Evan's birthday celebrations up north!

 Since Labor Day weekend is so late this year, Evan's birthday actually falls BEFORE Labor Day weekend.  We took advantage of that and the fact that we're all starting work and school virtually and did one more last minute weekend up north to celebrate Evan and Mindy.  We arrived on Mindy's birthday, Friday mid-day and enjoyed a quick stop in Pinconning to get some cheese curds that we always see the billboards for when driving up to the lake house.  The kids had fun in the store picking out candy that Scott and I ate growing up and trying on the cheese hats.

We got up in time to enjoy a bit of sun and the lake.  Evan had to skimboard, of course. Pops built a rocket over the summer and was ready to launch it, so we took a boat ride over to a big stretch of land.  It was pretty impressive!

We grilled sausages for dinner with some sides that Mindy prepared, went for a walk to look for deer (we saw 3 that were running through the woods), and settled in to watch The Great Outdoors.  Jackie and the girls decided to come up early and arrived in the middle of the movie.  The kids were so excited to see each other.  The adults decided to play cards and have some drinks.  Matt and I were victorious winning 3 games in a row!

Saturday morning was cool and cloudy.  The kids played and watched some TV before we went on a chilly pontoon boat ride.  It was too windy to try the rocket again.  So, we decided to let Evan open his birthday presents.  He got money from Nana and Pops, a Nerf gun from Matt and Mindy, and lots of items from downtown Plymouth (comic books, candy, a bouncy ball, a cool key chain change purse, and a board game) from Jackie and the girls.  

We packed a bag lunch for the kids and got everything ready to head into Gladwin for the day.  The plan was to hit up the cider mill for donuts and some hard cider and then go over to tube down the Cedar River for an hour.  Thankfully it warmed up a bit and the sun came out, otherwise it would have been too cold.  Everyone had a great time!

Scott and I picked up pizza from Hungry Howies in Gladwin and took it back to the house for dinner for everyone.  We did cupcakes and ice cream and sang to Evan.  And it was a quiet evening in.  Everyone was exhausted and it was an early bedtime for everyone.

Sunday morning was another cool and cloudy start.  Kids played and I escaped for a walk.  After lunch the kids decided to go tubing before the girls had to go home.  They left around 2pm and then we all went golfing 9 holes at Lakeside.  It was fun to watch them since I don't usually go with them.

We had chicken fajitas for dinner and it warmed up enough for the boys to play in the sand and water.  The boys watched Indiana Jones until bedtime while the adults played cards.  We hit the road Monday morning early since we had a lot on our agenda today to prep for me working the next few days.  

Closing out the summer

 Well, we're about to wrap up summer here.  I'm doing virtual professional development tomorrow bright and early.  We just took our last trip up north for the summer.  We're busy prepping spaces in the house for virtual learning since all four of us will be doing virtual from home (and me from my classroom a few days a week).  School supplies have been bought.  Evan's birthday is two days away and I have to admit, despite being in a global pandemic with less options to entertain us this summer, it still flew by.  And I'm feeling a little sad tonight.  

August went by especially fast.  We made two trips up to the lake house for long weekends to visit Scott's parents.  We went kayaking at Kensington and apple picking at Erwin's Orchard out in South Lyon to kick off the orchard season.  There were movie nights outside with neighbors, hunting and catching cicadas, lots of swimming at the Green family's new pool, a bike ride with Grandma and Grandpa, and a few sleepovers and play dates with friends.  Sean took two classes on Outschool (Surviving the Oregon Trail and a Harry Potter escape room) and started soccer conditioning that's optional since the season is still up in the air.  Evan started guitar lessons with a new teacher that is face to face.  And there's been lots of little moments in between all the adventures where we just stayed home and hung out together.

I'm sitting here dreading tomorrow morning.  With so many changes this school year and so much still up in the air, it's going to be a stressful start to say the least.  Pretty sure the wine will be flowing at this house...