Vacation

This past week our family went on vacation.  We went all the way to Curtis (located in the Upper Peninsula).  It was a long drive, but all the kids were wonderful.  We stopped during our trip up there at Arby's.  Ross and I were kind of dreading to take all of our children in there, but every one needed a break from the long car ride.  Ross and the kids sat down (of coarse in the back of the restaurant) and I went to order and bring back the food.  They were well behaved.  As I sat down with the food, an older gentleman came over by us and told us what a lovely family we have.  He repeated it a few times and looked at each of the kids.  It meant so much to us to have a random stranger come up to us and say that!  Usually people say  to us, wow, you have a busy family.  It was so refreshing!!!  We know that we are blessed to have all of our children, but it made us feel even more blessed that someone else noticed.

Our week at Curtis was so much fun.  Scott and Shannon Denherder, along with their two little ones, Gavin (almost 3) and Alice (1 1/2 years).  We shared a large cottage and we rented a pontoon boat that needed two people to get it started (it was a pile, but a fun pile).  The kids played in the sand and played in the water. 

Gavin and Allison playing at the cottage

 

 

 

Ross and one of the babies (I don't have

a clue wich one it is)

The kids playing in the water at the cottage.

We went sight seeing every other day. If you ever go to the U.P.  check out Fayette (a place they used to mine iron ore).  It's a historical place with buildings set up with things of how they used to live. 

Clay and Leanne by a wagon wheel at Fayette

Seney wild life refuge is another good place to go.  Ross and I usually take the kids for a drive through there on Sunday.  It's a nice little drive through nature. 

Reed loved driving through Seney.  We let

each of the kids take a turn driving.  We start

them young.

 

Another great place we went and usually go every time we go to the u.p. is Kitchi-iti-kipi (palm book state park).  It is a natural spring that you take a slow moving raft across.  You can see the spring through the beautiful clear water.  Great big fish are usually swimming in the area too.

Some of the Big fish at the spring

The spring (it looks cooler in person)

Leanne and Clay looking through the glass

at the spring

Pictured Rocks are also a great place to go.  We usually bring our bathing suits and swim at Lake Superior.  We love swimming there.
This year, we also drove up to Munising.  We wanted to see the aftermath of the wild fire they had this past spring.  It was so odd to see all stumps of trees and charred trees. We drove by all these burned trees and Lake superior suddenly appeared out of no where. We stopped at the campground there and let the kids go out and play.  They gathered all sorts of beautiful rocks there.  Sparkly pink and orange ones, dark gray ones, ones with unique cracks in them. 

 

The loggers are starting to take down the

burnt trees.  You can see a stack of them in this

picture

 

 

 

There used to be an inn in this location.

The fire consumed it.

Family picture at Lake Superior.  Not

the best picture of us all, but we were

cold and the wind was blowing.

 

We had a wonderful time spending time together as a family and with our friends.  So happy that God gave us time to relax and enjoy His handiwork.