We spent last week in Boyne Falls, Michigan with my family. Levi turned six months old during the trip (we took the photo a couple days early), so we obviously had to have a half-birthday celebration with everyone present!
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| Everyone needs a half-birthday cake on their half birthday! Mommy couldn't watch! :) His uncles were a little jealous that he got half of the cake to himself...although they did split up the slobbered-over cake when Levi was done. |
We arrived on Saturday with enough time for supper and grocery shopping. Sunday evening we explored the area a bit. Our house was part of a ski resort, so we got to ride the chair lift to the top of the mountain! The rest of the family went disc golfing down the mountain, but we took the easier way back down the lift. :)
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| View from the top! |
On Monday, we visited Mackinac Island and enjoyed biking around the island. Once again, the three of us took the easy route while the rest of the family explored the hilly areas. Levi did pretty good, but enjoyed being out of his seat the best! The Island was beautiful! Of course, we had to try the famous Mackinac Island Fudge before we left...delicious!
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| Ferry ride to the Island |
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| Enjoying the scenery! |
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| No motor vehicles are allowed on the island. We learned that this is the only state highway in Michigan where vehicles are prohibited. :) |
Tuesday was pontoon day on Lake Charlevoix! We again had beautiful weather and enjoyed our time tubing, swimming, and cruising on the lake.
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| Our Chauffer |
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| Tubing! |
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| Levi wan't a fan of the bulky life jacket he was required to wear all day, but he did manage to enjoy himself a little! |
We spent Wednesday enjoying activities around the resort. The boys played tennis and I took Levi swimming in the pool. Later, we visited the beach on Deer Lake. It was so shallow that we had to go a LONG way out before the water was above our knees!
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| This is my brothers inventing a balancing act game... |
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| Levi and Grandma |
Thursday we drove to Petosky State Park and went hiking and then to the beach (this time it was actually Lake Michigan, so we can say we stepped in it!). Afterward, we went to Kilwin's for a "free" chocolate tour that ended in purchases of ice cream and fudge that certainly did not qualify as free...but was quite yummy!
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| Hiking at Petosky |
Friday was similar to Wednesday as we stayed around the resort. Tennis, kayaking, swimming, and shuffle board filled our day.
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| Matt and Levi enjoyed a good nap on the beach! |
In the evening, we walked from our house to the top of the chair lift and then rode the lift down to the resort. We experienced a hay rack ride, s'mores, and ice cream before heading back to get packed for the way home!
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| Hay rack ride! |
As for our house, it was perfect for the week! The boys all stayed downstairs, and then the rest of us had rooms on the main floor. There was a fire pit out back where we roasted marshmallows one night, and a trail out back that headed up the mountain. We made all of our morning and evening meals, and packed lunches for the days. The beautiful weather made the trip very nice!
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| The boys enjoyed their foosball games in the basement! |
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| ...that is, until Mom turned it into her drying rack. :) |
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| And, obviously, Levi got spoiled. It has been an adjustment getting back to life without constant attention! |
Saturday morning, we took a couple last pictures before splitting up and heading separate ways to the same destination of Grand Rapids.
Mom and Dad and the boys went to Sleeping Bear Dunes. Assuming we could find something more baby-friendly, we headed to Grand Rapids and ended up at the zoo for the afternoon.
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| Yes, Levi went into the petting zoo basically just for the sake of a picture. But while he was petting the goat, another one stole the map out of Matt's back pocket and ate it! |
The final highlight of our trip was spending Saturday night with Aaron and Laura, Matt's cousin. We got to see Heidi's Farmstand and Bakery and tour their operation, and it was very interesting! They also have a little boy who is two months older than Levi.
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| All dressed up for church! Kellan was feeling much more photogenic than Levi that morning. :) |
We met back up with my family at church in Alto, and were thankful for the love shown to us by the people there. We got home late Sunday night and were glad to sleep in our own bed again!
Lots of peaches, blackberries, and tomatoes welcomed us home this week, so we are getting broken back into life around here. And Levi is really struggling with the harsh reality that he isn't getting the constant attention that he enjoyed on vacation.
We were thankful for safe travels and a relaxing trip to spend time together enjoying God's creation!
