Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Michigan Memories

Help! When it comes to the blogosphere, I am so far behind that I feel paralyzed.  I suppose I could say the same thing about laundry and dishes as well...

In the meantime, let me summarize.  We made it to Salt Lake!  Just barely over a week ago, we pulled up to our lovely rental in the Avenues, three days late thanks to a transmission that gave up the ghost in Sidney.  Needless to say, it was an eventful journey.

Before I jump full speed into life here in the mountains, allow me to do some much needed catch-up on our previous summer adventures.  In June, our whole family traveled east for a Wheeler family reunion in St. Galien, Michigan.  (Wrong direction, I know.)  It was a bit overcast when we arrived, but still perfect for kayaking on our vacation home lake.

We were so excited to see Baby Ruby with her beautiful blue eyes (and Grandma Susie too, of course.)

Here's Annika playing at the waterfront.  It was a bit sludgy for my taste, but the kids didn't mind.

The next morning we headed to the big lake, Lake Michigan.  The beach was so fun!  All of the breakers reminded me of playing in the surf on the south shore of Long Island.

Eli, turning into a little beach bum.

Ruby explores the shore with her mama, Brianna.

Another photo with her Daddy Justin.


Meanwhile, Uncle Lance showed us how the masters build a sand castle.

Eli and Talia assist Lance with the engineering.

Eli, are you digging or posing?

Bunny ears!

Three cheers for Aunt Christy!

And here's our own Daddy, Jason.  The enthusiasm is genetic.

Brooklyn shows off her bodysurfing skills.

Annika, with the sand dunes in the background.

And Ruby, chasing right after.

Talia once more in her sand city.

Where did Annie go?

Wuh oh.  Looks like Eli slipped and got a face full of sand.  Poor kid!  He was a great sport about it.

Last but not least, Grandpa Charles with his rock collection and Grandma Susie with her trusty umbrella.


Back to the little lake for some more aquatic fun.  Between paddle boats, paddle boards, kayaks, and rowboats, there was plenty to keep everyone occupied.

Here's Talia sharing a paddle board with Hazel, a friend who came to play for the afternoon.

Grandpa Charles with Carrie, a roommate of Christy's from the FLSR (Foreign Language Student Residence.)  Carrie braved the trip to see us with her four kids, delighting my munchkins because they had instant playmates.

Dinnertime was predictably amazing.

Best of all, we topped off the evening with smores.  Here's Annika, using Aunt Christy as her own personal jungle gym.

What a monkey!

Good thing Christy's knee is mostly recovered!

Other highlights of the trip included amazing ice cream from Oink's...

...and celebrating Father's Day.  We made sure to give Daddy Jason lots of extra hugs since he flew directly from our reunion to his new job in SLC.

All too soon it was time to say grab a few photos and say goodbye.  Aren't my sisters-in-law gorgeous?


The very best photos, however, were taken by Uncle Lance with his amazing camera.  All credits for photos below go to him.  Thanks for your great eye capturing these moments, Lance.  And Jason, I promise that one of these days we'll get you going again with some real photography too.  
 





 Three cheers for the extended Wheeler clan, where every day is a party!

Looking forward to getting together again soon.

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