Painting Party

Mrs. Karen invited us to participate in an afternoon Painting Party at her home, along with some other children, who were grandchildren of her friends.  Mrs. Karen is a friend from church who was also Hudson's Art Camp teacher last fall and this spring.  We felt very blessed to be invited, as she knows Hudson loves to paint.  She had 5 different canvas options for the kids to choose from.  Hudson chose the sailboat (which happened to be the most advanced option which was intriguing to him) and Greta painted a cupcake (along with some of my help).  

We started by drawing the picture with pencil on the canvas.  Then you paint the outline in black.  After that, they filled the picture in with the various colors.  Greta impressed us all and stuck with her project and stayed focussed, lasting nearly 2 hours from start to finish.    

Its such a learning process for students to see projects go through all the steps to completion.  

All the children stayed focussed and were excited about their paintings, but were also thankful for the assistance of the adults.  

My little artist, Hudson John.  He made a perfect painting for summer, a sailboat on the water.  

The little artists showing off their finished work.  

We are thankful for Mrs. Karen, she has become a mentor and friend.  

Greta girl gave it her all.  She was SO PROUD of her cupcake and fell asleep on the drive home while holding her painting.  

Michigan Weekend Getaway - Saturday

Our only goal for Saturday was to spend as much time as possible at the beach and get ice cream at some point during the day.  When we arrived at Tunnel Park around 10:00am we had our pick of a spot along the beach.  As the day went on the beach got busier and BUSIER.  Roy had packed the kids a bag of sand toys and they were a hit and got hours of use.  Plus, they provided us with opportunities to initiate play with others.  We took a late break for a quick lunch (to get the kids out of the sun for a bit) and then returned to the beach for another 2 hours.  The kids could just not get enough of the sand, water and sunshine...literally.  I did reapply sunscreen, yet we all came home with a little sunburn.  Here is a round of pictures from our day of fun on the beach at Lake Michigan.

Excited to get down to the beach, but stopping for a bathroom break first.


Bare feet are always better in the sand.


Greta girl loved the water.

I spent most of the time on the sand and Roy played with the kids in the water.  Best. Daddy. Ever.  

No makeup and no shower but snuggles and smiles with my favorite guy.  

Hudson had a great time digging and digging and digging in the sand.  

Greta - age 3 1/2 

Daddy - age 36 1/2 

Greta and Daddy played this game over and over again.  She would tell him how far out in the water to go and she would walk out to him.  

  

Hudson showing off his sand fort.  

Our lunch stop was for hot dogs (Roy's choice).    

We went back to the hotel, cleaned up and had dinner at a restaurant.  The kids ate well and were pleasant, which made for an enjoyable evening.

Hudson even lost a tooth while eating his pizza.  This is the 6th tooth he has lost.  His smile is always changing these days.     

We grabbed ice cream at Captain Sundae's (a Holland, Michigan classic) afterward dinner and saw some familiar faces there. "Where is the ice cream Captain Sundae?"  

It proved to be a sweet ending to a blessed weekend.  

Jori and Greta became buddies over the weekend.  

We ended our trip with happy hearts and sweet memories.  So thankful for our time together in beautiful Holland, Michigan.  

Michigan Weekend Getaway - Friday

On Friday morning we grabbed breakfast at our hotel.  Then we headed to downtown Holland and browsed around some of the shops.  We met my dad's cousin Moira, who recently moved to Holland, and she took us out for lunch at a local Mexican place.  In the afternoon we toured the Dutch Village and then headed to our hotel to get ready for the 6:30 wedding.  

Examining all of the Swiss Army Knives in one of the stores downtown.  

They had these amazing homemade popsicles at the lunch place Moira took us to.  They had probably 50 different flavors.  Hudson and I share a love for anything mint and the mint popsicles were A-mazing!  We gave them two thumbs up.  

Its not every day that you eat a popsicle the same color as your outfit.  

It was this cute authentic place, perfect for eating outdoors on a lovely summer afternoon.  

Taking a walk in wooden shoes at the Dutch Village.  

We toured the "authentic Dutch windmill" that was on sight.  

Our tour guide (and all the workers) were dressed in traditional Dutch clothing and wore wooden shoes.  

I am 100% Dutch (or so that is what they tell me), which makes my kids 50% Dutch.  Roy just wishes he was Dutch like the rest of us.  :)  

Crossing the canal.  

We listend to this old Dutch organ play.  

Hydrangeas are one of my favorites, probably because they remind me of our wedding.  

The Michigan weather was superb and so were the Dutch folk.  

The gardens were full of beauty and delight every direction you turned.  

The kids took a (slow) ride on the vintage Dutch carousel.  

A selfie with my favorite son.  

(Fake) tulips in the gift store.  The thought of them being real made me happy and long for the return of spring.  

Trying on the wooden shoes for size.  

Brennan and Rachel's outdoor wedding was was beautiful in every way.  We are so thankful for the opportunity to celebrate with them.  

Its good for children to be in environments like this (I think) to practice and learn how to do "fancy things" as long as the parents have enough patience to keep up with them.  

Passing the time after dinner with a tracing project.  The reception took place in an old school house.  

A donut bar with coffee was the bride and grooms dessert of choice.  

"I hope this gives me enough energy to get my moves out on the dance floor."  We took it all in and stayed until the couple left around 10:30.  The kids had a great time and I was thankful for the chance to talk with familiar faces.  

Mrs. Geselle, one of my favorite people in all the earth, dancing with her son, Brennan.  And by the way...I have basically known Brennan his entire life.  I babysat him when he was a baby and into his elementary years.  So the fact that he got married officially makes me an "old person."  

Michigan Weekend Getaway - Thursday

We made an extended weekend trip to Holland, Michigan, to attend a wedding of a good family friend.  It was the perfect excuse to get away as a family for a mini-vacation to a beautiful location.  We traveled on Thursday (its about an 8 hour trip) and arrived to our hotel early evening.

We left around 8:55am, our goal was to be on the road at 9:00.  So thankful for these happy travelers.  

When I was a kid my mom always let us get mini cereal boxes on vacation.  The kids were excited when I offered them this option and were eager to enjoy them as car snacks.  

Keeping little ones busy in the car always takes a little planning.  

We made a stop at Crane's Pie Pantry for dinner.  It was in Fennville, Michigan.  Nana and Papa stopped here in route a few years ago and thought we would enjoy it too.  

It was a fun stop for dinner.  

Greta was especially excited about the applesauce and picked a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for dinner.  

Thankful to be "home" at our hotel.  

Instead of putting our kids to bed at a normal time and struggling to get them to sleep for 2 hours in a hotel room (we have learned that never goes very well), we decided to take advantage of the beautiful night and we headed to Holland State Park to see the Holland Harbor Light, known as Big Red, and to watch the sunset.  

We found great delight in watching the kids explore in the sand on the beach.

Roy and I were here together before we were married, but it was in March and it was snowing.  

So thankful to enjoy this beautiful place with those I love most.  

We walked along the water.  

And then we walked out into the water on the pier.  

The kids LOVED their first experience on a "real beach."  The sound and motion of the waves crashing and the wet sand beneath their toes was a new experience for them.  

Brave Hudson climbed out onto the rocks for a good sunset picture.  

Thankful for Roy, our faithful leader and adventurer.  

Again...it was SO beautiful and SO special.   

I just sat and soaked up the sights, smells and sounds of the sand and water for several minutes.  Living in Iowa we just don't get to experience things like this every day.    

Greta was the most eager and just couldn't seem to get enough of the whole experience.  At the end of the night she was pretty much soaked from the waist down.  

A nice young lady took this picture of our family and came up to me afterwards and offered to text it to me.  Her thoughtfulness was a blessing and gave us this sweet memory.