2017 Labor Day Weekend

This year we spent Labor Day weekend in Michigan at the cottage (aka Eric's parents' home).  It was a fun-filled time of the usual happenings: playing in the lake, going for boat rides, building with Gramps, eating yummy foods, sitting around the campfire, resting and more...

Friday:

Asher & Avery working on a project with Gramps on Friday morning.

Taking the rowboat for a ride with Gramps.

Avery the Superhero...all day...every day

Avery taking the mini-bike for a spin with Daddy on Friday afternoon.

Campfire (& of course s'mores) with Gramps and Grammy

Something about Avery's face in this picture reminds me of me as a child.

Saturday:  On Saturday we were joined by Eric's aunt Chris and cousin Pete along with Pete's wife Suzy and their kids Katie and Andrew...

Hot Tub Party!

Even though Katie and Andrew are both more than twice Asher's age, the kids all had a great time together and had a lot of fun.  Katie was great with the boys and Asher especially fell in love with her.  Everywhere she went Asher wanted to go too.  I think her brother Andrew may have even been a little jealous...or at least annoyed as he and Asher seemed to be oil and water wherever they went.  Even so, they all had a great time and we repeatedly told Pete and Suzy that if they ever want to send Katie to live with us and watch the boys for a while, we will take her in a heartbeat!

Lunch with Second Cousins (we had to look up a chart online to verify this relationship)

Do you like my hat?  :)

Katie reading Walter the Farting Dog to Avery & Asher

Gramps telling Asher and Avery a story about the Goldmiester which had some uncanny similarities to the movie Home Alone!  :)

Sunday:  Although Suzy and Pete had left the night before, Andrew and Katie stayed the night with their grandma Chris and then we were joined on Sunday by Eric's other cousin Kathy, her husband Eric and their daughter Priscilla.

Eric and Asher taking the row boat for a spin

Avery fishing with Daddy

Eric took the opportunity on Sunday morning to enjoy the platter of the lake and get some waterskiing in before summer ended.

What a STUD! ;)

Katie also wanted to get in some water skiing this morning as she was learning this weekend.

Katie learning to water ski!

Avery & Priscilla

Mudbath!

Andrew showing the kids the fish he caught

Cousins Hot Tub Party!

On Sunday night we took the boat to the ice cream store for our last trip of the summer!

Avery snuggling up with cousin Kathy

Priscilla getting comfy on the pontoon

Ice Cream...Decisions, decisions...

Cheese!!  Group ice cream shot!

Avery wearing Grammy's hat  "too sunny"

Priscilla learning to drive the boat

On the way back from the ice cream store, Asher was being a total grump.  When Grammy and Gramps wanted a picture with him he didn't want to cooperate so I asked them to make their grumpy faces to match!

Make a grumpy face!

Grump, grump, grump...Asher trying not to smile.

When we got back to the cottage, Avery saw the training water skis in the yard and decided that he wanted to give it a go.  He still isn't really comfortable in water where he cannot touch the bottom, so rather than pulling him behind the jet ski, Eric just pulled him by hand down the shore...still pretty awesome for a two year old!

Video: Avery Goes Water Skiing

Eric getting artsy-fartsy with the camera

That night after dinner everyone headed home while we stayed one last night at the cottage.  It just so happened that someone had paid a professional to do a fireworks show for his wife's birthday.  Thus, we got to end our summer with a BANG!

The kids enjoyed the show but didn't really enjoy the noise.

Monday:  Finally it was Monday (& Labor Day) which meant it was time to say goodbye and head home.  We had some breakfast and cleaned up our stuff while Grammy crafted with the boys.  Then after one last spin on the jet skis for the boys, we said our goodbyes and headed home.

Asher got a bag of surprises from Grammy and Gramps for starting school...and Avery lucked out and got one too because Grammy didn't want him to sad :)

Crafting with Grammy

Asher surfing on the jet ski trailer

Avery's last jet ski ride for the summer

Asher's last jet ski ride for the summer

Video: Last Summer Ride

Video: Brother Helping Brother

After the jet skis were out of the water, Eric's mom and I turned around to find the boys trying to get up on the jet skis.  Asher was big enough to do it himself but Avery was not, so Asher was working hard to help him get up.

Driving the jet skis back for winter storage

Video: The REAL Last Summer Ride

Molly (Eric's sister's dog who was there for the weekend) was also apparently ready to go home.  While we were loading up the van I opened the passenger door to find this.

By late morning we were finally off on our way home.  It was a great last summer cottage weekend but it was time to get back.  We'd hoped to get home early since time was Asher's BIG day at SCHOOL, but no such luck.  Instead we didn't make it home until after 6pm, but we did have a tasty lunch dinner at OTB on the way!