South Haven, Michigan - The Other Days

With chilly weather the second half of our trip we planned some non-beach outings to keep us busy.  Or rather, Brian planned and we went along for the ride.  I have to admit he did a really great job!

We went to Earl's farm to pick blueberries.  Both of the little boys LOVE blueberries, Brian, Max and I, not so much.  But wow, right of the bush - they were delicious!  Brian and I both loved them.  Max still wasn't sold.

We had to be careful that Will didn't put too many green ones in his bucket.

 Just just picked so that he could eat them directly off the bush.

 

Even though Max didn't like to eat them, he sure had fun filling his basket.

 

 

The farm also had a bakery so one night we went back for dessert after dinner.  Brian Was in heaven with his raspberry pie.  He was so happy that he even posed for this picture with Earl the giant blueberry.

 

One day when we were on the beach we saw a paddle boat venture out of the channel and into Lake Michigan.  Brian found the boat left out of Sagatuck, so one afternoon we went for a boat ride.  It was really great until we got out of the river and into the lake.  The weather was really starting to kick up and I about had a panic attack.  Luckily for me the captain was a smart man and turned the boat around.  The boys loved the ride and weren't worried at all.

 

A huge perk of staying in South Haven is that you are close to several other little towns.  One day we headed to Holland to explore the Dutch Village.  It was cheesy, fairly run down, but a whole lot of fun!  We got to see wooden shoes being made as well as a dutch dance demonstration. 

Both of the big boys got to walk a goat - which was really pretty funny.

 There were water pumps so Max and Will could race their ducks.

But their very favorite part was these little cars.  They had to pump the handle to make them move and they both loved it.  The girl in charge put Max in the back to help bump Will's car.  Will was too funny - he didn't like getting bumped so he kept hopping out of his car to push it away from Max. 

  I think they could have rode on these little cars all day.

Another great find on Brian's part was this railroad line.  They restored an old train car from the 1920's and we went for a ride.  It was wonderful and relaxing. 

It was scheduled during nap time so I thought that this little man would fall asleep in my arms early on.  Not the case at all!  He stood and looked out the window for an hour.  He loved the wind in his hair and he would cry every time we would try to pick him up.  Every time we crossed an intersection the train would blow its whistle.  And each time Jack would try to mimic the sound.  It was adorable.

The Air Zoo in Kalamazoo was pretty great as well.  The kids were able to explore all kinds of aircraft. 

Some even moved!  The exhibits were really interesting and there was enough hands on stuff to keep the kids interested for a couple hours.,  It was just enough.

 

On our last day we headed south to St. Joseph and explored their Curious Kids museum.  All three boys loved it and it was a great end to our trip. 

 

Saturday as we drove home we stopped and met the cousins for lunch.  It was nice to break up the drive a bit and it gave us a chance to shop at Ikea.  Now we are back home and getting back into the routine.  Laundry is being done, groceries have been bought and life is returning to normal.  I'm so glad were able to give our boys this wonderful experience.  Now I just need another week long vacation to recover :)