Friday Field Trip & Carnival + Weekend Recap!

Hello! I hope Monday finds you well. The weekends always seem to come and go so quickly. We enjoyed a sunny weekend with temperatures rising during the day. It looks like it’s sticking around for Memorial Day Weekend giving us a delicious taste of summer. Fingers crossed we can get our pontoon boat in the water by then!

Friday

Our weekend fun started a little early with a field trip to the GT Butterfly & Bug Zoo! Owen and I joined Lucas’s class in a fun learning experience exploring insects, arachnids, and more. Owen was in heaven. The tour guides were extremely knowledgeable and engaging with the children. While it was a small place, the staff did an excellent job of moving the children through the exhibits and making sure they all experienced them fully.

The butterfly house was my favorite! We were surrounded by vibrant flowers and of course fluttering butterflies! Lucas and Owen tried so hard to stand still for one to land and Owen eventually got one on his back.

After Lucas’s class left, Owen wanted to stick around longer as he just loves little critters. We had the place more to ourselves, so he was able to look at the bugs closely and we even went into the butterfly house a second time.

There was an ice cream/food truck out front, so we each enjoyed a cold treat after. I’m sure we’ll be back!

That evening, we attended a carnival held at the school. I didn’t take too many pictures because my hands were full of tickets and prize bags, but the boys had a great time! The principal grilled hot dogs for everyone and the boys enjoyed playing games and seeing all their friends.

Saturday

Our Saturday kicked off with a soccer game and brrrr it was a chilly one! We bundled up and headed to our first away game in Leland. Last weekend was a bit rough (we lost by a lot), so we were hoping for a win today. Well, our team was on fire, and we got the W! Lucas scored 5 goals! I think the kids are getting comfortable with each other and learning to play as a team now. Ryan also substituted as coach, so he was extra pumped about the win. Obviously, at this age it’s more about learning the game and sportsmanship, but it felt good to finally win a game!

After the game, we decided to grab breakfast in town at Leelanau Coffee Roasting Company Breakfast Bistro. It was our first visit, and the breakfast did not disappoint. A few of our other teammates were there too which was fun.

With full breakfast bellies, we chose to burn some of it off with a hike/morel hunt. We stopped at Clay Cliff Natural Area which we’ve ventured before. Our hike started a little chilly, but we ended up stripping layers as the sun warmed up.

Unfortunately, we did not find one single morel, but it was fun to get some exercise in nature as a family. The overlook view definitely makes it worth it! The only downside was the swarm of midges (visible in the photos below!) so we kept our mouths closed and enjoyed the view rather quickly.

Ryan was not ready to give up on the mushroom hunt, so we made another stop at Veronica Valley. We decided to grab Nala on the way which I am sure she appreciated! We looked and looked but still nothing. It’s a little frustrating but I guess we need to keep trying and have patience. Either way, we had a pleasant walk in the sunshine.

The rest of the day was spent at home with a mix of productivity and relaxation. Our neighbor keeps bees and let the boys check out the honeycomb frames and taste some honey. They loved it! Ryan power washed one of our decks–and wow what a difference! Now I want to power wash all the things ha-ha. I caught up on laundry and some other chores and ended the evening watching the sunset with a glass of white wine.

We gave the boys some much needed showers and it was off to bed. Ryan and I watched an episode the The Night Agent before heading to bed ourselves.

Sunday

Sunday was a low-key day. I made pancakes for breakfast, and we hung out at home for a bit. Ryan worked on soccer skills with Lucas. Lucas is living and breathing soccer these days. He watches videos on YouTube and begs Ryan and I to play with him all the time. We have seen a lot of improvement already. Proud of his hard work and determination!

We took a picture on Sunday of the deck after it was dry. It looks brand new again! It’s amazing the difference a power wash can make!

We also had a family outing to Menards on Sunday. It’s always an adventure taking the boys to stores. It helps when we can confine one or two in the cart ha-ha! They were pretty good though:)

On the way home we stopped at Oleson’s and grilled up some hot dogs and brats for dinner. I also picked up some local asparagus and it was delicious! Owen even liked it!

Our weekend concluded with some Toy Story (Drew’s favorite). Ryan and I relaxed and chatted a little after the boys went to bed. Before long we headed to bed ourselves and I read until I could no longer keep my eyes open. I’m about halfway through The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley and am really enjoying this twisty read so far.

Time to get this new week rolling! Have a good one and thanks for stopping by!