Finnegan's Awake: Pure Michigan

Another perfect week in Northern Michigan with the Cano family. We began our journey to Bellaire with a stopover in Ann Arbor the night before to pick up daddy who had been on campus interviewing U of M Law students. We ate dinner at our favorite restaurant, Seva, and enjoyed a nice sauvignon blanc which was greatly needed by me after the 4.5 hour drive alone with the kids. The next morning, we walked around the law school campus to show the kids where mom and dad earned their law degrees. It was crazy walking around Hutchins Hall after all these years. But even more crazy to see the newer, better law school building that they have built right across the street. We finally arrived in Bellaire on Saturday afternoon and the kids were ready to get in the lake. Once the Canos arrived, we barely had to entertain our children as they were content to run around with their buds. The week consisted of checking out at least 5 local beaches, a day in Traverse City, a day at Sleeping Bear dunes, renting a pontoon boat for a day trip around the lakes, many trips to Shorts Brewery for the boys, bonfires with the requisite smores, trips for ice cream and naps. In short, EXACTLY what we needed. At one point on the pontoon boat, Sabine had fallen asleep on my chest and Lourdes had fallen asleep beside daddy. Finn was cuddled up near me occasionally making comments about how much he liked boating. I thought to myself, this is perfection. I need to remember this moment during all the times that life seems out-of-control crazy, because it is all worth it for moments like these.

Seva

Our night in a King Bed at Campus Inn

Hutchins Hall

Future Michigan law reviewers!

Within an hour of our arrival at the lake house, we were in Lake Bellaire

Our first of many day trips to local beaches. Amazing how much sand and water can entertain kids.

The stomp rocket we brought kept the kids busy for hours on end

Finn was obsessed with daddy taking him out in the boat

The Michigan kid crew

Lourdes and Ian fell in love with each other during this vacation. We posited it was because they both sensed the crazy in the other.

Ice cream as big as your head! This is when I asked for one scoop!

The pontoon boat rocked! I never thought the kids would last for 6 straight hours, but they loved being on the boat and the little stops we would take to swim. The tons of snacks we brought also didn't hurt.

The kids drove us crazy with sticks during the week. They all wanted their own "muck sticks" to make "muck." Of course, that led to fights over individual muck sticks or the occasional breakdown over the breaking of an ideal stick. I told them by the end of the vacation that I never wanted to hear "muck sticks" again.

Sleeping Bear dunes trip

We had gotten out at this little beach and just planned to check it out for a few minutes, so I didn't bring the kids bathing suits with me. Of course that didn't keep them out of the water. So when the girls shirts were soaked, they wanted to go nudey tops. Kids LOVE being naked, even if it is just halfway.

When we got back to the car, their soaked clothes went into a bag and they were in bathing suits the rest of the day.

A really steep, slippery dune. It took 30 minutes to get back up to the top from the very bottom, so we only ventured down a small distance.

The kids filled out a junior ranger booklet so that they could all get junior ranger badges at the end of the trip. This ranger took his job way seriously. He wouldn't give Ian a badge because he hadn't sufficiently filled out his book! This is the rest of the kids getting sworn in as junior rangers. But don't worry, Lourdes found a more sane ranger to sneak Ian a badge after the ceremony.

Last day of vacation. We were all super depressed to leave. Especially because this was the last time we would see the Canos before the moved to Pittsburgh!