Michigan 2019- Part 1

We headed to Suttons Bay, MI shortly after the fourth of July. Michigan is one of my favorite places to go for many reasons, but my favorite part of Michigan is the weather. While it's 90 degrees here, it's around 70 degrees there. Add in the quaint, cute towns, the beautiful view, chipmunks, and the beach, it makes for a great vacation. Another great addition to our vacation this year was my parents! We wanted them to experience Michigan one time, and they definitely made the trip exciting. :) 

After a nine hour drive we were ready to relax. Paige doesn't know what the word "relax" means so she grabbed her net and went to search for rocks. The water was a lot higher (and rougher) on this trip so we couldn't do as much in the water at the cottage like we did last year. It was still a beautiful view though! 

Shortly after I took these pictures she slipped and fell in the water. It never fails!

My parents brought their washer boards so the girls enjoyed playing almost every day. 

There are kayaks at the cottage so we were able to use those when the water wasn't rough. 

Paige wanted to go out but decided quickly she was ready to be back on land. 

Our first full day in Michigan we decided to hit up Leland which is a small town also known as "Fishtown". It's a great little town that is fun to walk around and browse the shops, have lunch, and then grab some coffee at Blue Boat Coffee which is my favorite little coffee shop there. 

While everyone was getting ready Mammy and Paige rode scooters. I had no clue my mom was so talented riding a scooter. I was impressed! 

We stayed at "Point Sunnyside Up", and in my opinion,  it's one of the best rentals in Suttons Bay. They have literally thought of anything and everything you could need. 

One of our first stops in Leland was lunch at "The Cove". We love to go there and enjoy the view right by the dam. 

I enjoy seeing all the fishing boats and fisherman around. 

Someone mentioned that it was "fairy day" and little girls could get their face painted. Paige was in seventh heaven. She was just enamored with "the fairies". 

Paige's dream come true!

She was so proud of herself!

Paige was happy to do a little fairy dancing after she was done up. She is a girly girl through and through!

That afternoon Ella wanted to take a kayak out so my dad went out with her. Ella wasn't able to get the hang of kayaking the summer before, but she was able to this trip. She was very proud of herself! 

The chipmunks were not as outgoing and brave this time around. We saw them running around, and they loved the nuts that were laid out. It wasn't until the last day that Ella was able to get one to eat out of her hand. They were still adorable to watch though! 

The following day we rented jet skis. This is also the morning we were locked out of the house. My dad was the last out of the house and locked up everything without checking if we had a key. Lol!! After picking up the jet skis I found out from the owners that they had an extra key hidden so we were able to get back in the house. There was seriously never a dull moment on this trip. 

My mom went for a little ride with my dad. When I say little, I mean LITTLE. It only lasted a few minutes, but at least she went. 

I was able to go out and ride this year since my parents where there to help with Paige. Paige wanted to go out, but she can't handle the noise. Ella and Adam were on another jet ski, and Adam thought it was so funny to go by and splash me. The water is COLD so I wasn't as enthused as he was. 

The best place to watch the sun rise!! It's gorgeous. 

That wraps up our first few days in Michigan. Stay tuned for the last few days... 

Fourth of July fun 2019

Fourth of July is my favorite holiday of the year. It's a full day with a parade, swimming, grilling, fireworks. I love it all! 

I continued my tradition of getting a few "patriotic" type pictures of the girls. It was an absolute fiasco with Paige this year. You can't tell from these pictures but she was exhausted.    Exhaustion with her leads to a lot of craziness, but I was able to get a few good ones. 

Our day started bright and early since we planned to watch the parade. My parents and Autumn came over to watch it. Next year, Autumn wants to actually participate so we may just do that.  

Decked out and ready to catch some candy!

 It wasn't quite as hot as last year which was nice, but we tend to go out too early and sweat to death before the parade even starts. It's all part of the fun! :) 

 Paige was TERRIFIED of the fire trucks. She despises loud noises so she watched the parade with Mammy from the window. 

The big girls had a good time collecting candy and watching the firetrucks go by. 

 After the firetrucks, our neighbors go by in golf carts, bikes, scooters. Pretty much if it moves you can participate in the parade. I love our little parade on the Fourth. It's a great way to kick off the day. 

After the parade was over we went directly to the pool to cool off. The girls had a good time swimming before it started to rain and we went in for lunch. Luckily, this was the only rain we had this day. We were worried rain might disrupt our fireworks, but mother nature cooperated.

We also had water balloons that Paige DID NOT want to share with anyone. She has a lot to learn about life still. Lol!

After swimming and lunch, we took a small break before going to my parent's house for dinner and fireworks. 

I get a family picture every year on the Fourth of July. It's fun to look back and see the changes over the years. I remember on Paige's first fourth Ella wanted nothing to do with Paige in the picture, because she was screaming. We have come a long way! 

This picture pretty much sums up Paige's personality. She is a wild child and wanted to pose like this. 

Instead of going to the river fireworks this year we opted for fireworks at my parent's house which was a great choice. We were able to relax, have a few drinks, and start fireworks whenever we wanted. We did quite a few when it was light out, but it was still fun!

The girls enjoyed sparklers. This was Paige's first time with sparklers. She enjoyed them but hated the fireworks. She can't handle loud noises which the Fourth is all about loud noises. 

 We started the big fireworks around 8:00 and ended before it was even dark. It was nice to get home at a decent time and not have to fight the crowd. 

 It was a great Fourth with lots of family time and fun. I was sad to see it end since it's my favorite holiday of the year but thankful for all the fun we had.