I guess it's true - summer is officially over. We turned our heat on for the first time this week and we had our first frost this morning. But you know...as much fun as summer was. I LOVE fall! Especially in Michigan! I remember my first fall in Portland, OR - it was rainy and gray and cold. The leaves changed color I'm sure but the rain knocked them off the trees prematurely (in my estimate anyway!) and with no sunshine - well, you hardly notice the colors. I missed Michigan with it's crisp, clear, sunny days. The array of autumn colors. The smells, the sights, the sounds. Cold frosty mornings where the sun is SO bright and it makes the frost on the grass sparkle. Ahhhh. It's good to be in Michigan in the fall! (Now...please understand that pretty much ALL other seasons in Oregon are ten times nicer than Michigan! Mild winters, warmer springs that explode with colors blooming everywhere and nice dry summers! But that is another post!)
SO...since summer went so fast and we kept super busy - I didn't really update the blog. How about a recap?
June: At the end of the month we went to my brother-in-law's grandparents cabin near Baldwin, MI to spend a couple of days with my family! It was wonderful. We ate great food, swam, built bonfires, relaxed on the front porch overlooking the lake, took boat rides, went fishing, ate more good food, went on golf cart rides, took naps :), talked lots, celebrated birthdays and yes, ate even more great food! Here are some photos from our trip.
Tanner had fun swimming with Nana!
Steve kept the fire going - what is it with guys and fires, anyway? :)
Having breakfast on the porch!
Steve was happy - he got to fish. But bummed - he didn't catch anything. Maybe next time!
Tanner kept asking Poppa if he could go for a ride on the golf cart! He loved it!
There were some deer hanging out in the woods - here is one of about five that we saw on our golf cart ride.
Going for a boat ride! Tanner doesn't look too happy here...he probably wants to toot the horn!
Tim and Lisa had fun on the paddle boat and tubing!
And Tanner had lots of fun exploring with Nana!
July: We introduced Tanner to the 'west coast' of Michigan! Saugatuck State Park along Lake Michigan has always been our favorite beach. So we spent a day walking the dunes, playing in the waves, digging in the sand and exploring the nearby town of Saugatuck! It was a gorgeous day! Tanner loved the waves and sand (although the Japanese Beetles were another story...) and we all had fun in town watching the boats in the channel, checking out some artsy shops and enjoying a really good chocolate shake!
Playing in the waves with Daddy!
Learning how to use that shovel...
It's SO much fun to squish it in your fingers! (Notice the tongue - he always sticks it out when he is really concentrating on something!)
Getting his feet wet - he really wanted to run back in, I think!
Daddy showing Tanner how to build a sand castle!
I'd say Wheat had a good time, too!
Here's what happens after playing in the sand and a 1/2 mile hike to the beach and back!
Next....we had some crazy thunderstorms this summer - check out how dark the sky gets before a storm! I wish I had been able to capture some of the lightening we had...but those are really hard to snap a shot of!
It seems like most of the storms we had were in the late afternoon or early evening. But the coolest thing about MI storms is how they clear up! Here is a photo taken of the same section of sky after a storm!
Our friends, the Czuks, came to visit their families in Michigan in mid-July and they spent an evening with us!! It was SO lovely to catch up with them and talk face-to-face again!
Kaspar, Eliana, Tanner and Anna getting ready to fly the kite!
Anna and Eliana watch Tim fly the kite.
Kaspar racing across the yard!
Tim and Steve in deep discussion:
Smiles from Acacia!
Chasing bubbles!!
Tanner kept wanting to give Kaspar a hug - Kaspar was happy to oblige!
Group hug!
Sharing a meal for the first time in almost a year. Oh...how we miss that! We have so many great memories of meals shared at the Czuk home in Portland...we miss you guys!
Next stop in July was Binder Park Zoo with Mimi and Bacca! We had such a fun day!!
Riding a giraffe on the carousel!
And the zebra bus to Wild Africa - an area of the zoo.
Entrance to Wild Africa: this was such a cool area of the zoo. Binder Park Zoo has acres of land set aside for this portion of the zoo - and they have created a very natural place for some animals to roam. So instead of a concrete block with a few grassy patches - they have a large savanna-like place to live (at least in the summer).
A giraffe enjoying the sunny day!
Up close with the giraffes!
There is a deck overlooking this savanna area where you can feed the giraffes! Check out this tongue!!! :)
Tanner giving the giraffe a cracker.
Feeding the goats at the petting zoo: they were really hungry!
Riding the wooden horse:
And the ant - somebody is getting sleepy! Thanks Mimi and Bacca for a wonderful day and great memories!
August: This month began with another trip to the zoo! This time to the John Ball Park Zoo in Grand Rapids with Nana and Poppa!
Checking out the exhibits with Nana!
It was a gorgeous day - sunny and warm! Couldn't ask for better!
Looking for the lions:
Tanner was so happy to sit on this bench! :)
Look at those chimpanzees!
After the zoo - we played on the playground in the park! Tanner might have liked this better than the zoo!!
Saying goodbye is always hard to do - especially when it's your best friend. My friend Sarra and her hubby, Ryan and their little guy, Luke moved to Ohio in August. Ryan got a great job as an assistant coach with the women's basketball team in Athens, OH with Ohio University. So we had a little bash at the DeYoung's house to say goodbye.
Sarra and Luke:
Elise, Tanner, Zach and Emmy playing on the swing set!
Katie and Sarra with Emmy and Luke:
The three of us:
Then there was 30. Years that is. Yikes!! BUT...I firmly believe that my 30's are going to be better than my 20's, which were great! Steve and I were able to go out to celebrate! Tanner stayed with Mimi and Bacca so we went downtown to the
Ribfest to eat up some ribs and listen to some music. We ran a few errands (gotta do that when you have the chance!) and then went to
Warner Vineyards to taste some wine and then
Kevin's Tavern on the River for dinner! We had the camera along but completely forgot to take photos - so nothing to show ya!
We also celebrated with my parents a couple of days before. They surprised me with 30 gifts on my 30th! WHOA!
Tanner liked the birthday sign that Steve hung.
My sweet hubby decorated, bought me flowers, and got cheesecake! YUM!
That was our summer! Well...that and a whole bunch more of course! This is probably going to be the longest post in blog history!! Here are some more photos from our summer.
Tanner loves to watch Daddy mow!
When you tickle him - he puts his hand over his face and giggles and giggles - it's SO cute!
Funny hair in the tub!
Rinse!!
Tanner and Emmy (DeYoung) whom he LOVES!
Sitting at his desk, coloring! It's so cute to see him stick out his tongue while he concentrates on 'drawing'!
Playing outside!
Playing in the hose is the MOST fun you can have! He just squealed with delight over this!!
Our house! Steve has done an awesome job with the landscaping. I'll try to get more photos up of this soon!
Just woke up - so cute!
Being silly!
Tanner absolutely loves to read! In fact, if you sit down anywhere, at anytime and he sees you - he yells out 'read a story' and catapults himself onto your lap with a book! :) Watch out!
Helping Mommy!
Tanner loves to go to the park! We have a new park in Paw Paw that was built by a whole bunch of volunteers - it's amazing! Here he is with Nana and Poppa:
Tanner and his friend Asher at our church's campout.
Sitting on Daddy's drum!
Riding on his car!
Drawing with chalk on the driveway!
Making faces in the mirror before his bath!
Driving Daddy's car!
Playing drums with Daddy!
Meeting Uncle Dennis and Aunt Sheri's cows!
Hope you enjoyed all the photos and updates!! More to come soon!
