*It is super frustrating how much time I have spent rotating pictures on a computer without picture editing software just to have them be a different direction when I upload them here. My only other option is to wait until I get home to update the blog, but, it'd probably take me months to get it done, so I'm posting them anyway and hoping I can get them flipped when I put them in my book.*
On Sunday we drove to Michigan. Monday was a rainy day, so we went to the Henry Ford Museum. It was even cooler than I remembered.
Here, the kids saw a model assembly line for a Model T and then got to work the assembly line.
Then they got to help assemble a real Model T.
In the airplane section they created and tested their own paper airplanes.
They had a lot of fun "fixing the red car".
Jack ignoring the barriers to see the old fire truck.
On Tuesday, we went to Stony Creek Park. They had an awesome playground.
This elevator platform was very unique.
Of course playing in the sand was what kept the kids entertained the longest.
Asher and Jack are sitting in someone else's hole and the girls kept filling it with water anyway.
When they all get together, they come up with really creative sand creations.
We had a fun evening of playing Mormon Bridge and singing songs from our childhood: Know When to Hold Em, Long Tall Texan, Dominique the Christmas Donkey, Paradise by the Dashboard Light, Pump Up the Jam, Life's Been Good, Why'd Everybody Always Picking on Me, and more I'm sure I'm forgetting.
Plenty of time was spent on devices, but at least they can connect in Minecraft so they are still interacting.
On Wednesday, we celebrated James' 12th birthday. We took up the whole patio at MOD Pizza.
We then went to Joe Dumar where the kids did an obstacle course, mini golf, bungee trampline, laser tag, and arcade games.
Ethan and Joseph on the obstacle course:
Most of the kids figured out doing a backflip.
That evening we got the slip n slide set up, which was a huge hit! Ethan and Benton both split their swim trunks. The evening ended with cake and ice cream.
Thursday we went to the Detroit Zoo. Ruthie is obsessed with penguins, so it was a priority. The penguin exhibit is really amazing.
If you look closely, you can see Mike here. He came to Michigan for the reunion.
James in peach next to Ethan and then Joseph. Dad is in the hat.
The Dinosauria exhibit was really unique and fun.
Asher kept saying he wanted to talk to the dinosaurs before walking on.
He loved the "spitting" dinosaurs. The tall dinosaurs, he said, "totally freak me out".
That night one of the babysitters that helped us out two years ago came again so the adults could go to a Beachboys concert.
Lisa and Dan got in on the dancing action. It was fun hearing so many songs I love.
Friday we took family pictures in the morning at the nature center. Some of us stayed there to play while Joe and Dad went to scope out the Warped Tour schedule.
Joe and Dan took Joseph, Ethan, and James. Ethan was very concerned about the bad language and why people would come to a concert where there would be swearing. He was also keeping count of all the swear words. Dan did a good job of making it a teaching moment.
While they were gone, Mike and I took the other boys to Pump It Up.
Lisa and Lauren took the girls to get their nails done at the insistence of Maddie.
All the kids, except Jack, slept in the basement. Some nights bedtime went more smoothly than others, but the kids had a great (exhausting time) being together.
Saturday we got some exercise in and then drove home. Lisa and I were "randomly" selected to have our car searched after a 45 minute wait in the border line. We think it had more to do with my expire passport than a random choice. When they called us up, they told us no more taking selfies because phones aren't allowed, oops.
"Quack, quack" At the end of Joe Walsch's Life's Been Good, there is a tag that goes, "Uh oh, here come's a flock of wah-wah's...quack quack quack." That is one of our jokes for this trip.
Everyone was pretty tired for church the next day. We had a low key day of letting the kids go crazy playing at home before actually maintaining a regular bedtime.
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