We had a wonderful time on our first official family vacation! We packed our little Civic to the roof and drove 6 and 1/2 hours to Grand Haven, Michigan.
We went straight to the beach when we arrived. A storm had just passed through, so the waves were really rolling in. We even saw surfers! Who needs the ocean?
Sami learned to jump over the waves with her Daddy.
She is all smiles in this picture, but she didn't care to get more than her legs wet. The water was cold!
This was Sami's favorite beach activity!
Lauren loved playing in the sand too. She even got her first bee sting trying to remove a bumblebee from her castle. Don't worry, that didn't stop her!
And Mommy and Daddy sat on their blanket, eating lots of snacks, enjoying the kids, and staring at beautiful Lake Michigan.
One of our favorite restaurants was Snug Harbor overlooking the river. From this deck, we could also watch Grand Haven's musical fountain.
We visited P.J. Hoffmaster State Park, famous for its sand dunes. The dunes have formed over hundreds of years. Most of them are tree covered.
One of the dunes had stairs so that visitors can climb to the top without disturbing the delicate environment. The girls climbed all 117 steps themselves!
Brandon spent most of his trip with Sami on his shoulders. "Uppy Dad. I'm super tired."
The girls loved being buried in the sand. I think Lauren could have taken a nap here.
The next best thing to rolling in the sand is the bubble bath afterwards!
Grand Haven has an adorable lighthouse next to the beach. We spent many evenings walking the pier during sunset.
This was our giant kite's maiden voyage. It took some work to get it into the air, but it was a lot of fun.
Both girls took a turn flying the kite. We stuck close to Sami, as this one could have pulled her off the ground!
A long day of kite flying and castle building! Oh so sleepy.
Mommy and her little buddy.
Our precious girls.
