Happy Labor Day!

We made the most out of our last day of summer vacation. We started Labor Day off with the "Up and At 'Em" breakfast in the neighborhood. We had a great turn out this year and everyone enjoyed the donuts, Kellogg cereals, crafts, and fire truck. Then we packed a picnic lunch and went to Celery Flats for a bike ride and picnic. When we got home, we spent a little time reading on the porch. Then we went to Ramona Park so the kids could swim and play at the beach. We wrapped up the day with dinner and a quick game of catch in the driveway. William is very excited to start second grade. Alex still has a week to wait until his school starts.

Mr. and Mrs. Johnstone

On Thursday morning, Phil and I left for Seven Springs, Pennsylvania for Bobby and Casie's wedding. It was a six and a half hour drive - fortunately, the second half through the mountains was beautiful. We arrived in time to visit with the Smiths and Johnstones before going to the rehearsal dinner. On Friday morning, we hiked to the top of the ski slopes and hiked a few of the trails. It was such a pretty setting! Then we decided to take a 30 minute drive to see Frank Llyod Wright's Falling Water. It was very cool to see. The wedding ceremony and reception were both on Friday night. It was a very fun wedding! While we were gone, Grandma and Grandpa stayed with the boys. They went for bike rides, went fishing, played at the playground, and went out for ice cream. Not to mention playing countless board games and reading books!

View from our hotel balcony

Owen and Mimi

Lyla and Abbey

Congratulations!

Uncle Andrew

This week, we had our yearly visit from Uncle Andrew. He got into town Monday night and we hit the ground running! On Tuesday, we spent some time playing at home since it was rainy. Andrew challenged the boys to a basement olympics with Air Hockey, Foosball, and a new made up game. They also spent a lot of time playing with the legos and the lego trains. After lunch, we went to the nature center to hike and play at Nature's Playground. On the way home, we stopped at Gonzo's for beer and root beer floats. That night, we grilled pizzas for dinner and played outside. On Wednesday, we went to Sweetwater Donuts for breakfast followed by two games of bowling at Airway Lanes. In the afternoon, we played at home before meeting Phil at Bell's for our traditional dinner. The boys are always so excited for Uncle Andrew to visit and are so sad when he has to leave.

Will got 2 strikes in a row on the 10th frame!

Pool Party at Mr. Paul's

On Sunday, we were invited to the annual pool party at "Mr. Paul's" house. A group of past and present Plante Moran families are invited to swim and go out on their boat. We all really look forward to it every year!

The best group shot of the bunch!

Rainy Day at the Cottage

The boys went up to Interlochen with Grandma and Grandpa today to see the new pontoon boat. Unfortunately, it was pretty cool and rainy up north but they still managed to squeeze in some "up north" fun. They stopped at the traditional McDonald's in Reed City, played pinball baseball, and had lunch at Bud's. The rain stopped in the afternoon so they were able to go out on the boat. The boys each took a turn driving. It looks like they had a great time!

Reed City McDonald's

Sorry!

Lunch at Bud's

Lunch at Bud's

Boat time!

They look pretty happy!

Beach Day

Yesterday we spent the day with friends in St. Joseph. It was a great day at the beach - it wasn't too hot, the water wasn't too cold, and there were a lot of waves. We played in the water, built sand castles, and played on the beach playground. Then we walked up for lunch at Silver Beach Pizza which is right on the Amtrak line. After lunch, the kids played at the splash pad before heading down to the beach for a few more hours.

Alex, Sully, Tatum, Parker and Will

Playing with Pizza Dough while we wait