The Very First Bender/Seed Vacation....

We are back from the lake...and a day early! Let me recap: The car ride was a breeze! The last hour or so there seemed to drag on and was pretty whiny, but we only had to stop twice each way. As it turns out, I should have been worried about Hannah sleeping...or lack there of. She didn't do much of it all week - which means neither did we! We had to wait until she fell asleep on the couch to lay her in bed and then when she woke up 3-5 hours later, one of us had to sit on the couch with her the rest of the night. She (including me) was soooo exhausted by the time we left!

Although the weather and the water was pretty chilly all week, the lake and surrounding area was beautiful! I never knew Michigan was so pretty. It was the most unique combination of lakes, sand and national parks I have ever seen. The cabin (which The Seed's affectionately call the 'Little Red Dump') wasn't as nice as the scenery, but it served its purpose and had an amazing lake view!

I took a TON of pictures, so I will just go day by day and share some of my favorites (You can see all 665 here and here if you really want too)!

Monday morning we went to the sand dunes. It was just miles of sand mountains that went all the way to Lake Michigan! Aly and Hannah loved it! Aly climbed all the way to the top by herself! We played around at the top of the first dune for a while. Aly buried Dan and Dave in sand all the way to their heads and Hannah was content just to fill her pail. We enjoyed the view for a little while and then ran down the hill. After the dunes, we went back to the cabin for some lunch and the sat out by the lake for a while before making dinner. Even though the water was chilly, the entire lake is only about 12 inches deep (about chest deep at its highest and completely clear) so you got used to it quickly!! To my surprise, Aly absolutely loved it...it was Hannah who had the problem with it! I think it was because her feet keep sinking into the sand and she couldn't stay balanced. She played around in the sand on the shore and was happy.

Tuesday morning we went on a short, mile and a half hike. It should have been a nice quiet walk through nature, but it did not go over so well with the girls. Hannah was sleepy and Aly got tired about a 1/4 mile in, so Dan and I ended up carrying the girls the rest of the way. Apparently, we are not 'hiking' people...sorry Daddy!! After lunch we went to Dave's family's cottage down the road. They have a beautiful old house with a great lake front. Aly had sooo much fun in the sand and the water with her new friend, Morgan, I don't think she wanted to leave! Aly and Dan threw the frisbee (or as Aly calls it, the 'crispy') in the water and enjoyed the sun! Hannah, did not enjoy any part of this experience because she was so tired, so much so that I ended up bringing her back to the cabin to nap and watch Blue's Clues...at least I got to read my book :) That night, Dave and Jess went to their family's for a cook out and we went into Glen Arbor for a night as a family. We had a great time eating at 'Art's', window shopping in the stores and playing in the local park. It all fell apart when the Seed's came to meet us for ice cream. Hannah literally screamed for probably 30 minutes and had everyone in the entire town looking at us!! It was this experience and the lack of sleeping at night that led to our decision to leave a day earlier than planned. Wednesday was a little more relaxing. We hung out by the lake all morning and then went to Outer Creek in the afternoon. It is a creek that empties into Lake Michigan. The girls had an awesome time in the creek picking out stones and filling their pails. We also got to fly a kite and play in more sand. Lake Michigan truly felt like an ocean, minus the nasty salt water! We made a big dinner together at the cabin and headed out to Stocking Scenic Drive. We may beat the crap out of Michigan in college football, but the definitely beat us when in comes to the views!! S'mores by the fire and watching the stars made the night complete.

As luck would have it the power went out in the middle of the night and it was PITCH BLACK. I mean so dark you can not see ANYTHING!! We had to use our cell phones as flashlights. Of course Hannah would not sleep so Dan slept, sitting up, with her on the bed. I had to sleep with Aly and listen to her say she wanted to go home every hour or so. It was a good thing we were leaving in the morning...

Thursday we had a big breakfast and headed back to the Buckeye state! The ride was pretty easy since everyone was so tired. We were hoping to come home to a contract on our house...but, go figure, we didn't even have a single showing while we were gone! Oh well! Even thought we had a great time, there really is no place like home!