Let's Happy Dance For Friday

I don't know where Silas learned to dance like that, but I have re-watched this video more times than I can count in the last week! (With those samba moves, I think he has a future on DWTS! Ha!)

Thanksgiving is coming up this week, and I have so very much to be thankful for. Life is good, but that doesn't mean it's always easy. The last few weeks have been a little rough on me. Bad weather, a bad cold, sick children, moments of feeling sorry for myself (hate those) and strained relationships. Do you ever go through patches where nothing's really wrong, but for whatever reason you just can't communicate and get along with the people you care about the way you really want to? It's weird and frustrating and can make a person feel lonely and out of sorts.

Enough rambling. I'm hoping a quiet weekend with warmer temps, a coffee date with Matt and almost-totally-recuperated children will be just the thing to get me back on track. :) Happy weekend, guys!

Mt. Pisgah

Also over the past weird, chilly weekend: we climbed Mt. Pisgah.

(Which is really just a huge sand dune.)

There were a whole mess of stairs to climb.
(239 to be exact.)

But the view from the top is worth every step.

But then you have to climb back down...

...Which totally justifies a stop for ice cream, amiright?

^ (He's righteously ticked off that he can't eat ice cream too. Darn milk allergies.) ^

We walked by Lake Macatawa on our way back to the car, just as it started to rain.

I love exploring this area! I feel anxious to see as much as we can outdoors before the weather gets seriously cold. It's coming all too soon - this summer is passing much too quickly! 

Like Christmas In July?

This weekend the weather changed dramatically.

You could feel the difference most at the beach, where temps were under 60*F and very windy.

We had to all wear jackets, and were still freezing!

I love the constantly changing weather and landscape of Lake Michigan.

However, I was a bit freaked out by the cold.

Because I am in no way shape or form ready to say goodbye to summer yet.

(Luckily the sun's supposed to come warm things back up this week. Yay!)

^ This girl loves sand. ^

^ Despite the rip current warnings, there were still para-surfers (right word for it?) Crazies. ^

^ Big Red really pops when it's stormy. ^

^ Can't tell if he's giving the stink eye to me or Olive, but it was probably me (for lagging behind taking pictures of his bum. ;) ^

Frederik Meijer Gardes [Part 1]

We woke up to more winter weather last Saturday morning - including (yes, ugh) snow. So depressing - this has truly been the longest winter/latest-to-arrive spring ever. (Luckily this isn't typical for west Michigan. From what I've gathered from locals this has been an abnormally cold, wet spring. What a relief, because I don't think I could handle this every year!)

We decided to take the kids to the Frederik Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids, because they have a huge tropical plant conservatory that they keep at 80F degrees, and it just so happens that their butterfly exhibit is going on right now. Nothing sounded better to me than walking around in an artificial summery tropical paradise, filled with thousands of butterflies!

What follows is a lot of pictures (sorry.) Everything was so pretty, I went just a little shutter-crazy.

St. Pat's Parade

73 / 365

 

Today we froze our derrieres off watching the St. Patrick's parade downtown.

But Olive loved it and got a lot of freebies (candy, necklaces, flags, etc.) So it was all good.

We also got breakfast at our favorite breakfast spot.

I love Saturdays.