Cello Camp

Bright and early the Monday after vacation Max started his cello camp.  The camp was from 9-12 each day and on Friday morning we got to go hear all that he had learned.  I was so impressed! 

 The kids played about six songs and they did a great job.  They even threw in a little rock and roll with a surprise cello spin at the end - that was my favorite. 

Max is growing up so quickly. Look at that, he is past my shoulder!  It is so fun to watch him grow, but at the same time I just wish I could slow down time at least a little bit!

Zipline and Ropes Course

We found a groupon for a zip-line/ropes course in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  It sounded like the perfect adventure for our crazy group.

 A huge perk of this location was that they had a junior section for 4-6 year olds.  I was so excited that William and Jack would be able to participate too.

 At first Jack wasn't so sure.  He listened to the instructions and watched William give it a try.

 But when his turn came he needed some coaxing.  The trainer had him sit on his bottom and scoot to the edge.  Eventually he scooted a bit too far and he was off.  It was love at first zip and he didn't slow down for the next three hours!

 

 William had no fear at all.  He was super careful about making sure he was hooked on appropriately and he was great about checking with me to see if he could go.

 Then there was Max.  He was a natural.  Brian said he did a great job of focusing and listening during the instructional time.  He was ready once it was time to hit the ropes!

 

Max did easy course without breaking a sweat.  He was so proud of himself!  I was so proud of him too!

 Max and grandma tackled the meduim course togheter and then he even went off on his own to do the harder medium course.

Brian didn't do to shabby out there either. 

One of hte things I love about vacation in trying out things that you can't do at home.  This fit the bill!  Everyone had a great time too!  The little red thing on the line is called a zippy.  Jack fell in love with his zippy.  The next day we were going to the beach and he sobbed because he didn't want to go to the beach - he wanted to go see his zippy!

Salt Lake Sand Dunes

I found another sand dune for us to check out this year.  While it was a bit of a drive from our house, it was well worth it!

 

 19 of us boarded this super cool vehicle to ride around the dunes for a tour.  She made sure everyone had the hang of putting their hands up before we hit the dunes.  I think the kids got it :)

We really flew around those dunes!  I was shocked at how fast we went as well as how smooth the ride felt.  Going up and down the dunes was a lot like riding a roller coaster.  The boys loved it!

 Silver Lakes Dunes is a state park that lies between Lake Michigan and Silver Lake.  When we got to the Lake Michigan side we were able to get out and stretch our legs a bit.  The boys just wanted to jump into the water.  It was gorgeous!

 It really felt like we went extra fast on the drive back!  They loved it!

 After the tour we went over to the beach and explored the dunes a bit more.  The cousins loved climbing this one - although it was nothing compared to the one Will and Max climbed last year.  They looked so cute up there!

This light house is the tallest one on Lake Michigan.  You could climb to the top, but we decided we had done enough climbing on the dunes.  I tried talking to the boys about the lighthouse.  You can see how interested William was. 

Chasing Pirates

The Friends Good Will is a tall ship that sails on the Lake out of South Haven.  It is a replica of a ship that sailed during the war of 1812 and everything is done manually.  I was, once again, a nervous wreck.  This time about getting seasick.  I made sure we all took some Dramamine beforehand, but it was  a gorgeous day and the lake was perfectly calm. 

 

The kids had a great time - the swords were a huge hit!

 Before we headed out this woman explained that some pirates had stolen our treasure and we were going off to chase them.  I'm not too sure the kids bought it :)

 Little Jack wasn't very cooperative - but this pic is still pretty cute!

 Once we boarded the ship the kids were all able to help control the sails.  It was pretty amazing to watch.  There were so many ropes running in every direction - I have no idea how they keep it all straight.

 For a while we just enjoyed sailing on the beautiful, thankfully calm, lake. 

We did eventually catch up with the pirates and some of our crew boarded the little boat to go retrieve our treasure.  They even staged a battle over the treasure on the other ship.  Luckily we were successful and the crew brought the treasure chest back to our ship - Max was thrilled that there were tootsie rolls.  Momma was less that thrilled that Jack picked pixi sticks.

Kayaking on Lake Michigan

One of our beach days Uncle Jeff rented a kayak.  I was a nervous wreck and refuted a ride but the big boys sure loved it!

I think boy of the big boys went out for at least two rides.  Jack was super upset when we told him that he couldn't go.  Can't quite trust that little man not to tip the whole thing over yet!