Fulton County Fair

It was another fun day of rides at the Fulton County Fair, our first time.  The kids loved the good variety of games, rides, and eats.  We left when our wristbands ran out and five and headed home for some pizza and Michigan football.  (Turns out the football game was pretty painful.)

Michigan Laddventure!

My Ryan has been a ride junkie for years.  He's a brave one.  We weren't sure whether Tyler would find a groove but he sure showed us his bravery this trip.  He rode Zach's Zoomers and other big boy rides like the GoKarts and the Big Dipper.  It was a fun Day up until 7:00 when we were told the park was closing.  (We thought it closed at 9:00.)  At that point, things didn't end as smoothly as we hoped.  We had some disappointed kiddos for sure.  Ahhhh, life goes on...

Let's Go to the Beach!

One of our favorite summer retreats is a day at Grand Haven Beach.  It was picture perfect and not very busy.  We enjoyed some spashing and walked to the lighthouse to watch the fishermen and teenaged "jumpers".  Then we ventured down for some competitive mini golf.  (Ryan scored a 2 on most of the holes with a little luck:)  Then we went to our new favorite pub and ordered us a few burgers and one uneaten peanut butter sandwich. By that time, we headed back to our cheap motel and enjoyed some swimming and hot tubbing.  Not a bad day.

Toledo Mud Hens

What a fantastic evening spent with the Toledo Mudhens.  The boys loved posing with the mascots and Iron Man.  They loved getting autographs and memorabilia.  They loved the game.  They loved running the bases and saying Go Blue into the microphone.  They loved the fireworks. 

It was a great night and we loved the quiet in the car on the way home:)

Toledo Zoo and pics with the Usual Suspects

Can't wait to compare this picture with pics from the past to see how the boys have grown.  Doesn't everyone have a picture of their kid with this zoo favorite?

We spend alot of time at the penguin exhibit and have never stopped to see this statue. 

Warning:  don't get smart with a goldfish:)

...or a squid.

We had an hot day at the Toledo Zoo before heading off to see the Mudhens.  We were a bit behind schedule and had to rush but we always have a good time at the zoo.

Lansing Lugnuts

Jim started his vacation and proclaimed that it would be a sports filled week.  We planned for a night in Lansing, a night in Toledo, and a night at home to watch the Michigan team play in Dallas. 

It was a great evening for baseball.  The kids played on the slides and inflatable toys before the game and enjoyed calling out for free prizes during the game.  We really enjoyed the Fireworks show post game too. 

A little Friendly Fishing

We enjoyed having Andrew over for a playdate.  The boys spent several hours on the boat in search of the greatest fish!  They caught several and had a fun day together.  Of course, we threw this bass back to the water.  What good sportsmen.

Homer Days

We had a good time camping and playing with Papa and Grandma Ellen at Homer Days.  I can't believe I didn't get pictures of them in any of the shots.  The kids liked the festivities and the backyard fun.  The storms threatened and rained on our camping parade but we still made the best of it.   The fireworks were awesome and the kids liked their LED finger flashlights for their pregame show.