some of our favorite moments from michigan

 

Over Labor Day weekend, our little family of four traveled to a place we had never been together.  Most of Asa's family on his dad's side lives in Michigan and he used to spend time there every summer.  Asa has always told me that I would love it there and I hadn't met most of the family members that live there!  So, when we got news that he would get a four day weekend for Labor Day, we knew we wanted to plan a trip to Michigan.

The drive there wasn't so bad.  We got started in the late afternoon and drove two hours with the girls asleep most of that time.  Then we stopped at Chipotle and got some dinner to go and ate it at a local park.  The girls ran around in between bites of their dinner and the weather was nice enough to enjoy the sun and breeze.  Then we loaded back up in the car and started the drive north through Illinois.  We stopped at a rest stop and found a geocache, and then shortly after that both of the girls were asleep for the night!

Here are some of my favorite pictures and moments from the trip.  There were so many more exciting moments that I didn't even get pictures of.  It's hard to always have your camera ready when the perfect moments happen.

Visiting the Meijer's Gardens, including letting Vivi explore and watching the girls play together.

Marley's concentration while drawing

Rolling down hills (all four of us!)

Visiting the local zoo, where both girls pet sheep and goats.

A bird landing on Marley's head.

Getting to know family that we don't see often.

Riding a camel!

Playing in the dirt kitchen.

Ice cream dates and finally trying Asa's favorite ice cream of all time.

Exploring the adorable town of Ada, Michigan.

The beautiful weather and relaxing outside at Dave and Mary's house.

Abby reading at least 30 books to Marley during our stay.  Marley has finally found someone who loves to read as much as she does.

The beaches of Lake Michigan!

Climbing to the top of a lighthouse.

Just getting to know new family members and loving everything we learned.

I would love to go back soon.  It was so pleasant there and Asa's family was so welcoming and loving to me and our girls.  Marley and Vivi both had a great time and I loved seeing them explore and learn about new places.  I love going to Texas and seeing our family there, but it is nice to go somewhere new also.  Hopefully we can plan another trip up there before we leave Missouri, because everyone there is so worth it!

some of our favorite moments from the cabin

The first weekend in August, we met my mom and Joel at a cabin in the mountains for Arkansas.  It was a completely beautiful place, cut off from cell phone service and 3G.  There were log cabins everywhere, wild elk roaming the fields, cute little farms on every road, and public access to the river.  When we first got there I had a thought of "Oh, I could never live here!  It's so isolated!"  But by the time we were leaving, I was feeling like "I could totally live here.  I love how isolated it is!"

Here are some of our favorite moments.

Celebrating Marley.

Scenic drives and winding roads.

Searching for wild elk.

Mimi and Marley playing beauty shop.

Grandparent lovin'.

A beautiful porch with a beautiful view.

Relaxing and lounging.

Naps.  Every day.

Hiking and caving.

Geocaching.

Relaxing in the Buffalo River.

It was a fantastic weekend.  We got a little vacation from the outside world and it was very needed.  We were all so sad to leave, but we look forward to coming back in the fall.