First Day of School

Before Mickey and I had kids, I saw a commercial for Staples. In the background, a Christmas song was playing, "It's the most wonderful time of the year." Then you see a dad walking down the isle throwing school supplies in the shopping cart while dancing and a huge smile on his face. Then it panned to side where a son and daughter were standing with their arms folded and unhappy faces. I laughed for a while at that commercial. Now that we have kids going to school, I quietly sing that song in my head at this time of year! :)

Seriously, I will really miss my darling children. They have been such a help to me this summer. Beth loves to clean and Jacob loves to help with Emma. We got to meet their teachers on Monday and they both seemed to be a good fit for the kids. As Emma is sleeping, I wonder how she will adjust to being home with just me. In September, Emma will go to preschool for 2 half days a week. What will I do with 6 hours all to myself????

Mackinac Island

Last year was the first time I went to Mackinac Island in Michigan. It was so cold last year that we had to buy jackets and this year it was so HOT! But the views were much better! You have to take a boat to get to the island. When you get there the only ways of transportation on the island are bike, horse or foot. My brother and his wife had never been here so we had to go again this year. We made sure to buy some fudge from the many fudge shops on the island. YUMMY!Bailey and Beth showed off the view from our lunch spot at the fort. Bailey, Jacob, Kevin and Beth liked the shade during the heat of the day.

Tahquamenon Falls

We continued our Upper Peninsula tour by driving another hour along the coast until we reached the Tahquamenon Falls. We were in the car for about 7 hours this day but these views were well worth the drive. I would love to go back here and enjoy the trails. Emma wanted to have her picture made at the Falls. I think it turned out adorable!These are the upper falls. The color of the falls in beautiful. Tanic acid from the decomposing trees runs off into the river. Here is a picture of the lower falls.

Iroquois Point Lighthouse

While we were on the Upper Peninsula, my mom took us out to one of the many lighthouses on the Great Lakes. This one was about an hour away to the west from the Soo Locks. We were able to climb to the top of the Lighthouse. I started to get a little worried on the way up but the view was spectacular.Bailey, Kevin, Jacob and Beth made the climb with me. Only 5 people were allowed up at one time since the space was so small.
There is a small boardwalk around the lighthouse. Jacob couldn't wait to get near the water.

Jacob told me that this was the best day ever. He loves to get in the water at a beach. I had to make sure that he didn't end up entirely wet since I didn't have a change of clothes with me.

Soo Locks

My mom loves to take us to out of the way places that you wouldn't normally go! We went up to the Upper Peninsula in Michigan this week. First we headed to the Soo Locks on the US/Canadian border. We got there just in time to see this massive boat move through the locks. This boat went from Lake Superior to Lake Huron. Lake Superior is 25 feet higher than Lake Huron.

Here are Jacob and my nephews James and Kevin at the Locks. They all love Mario games and got matching shirts for the trip. They are great friends.

This is Emma and my niece, Rachel at the Locks. Emma has had great time playing with her during this vacation.

I had to add the map to show exactly where we were. My parents lives in the southeastern part of Michigan. We had to travel about 5 hours to get here. The excitement never ends with my mom!

Greenfield Village at the Henry Ford Museum

My parents always have a membership to the Henry Ford Museum in Michigan. While Mickey loves the car museum, I love the village that they have on the grounds. It includes a steam locomotive, 1913 carousel, Model T car rides, horse drawn carriage rides, the Wright brothers original home, Thomas Edison's workshops, a plantation house, and many other period homes.

When we were on the train, Teddy Roosevelt got on to campaign for the elections. We sat right in front of him and got to hear the campaign chatter. The kids loved it. I love a little history with my vacation!

Niagara Falls

We had a crazy trip from my parents home in Michigan to go and see the Hill Cumorah pageant. Part of this trip meant crossing Canada, since it is a shorter route. What should have been a 6 hour drive was turned into a 12 hour drive. Plus we decided to stop for a minute to look at the falls. The kids were impressed! We decided to come back later this month with my brother and his family so we can take the boat ride to the base of the falls. So more pictures to come!