Sending Out Summer

I'm pretty sure we could not have fit one more thing into our summer...our weekends were especially packed - crossing many state lines, visiting lots of friends and family, and going on fun adventures with our two little travelers. We tend to get a little stir crazy when we sit at home too long and I think we knew that once fall rolled around, and our newest family member arrives, our traveling would slow down quite a bit. When I turned the page in my calendar to September, it was almost shocking to see how little we actually have planned.  It was also a bit shocking to see how few weeks we have before Baby #3 could arrive (insert frantic list making of things around the house and at work I need to get done before then)!

But before we get too ahead of ourselves (no pumpkins or boots or sweatshirts here yet), we said goodbye to summer with two last hurrahs...our first was our annual Golden family trip.  This year we spent a long weekend at a house at the Beachwalk in Michigan City. We had a great day at the beach, spent a lot of time swimming and playing at the park, had a very hot (and all-uphill) visit to the zoo, and just hanging out around the house!

The Crew

Celebrating Nolan's 4th Birthday!

And finally, our last summer fling was our family reunion at my Uncle Bob and Aunt Sue's house on the river. We ate a lot (duh) and spent the day fishing, kayaking, and playing in the sunshine. This year my dad and Bob's cousin Danny and his wife Kay joined us from North Carolina. I think we figured out I hadn't seen them since I was three years old! We ended the day with a bonfire and s'mores! 

See ya, Summer 2018...onto our next adventures :)

Michigan 2018

For our annual Flott Family trip we returned to what Elsa refers to as our "Michigan House." We stayed in the same house two years ago and were spoiled by all its amenities. It is nestled in a secluded, wooded area outside Grand Rapids and proved, once again, to be just about perfect for us. It's close enough to Grand Rapids that we made a few day trips into the city and of course, we spent a lot of time in the pool! As an added bonus we got to celebrate our nephew Grier's 3rd birthday!

One of our excursions was to the Meijer Gardens - we took a children's tram tour. The kids got to be "detectives" and we got a guided tour of the sculpture gardens. After the tour we explored a little more - the kids loved the tree house village. We will definitely go back - there was so much to see! Afterwards we headed to one of our favorite lunch places (or beer places depending on who you ask), Founder's Brewery.

Doing their best "trees" on the tour

Elsa loved this statue - she is still talking about his nose :)

Don't get smushed, Clara!

This house we rent has great outdoor spaces - a two story deck, fire pit, hot tub, and an awesome in-ground pool...perfect for late afternoon swimming, snacks, and relaxing!

Birthday Boy!

One afternoon we went to a minor league baseball game....the local Whitecaps happened to be playing against the Southbend Cubs. It was a beautiful day, the kids (and adults) enjoyed all the ballpark snacks, and after the game the kids got to run the bases!

We also made a trip to the Public Museum...

And finished off our stay with a sun-filled pool day that led to a water balloon fight (water balloon slingshot for the grown-ups), and s'mores to end the night!

It was a fabulous trip! We couldn't have asked for better weather, a better location, or better memories!