This past week, 23 of us (including seven kids age three and under!) got together at my grandpa's request for a trip to Mackinaw Island. We spent a wonderful week exploring northern Michigan together and making memories that will last a lifetime. I am over the moon thankful for the time with my grandparents- for the time the boys got to spend getting to know them, for the time I got to spend with them, and for being able to see the joy on their faces as the crazy family they created shared the love and friendship a parent can only hope for.
Day 1: Boyne Falls, MI
Everyone else was already up north but Jon and I arrived with the boys Monday evening. We all met up at our condo at Boyne Mountain for dinner and some play time. The kids ran amok outside near the pond (surprisingly no one ended up in the pond!), we all went swimming, and then took a chair lift ride up to the top of the mountain- even Grandma! The view was just gorgeous, especially when I was able to capture this adorable moment of brotherly love :)
Day 2: Petoskey, MI
The California crew went golfing with mom and dad in the morning, so we went with my aunt and cousin into Petoskey for the day. Petoskey State Park has been my single favorite spot in all of Michigan ever since I was a little girl. I remember wading in the water and searching for Petoskey stones with my Grandpa Smith when I was about four or five years old and I remember the trauma of losing my giant bag of Petoskey stones during our move when I was six. While we have taken the boys there a handful of times, it has always been in the winter when we are up there skiing, so it was really special to be able to take them in the summer just like when I was young. We spent the morning on the beach and by lunchtime we had a brand new bag full of Petoskey Stones. We headed into town to the Roast & Toast for lunch because a trip up north isn't a trip up north unless you eat at the Roast & Toast at least once! And of course, when you eat at the Roast & Toast it is required that you stop by the bookstore next door, so we spent some time reading and I picked up a copy of E.B. White's Stuart Little to read to the boys (not such a grand idea as it turned out). Before we left Petoskey we stopped at Kilwin's for a tour of the chocolate factory because the boys are obsessed with the story Curious George and the Chocolate Factory... and because we had been up north for 24 full hours and hadn't had any chocolate yet!
Day 3: Lake Charlevoix, MI
Uncle Charlie, Aunt Cindy, and cousin Jeffery had rented a house on Lake Charlevoix, so we spent the entire day at their place. They rented a boat and we spent all day on the water- the boys each went tubing a couple of times and Aunt Cindy and Jon each managed to get up on one ski and slalom ski around the lake! We haven't been able to spend this much time with our California family since we were living out in California last summer, so it was just amazing to have so much fun with them again. We finished the night with a family ice cream trip- the perfect ending to a perfect beach day!
Day 4: Mackinaw Island, MI
Grandpa Smith wanted the whole family together for lunch in the Tea Room in Fort Mackinac on Mackinaw Island. So 23 of us loaded onto the ferry and off we went! We took a carriage ride around the island and stopped for lunch in the fort. Jon and the boys and I spent the rest of the afternoon with our California family sampling fudge from one end of downtown to the other :) After our ferry ride back to the mainland, Jon and I took the boys for their first ride across the Mackinaw Bridge into the Upper Peninsula and on the way home we saw the most beautiful rainbow.
Day 5: Lake Louise, MI
After half of the crew spent the morning zip-lining, we spent the rest of the day on Lake Louise at my cousin's cottage. They had a little beach and once we plopped the boys down in the sand, they literally didn't move for four hours. Jon got to kayak and fish and I was able to sit down, relax, and visit with my family. We took a boat ride around the lake and saw the bald eagle's nest, we locked all of the kids on the boat and turned on some music so they could dance some energy away, cousin Jeffery lit some fireworks and we all made s'mores and hobo pies over the campfire. With everyone leaving the next morning, it was really hard to say goodnight, especially to our California family.
A giant THANK YOU to Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Smith for starting four wonderful generations of this crazy family and for inspiring us all to come together for such an amazing family vacation!
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