Last winter, we started talking with Brian and Jill about doing another vacation together this summer. We talked about renting a house somewhere or spending a week on Lake Michigan, but in the end we decided to just spend a week in Traverse City. We intentionally planned lots of fun stuff to do around town and knew it would be easier to be in their house, with their toys, kitchen, beds, etc. Here's how our week went...
Tuesday
We arrived just after lunch, took quick naps, and then headed to the park. Kate discovered that she liked tennis, and all the kids had fun swinging, playing on the merry go round, sliding, and running the bases on the baseball field.
Wednesday
We started the day at the beach out on the peninsula. We were the only ones there for most of the morning, and it was a beautiful day! After the beach, Matt and Brian headed out to golf for the rest of the day. Jill and I held down the fort at home, and we all had a fun afternoon.
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| Lincoln & Kate - they sure like each other |
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| supervisors:) |
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| Graham - oh, that smile:) |
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| playing "family" - all the kids but Will in one photo! |
Thursday
The daddies took the big kids to the driving range in the morning, and the mommies took the little ones to the park. We met up for pizza for lunch before heading home for naps. Smoothies were enjoyed by all after naps:) After we finally got all the kids in bed, we played a new game called Acquire. I beat Brian. That's all I have to say about that:)
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| Liv and Griffin |
Friday
Friday was Sleeping Bear Dunes day. And it was a BIG day. We drove about 45 minutes to Glen Arbor and unloaded everyone. The kiddos got slathered in sunscreen and taken to the bathroom before we started the trek up. It was a longer hike up than I expected or remembered, and it was a little rough. At one point, Kate laid down on the sand and said she couldn't take another step (drama, anyone?). The sand was hot, and Matt ended up carrying Kate and Liv for a good part of the hike. I had Will in the carrier. I'm pretty sure my job was easier:) Brian carried Lincoln and Graham, and Jill had Griffin in the carrier. To say we were tired when we got to the top would be an understatement! The walk back down was much easier. We had a picnic lunch and then headed back to the Hammer's for the rest of the day. Matt and Brian worked on digging trenches for the new irrigation system in the lower backyard after bedtime and Jill and I got to sit and relax for a while:)
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| trying to talk the kids into walking some more |
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so, so adorable! they just walked over to the edge and sat down together:)
(Lake Michigan in the background) |
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| view from the top (Glen Lake) |
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| pure joy for this little boy! |
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| picnic! |
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| my sweet, sassy little two year old |
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| family pic - take 2 |
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| ice cream after dinner! |
Saturday
We went to a splash pad on Saturday morning and the guys worked out in the back yard again during nap time. Post-naps, we all played outside, and then got the kids fed and into bed early so that we could head out for dinner kid-free! Brian's parents graciously offered to stay with the kids while we had a late dinner at the Jolly Pumpkin. It was so, so good to spend a few hours with good friends.
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| Lincoln |
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| Kate |
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| Graham |
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| Olivia |
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| Griffin |
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| Will - this might be the only picture of this little man - oops! |
Sunday
After a quick breakfast, the Hammers headed to church and the Pridgeons headed home.
Time with friends always goes fast, but it was so much fun to be together and do life together for a week. I couldn't believe how much the Hammer boys have grown since we last saw them, and I'm thankful they got to meet Will too. Our kids play so well together, and it's very refreshing to be with others in the same stage of life. Thanks for hosting us, loving our kids, and feeding us ice cream every night. We are so thankful.
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