Crystal Mountain #3

It's our last day at Crystal Mountain, and the kids 

are ready to enjoy every last minute.

George wants to play Hide-n-Seek.  Can't hardly see

 him as he tries to blend in with the bed sheets.

Sad to say good-bye to our room.

After packing up and checking out, we had a few more activities 

we wanted to do before we headed for home.

Feeding the fish 

The last thing on our agenda was to ride the Alpine Slide, 

a toboggan-like cart that goes down the mountainside.

Claire practices on the cart before heading up for the real thing.

Claire was a bit nervous at first, but she ended up loving it.

Joe and Henry getting on the chair lift.

Henry had no fear.  When I went up with him, he wouldn't even let me hold onto him.  I asked him, "Aren't you scared at all?".  He looked at me like I was crazy and said, "No Mommy.  There's a seat here". 

The boys had a need for speed.

Heading home, all three kids slept.  

They were tuckered out from our mini-vacation.

Back home in his own bed.  

Raise your hand, George, if you want to go again soon.

Claire's Favorite Activity: The Alpine Slide

Henry's Favorite Activity: The Alpine Slide

George's Favorite Activity: Eating and Sleeping

Crystal Mountain Day #2

The beginning of day #2 was a bit rainy, so we headed over to the indoor pool to do a bit of swimming.  Unfortunately, that too was closed.  I had a good back up plan though.  We headed back to our room where we filled up the whirlpool tub.  

We had a lot of fun pretending to be sharks in our "mini pool".

By late morning, the rain cleared, and so we decided to go for a hike on the Art Park Trail.  The trail is about 1.5 miles long and has nearly 50 art pieces along the way. The kids loved running from one to the next.

Henry's favorite was this airplane replica.

Claire's been learning about roots and was excited to find some 

along the trail.  She even wanted her picture taken with one.

A fun fort towards the end of the trail.  

The inside was a maze that eventually took us all the way to the top.

Can't hardly see us up there!

After our hike we headed back to our room for a much needed quiet time.

Then back to the pool for the remainder of the afternoon.  

Eating at the on-site restaurants was getting a bit pricey, so we decided to save some money and put our room's mini-kitchen to good use.  

Our own "fancy" dinner where we continued to practice our restaurant manners.

After dinner, we ventured back outside.  There were a lot of activities going on.  We listened briefly to the concert on the front lawn, but the kids were eager to head out on their bikes.

Henry loves his new big boy bike.  

Because Claire's bike tire was a bit low, her training wheels kept spinning out.  So she decided she'd rather push George's stroller....

and Joe could ride her bike.

I'd say he did quite well!

A fun day for everyone!  But it's time to get tucked in.

Claire's favorite part of the day: swimming in the "mini-pool"

Henry's favorite part of the day: the airplane on the nature hike

George's favorite part of the day: eating and sleeping

Crystal Mountain Day #1

Earlier this summer, on a day when I was feeling particularly large and pregnant, I thought it might help to have something to look forward to.  I found an online special for a Crystal Mountain getaway, and after looking into it, I decided this would do the trick.

So this past Sunday, the day we've been looking forward to finally came.  We packed up the van and headed North.  

We left early afternoon, hoping Henry would take a nap along the way.  And though he did eventually fall asleep, we first had about an hour of listening to his crabbiness.   

                          

Joe's solution: eat a Mento every time Henry throws a fit.  This was genius! Made the experience much for pleasant for at least the two of us.

Also along the way, we had another fun surprise.  Just as we were approaching Cadillac, we came upon a familiar looking car and realized it was our good friend, Chris. 

I'd know those bumper stickers anywhere.

The Harts always make everything more fun, even our family road trip!

Once we arrived, the kids hopped on their bikes, and we were off to explore.

We tried our best at the tight rope walk, but weren't too successful.

The kids even tried to help us across, but we still only made it a few steps.

Once the kids saw the water park, they were 

eager to park their bikes and jump in the pool.

After working up quite an appetite, we walked over to

 one of the restaurants for a bite to eat.

After dinner, we did a bit more exploring and came 

across a fun playground.  The kids loved the sandbox.

Closing in on bedtime, we went back to our room to wind down.

We played a quick game of Go Fish and talked about our favorite parts of the day.

Claire's favorite:  The Craft Station where she made a fleece pillow.

Henry's favorite: Riding bikes and Playing in the Pool.  I guess that's two favorites, but I'll let it slide.

George's favorite: Eating and Sleeping

Camp Cousin 2014