Squeaking the summer out of the summer...

Victoiously flying a kite!

Cohen and Haiden making "soup"... we had sandwhiches for lunch!

I know there will be months coming up where I won't want to spend much time in the sub zero...so I am squeaking out what is left of summer. I feel good about Glen Arbor, the visit to my Grandma's, the Warner Family Camout, a kayaking trip up and down the Grand River and the weekend trips to the park and the zoo... a lot of time spent outside. This past weekend was no exception Lis, Orion, their lovely child Kib Kib, their niece Layla, nephew Cohen, Wayne, Linda, Linda, myself and Haiden headed up to Grand Haven to my Aunt Sally and Uncle Wayne's. It was the PERFECT day at the big lake. I can't remember a day I have spent at Lake Michigan where everything was so perfect. The waves were big enough to play in but not so big they knocked you over. It was hot enough to want to be in the water, but not too hot to play on the beach. I flew a kite...seriously, it has been decades! I blogged about my Aunt Sally and Uncle Wayne's place last summer. It is really special. We were lucky enough to spend the day on a stretch of private Lake Michigan beach. We could see the overcrowded public access beach and were even more thankful. With three children to keep track of, it sure is easier without hundreds of other people there they can get lost in. One of the highlights of my day was revisiting my trip to the buoy with Lis and Wayne. I remember what a big deal it was when I was a kid to make it "all the way" out the buoy. Really it is only over my head for five feet or so of swimmnig...but back then it was "living on the edge." I felt the same sense of exhileration to touch the bouy without it bashing into my head as I approached it. I LOVE the water and this day was a perfect day to spend in it. Not to mention the kids and the dog were perfectly behaived in the car, on the beach and in the restaurant for dinner. BONUS!

Aunt Sally and Uncle Wayne's cottage is stuck in time...a good time, a traditional Michigan summer house with outstanding views of the lake.

I know I am in better shape this year than last, because the over 100 stairs I took to get to the cottage and then back down to the beach and back up to the car didn't hurt as bad. Haiden even walked every last step this year. The kids were little "show offs," hopping up the steps :). Ahhhhh, to have endless energy.

I spent a good three hours in the water and a few more hours on the beach. . . On to the next adventure! Mackinac, here we come! Adults only this time! :) I look forward to sqeeking every little bit of summer that we have left out of the summer!