Michigan!

Smelling freshly cut Sassafras leaves found in abundance at my parents' home...

Caroline and me blueberry picking in the HOT sun

Caroline and my Dad, aka PopPop.

Nikki and PopPop.

My parents, Memah and PopPop with the girls.

Fun at the beach!
Caroline in a hole she and Nikki continued to dig after other kids abandoned it.

A movie of "riding the waves" in to the shore...

Tall ship that leaves the port several times a day for tours. It looks like a pirate ship when the sails are up!

Sweet Pea and Shosty

Caroline being brave around the dogs

Nikki and Sweet Pea bonding one morning. See Sweet Pea's paw on Nikki's lap?

The girls going a little loopy day 2 of our ride home - anxious to see Daddy!

OK, sorry for the delay in posting. It's been busy. Back to blogging now...

We went up to visit my parents in Michigan after a week in Chicago (the girls and I) and had a wonderful time. The beach was great! The weather cooperated, the waves were fun for little ones, I could see the girls in the water from our blanket, and the beach is free! (unlike most of NewJersey) One day, we even brought charcoal, hotdogs, and other snacks and grilled at the beach at their picnic pavillion. Having driven from NJ, we could pack all we'd need for the beach - two umbrellas, beach chairs, beach bags, beach coolers, and lots of beach toys. It was fun and satisfied our craving for beaches, alleviating our "obligation" to visit the NJ shore this season.

We also picked some blueberries which are not as good as last year, but still fun to do. My parents live in the wilds of Michigan and all through their property, they have wild dewberry vines growing, so as the kids got hungry while playing in the yard, they'd wander over to Memah's blueberry bushes, or find ripe dewberries to stuff their faces with! Nikki loved playing with the dogs and misses them now that we are home again. Caroline got brave enough to get close and pet Sweet Pea through the fence.

My mom, aka Memah, drove back to NJ with us to help with the driving so that Doug would not have to fly back to Chicago. We stayed in a hotel in Clarion, PA that had a pool so the kids could release some pent up energy from sitting in the car for so long. They really are turning into good little travelers. They get a little silly, though, as seen in the pictures.

All in all, it was a wonderful trip - to Ohio, then Illinois, and finally Michigan. But we're glad to be home, too. Come see us sometime!