home sweet home

after nearly 5 weeks in northern michigan, we are home.  and after so much time away, home is so sweet.  since april, hazel and anders have grown an inch each.  and they all just seem older.
the summer has been wonderful.  i look back on our time there and am just so proud of all 3 rascals.  it's a cottage full of family, it doesn't get dark until 11, there's just so much fun and goodness all the time...enough that a 3 & 4 year old could lose their minds....and enough that a 6 year old with autism could be completely overwhelmed.
but, honestly, all 3 of them did SO well.

the family, the lake, the sailing, the biking, the summer community...we do so much up there and we also do nothing at all.  unless you've been it's so hard to explain.  it's been that way since i was a kid. after the long road trip from michigan to louisiana in the wood-paneled and light blue station wagon, friends would say.  "now, why would you go to michigan in the summer?"  there is just a history and uniqueness to bay view.
"why do you go there?"
it seems this is an elusive question that just can't be answered, it must be experienced.  here are some highlights from our summer experiences there this year.

top 13 of '13

1) the 4th

2) looking through old family pictures

3) wonderful grandparents, aunts, uncles & cousins!

4) sunsets & such beauty all around

5) ice cream at the bob-in

6) karly, karly, karly 

our amazing friend and babysitter from home came up to help me while matt was in africa, she is truly part of the family & such a gift to me

 

7) matt to africa means matt HOME from africa 
& great family time together!

8) dates!

with anders at the pancake house and looking at yachts

with hazel for a hamburger & watching the vespers concert

9) 2 in tot lot

10) bay view beach days

11) bikes!

12) friends from arkansas coming 
to visit for their vacation

12) matt & i taking our first real getaway 

sans kids since lena came home (nearly 2 years)...

2 nights away in traverse city/leelanau/sleeping bear dunes

13) matt's book event at the wonderful 
local bookstore, mclean & eakin

this was at set up, before it started...don't worry people showed:)