Vacation Part 2

Tuesday morning we woke up early and were out of the house by 6:45 to head to Mackinac. It was about a two hour drive to get there. We stopped through a drive through to pick up a quick breakfast and just a few miles down the road Jonathan started throwing up. Lovely. Tried to determine if it was from riding in the car, a stomach virus, or just some random kid puke. Whatever it was he seemed to be feeling better so we kept going and got on the 9:30 boat ride to the island. The kids loved the boat ride, Jonathan packed binoculars so he was able to look out and see the island, bridge and other random items close up.

Our plans to borrow a backpack carrier fell through and after much searching to buy one before going to Mackinac were unsuccessful, I don't think the sell those things in stores. We ended up picking up an umbrella stroller, I always wanted one. Sounds silly, but we never got one. Well we have one now, and it is hilarious to listen Lilah say "stroller". We used the umbrella stroller around the island for Lilah. It ended up working out just fine, a little hard up the big hills but it was manageable. First we went to the fort. The kids loved it, specially the kids room. Jonathan kept wanting to go back there. We walked around going in all the buildings and saw the gun and cannon demonstration. We hiked to Sugar Loaf, Arch Rock, Skull Cave, and walked through the cemetery. Jonathan hated the horses because he hates horse poop. He would randomly say he could smell the horses coming and he did not like them or their poop. Can't blame him, I like horses, but I also am not a fan of horse poop. I don't know if it was because most kids were in school, or maybe it was senior day, but the island was filled with blue hair. Tons of carriages went by filled with seniors, and they loved the kids, and the kids loved waiving to them all. We stopped for a picnic lunch at Skull Cave, and Mike and Jonathan, and then Jonathan and I walked around the base of Sugar Loaf. He did awesome hiking all day.
We walked down all the streets downtown and went in a few stores, then decided to take the boat back to Mackinaw City. We packed a bag for overnight in case we decided not to drive back to the cabin. And we did. We stayed in a hotel in Mackinaw City. We were exhaused and so were the kids. We ate dinner at a really nice little restaurant called "Pizza Palace", had all the intentions of getting pizza but the rest of the menu looked so delicious. A few bites in to dinner Jonathan started covering his mouth and saying he was going to throw up. He needed some fresh air outside, so we took turns taking him outside for fresh air. If I didn't know any better I woudl say my 4 year old son was pregnant. He never got sick that night, but he did not feel good for sure. We walked around Mackinaw City and let the kids play on a playground we found in the outside mall. After that we decided to go drive around. We drove over the bridge and back. Stopeed to take pictures a few times and look for the best view. Love how my husband is always thinking of me :) After a few meltdowns abotu wanting to stay on cousin Jace's island and drive to see him, we headed back to the hotel. I am sure we all fell alseep before 10. Mike woke around 1 and the lights were all still on and so was the tv. Guess we were a little tired. Bummed I missed Parenthood, I was so excited we had tv for the night, but grateful for a fun day and a somewhat good nights rest.

Vacation Part 1

We absolutely love my parents cabin on Horseshoe Lake, and decided to spend a week there for our vacation.

While Mike headed up for his annual (and I mean annual as in it is one day each year, and the remaining 364 days are spent talking about it and planning for next year) golf tournament, the kids and I headed up to the cabin, and met Reema (Grandma Moore), Aunt Lacey, Tessa, and Lili. It was great having them up there with us. It was very cold, but the kids enjoyed walking to the beach, boat dock, going on a nature scavenger hunt, playing playdough, making their own pizzas for dinner, decorating pumpkins, and eating popcorn by the campfire. Mike, papa Moore, and Mr. Gary arrived just in time for an awesome breakfast, and afterwards the kids went fising. Lilah and Lili enjoyed their fishing poles made by Reema with a stick, yarn, and paperclip. She is crafty! Jonathan and Tessa used their "real" fishing poles and attempted to catch fish with corn. I think they liked the popcorn the kids fed them the night before better though. After fishing Reema, Aunt Lacey, and the girls headed home.

The four of us decided to take a much needed family nap, and relaxed at the cabin for the rest of the day. There is no tv at the cabin, so the kids play with the few toys we have up there, read books, do puzzles, and play games. Nice and quiet, however the neighbors may not have the same response.

Monday we spend the day trying to track down a backpack carrier to use at Mackinaw, unsuccessfully. We did got to one of our favorite nearby towns, Tawas, for some awesome ice cream at the Mackinaw Creamery, and walked around downtown.