Summer Vacation Upper North

The Friday after the 4th we headed up north for a relaxing family vacation.  We started with a stop at Uncle Jim and Aunt Kay's cottage in Boyne City for a few days before heading across the bridge to the cabin on Brevort Lake.  We had a great and relaxing week with temperatures in the 80's and no rain.

Girls at the cottage in their 4th of July dresses

Eloise and Hopper

Cecelia had so much fun jumping from the dock into the lake.  She has really surprised us with her swimming skills.  The beginning of the summer she would barely go into a pool with her life jacket on.  Now she can actually swim with a life jacket.

Cecelia driving the pontoon with Uncle Jim

Eloise's turn to drive

Daddy and Cecelia taking a nap on the back of the pontoon

First night at the cabin.  Cecelia got to sleep on Grandpa's cot so Eloise had to try it out.

Playing on the sand pile at the cabin.

Eloise's first night in a big bed all by herself.  At the cottage she slept at in a bed but Trey or I would sleep with her.  At the cabin she slept all by herself.  It only took one night of about 20 minutes of her trying to get out until she figured out she was to go to sleep.  After that she did great sleeping for night and naps without a fuss.  This made us decided to come home a day early and get her a big bed and not put her back into her crib.  She did so good we didn't want to mess it up by putting her back into a crib.

Running down the sand dunes at the lake.

Climbing up the sand dune

Girls playing with daddy in the water at the dunes

All that climbing made Eloise fall asleep on the boat ride back to the cabin

Sunbathers

Girls being silly as usual

It isn't a vacation without sitting around a campfire

The ducks would come right up to the land and the girls would feed them cheese crackers

roasting marshmallows

Smore's sure are messy

We took a boat tour through the Soo Locks

Daddy and the girls gone fishin

A day trip to Oswald's bear park.  Here we are feeding the baby cubs fruit loops

The older bears got apples for treats.  Here is Cecelia throwing apples to the bears.

On the way back from the bear ranch we stopped at Tahquamenon Falls

Another fishing trip with daddy

It was such a fun and relaxing trip.  We ended up coming home on Friday instead of our original plan on Saturday which turned out to be a great decision.  Eloise ended up in a pretty bad fever episode on our way home on Friday.  It was good to be home to take care of her and be able to slowly get back to reality,