper in the home. There are several museums on the island. The Beaumont Museum tells the story of a man who was shot in the stomach leaving a hole where Dr. Beaumont studied the digestive system.

I didn't get a picture of it but there is also a large fort on the island, Fort Mackinac. It was built during the American Revolution and was an important fort during the War of 1812. Today you can tour the fort and even watch reenactments.