Summer, Summer

It's my favorite time of year. The kids are out of school and the weather is warm; what could be better? Since our year of no organized activities starts now, I'm even happier. Nonetheless, we have already been quite busy.We're into the second week of vacation, and so far we have been occupied with two dance recitals, various play dates (Chris hates that term), sleepovers, and trips to parks, plus a few days up north.

Our trip up north was pretty low key and lots of fun. The kids and I went to Rogers City with Linda, and stayed at Linda's sister Donna's house. We spent plenty of time just hanging out, and did some fun local tourist-y stuff. The kids have a great time doing really simple things, like playing with Donna's dogs and going to the thrift shop in town. Even the tourist stuff felt easy and laid back, and bonus - everything we did was free. We climbed a lighthouse, saw the remains of a shipwreck on the beach, went to a little museum in town, went to nearby Ocqueoc Falls, and hung out at the beach. The best thing may have been visiting Donna's son Joe's farm, where he let each of the kids take a turn driving his tractor. Even though it sounds like a lot, it really was pleasant and slow-paced.

There are so many things I want to do with the kids, yet I don't want to overwhelm us and spend the summer rushing around . With four kids that might be inevitable, though I am fighting it. I'm kind of torn, like usual. I want a serene summer, yet I want to do a million things. So I'm just trying to slow down and not over-schedule. Part of the reason we decided to put a halt to activities is so the kids can enjoy being at home more often, and summertime is a perfect time to start. One problem is that as Bethany and Connor get older, they want to spend a lot of time with their friends. I remember what that was like, so I try to accommodate them as best I can without making life too crazy.

As much as I yearn to see everything, everywhere, all the time, Michigan is truly a lovely state with so much to offer. I loved exploring in the Roger's City area, which I can hardly believe we've never done before. We've only ever been there for a wedding and in the winter for Christmas parties. Soon we'll be going on another Michigan up north vacation, this time with my mom. I'm looking forward to seeing some more of my home state, as un-exotic as that may be.