Here is our camp site. Douglas does a good job setting things up in style.
Yummy peach cobbler. Okay, I must confess, I don't really like cobbler, but you kind of have to make dutch oven cobbler when you camp.
Jackson decided to climb a tree...
and then couldn't get down. Douglas was nice enough to help him. I was going to make him stay up there.
Testing out the waters of Lake Michigan...too cold for me, but didn't phase the rest of the crew!
Fishing. The kids, especially Jackson are obsessed. This little lake was a bust. All we caught was moss which really isn't very exciting.
Sleeping Bear Dunes. You have never seen dunes quite like this. Even with Douglas' lesson on how to walk up sand dunes, it was hard, hot and very tiring. I was the wimpiest of the family. Of course, being 32 weeks prego makes everything that requires energy a challenge.
If you have the stamina to hike miles across the sand dunes, I have been told you will eventually arrive at a gorgeous stretch of Lake Michigan that few ever see. I don't believe it. Who would really hike miles across sand dunes. Now, if I had a camel, maybe.
The kids rolled down. Whatever floats your boat. I really can't think of anything I would less like to do than cover myself in sand.
We took a beautiful scenic drive around the area. The kids were less than thrilled to have to get in and out of the car to see water and land, but Douglas and I really enjoyed it.
It was such a gorgeous view.
Crystal clear water.
Our little family. How cute are we?
When we got back we drove a mile from our camp site so the kids could play in the lake with their great dad. I sat on the beach chair and watched. I felt no sadness about not getting in the water.
Douglas would love this picture. Too bad he never reads my blog and will never know there was a picture of him of this nature. Hahaha!
The kids loved to climb all over Douglas and have him swim them around. Dad's are great like that.
The next morning we got up early and found a good spot to fish. Prepare yourself for a lot of fishing photos. I was made to take a picture of almost all of them. We caught a ton too. I have to mention that it was actually I, who caught the first one.
Paige felt the need to touch every fish. She wanted to touch their eyeballs. I don't claim to understand her.
They were massive, little, suckers.
That's the worm coming out of his mouth.
and Miss P would have been content just spending all her time playing with worms. That is a worm, not a necklace, by the way.
We went to a little town called Frankfurt. It was obviously very foggy. We started walking out on the pier, but P was so whiney I told the boys to continue and headed back with her. It wasn't until half way back that the fog cleared enough that I saw that there was actually a lighthouse at the end of the pier. We decided to turn around and catch up to the boys so we could see it.
That is J and D to the right of the picture before I spotted the lighthouse.
and there it is.
purty cool, if I do say so myself.
We let the kids dig around on the beach for a while after our walk down the pier. The weather was awesome and there were bench swings on the beach that D and I hung out on.
and then we decided to take a picture of ourselves.
We walked into the quaint little town and got ice cream. Have I ever mentioned what a messy eater Paige is?
Case in point...
There was a cool spot down from our camp spot where a river ran into the lake so we joined many other people and went to play there. Is there anything much cuter than a little girl in a swimsuit with a ruffle? I think not.
Douglas dug a big hole and buried the kiddos. It was all fun until Douglas helped Paige get out and hurt her back. I don't know if it just popped or what, but she laid in pain for a while, finally got over it and was back to herself. Douglas felt so bad for that while.
The sea horsey.
Your's truly.
Ferry ride to Mackinaw Island. Did you know it is actually spelled Mackinac? Confusing.
You can see the tip top of the large bridge that connects the lower and upper peninsula of Michigan.
All packed up and ready to head home. Douglas is a great packer. I hardly have to do anything.
The Grand hotel on Mackinaw.
Riding bikes on Mackinaw. A family in the ward gave us this bike that attaches to the back of Douglas' bike for Paige to ride on. We have used it so much and love it. It allows us to go on real family bike rides.
Looking out on another of the great lakes. I can't remember which.
The arch on Mackinaw Island.
These stairs were so fun to climb. There is nothing more enjoyable than climbing a ton of stairs in my state.
Here you can see the bridge in the background again. And, my cute family.
There are so many fudge shops on the island. If you hit it just right they will just be finishing up and will give you a taste. Yummy. I have to admit though, I still like BYU fudge better.
Looking down the main drag on Mackinaw.
Jackson decided he needed to find some sort of junk to waste his money on while we were on the island. My body was done moving so Paige and I patiently (or not so patiently for me) waited. I won't even get started on the girl smoking in the one piece of shade here. Nope, not going to get started.
Douglas talked J out of a fake gun and broken shark tooth and he ended up with a frisbee.
Heading back to the car to head home.
Both kids totally zonked out on the ferry ride back. I wish I had too. It was the end of a long day and week.
and there you have it....
