Last week began as normal, with school and play.
Ezri was super excited to get a surprise fun gift from Uncle Andy for her and Barb - a new rolling set of containers for his food and bedding, complete with a scoop she had been hoping for.
While all of that was going on, however, the kids had no idea that something much bigger was in the works! Mommy managed to pack and load the van for a 5 day 4 night trip away and nobody even noticed! No small feat with 4 little ones under foot all day long. We even managed to trick the girls into getting through an extra day of school because they knew their friends Travis and Emmett would have a day off of school, so we could too. Thursday after lunch, we asked the kids if they would like to go see Kathy play a roller derby game, which they were all in for (we were actually going to see a couple of games over the weekend, so it was full truth). So, we loaded them up and headed of to meet our friends the Sebrights. When we stopped to drop Sadie off at Grandpa and Grandma's, we got a few questions, but explained that, of course, Sadie could not come to a roller derby game with us and would be happier playing and being with people than locked in her crate. That explanation worked for them, and soon we were on our way.
For the week leading up to the trip, we had read some books about Michigan and the Mackinac Bridge had come up several times, so Ezri was excited to learn about it and we capitalized on that interest by doing some research during school. She was loaded up with facts that she didn't even know she would want to know!
By 2 we were headed North. We got a lot of "when will we be there" questions as the hours and miles stretched on.
To beat the boredom, the kids each had a backpack full of fun things to do, and we took some silly pictures to pass the time too.
Yes, Mommy is wearing at Tiara. Kathy, Becci and I declared Thursdays to be "Royal Thursday" after a fun night out a few weeks back, and we decided since we had them we might as well wear them, which turned into a weekend of wearing them, but why not?!
Several stops for potty breaks and food broke up the drive, but by the time we got close to Mackinac, Ezri was starting to put things together, I think, because we had talked during our research about how long it would take to get to the bridge. As we neared, I encouraged the girls to watch the trees, full of color
And also to watch billboard signs for clues, as they often told what was nearby. They spotted ferry signs and one for the Grand Hotel, which gave us more opportunity to talk about Mackinac Island as we drove. Soon, we were within sight of the bridge, and then the car erupted in excitement!
Ezri knew immediately what she was seeing and the look on her face was worth it all. As we waited for the guys to get us checked in at the hotel, the seats could not contain the older girls and they were soon excitedly bouncing about the van, full of chatter.
After we checked into our hotel and got settled, we took the kids out to see the bridge lit up at night while we waited for Jay and Becci to join us for our adventure. Ezri was so excited!
It was pretty cool to be able to walk under the bridge on the shore, and quite pretty too.
After a late bedtime, the kids awoke very excited and ready for Friday and our trip to Mackinac Island!
As we were leaving the dock, we got to see a bunch of boats docked for winter and a retired ice breaker too.
The ferry ride was super cool, because we got to take a short side trip and go under the bridge before heading to the island!
It was cloudy and a bit windy, but the skies sure made for a beautiful scene as we cruised along toward the island.
We were all very surprised to find a cruise ship was docked near the island, so we had fun chatting about that for a bit on our trip. Soon, it got too cold for the kids on the top deck of the boat, so they retreated down to the enclosed deck with some of the adults.
Mommy was having too much fun taking pictures and enjoying the adventure to let the cold take away the fun, though!
Finally, we docked and were able to get off and go explore the island and all the sights and experiences it had to offer!
At lunch time, with many food options reduced due to it being off season, or not ideal due to the pack of children traveling with us, or prices, we opted to stop at a grocery store and get deli sandwiches and picnic instead, which worked out great for the kids who wanted to run and play and explore.
Especially for Alora, who had a blast chasing seagulls!
After lunch, we headed up the hill to check out the fort! Ezri was very happy to find a cannon after her big school project in the spring. It was fun for her to see one in person and to be able to touch and check it all out.
The view from the fort was pretty fantastic.
The girls had a great time going in and out of buildings and seeing all there was to see.
Little brother was happy enough to roll along and see it from his cozy stroller.
While at the fort, we got to watch a musket shooting demonstration...
See them shoot the big cannon...
And watch a rifle shooting demonstration.
We also took the opportunity to take some family and framily photos!
Once we left the fort, there was a dog in a yard we had to check out, because there was debate as we approached the fort about whether or not it was real... it wasn't - but it sure looked that way from afar!
Then we hit the trails for a hike to Arch Rock.
More hiking commenced as we went to discover Skull Cave - huge disappointment there. Not explorable and not even really a cave. I think we were all, adults and kids, bummed on that one.
So, we walked around to see the Grand Hotel.
And enjoy the beauty of the sun shining through the clouds onto the lake.
As well as giggle to ourselves about the sign on the ice cream shop at the hotel!
Soon, we needed to be heading back to the mainland as there was a derby game to get to that night. We all opted for an inside ride on the way back. Much rougher, we were all ready to be off that boat by the time we docked.
After the derby game ended and we got the kids in bed late again, we awoke to another day full of promise of adventure. First mission, cross the Mackinac Bridge! The girls could hardly contain their excitement as we began our trip across...
Once across, we decided, since it was mild and cloudy, but not raining, we should go to a zoo the Sebrights knew of in Nubinway, about 45 minutes west of the bridge. The drive there should have taken us across the Cut River Bridge, but sadly it was closed due to construction work, so we had to detour and miss that sight. But the ride was still quite beautiful as the colors were very striking.
The Garlyn Zoo did not disappoint! More of a privately owned wild animal park, it was set in the woods and all of the animals were VERY active! It is, by far, the most amazing zoo we have ever visited and well worth the time!
The kids got to feed wild deer...
See African Lions up close, and even watch them play.
We were just amazed at the Cougar who was running and playing Hide-and-Seek with the keepers!
The wolves were the favorite of the day. They were just howling and talking the whole time we were there and it was so chilling yet fantastic to be so close to and see/hear!
We loved Milly the Bear, who had a lifelong friend in a rescued dog. The two were paired after the bear cub got very anxious while alone, so the family adopted the dog and put him with her, where they have remained ever since. It was such an amazing thing to see and so fun to watch.
We got to feed the bear apples, too!
The tigers were a lot of fun, and we even watched them pounce and run.
We enjoyed many other animals there as well.
We shared some laughs as we watched the Emus run and play
We had quite a lot of fun feeding the goats, llamas and alpacas, even Elam.
There were peacocks wandering around the whole place, and Ezri got lucky enough to find one of their really cool feathers!
What a fun adventure! We enjoyed another beautiful ride back toward the bridge, riding along the lakeshore, which seemed to sparkle like diamonds as the sun broke through.
For fun, we made a stop to the Mystery Spot. What a lot of fun for the kids! They loved standing sideways, sitting on walls and such.
Then we headed to Castle Rock, for more climbing and sights.
Then we had to climb back down again...
Of course, we had to take a picture by Paul Bunyan and Babe...
And then Tierney had to jump down each step one at a time.
Baby brother and Daddy watched all of the goings on from a bench where he was happy to play and stretch out.
Our trip back across the bridge was a bit more muted as the girl, still very excited, were quite tired! They were also anxiously awaiting the chance to finally go to the hotel water park.
So, after dinner, we took them to play and swim for several hours. What a fun place! A huge water park, pool, hot tub and sauna. It was non-stop action and smiles from those kids!
And another late night. Mr. Baby thought sleep was optional and was much more entertained by the full length mirror in the room than sleeping, but it was too adorable to watch that we couldn't help but enjoy it, tired or not.
Sunday greeted us with rain, so we went out for a breakfast buffet at a restaurant and then shopping where we got the kids matching shirts, which were very welcome as the weather had become even cooler and the wind made it quite cold!
After a few hours of shops and lunch, we went to another roller derby game, had dinner, and then released the kids to the water park for the rest of the night!
Monday morning greeted us all sooner than we wished, but it was time to head for home.
Before making the trip back toward home, we made a final stop at the park near the bridge so the kids could see it and explore during day light.
They had a great time skipping rocks...
Of course, more pictures were in order. Look at those adorable kids!
More family and framily pictures too, of course!
And then it was time to say farewell to Mackinac...
We sure had a fantastic time together and made some wonderful memories that we will talk about for years to come! Now back to reality...
