Traverse City-2011

For Christmas Steve received a weekend at a Kiteboarding Camp in Traverse City...it just so happened to land on the weekend of his birthday!! So...early Friday morning we packed up and headed up north for a weekend of fun and adventure. The weather was iffy, but we were confident that we could make the weekend fun regardless.

One of the blessing of traveling with three children fairly close in age (and stature) is that we can all still fit in one hotel room! Mommy & Daddy in one bed and all three kids in another!! Those benefits will soon be fading, but we'll take advantage of them for as long as we can!!

Gotta' love a chance to play in the hotel pool!

Jake & Connor strap up for a Zipline Ride!!

It's actually a lot higher than the picture makes it look...

Mission Accomplished!!

Aye, Matey!

Downtown Traverse City has a quaint old fashioned theater that was showing this movie for 25 cents!! Can't beat a family show for $1.25 (you can't even get a drink for that at the theater back home!)

We spent some time at a bookstore down town. Just looking and reading books.

I gotta' train up these kids to love a good book ...and a good bookstore!

Paigey took this picture of Daddy on the morning of his birthday.

We took him out to breakfast and gave him a couple fun gifts.

Best buddies!

Nothing like a good old fashion PILLOW FIGHT!!!!!!

These two are just too cute!

You can't go to TC without a visit to Pirates Cove...

Putt-Putt

Watch out for those hooks!! These are some mean Pirates!!

BEWARE! of the Princess Pirate!

Paigey and Con all ready to go on the ropes course.

Such a brave, daring little girl!!

(I see a lot of fun in our future together...plane jumping for her 18th birthday, maybe!!!)

Bumper Boats~

Jake squirting the ticket taker!! (Little Rascal!)

We hiked a couple miles through this forest to get to the water where Daddy was Kiteboarding. Paige never complained, but pushed her way through the trails with great determination and sense of adventure.

We made it to the beach the kids couldn't have been more entertained!

We watched the kiteboarders...

Collected shells...

and feathers!

Cheered on our Kiteboard Champion!

Waded in the water (getting VERY wet!)

Built sand castles...

Sun bathing...

Trekked back through the woods ...

and ended the GREAT trip with some yummy ice-cream!

Sprinkler Fun

It was a hot summer night. The kids had just gotten their pj's on and come out on the deck for some well-wishes off to bed. Steve had just finished mowing the lawn and was adjusting the sprinker heads, when the next thing I see is this:

Followed by lots of squeals and laughter.

While one (very wise) little buddy looks on in amazement and wonder,

but has zero desire to join in.

And then there is the last born, who had the time of her life!!

I'm thinking a dry set of pajama's are in their future!

Random Creativity

If there is one word that I could use to describe my kids, it would be creative! I'm guessing the following pictures will lead you to a similar conclusion.

You've heard of Purplicious? Well, Paigey got a purple bath foam and used it as moisturizer which left her, yep! Purplicious!

Connor & his buddy Josh, made graduation caps and diploma's as well as chocolate caps in honor of their Kindergarten Graduation!

Who does this?

Connor LOVES to cook. He got a "Cake Pops" recipe book and

here is his creation for Memorial Day

Paige took the seal from the milk container and made me this lovely ring, using marker, glue and a jewel that came off the chandelier in her room!

The kids got antsy with all the rain and decided to play outside in it one day!

The evening that the tornado sirens sounded they played "Storm Chasers"

everyone had a job in tracking the storm...

What can you do with a balloon, a ream of paper and some staples?

Why make a man, of course!

Paigey made this completely on her own! It's a Paigey original! :)

Here she turned one of her dress up gloves into a puppet!

Stay tuned there's no doubt there area more where these came from!!