TC:2014

We didn't take a ton of pictures when we took our TC vacation.  The kids had SO much fun.  They loved their bunk beds and all slept in the same room.  We wanted to go to Sleeping Bear Dunes one day and Eric wanted to go on the dune walk to the lake.  I told him it was his funeral.  They, surprisingly, did super well.  I had precisely 11 candy pumpkins left.  So we all got one halfway there.  On the way back the kids had 1 each, 2 different times.  They were great motivators ;)  It took us 4 hours to do the whole thing and we spent another hour at Lake Michigan.

The kids tossing rocks into the lake.

BIG rocks.                                                                                The littlest mister.

Have you spotted the bird yet?

Doing what I do best.

Splash.

Little boy butt cracks.  Love.

Joelle made rock towers the whole time.  She saw a couple of them along the lake and thought they were really cool.

Adelyn getting in on the action.

Our family photo ;)

Glen Lake on the way back.  Almost there.  Sweet relief.

The pack mule.

The trees just started changing color.

How many dunes did you walk?  Oh.  That's right.  EIGHTEEN.  Take that.

Our cottage.  Very nice.

The kids all loved jumping off the dock into the lake.  It was only the end of September.  Then they all were promptly covered in Swimmer's Itch when we got home.

The hot tub.

Sunsets on the lake.  Nothing beats that.

Bahahahaha.  Hahahaha.  Hahahaha.  I wanted to go on a paddle boat ride as a family.  The paddle boat was made for 3 people.  In the front row.  No back seats.  There were some back bucket type things that worked for the little ones but no actual seats.  When we would take them solo they loved sitting back there.  When I walked out with Lincoln, Eric asked if he was alive.  Then he made a couple noises and E said "Oh good. He IS alive.  I guess we will know if he stops making noise, to check on him."  We all climbed in the boat.  It promptly sunk to the bottom of the top.  I said it will be fine.  We started out.  Adelyn and Brecken where crying because they were almost getting wet.  Lincoln looked miserable.  Eric said he was trying really hard not to let water come in on his side.  So we turned around.  The cottage in the background by Eric is the cottage next door to ours.  We made it real far.

I had promised Joelle one last ride.  She was in a time-out when I took A and B and was upset she didn't get to go.  It started drizzling but we still went out.  Her life jacket is under her sweat shirt.  It doesn't look very choppy in this picture but it was. 

We made it a little ways down and then turned around because I didn't feel like swimming that day.

The kids are rarely asked to go to bed, to take a nap, while on vacation.  It usually happens in the car.  This is what happens at the end of vacation and they are watching TV while we clean up.

We passed this intersection a couple times.  It creeped me out every time.  There were no signs advertising selling of the chairs.  Just all lined up like that as if they were waiting for us.  Creepy.

On the way home we stopped at Bubba's and Moomer's.  I was promptly served gluten filled fries after I ordered a GF bun.  So that was fun.  And no sorbet on the menu at Moomer's.  I was telling the kids Moomer's is where you go to eat cows.  So they were pleasantly surprised to find out it was ice cream.  :)  We had SO much fun.  We got back WAY too late but the kids slept the whole way home.  Love us some TC.