Last Vacation of the Summer

An attempted family picture when we went to Grand Haven ... someday we might all be looking at the camera:)

We spent the week before school started at the Conference Grounds with good friends of ours.  It turned out to be a wonderful week to just get away and have some time to relax before the craziness of the school year began.  The weather was great too - we started the week a bit cool but the kids had a great time playing and it was kind of nice because the cottages there don't have air conditioning.  In fact, at one point we turned on the fireplace!  I can't say enough about how perfect it was staying in the cottages at the Conference Grounds - we had plenty of room, felt like we were camping yet were able to have a few more conveniences than we would've had if we would've been in our trailer.  The kids stayed really busy going to Bible school there, playing at the park, playing with their toys outside, and of course swimming.  Jackson has become so much more confident in the water ever since swimming lessons and by the end of the week he was swimming underwater to retrieve toys.  What great memories we made and now we're back to the routines of the school year (at least for 11 more weeks!). 

There are actually moments when Jackson likes to smile for the camera. 

Luke and the boys before Luke's run at the Conference Grounds. 

A priceless picture - Luke in the kitchen!  Although he's making fried mushrooms... Yuck!

Making the tie-dyed shirts

Playing in the sand on our last day at the beach.