Vacation - The Cottage

Every July we travel home to visit family and friends in Michigan and Ohio for a couple of weeks. The entire vacation was nothing but go go go and we were on our death bed EXHAUSTED by the end. We love the visits and dream of moving back some day. Until then, our short trips home each summer will have to do.

Normally we travel by plane from Arizona. Not this year. This year we went the crazy route. We chose to take our chances on driving. Yes, we drove from Arizona to Michigan in just TWO, I repeat, TWO days with THREE kids in the car (post on that coming soon).

Our first stop on this trip was to the Walters' family cottage. We've stayed there the past three years so the kids remember it and were excited about being able to swim in the lake again. But to our surprise the weather was just downright chilly. But we made the best of it and the kids still had fun jumping on the trampoline, finding snails at the beach, and learning to ride their bikes without training wheels.

Note: Alena was NOT a fan of having her training wheels off and any wiggle of the bike caused her to dive off. Therefore, I was not able to get a picture of her.

Aren't these pictures great?! I took them with the new Galaxy S4. LOVE it! As a matter of fact, the top two of Christian on his bike are from my Sony hand-held camera which I love but I think my phone may have taken clearer shots.

So back to vacation... Doesn't Noah just look sooo thrilled to be sitting on the beach taking "selfies" with me? I can't believe I just used the term selfies. I will never do that again.

Seriously mom?

And then we have the game that never ends... Parcheesi. Ugh, that darn game went on for-ev-errrrr.

The weather wasn't ideal for staying in a VERY old and hardly insulated cottage for these warm weather only Arizonans but we made do and survived. The kids are already looking forward to going back next summer.