Goodbye July

Hi! I hope you enjoyed the last weekend of July. It’s always sad to see July go, because we only have a month of summer left. August-please take your time, your friend July went by in like 5 minutes.

Monday has become laundry day so that is the exciting agenda for today. We do have friends visiting this week, so can’t wait for that!

Thanks for reading and have a great week! Keep on scrolling for a recap of our weekend:)

Friday

A few weeks ago, a huge crack seemed to appear out of nowhere on the windshield of my van. We’ve been putting off getting it fixed, but last week my rearview mirror decided to fall off. So obviously, I couldn’t drive with that swinging around and thankfully was able to get in on Friday for an appointment.

One thing I love about Traverse City is how walkable it is. I dropped the van off, and the boys and I enjoyed a nice walk along Union Street. The houses are adorable, and I loved looking at their porches, flowers, and unique character. Owen is always finding things in nature and this time it was a very large slug and a blue jay feather.

After about a 20-minute walk, I took the boys to The Omelette Shoppe to grab a late breakfast. I never know how a restaurant will go when I am by myself, but they were pretty good! (We were antsy toward the end, but that is to be expected…check please!) Also, multiple bathroom trips ha-ha.

After our meal, we walked back, and the van was thankfully ready. The boys really wanted to go the beach, so I did a few quick chores at the campsite, and we headed that way. The boys did their typical beach activities: Drew went swimming, Lucas found his buddies, and Owen went searching for frogs. He was successful and found one! I reminded him to be gentle in handling him and that we have to put him back in nature. His response: “He is one of God’s creatures, mommy. I love him.” So sweet.

Drew LOVES to take selifes with me. I have SO MANY selfie photos of Drew and I on my camera roll ha-ha. Here’s our selfie session hanging out on the dock toward the end of our beach outing:)

Some dark clouds started to roll in, so we packed up and headed back. It started raining right as we got back to the campsite. However, it didn’t last long, and the boys were able to get some fishing in with dad. Lucas caught a bass!

Saturday

Saturdays we spend at Lake Leelanau. I packed a lunch for the boat, we got ready, ate a quick breakfast, and we’re on our way before 10am.

The tenants left the cottage very clean and there wasn’t much to do so we got ready for a boat ride! It was a little windy (made lunch kind of tricky), but the sunshine felt wonderful. The boys attempted to fish but no luck. They did manage to tangle their lines, though! The fun of fishing with kids! 😉

Every time we get back from a boat ride, Drew immediately goes into the lake. Most skills are hard for him to learn, but swimming has come naturally. He absolutley loves it!

I suggested to Ryan that we make stop at Lake Ann Brewing Co. on the way home for drinks and a bite to eat. Thankfully, they were not very busy, and we got a table right away. There was also a band playing that made the experience extra fun! We ordered pizza from The Stone Oven next door, and it was delicious.

We headed back to the campsite and Lucas wanted to go on a bike ride. He recently learned this new skill (finally!) and it’s all he wants to do now!

Ryan started a campfire and the ice cream truck drove by. We all got some tasty treats to enjoy by the fire.

Not soon after, Owen had some struggling moments with his listening ears, and it was clearly time for bed;)

Sunday

We took it nice and easy on Sunday morning, sleeping in, and making a hot breakfast. Ryan and I did talk about that we need to get back into our church routine, though. We haven’t been good about going this summer:(

Now that Lucas can ride his bike, we can go out for family bike rides! This is very exciting because the Traverse City area has so many bike trails and biking is very popular up this way. We decided on the Boardman Lake Loop Trail because there are several places to stop along the way. It’s a four-mile loop around the lake. We parked at Medalie Park to begin our ride.

Our first stop was a brewery called The Filling Station, a favorite of ours. Drew was excited to see a friend from school! I tasted a sampler of four and the watermelon beer was my favorite. They gave the boys some playdoh to play with, which Owen loved especially. We also ordered a few appetizers to share. However, Ryan and I regretted not ordering a flatbread because they are SO GOOD there. Next time!

We got back on our bikes and continued to follow the trail around the lake.

Our next stop: ice cream! We stopped at Leone’s Frosty Treat which we have never been to before. I ordered a flurry, and they made it with chocolate ice cream which I don’t like. My wonderful husband offered to switch with me, though;) He’s a keeper! Also, I have never ordered a flurry and had it made with chocolate ice cream, it’s always vanilla!

We had one mile left to bike back to where we started and made a quick stop at a new overlook. Some baby deer caught our attention, and they were fun to watch. I couldn’t get a clear picture of them though.

Once we made it back to Medalie Park, we sat on the bench for a short while overlooking the lake. Lucas decided to climb on a log and fell in. He tends to get dramatic sometimes, and having a wet shoe was no exception ha-ha; you live and learn, I guess! Owen went a frog hunt and of course Drew and I snapped a few selfies.

It felt so good to get back on my bike again after a few years of not really riding it. I look forward to more family bike rides in the future! Also, this was Drew’s first time on his trailer bike, and he did so good!

We stopped at Meijer on the way home for some groceries and grilled up some steak for dinner, yum! They boys played a little and then it was bedtime. Beach, ice cream, campfires, boat ride, breweries, biking–not a bad way to spend the last weekend of July!

Have a great week!