Boys Only Vacation

At the end of our visit in the UP over the 4th of July, the boys stayed with Grandma Donna and Grandpa Herb for a week of fun. Adding to the fun, cousins Ellie and Emmit came for a visit and with Max and Matt across the street there was plenty of cousins to play with! The weather warmed up for the week and out came the slip-n-slide.


A car trip to Nahma Beach. Ellie and Aiden with their feet buried in the sand.
My boys are so trained to not go in the water without their life jackets!
This was by far Brendan's favorite thing to do at the beach - using Uncle Colin's kayak.
He LOVED it!





Aiden getting a turn and a little help.
Stacey's cousin came out to do a photo shoot with all the Pomeroy cousins - lots of kids to take pics of! Many thanks to her cousin, Brooke, Stacey, Lindsey and Donna for all the silly things I'm sure they did to keep the kids entertained and smiling!
Getting ready for a ride in the trailer. Such a big boy...
Aiden trying to work his peek-a-boo magic on Emmit and Matthew.
My two cuties - it is nearly impossible these days to get a photo with Aiden actually looking at the camera.
How cool are they??

He loves holding babies!
Making big plans I'm sure.

Just being cute.
Growing up so fast.
The 'big' kids!
One with all the grandkids and Grandma Donna and Grandpa Herb.

The boys had a wonderful visit, but were ready to come home toward the end of the week. We enjoyed the week as well, although Wellyn had to work. It was fun to go out to dinner at places the kids don't really enjoy, watched Avatar, and some projects around the house. We missed them though; the house was crazy-quiet during the day! And the cats were extra annoying without the kids to give them attention.

July 4th Festivities - Part 2

The second part of our trip to the UP brought us to St. Jacques for a visit with Wellyns' parents, brothers, sister-in-laws and cousins. Grandpa Herb scored big with this awesome play set! Wasn't long after we arrived and the swings were on and it was in full use.
Not sure this little boy can get much cuter!
Brendan getting to meet newest cousin Matthew for the first time - what smiley little guy!
Another smiley guy happy to be hanging out with Grandma Donna.
Grandpa testing out the swing, Wellyn relaxing and kids all playing.

Going down in a choo-choo train! Aiden is actually the caboose ;) Maxwell and Brendan having some fun.
Yep, Aiden just livin' the life of vacation at Grandma's!
Another train down the slide with Maxwell as the engine.
Brendan loves being a big cousin!
A very cool and windy day at Nahma beach; actually every day we were there was pretty cool and windy.
Having some fun in the sand.

Mom and Dad having some fun in the sand :)

Just little heads left out!

One of my favorite family photos.

Grandma Donna and the little heads ;)
Aiden was done, but Brendan was up for some more sand. With the help of Greg and his Dad he got a lot more sand added to the pile.
Very skillfully sculpted too!
Max getting in on the action with Grandpa Herb.
Warming up and resting after such a busy afternoon.
Probably one of the coolest things they've done: getting to stay up late and go to the Nahma Hotel to listen to Uncle Levi play. They loved it - he was like a rock star in their eyes. Good memories.
4th of July parade in Garden... waiting in the shade for the candy to get there.
Little Matthew all ready for the day in his red, white and blue.

Talk about a hot day! They didn't mind though - just waiting in between trucks to get more candy.
Afterwards going on the inflatable water slide. HUGE hit!
He could have done this all day.
I love how cute they can be with each other!

4th of July Festivities - Part 1

Packing up for a trip is always an experience. Trying to get the kids to pick out only a 'few' toys, books and games to bring; making sure all the necessary clothing items are packed; and trying to keep the cats from packing themselves! Bet some houses we visited are glad Diego was too chubby to fit in the zippered front! ;)

The weekend we left for the UP Brendan had a soccer tournament so we postponed our departure until after the two Saturday games. He and I went to the morning game while Wellyn and Aiden cut up our blown down tree and took it to the compost site. Because there is never enough to do right before going on a trip. Sheesh!

The afternoon game we all attended and it was so hot out - the coaches were rotating kids in and out every few minutes so they could all get water and a quick break. Here is Brendan on one of his breaks. It's amazing what a different soccer player he was this summer - much more aggressive and trying so hard! He was so close to scoring a couple of goals...
Afterwards one of the other dads had some water left over and helped to cool him off ;)

After the soccer games we headed to Appleton for a night with Colin, Stacey, Ellie and Emmit. In the morning the kids had fun playing outside on the swings and running around the yard.
Miss Ellie being so darn cute! Getting 'the look' from Emmit :)

From there it was a quick stop in Peshtigo to visit with my sister and her family. The boys love going there to play with the dogs, pet their kitty and ask Preston a zillion questions. A few hours later we made it to Gulliver for a visit with my mom and dad.

Brendan has always loved going to Grandma's garden to pick whatever is ready. This time it was strawberries. Since Aiden is a huge strawberry lover he was right on board with this.
He has a strawberry, it's just hard to see.
Finding a few more... Our little cutie sitting in some of Grandma's flowers!
The latest building project my parents have been working on. Why would you want to relax during retirement???

The traditional walk to the old lime kilns by their place. So sad to seem them continue to fall apart... would have been so nice if they were preserved.
It was so cold during our visit! Evenings the wind calmed down some though and we were able to have a bonfire at the lake. Brendan helping cut some wood for the fire.
Getting ready for some smores.
What a happy kid!
The weather just didn't cooperate with us and it was too cold and windy for the boys to play in the lake so we found a few other things to do. Here we made it to the top of the lighthouse in Gulliver. It's my first time up - that whole open, spiral staircase has made me freeze in the past. This time I had to get over it and help Brendan up since he struggles with the same fear. Fun after we got up there!
What would be a trip home without lunch (and wi-fi) at Big Boy!
Kids still love to stop to eat there and then play on the trucks and trains.
After a big trip around town we finally found some nets they could use to try to catch minnows. Note the jacket and mittens... so cold! Somehow Brendan ended up with a huge bruise on his forehead related to the nets but we never really heard how it happened...
The much awaited launch of the paddle boat. Only available for use after 7pm when the waves calmed down.
Another day trip, this time to Newberry to see the bears.
Apparently baby bears like fruit loops!

Getting ready to say goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa Flusek and head to St. Jacques for the next part of the visit.