Sleeping Bear Dunes!

We finally made it to Michigan for the summer!  It was a blast!  The entire Holwerda extended family (59 in all!) converged onto Sleeping Bear Dunes to camp for a week.  What a wonderful time we shared together!  We rode bikes all around the campground, floated down the "lazy Platte River" into Lake Michigan, climbed the dunes, ate pizza pies & ice cream, hiked the Empire Bluffs, relaxed on the beach at Lake Michigan, had lots of cousin time, and even did a family photo shoot!

We really lucked out with the weather too - it wasn't the typical hot/humid Michigan summer weather.  People were calling it goldilock's weather - "not too hot and not too cold"! 

Holwerda Family Photo Shoot

 The Holwerda Clan! Representing Costa Rica, California, Colorado, Washington, Illinois, Ohio & Michigan.  What a crew!  God has truly blessed this family beyond belief.  These are the days when I wish my mom was alive!  She would be glowing!  :)

All my cousins & their spouses with Grandma!

21 Great Grand kids!

 91 years young!  What a legacy she has passed on to us!  It still amazes me that these camping trips still occur and everyone does their best to attend.  No one wants to miss!  God has richly blessed this Holwerda crew!

family photo shoot

Gotta love getting Christmas cards photos done in July!  Thanks to my bro for setting up a professional photographer on the beaches of Lake Michigan!  Our family cleans up well for camping!  No worries that M isn't wearing the shirt that I had planned for him (and even laid out to pack by his suitcase....but unbeknownst to me he hung it back up in the closet ....grrr!)

7 years old!

5 years old!

2 years - - going on 16!

Been married for 13 years!  Can't wait to celebrate in Kona, Hawaii with you babes!

just dune it!

It was supposed to thunderstorm the day we wanted to hike the dunes - - thankfully it held off for us!  What fun to have the kids hike the dunes - - I still remember hiking them as a little kids.

So FUN to run down the dunes!!

Well deserved ice cream cones after the hike!  Mint Chocolate chip for the girls and superman for the little man!

Just chillin' after a fun day at the dunes!!

sand & surf

Ben had a blast flying cousin Jake's kite!

super adorable sisters!

can't beat the MI sand!  Ahhh!  Seattlites do not know what they are missing!

Allie & Brooke

such fun playing in the waves

Some of our crew at the beach

All the guys did the plunge together - it was definitely not beach weather and the water was cold!!  Brrr!

Oh Brookie - you make me smile!! 

Great Grandma

Having bubble fun with Great Grandma!

It's so great that my kids get to know their great grandma

A big thank you to Great Grandma for guying ice cream for the entire family!!  I scream, You scream...we all scream for ice cream!!

some more fun during our week....

 So good to see Papa again!

 Brooke, Jaelyn, Cooper, Allie, Jackson, Brennan, & Ben

Can they be any sweeter?!

 Taking a break along the hike

Posing before they floated down the river together!

Pizza Pies - yummy!

River fun!

Sandy Pines

The Post/Miedema clan!

We were able to enjoy a super fun Sunday afternoon at Sandy Pines!  I grew up going there as a kid - such fun memories riding around on golf carts and playing in the sand/lake.  The kids got to go tubing behind a boat for the first time! :)  It was great to reconnect with everyone again - - so fun to see all the kids too.

Ben & Jaelyn with Uncle Dan, Jack & Cooper

Having the time of their lives!!

Brooke having a leisurely tube ride!

I love my Aunt Kathy!  As a retired preschool teacher she always has games for the kids to participate in!!  This is great - - it allows us adults to get in some much needed uninterrupted conversations!  This particular game the kids were trying to each find 3 coins...and once they did they could pick out a prize!  :)

Pooltime with Lex & Jake!

Cousins!

It was actually pretty cold the day we hung out with the Rietema's, but the kids wanted to swim together!  Thankfully the sun came out and I was able to take off my sweatshirt (ha!)...but the kids didn't mind the weather one bit.

Our little fishie who has no fear of the water what so ever! 

Daddy is the best to play with in the pool!!  Jaelyn did a flip into the pool!

 Of course Brooke wanted a turn and Daddy launched her in the air!!