WARNING: This post contains oodles and oodles of pictures!
My parents rented a cottage on Hart Lake (located in Twin Lake, MI) this week. Due to Matty’s work schedule and cottage space issues (it really couldn’t fit all 11 of us at once to sleep), we stayed Sunday through Tuesday. Zack, Carla, and their kiddos came up Tuesday, so we got to spend the day with them before hitting the road late Tuesday afternoon.
Emmy has been a nightmare in the car lately. I was dreading the three hour drive, so we decided to flip her carseat around (no judgement, Lucy was super tall too and didn’t make it rear-facing until two years old either) and hang a Kindle on the carseat. We were super pumped because she was super happy when we started off . . .for about 40 minutes. Then the fussing, crying, throwing things commenced. #ugh
We stopped for dinner in Grand Rapids and then arrived at the cottage around 7pm. It was small, but had a great beach area.
Lucy got right down to business . . . running around, walking in the water, and playing in the sand.
Emmy got right down to business crying because she got four grains of sand on her foot. This was a continuous theme throughout our trip.
Matty tested out the fishing boat . . .
. . . took Lucy for a ride . . .
. . . and then tried out the kayak.
Lucy loved the dock . . .
. . . and the sand . . .
. . . and staying up way past her bedtime eating a late night snack!
Finally fell asleep!
Emmy was happy to cuddle up to Matty on Monday morning and watch Moana. Phew, that was a lot of ‘m’ words!
My dad finally got around to unpacking his “suitcases!” When he saw that one of his Carrabba’s bags had ripped, he asked if he could use a giant Bath and Body Works bag I had brought.
We loaded up and headed to Grand Haven for the day. There was sand everywhere, so Emmy was not in the best mood.
Lucy was in her glory, and loved chasing the seagulls!
We got Lucy changed into her suit, and we headed into Lake Michigan! According to the sign, it was 67 degrees . . . this felt pretty cold to me, but didn’t stop my dad from heading out far into the waves.
Lucy chased a seagull around for awhile until it left her a “present.” #gross
Emmy was somewhat content to sit on her sand free towel, play with her sand free shovel, and eat pretzels.
It was a cloudy day, but warm, windy, and humid.
After the beach, we cleaned up and headed into town for lunch. We ate at a brewery where Emmy decided she’d rather sit on the floor than in her high chair. #goingwiththeflow
After lunch we walked around to check out some shops and then stopped for ice cream. Lucy made the most of hers . . . and everyone else’s!
Remember that feather the seagull left her? It made for a great topper for her sandcastles back at the cottage!
While Ems napped, it was time to do some fishing with Papa. Lucy didn’t even flinch at the worms!
And he bought Lulu her own Frozen fishing pole!
She dropped her first worm in and caught a fish right away! She was so very excited. Lucy’s love of fishing does not come from me!
That’s not coffee in the Toy Story mug! #bourbon
Zack, Carla, and the kiddos arrived on Tuesday, and Lucy showed off her splits for Aunt Carla.
Emmy and Gordie played fetch with his puppy lovie.
And then the kiddos headed straight to the water.
Emmy and I stayed sand-free building towers on the beach blanket.
She has been SO UNBELIEVABLY CLINGY lately, but Carla and my mom were able to lure her away for a little bit on Tuesday afternoon, and it was great to just get to sit back and watch everyone play.
Emmy would walk on the dock, but refused to step foot on the sand.
Happily showing off her Moana shirt. She is seriously obsessed.
For the next two pictures, I promised everyone chocolate if they smiled nicely.
And two chocolate bars later, we’ve got good pictures and happy kids!
More successful fishing with Pop!
I probably flipped that baby back and forth about twenty times to keep her happy.
We kept Emmy up past her nap and then hit the road for home around 3:30. Before that, though, Lucy needed to get all of the sand rinsed off in the shower.
We thought for sure Ems would nap most of the way home. Nope! She passed out right away, slept for about 45 minutes, and then cried the rest of the way. Our family is not built for road trips!
Lucy stayed awake until the last 45 minutes of our drive.
It was a great trip, but we were happy to be home in our own beds.
We are looking forward to a nice weekend at home . . .but first I’m kicking it off with a Moms Night Out on Friday, and I am pumped for some kid-free time with my favorite mamas!
Have a great weekend!
XOXO
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