Birthday Girl - 7 years old

My sweet girl is 7!  I can hardly believe it!  We started off the celebration at her favorite restaurant, The House of Japan. 

Caleb was not happy that he was not serenaded and presented with his own pineapple boat.


The next day, Jeremy surprised Kenzie with tickets to the 1st Ohio State game.  It was a hot one, but luckily, their seats were in the shade for 3 out of the 4 quarters.

The following day, we celebrated her bday at the Zoo.  She is all about animals these days, and when we started the planning stages of her bday, she asked if we could do something at the zoo and meet some of the animals.  So, that's exactly what we did.  We hit the zoo a few hours before her party with family from out of town. We saw some animals, and got wrist bands so the kid's could do the rides at Jungle Jack's Landing.

 

Then it was party time!  We started off playing some games, and then enjoyed some pizza and cake.  Next some animals were brought out:  a baby alligator, a black footed ferret, armadillo, a red bearded dragon, etc. The kid's learned some cool facts, and got the chance to touch each animal.  Mackenzie was in heaven!

Afterwards, the cousin's came back to our house for a sleepover.  Since it was Labor Day weekend, and the last day the pool was open, we logged one more time at the pool.  It was the perfect birthday celebration for my sweet girl!

Happy birthday to the sweetest girl I know.  Daddy and I couldn't love you more, and are so proud of the little girl you have become.  You excel at school and are way above where you should be academically.  I hope academics always comes easily for you.  You are very well liked and love to be around other kids.  You are still shy around adults, but are slowly becoming more comfortable in the spot light.  You are naturally atheletic and the fastest runner on the block.  In the past few months, you have advanced multiple levels in gymnastics, and are constantly flipping and cart wheeling off our furniture. You are very creative and love crafts.  I call you "Macguiver" b/c you can turn a napkin, paper clip, straw rapper and rubber band into the most amazing, working invention.  I have never seen anything like it.  But your very best trait is your big heart. You may have a big, spirited personality, but you have a heart of gold.

Happy 7th birthday Mackenzie!  We can't wait to see what this year has in store for you!

Back to School

Well, it's official, Summer is over!  We had an amazing Summer and although we are sad to see it go, we are excited for the school year ahead.  Mackenzie had her walk through this week and met her teacher.  She is super sweet, and will be a great fit for Mackenzie. 

1st Day of school:

Here's to a great school year!

Traverse City 2013

This year we took our first vacation ever as a family of 4.  We have had many wonderful family trips with extended family, but we've never done a vacation just the 4 of us.  We have heard a lot of hype about the beaches in Michigan.  Originally, as die hard Buckeye fans, we were reluctant going to Michigan.  However, we both had many friends and co-workers who raved about the beach towns, the tourist activities and the minimal travel time.  So, we went for it.  Jeremy did lots of research and settled on Traverse City.  It was the perfect beach town, with lots to do, and perfect for our family!

We left Friday, late afternoon after Jeremy got off work.  We had lots of new movies (which I borrowed from family/friends to pass the time), crosswords, coloring books, snacks, etc. 

We drove about 5 hrs and stopped for the night.  The hotel was about an hour away from the resort.  We had dinner, went to bed, and had a nice buffet breakfast and morning swim before hitting the road.

About 1 1/2- 2 hrs later, we had made it to the resort!  I wish I had taken more pictures of the entrance.  It was beautifully landscaped, and as you entered you passed by the greens of one of Jack Nicholas's golf courses. 

We stayed in a 2 bedroom condo.  It was amazing!  There were 2 bedrooms, a kitchen, family room, 2 full baths, and 2 balcony's. 

The resort had 2 outdoor pools, 1 indoor pool (with waterslides, fountains, etc), and a private beach. There were also several casual and a couple formal restaurants on the grounds as well. 

Our first day we unpacked and hit the beach. I had to see my sweet children's toes in the sand.

Throughout the week, we visited several beachers within a 10-20 minute drive.  The weather was high 70's to mid 80's, blue skies and see-through blue water.  We truly felt like we were in the Carribean, and may have repeated the same phrase "I can't believe we are in Michigan" over and over again.

Hasserot Beach:

                                                         Picinic at the Beach

Elk Rapids Beach, best beach playground ever!  Fully shaded and the most spectacular water views.

 One of the entire family's favorite memories from this trip was visiting Sleeping Bear Dunes.  It was an amazing experience climbing the sand dunes and feeling on top of the world.  The views were breath-taking. We also did the car tour and got out at all the look outs and the views were incredible. It was the coolest day of our vacation, in the mid 70's and as you can see from our attire, the wind was really strong. In hindsight, it was the perfect day to go.  I don't think it would've been possible to climb the dunes with hot sand.

 So, as you park your car this is your view.  The picture does not do it justice as far as the enormity of this sand hill.  I honestly thought when you got to the top, you were done.  Oh no, it was just the beginning. This was quite a steep hill too.  Here's a little video to prove my point. (Disclaimer: At one point of the video, as I am clearly out of breath, I have no idea I am filming and you just see my toes making their way through the sand).

 

 So, once we reached the top, we realized, we weren't even close.  There was an enormous, vast, plateau like sandy area. The views were amazing! Then you had different paths (or I like to call them mini-mountains) to climb from there.

I was a little winded climbing a steep 2 mile mountain, so I decided to take a little rest, while the rest of my family went on.

 Daddy and the kids said the views were even more spectacular. I will take their word for it.

Then it was time for the descent. The highlight for me. Running down the dunes was a huge adrenaline rush and so much fun!

 And after making our way up and back down the dunes, we took the most jaw dropping car tour. Honestly, the views from the lookouts were the most beautiful sights I have ever seen.

If you are ever in Michigan, this is a must!  Best part of the trip hands down. 

Here are some other highlights from our trip: Miniature Golf.  My sweet 3 year old got 2 hole in ones!  He was amazing!  We had no idea and not to toot my own horn, but I got one too. 

...and it wasn't just putt-putt, there were other fun activities too...

 Who can resist a little zip lining?  Not these two dare devils!

Pirates Cove was a ton of fun for all!

One thing we learned is that Michigan is home to cherries.  There were cherry orchards everywhere.  Of course, we couldn't bypass a cherry stand!

Mackenzie and I loved a little "girl time".  Sitting on the balcony playing cards, taking naps together or just being silly.  We rarely get time together just the two of us, and it was so nice to have!

We even celebrated our 9th anniversary together while on this vacation.  Mackenzie told the cleaning ladies one morning when we were headed to the beach, and we returned to this.

And Jeremy's parents surprised us with a gift card for dinner to any restaurant at the resort.  As an anniversary present to ourselves, we hired a local photographer to take a few family photos of us. The perfect way to end a vacation, and it will help us remember this memory for years to come!