The cottage trip 2018 might go down as just one of my favorites. It is so hard to pick a favorite though because they all end up being a favorite for one reason or another. This year, all 3 kids remembered the cottage. Drew had memories of being there and so for the first time we were all SO excited for the trip!! When our children were babies, the memories were treasured really for Ben and I. However, now that our times together are being treasured by all 5 of our family members, it seems to just get more special and continues to grow us and bond us as our own family of five. Traditions do just that.
Up to the cottage we go and Ellie, birthday gal, got to pick out McD's as our spot for "dinner" on the way up! Six looks good on you, sweet girl.
When we got there, Aunt Cathy and Uncle Tom surprised the kiddos with all sorts of special gifts and goodies!
And Ellie opened her birthday gifts!
Luke went to the store and with his own money picked out this coloring book, Airheads, and a Frisbee. What a thoughtful big bro.
Ben got Elle a book called, Bedtime Stories for Rebel Girls. It features a famous, life-changing, woman on each page. Ben has made it his mission to read her one page from it each night. Her favorite woman to read about currently, is a a real life pirate. I am pretty sure this was inspired by Pippi Longstocking who we will hear more about later in this post.
Uncle Tom and Aunt Cathy surprised Luke with a Science experiment for kids and a whole tub fulled with his scientific supplies. He was making all sorts of goos and slimes that next morning!!
The first day we were there we all just really settled in. This is maxin' and relaxin' to its fullest!
Papa and Grandma Cooley arrive! That night we took Papa out to eat at Wiltsie's to celebrate him for his birthday!
The 2 birthday buddies!
We are so, so blessed to share this special birthday tradition each and every year!! All of us look forward to the time we have together at the cottage. We love you Mom and Dad!!!
Luke and his Papa are pretty much like this the whole time they are together. Luke loves his Papa so much!
Awwww, Ellie loves her Papa so much...
We got creative with Dad's candle this year. :) Happy birthday to the best Dad and Papa around. We love you so much!!!
Ellie opening her present from Gma and Papa...
A star is born!
We all had so much fun on the mic! Everyone took their turn! We even had Papa and Gma singing karaoke on it. Lots of laughs!!
Drew loving on his Gma!
Hands off, ladies. This one is all mine!
The next morning, we were out to eat at our fave morning spot.
Another birthday celebration is a must. I love this pic of Dad and Drew!!!
The waitress loved Elle's sunshine picture and hung it up over the register!
Ellie took these pictures of Drew, and I love them all! He is just so soft and squishy and snuggly! I could kiss those chunky cheeks forever. The many faces of Drew!!
Back to the science...
And down to the beach we go...
Ahhhhhh, so beautiful.
We left the kiddos on the beach and Luke took this shot of us.
The beach was beautiful and the water was warmer than the air! We all warmed up with some grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup...
And a book in front of a cozy fire.
We are now 3 up on the dish washing help!!
And back to the Lake...
Waiting for the train to come!
And the Brang's arrive....SOOOOO much fun! Bing (Ingrid) has been my bestie since 2nd grade. She has shared every life experience with me from sleep overs in elementary school, to having a blast in high school, to being roomies all 4 years in college, to weddings, to babies, and now our families are growing up together too. Can life be any sweeter when you have friends who know you so well, who have been through all of life's experiences together that they just know, understand, and love?! It is the best.
AND not to mention, our families line up pretty perfectly...
These 2 middle gals had a blast together! They swam together, looked for Petoskey stones and sea glass, kayaked, snorkeled, biked, hunted for golf balls on the golf course, followed their brothers around...
The 2 older boys, well, I think we only really saw them when they got hungry. They were off in the lake, or biking around, who knows but they had a blast! At one point, it started thundering, and we just waited for them to come back. Eventually they did. :) They had a good time!
And then the babies...These 2 would melt even the hardest of hearts. Seriously, they are just the cutest and sweetest. They had fun eating AND they chased each other around and played duck,duck goose!
We looked out and the boys had tied their sisters' tubes to the back of their kayaks!
What a crew...
The Brang's brought one of mine and Bing's favorite childhood movies to watch....Pippi Longstocking! They all loved it and we have watched it on repeat over here ever since.
How much fun for all these guys?! Sleep overs with our besties are just the greatest!
Bing, and I headed to the coffee shop and then had some time to relax. Ben captured this moment. 💜
We all played hard the rest of the day. Before they took off after dinner we tried so hard to have a bonfire. I really wish someone would have caught on camera the attempts that were made. There was NO WAY a fire would have worked on this windy night but we tried! But the next best thing, eating "raw" smore's on the beach. :) Those sweet faces didn't mind!
Brang's you guys are the best. We love doing life with you!!!
The next morning, was "scrubbing day" and heading home. However, Ben and Luke were able to squeeze in a round of golf. Luke had practiced all week on his swing and so he was super pumped to play. The 2 littles and I met them on the course for a bit to play too!
Ben caught this right before we were leaving. Luke was asking me when we would be coming next. :) Thank you Aunt Cathy and Uncle Tom for your generosity in sharing your "slice of heaven" with us. All five us are grateful and leave with many memories, a relaxed spirit, and sand in our shoes.
