Labor Day Weekend...Up North

We thought we should give a run-down of the wonderful Labor Day weekend we spent on Long Lake. For those unfamiliar, Long Lake is in northern, eastern Michigan, very near to Alpena. We, along with a couple of other families, had been invited to stay in a house on the lake by our good friends and we jumped at the opportunity to head north.

We started the trip on Thursday after work. We were in the car and driving in good time, by about 5:00 PM. According to the directions, it was 4 hours of driving time. Add in a stop for dinner (remembering that Joey and Marie are notorious for being slow eaters) and some heavy rain, and we ended up pulling in shortly after 10:00. We got the kids in their PJs, showed them where they'd be sleeping for the next few days, and put them down. The awake adults then proceeded to watch the disappointing end of the Pitt football game. Well...at least I was disappointed.

Friday proved to be a little on the chilly side and pretty windy. At this point, three of the four families had arrived...a total of six adults and 8 kids age ~7 and younger. There were a couple of trips to the playground, lots of playing outside, and generally learning the ropes of being on the lake. There were also a couple of pontoon rides that the kids really enjoyed, one of which was to follow those daring enough to swim all the way across. From what I gathered, the distance was a little under a mile. Needless to say, I was not crazy, I mean daring, enough to try this. The water was a bit choppy and proved to be a little too rough for the sailboat...more on that later. I made a run to the store in the afternoon to get ingredients for that evening's supper and of course, beer. We grilled some chicken, had green beans, tomato basil salad, and lettuce salad. By the time clean-up was done, we put the kids to bed and enjoyed some down time, which consisted of brownies and Dominoes and of course, beer.


Saturday was even cooler than Friday and probably just as windy. By this time, the last of the families had arrived. Add two more adults and two more kids...you can do the math. The kids were still up for playing outside and at the playground, so we just had to dress them a bit more warmly. After lunch, a few of us again set out on the pontoon boat to rescue the sailboat that was stranded on the other side of the lake. (Due to the rough conditions on Friday, the captain had not been able to return to the dock and humbly accepted a car ride from a stranger to get back home. The sailboat then lived at the stranger's dock overnight.)

The water was again very rough and the wind definitely cold. And that was just for those of us in the boat wearing long sleeves and pants and with a blanket thrown over us. Once we got to the sailboat, we stayed close by while aforementioned captain prepped the sailboat and got it ready to tie to the back of the pontoon. This was successful enough and we took off for our side of the lake with the boat and captain in tow while we waved to the not-so-much-a-stranger anymore. It was about this time that it started to rain. The kids huddled under blankets trying to stay warm and dry, but Marie frequently peeked out to make sure that sailboat and captain were still okay. We finally made it back to our dock and by this time it had stopped raining. All in all, the endeavor was a success.






After quick naps, we woke up the kids to head to afternoon Mass. That was followed by catching up on all the college football scores, a yummy mexican dinner, and birthday cake! Jane, one of the other kids up for the weekend, turned 3 on Saturday and so we were able to share in her birthday celebration. The kids enjoyed decorating cards and signs for her and definitely didn't complain about getting to have cake and ice cream. Despite their sugar intake, the kids went to bed early and then there was more football to watch, beer to drink (for some), and Dominoes to play.




Sunday might have been the best weather day of the weekend. It was a bit warmer and definitely less windy. We could even wear short sleeves when in the sun! Our hosts made a super yummy breakfast and there was lots more playing outside. It was a lot of fun to watch the boys (kids and dads) play baseball while the girls busied themselves with other things. While the kids napped, we were able to play some volleyball, which was lots of fun. No pictures though...I haven't mastered that yet.



Sunday night, we filled our tummies with salad, garlic toast, and spaghetti. Since the temperatures were nicer, we were all able to sit in the enclosed porch together. This meant better conversation, easier clean-up, and that the kids could head outside to play and we could still keep an eye on them while we finished eating. It was then decided that a fire and s'mores were in order. These were also a big hit with the kids...though Joey was fine with just a graham cracker.





After dessert, we took one last cruise on the pontoon to watch the sunset from the middle of the lake. Marie was VERY excited about getting to drive the boat. (Note: The beer is not hers.) We were told that the sunset wasn't as spectacular as others, but it was pretty nice if you ask me. A perfect way to wrap up our stay.



On Monday morning, we woke up to pack, clean-up, do laundry (sheets and towels) and get the house in order before hitting the road. I think everything went pretty smoothly as everyone was able to leave by a little after 11:00. The drive home took a bit longer. It seems that the mass exodus northward and the southward return of lower, lower Michiganders really does plug up the freeways. Between traffic, a stop for lunch and another bathroom break, it took six hours to get home. Overall, it was a busy but relaxing, active but non-injurious, and tiring but SO worth it weekend. We are extremely grateful for the time we got to spend with our generous hosts and the wonderful company. All told, we'd definitely do it again sometime.

Weekend Shi-Bar-B-Q

This Sunday, we hosted the first of hopefully many barbecues at our house. Though it threatened to rain, the weather turned out to be fairly nice. It was warm, but not too hot and a bit windy. A couple of kids had to get seconds after the wind blew away their plates. The wind also made it a bit chilly when getting out of the pool. But, we didn't hear many complaints.

We were extremely pleased with how many of our close friends were able to come. We did a post-party count and determined that as best as we know, attendees included 22 adults and 28 kids ranging from age 2 weeks to 8 years. The pool was a hit, almost all the kids old enough and many adults took a dip at some point. There was also lots of other fun things going on...bubbles, sidewalk chalk, swinging, sliding, playing in the sandbox, rolling down the large hill in our backyard, etc. I expect that there is a really good picture out there of one of the munchkins absolutely covered in blue chalk. I'll update with a link if it gets posted out here on the blog-o-sphere. :)

There were no broken bones or stitches required, only a couple of scraped knees. No one went hungry. Or, at least if they did it was their own fault. Jon grilled up some pork burgers and bratwurst imported from good ole' Ste. Marie, IL. (Thanks Hartrich's and thanks Mom!) I think everyone had fun. All in all I'd call it a success!





Other than that, we've been keeping busy. We went to our first ever Hamburg Family Fun Fest. This is a festival that is held every year at a park about 1.5 miles north of our house. Marie got to go on a couple of the rides and loved it. It was also nice being able to watch the fireworks through our front windows.


I'll speak for Jon when I say that we had a good Father's Day. After Mass we went out for a special lunch...Mexican of course! Then we just had a relaxing day at home with the kids. Just what Jon wanted.


The kids are doing well. Marie has been doing much better on the potty as of late. She is gaining some independence and increasingly wants to do things all by herself. MOST of the time this works. She is really into trying to make us laugh right now, too. Jon has taught her her first knock-knock joke.

Knock, Knock;
Who's there?;
Boo;
You get the drift...

Tonight while she was putting on her pajamas, she got the biggest kick out of keeping her shirt around just her head and telling us that she looked like a "bakery."

"Her" garden is also doing well. She picked some broccoli, peas, and a few green beans this weekend. We've also had some lettuce to eat. There are a few zucchini out there that won't be far behind.


Joey is just keeps growing. He is a good eater and is definitely not wasting away. So far there's nothing that he hasn't liked. He's eating bananas, applesauce, green beans, carrots, sweet potatoes, along with the usual baby cereals. He still just rolls from his back to his belly for the most part. When he's on his belly, he doesn't crawl, but pulls himself around so that he can reach for things ahead of him and turns in circles so that he can keep track of where Marie is. He absolutely loves her. When he wakes up from his nap, Marie goes in to "check on him." He smiles and giggles and plays peek-a-boo with her through the crib rails. So cute...





So, we're getting ready to head to Pittsburgh this week for an extended July 4th weekend. We're looking forward to seeing family and catching up with friends. And, hopefully (for Aunt Jaclyn's sake) will get to meet our new niece while we're there!