Day 4 Part 2

After visiting the lighthouse and grabbing some lunch, we headed to the Marina.  Our friends' Dad owns a boat and took individual families for a tour on the water.  We saw a freighter being loaded and the limestone quarry.  The kids had a blast and so did Daddy!  Especially when we were going fast!  Well our poor baby girl didn't like it so much.  She practically crawled right out of her life jacket and hung on to me for dear life (crying the whole way).  I don't think she has sea legs at all.
We then headed for the lake (Huron)....finally.  It is what the kids have been waiting for the entire time!  The temperature wasn't too bad for most of the afternoon but as it got closer towards supper, the cool air was getting a little nippy.  The pictures show the utter excitement the kids experienced all afternoon....

It was such a great week!  We hope to continue this type of vacation with these families.  It is such a wonderful experience to spend good quality fellowship with other like-minded believers.  You can see how each family is striving to raise Godly children.  They were all soooo well behaved.  It was purely a delightful, encouraging week!

Day 4 Part one

Friday morning, Pastor's family and our family headed to the Forty Mile Point Lighthouse (it was free!).

Forty Mile Point Light is a lighthouse in Northern Michigan, in Presque Isle County on Hammond Bay on the western shore of Lake Huron in Rogers Township, Michigan USA. Unlike many Great Lakes lighthouses, Forty Mile Point Light does not mark a significant harbor or river mouth. Rather, it was constructed with the intent that as one sailed from Mackinaw Point to the Saint Clair River, one would never be out of viewing range of a lighthouse.^[3] With no river or harbor to use for a name, the light is named on the basis that it is 40 miles (64 km) sailing distance from Mackinaw Point. (Wikipedia) 

Climbing to the top of the lighthouse was no easy feat!  The spiral stairs got narrower and steeper as you reached the top.  There were even signs saying no toddlers allowed.  The top of the lighthouse housed a $1 million dollar latern.  Looking from the top, there was a buoy out in the water that marked the shipwreck of the steamer Joseph S. Fay.  Part of the ship is grounded on the beach as well that the kids had fun walking on.  We walked to the beach where the kids enjoyed their hand at skipping rocks...and some of them just plunking big rocks in the water for the splash! 

Forty Mile Point Lighthouse

Day 3

Thursday was more of a family day for each of us.  We all met up Mackinaw City and toured a museum and some shops.  We then ate lunch in the park together and split up for the rest of the day.  Our family went to Colonial Michilimackinac which is an 18th century fort and fur trading village.  We got to see a canon being fired and a musket show.  We toured all the housing.  It was a fun afternoon.  Then we headed across the Mackinac Bridge which is the third longest suspension bridge in the world.  After supper, we all met up again to spend the evening together and had a devotional.

the canon that was fired....LOUD!

wanted out of her stroller!

Mackinac Bridge

    

Day 2

Day  2 was our first full day together.  We headed off to the apple farm where our friends mom works.  Her mom generously supplied delicious apple cider for us all and apple cider doughnuts.  Let me tell you....these were sooooo good!!  I had the apple cider cinnamon doughnut!  The apple farm not only had numerous varieties of apple trees but it had a playground and animal farm for the kids to visit.  We enjoyed the animals until baby girl got too close to the ponies....then it was game over for her!  Get me outta here!  The kids spent quite a bit of time enjoying each other's company on the playground.  Then we headed to the Marina where we looked at the boats and some actually got into the water (it was way too cold for most of us!)  Later that night we had pizza back at the cabin and then when it got really, really late we headed to the beach to watch a beautiful stars display.  The kids loved laying on the sand and counting the number of shooting stars.  It was beautiful!

most of the kids

not amused!!!

back at the cabin playing games with daddy

Day 1

We arrived Tuesday in Michigan.  I was so glad all the kids were finally over their colds that they've had (forever!)  but wouldn't you know....I had to come down with one.  Mostly just sinus stuff but my ear was clogged for most of the trip (still is) and had sinus headaches on and off.  I still managed to have a good time though despite feeling under the weather.  Day one was mostly just getting situated in the cabin, playing on the grounds (they had a playground and basketball hoop there) and getting out in the canoe and catching frogs.  The evening was sitting around the campfire roasting hotdogs and enjoying fellowship with all the families.

our cabin

catching frogs

caught a frog

We're back!

We just got back from a great vacation with friends from church.  We went with our Pastor's family and one of the elder's family.  We headed up to Michigan near Roger City to veg out in a cabin in the woods on several acres with a beautiful huge pond for canoeing and Lake Huron just minutes away.  There was a total of 14 kids all within the same age ranges and they had a blast together!!  I have so many pictures so I'll have to break up our days into different posts.  It was such a relaxing time and such great fellowship!  It was the first time we as a family have vacationed with others that weren't family....and we can't wait to do it again!!