Great Lakes, Great Times

Beautiful girls, beautiful place.

Yes, we are back from Michigan.  The Great Lake State.  The wild northern frontier.

I wish we could have stayed longer.

Aunt Genocide joined us, as did an old friend of mine- now a single dad of two truly amazing girls.  The girls?  They utterly fell in love with my kids.  It was pretty much the most awesome vacation situation I could imagine.  Eager, willing, and almost entirely competent babysitters.  In only my kids weren't still in diapers it would have been like something out of a dream.

We played many games, we laughed a great many belly laughs, and I spent an evening reading Stephen King aloud to Aunt Genocide.  It was everything anyone could want from a very, very long weekend away.

Tonight, pictures of the visit in general.  But tomorrow?  And after that?  Pictures of our trips within our trip.  A few excursions away from the cabin off to other amazing places and fun things to do aside from just enjoying each other's company.

So, without further ado, the pictures...

Our one night in Ann Arbor, our hotel came equipped with the world's largest iPod.

Whole worlds of Little People.  The same little people I played with as a kid.  It occurs to me that the record players involved with those toys are completely foreign objects to my children.  I must remedy this.

Even if it rains, vacation is still never ending fun.

Grandmommy picked up these umbrellas and rain coats in Spain.

SI taking over for the Morton's Salt girl.

Happy, happy DD.  And then- off to Dinosaur Gardens!

My parents' cabin is (at least in its oldest components) over 100 years old.  Naturally, it's infested with mice.  And we caught one!  Aunt Genocide, Bell, Frau Troublestuff, and me.

For shame, Frau Troublestuff.

She became the humiliated entertainment of the weekend.  But she did get a lot of Cheerios and string cheese out of it.

Lovely dresses that Grandmommy brought the girls from South Africa.

M does a backflip into Guppy Lake

Bell entertained the girls with a game we called, "Chase the Monster."  In this episode, it involved a lot of jumping.

Collecting rocks to throw in the water.  Grandma taught them that wonderful trick in Minnesota, and I must say it never gets old.

DD: "Look!  I'm going to throw these rocks in the water!"

Sploosh!

Poppa in his favorite condition- on the paddle boat, on the lake, in the middle of a glorious day.

Hannah and SI having a tea party

Nom nom nom!

A great many stories were read.  Hannah, Bell, Grandmommy, Poppa, and of course M and I all took turns.  I think Grandmommy and Poppa may have every single Dr. Seuss book ever written.

Coloring all over the place!

Yours truly, finally freeing Frau Troublestuff.