Summer Run Down

This summer has been sublime. Back in May I wrote about some of the things I wanted to do this summer, so I thought I'd go back and review. And I'm surprised to see that we did quite a few things on the list (plus lots more not on the list!).

• Spend a week in Port Austin - DONE
• Go to Rogers City - DONE
• Go to Tahquamenon Falls - DONE
• Make the kids go TV-free for a month - DONE
• Go to Belle Isle - DONE
• Go to the Toledo Zoo - DONE
• Go to the Detroit RiverFront - DONE

And then of course there's a lot we didn't get to.

• Go to Grand Rapids - maybe this fall
• Go to my father-in-law's cabin (Chris went for a weekend with his dad, the rest of us will have to wait)
• Go camping - hopefully next summer!
• Go to Mexican Village 
• Go to the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History - maybe on a weekend this fall
• Go to the DIA - ditto
• Go to Greenfield Village - ditto again
• Read Anne Frank's Diary of a Young Girl with Bethany, and then visit the Holocaust Memorial Center - ditto yet again

We've missed a lot from my list, but the ones we did were pretty good! And then there's all the other stuff we did that wasn't on my list, like:

• Whitefish Point and the Shipwreck Museum 
• Oswald's Bear Ranch
• African Safari Wildlife Park
• Bowling
• Going to the local beach/park/splash pad/nature center
• Having a garage sale
• Spending a day at the beach in Lexington
• Seeing a children's play downtown 
• Going to a concert at our local park
• Sleepovers with friends
• Many days at various parks
• Days spent swimming
• Jungle Java, a local indoor play place
• Sleeping Bear Dunes
• And lots more!

It really, really was such a fabulous summer. As always, I'm sorry we didn't get more in before the start of the new school year. But we concentrated a lot on doing nothing this summer too - which definitely has its own charms!

Happy back to school to you. Happy end of summer, happy fall. 

Bethany & Mattie at the pool

Hanging out with cousins ~ Lexington ~

Connor, Lucy, Bethany, and Mathilda ~ Lexington ~

Sno Cones with friends at the park

Splash pad

Lucy ~ Sleeping Bear Dunes ~ 

Mattie & Bethany ~ Sleeping Bear Dunes ~

Starting the climb ~ Sleeping Bear Dunes ~

Lucy ~ Sleeping Bear Dunes~

Connor & Lucy ~ Sleeping Bear Dunes ~

Kiddies with their Auntie Mary ~ Sleeping Bear Dunes ~

The kids at Sleeping Bear Dunes with my 'lil sis

Lovely family picture ~ Frankfort ~ Lake Michigan ~

Bethany ~ crystal clear Lake Michigan ~

Lucy ~ beautiful Lake Michigan beach ~ Frankfort

Lucy

Cottage in Frankfort

Connor & the Playmobil pirate ~ Frankfort ~

Lucy enjoying a caramel covered rice crispy treat ~ Frankfort ~

Downtown with friends

Playing in the fountains outside of the Renaissance Center

Oh Canada ~ view from Detroit RiverFront

Carousel ride downtown