As many of you already know, the Hartter's of New Hampshire, were away for a good part of the summer. While Joel was traveling for research (3 weeks in Uganda and 1 week in Oregon), the rest of us were able to enjoy some time in the Great Lakes State.
We were blessed to be able to spend just over 5 weeks in Grand Haven, visiting with friends and family. Before heading home we were also able to spend a few days on the east side of Michigan. It was wonderful to finally introduce AnaLeah to much of my family. We apreciate all of the help I had while Joel was gone. I couldn't have done it without the help of my sister Joey, my Mom, and Dad.
We had so many exciting adventures while being gone for over 6 weeks. If I go into detail over all of the cherished moments that were had, I would be blogging for over a week straight. I'll try my best to add captions by the pictures (note... not all are in order).
At last...a chance to meet the famed Grammy!
One of our first excursions happened to be my cousin Rebecca's wedding. Having to be on my toes chasing 2 boys and a tired baby around, I wasn't able to get many pictures of us spruced up and looking our best....
My niece Cora and my brother Matt....
Before I knew that I'd have extra help from my sister being in town, I had signed the boys up for some day camps. Jude's first camp was soccer. He did great! Levi loved watching his big brother play too!
The next week both boys were signed up to attend camps at the YMCA. Jude had a blast at his Rainforest camp while Levi got down and dirty with his camp all about bugs. The last week of camps, Jude explored the equipment while attending a gymnastics camp.
The last day we got to watch Jude show off the moves he had learned throughout the week. AJ was all eyes....perhaps a future in gymnastics?
While Daddy was away, Ana lost all of her baby hair. As expected, it started to come back in a blonder color.
Totally into cars, roads, and road signs, it was not a shock when we found Jude reading a drivers training book...
Jude got quite a few chances to go out on Grampy's boat this summer. Levi was not a huge fan of the boat so Jude got to get Grampy all to himself. Jude couldn't get enough of the tube and of course jumping off the boat to go for a swim....
One of the newest water features in Grand Haven is a free water pad near the waterfront. It was the perfect place to go for a quick cool down
We were spoiled with Auntie Joey's endless energy. The boys got many chances to escape to the playground at the nearby elementary school. (Jack is still going through Joey withdrawal, now that he doesn't get a daily outing too.)
Jude had a blast making some sand art during one of his quiet times....
Levi's favorite playground was the one by Chinook Pier....he could spend all day checking out the train parked there....
We took full advantage of having Grandma Eleanor and Grandpa Chuck living through Grammy's back yard. Not a day went by that the kids didn't ask to go visit...
It was awesome to get a chance to visit with Matt, Maggie, and Cora almost every weekend! Cora, just turning 1, is such a sweetie!
Sandy, the horse at Meijer's, got her fair share of pennies as we frequented Meijer almost every day....
Our mini driver....
One of the cooler days in the trip, we headed down the road a few miles to hike in Hoffma Park....
Tree huggers....
Where did all of my frozen blueberries go?
John Ball Park Zoo was the perfect day outing for our clan. AnaLeah kept us entertained on the way there....
June 29, is our anniversary. Joel happened to be out of the country on our actual anniversary but between trips we managed to sneak in a date to celebrate our 10th! We had a delicious dinner, went for a wonderful walk on the boardwalk, swam in the 77 degree Lake Michigan, and enjoyed the beautiful colors of the sunset.
With Levi's new found love of blueberries, we just had to go pick some ourselves! Ottawa County grows 1/3 of the nations blueberries, so it was too difficult to find a place to go picking....
This will be the last 4th of July that we were able to take advantage of a couple of our favorite party spots. Both my Aunt Becky and Uncle Chuck, and Grandpa and Grandma Rycenga, will most likely have their houses sold by the end of the summer. We had a fabulous time celebrating this year!
Ryer was taken by AJ
My cousin Brooke and me...
Water features were in order... temps soared to almost 100....
Wearing jammies, the boys awaited the firework show....
They boys look forward to riding the trolley each summer. We park our car at the local book store. Grammy lets the boys each choose a new book and while we wait for the trolley, she gets a chance to read to them....
It's always a pleasure to visit with the Retsema side of our family. In the summer months, they happened to spend time not too far from Grand Haven. We all love the chance to catch up and visit. This year we got to meet my cousin Amy's youngest, Cate....
Their summer home is in a resort called Sandy Pines. The fact that everyone drives a golf cart would be enough draw to get the boys to go along. The addition of a lake and a pool with a water park is just spectacular!
We had a terrific hike to the lake at Hoffmaster State Park. Not too unexpectedly, the boys stripped down to their undies to enjoy a swim. AJ and I waited at the top of the dune in the shade (we forgot the sunscreen).
The morning we went to the farmers market, Levi was thrilled to find that the fence around the train was opened. They were determined to open the door to the auto carrier car...
They believed they could "fix" the train and get the cars reconnected.
Our days were numbered, our time was soon to run out. It was time to try to squeeze in those things left on our list of things to do in GH. This night we got to roast marshmallows and light sparklers. And because it was still hot, hot, hot, we filled the pool and filled the water balloons....
They filled the pool with ballons.....
Jack's summer fling Lilly (A labordoodle from next door). They loved playing together!
So many Bearenstain Bears books were read over the weeks....
Last trip to the beach...using the boogie board.
Time to say goodbye for now....
Can you guess which hand the candy is in? Gramps has a hard time fooling these boys... But they both have so much fun playing "the game."
One last hug...
Steve got down and dirty with the boys in the sand box. He even caught a toad for them to play with...
Uncle Steve spoiled the boys by giving them early birthday presents....
Steve and Cynthia were headed off to the rehearsal dinner... one last photo op.
One of these days we'll capture a shot where they are all smiling...
