Michigan

We loved our vacation to Michigan. The car ride was less than pleasurable. It started off rough...Jake got on the wrong train to go pick up the car and ended up in Queens instead of Manhattan, so that meant we left an hour and a half later than planned. As navigator, I took us on the New Jersey turnpike instead of the Newark turnpike, which added about 30 minutes and a lot of anxiety as I tried to figure out how to get us back on track. THEN Sydney threw up. Yeah. Gross. So...when we finally got into New Jersey, we stopped at Kmart and got some accoutrements so we would be prepared when she got sick again, including a special "car shirt" aka plastic bib with a pocket to catch throw up. We finally got back on the road and it was pretty smooth sailing from there on out...if by smooth sailing you mean trying to make up time by driving fast in an unfamiliar car in lots of rain with kids constantly asking for items they've dropped and taking very few naps.

We stopped in Cleveland, Ohio for dinner with one of my best friends, Kendra. She made an amazing meal that Jake and I are still thinking about. Jackson had tons of fun with Brady and was so sad to leave, as was I. I was able to calm him by assuring him that he would have plenty of time to play with Brady when we live nearby in California. That made him (and me) feel better.

We finally made it to Joe & Heidi's place in Ann Arbor that night. We had so much fun with them...just seeing their favorite places and enjoying all the trees and open space. We had a bbq, and I think the pictures require some explanation. It started out so innocent...Jackson and Kayla wanted to feed the ducks so we gave them some bread. Unfortunately, the cute little ducks were soon driven away by a gaggle of blood thirsty geese. It was terrible...the kids were terrified (I was even more terrified), yet kept dropping food not realizing it was causing the geese to follow them. We had Jake scare most of them away. I did get brave and confront a couple but I will admit, I'm scared of birds. I DO NOT like them AT ALL!!! Something about the hard beaks, pecking, and wings flapping in my hair. (Yes, I've seen The Birds.) After the birds cleared we ate and took turns in a canoe Joe rented. The guys took the kids on a ride and when it was time to return the canoe, Heidi and I decided to take it for a spin. It took us awhile to get used to rowing together (the guys called to ask if we were trying to row in circles) but we made it to the dock with time to spare.

We also went to a farm, Jenny's Farm to be precise. Both Kayla and Isaiah got horn-butted by a mean goat after they'd so nicely fed it hay. Then Jackson and Sydney got terrified by a very photogenic horse. (He looked at me every time I held up the camera.) All in all it was fun and we got some yummy cider and donuts out of it. (And the kids have a selective memory and talk about how fun the farm was even though they all were crying at some point!)

Grandma & Grandpa Skousen, Wendy, and Grandma Bradshaw showed up the day before we left. We soaked up as much of them as we could...Jackson loved hearing stories from Grandma and even helped her with the dishes. They'll be here this weekend and Jackson and Sydney are so excited! Jake, Joe & dad went to Hell and back…but I’ll let Jake tell that story.

Thanks Joe & Heidi for such a fun trip! We should've definitely done it sooner...and more often!