Pictures of cottage life

Oh what a week it was!

Summer fun

Without Internet access it has been difficult to keep up with the blog. Our time in Ontario has been tremendous - highlighted again by the fact that the kids are connecting wonderfully with their cousins. We look forward to water skiing and tubing today - our last full day at the cottage. Next up - baby Brooklyn's baptism on Sunday and then hanging out with Jodi and John and their girls Jocelyn and Kirsten.

Picton Bay with Siebenga's

The last few days have been full of fishing, campfires, kayaks, swimming and great times with family sharing and playing. Our trip from Grand Rapids,MI to Picton, ON was a good one and we made it just in time to share in our first campfire of the week. Tonight we had smores after a great day at the beach.

Our last day here in Michigan

Its a bittersweet day as we enjoy our last day with family here in MI and we say goodbye. Our time here has gone by quickly as each day seemed to hold a new place to see and people to get to know for the first time or again.

Some of us slept in today and then after some packing we headed out to see Aunt Carole's new place. It is wonderful! She has decided to upsize rather than downsize in her retired years and it looks like she will be the hostess for many wonderful gatherings of friends and family. We will miss you!

Then off to meet Uncle David, Aunt Cathy and Cousin Emily for an afternoon at Meijer Gardens. It was a steamy day, but everything in this amazing place kept us going. Whether it was the enormous DaVinci horse or the tree house or the gardens it was beautiful. Thank you for taking us to such a great place! The frozen custard afterwards was a delicious treat and we are so glad we got to spend time with you.

But our day wasn't over yet, we decided to surprise Julius and snuck over to Calvin and found him. He was heading out for dinner with his group, but it was good to see him and plan our departure for tomorrow. His Fellowship is going well, but he is looking forward to starting his summer vacation.

Back home in Hudsonville we ate pizza with Uncle Chuck, Aunt Diane, and 2nd cousins, Sarah, Jacob and Anna. It was a special night with smores from the fire pit, playing tag and catching fireflies. We wanted it to never end.

Our time here has been so special for all of us. Staying with Uncle Chuck and Aunt Diane has been a gift we could not even imagine as we planned for this trip so many months ago. Their constant generosity of time, housing, friendship, child watching, meals and outings has made this trip more meaningful than we ever expected. We are so very grateful. We will miss waking up in your beautiful home every morning. Thanks for giving us the best beds in the house...

Sunday we leave for another leg of this wild ride. Eager to see what it brings.

Amazing day at the Lake

Today we headed up to the lake house of our cousins Kara and Harold and their 3 beautiful children-Will, Ty and Alyssa. Aunt Diane and Uncle Chuck showed us the way there and it was as beautiful as promised. We did so many new and exciting things!

Fishing was one of the most anticipated events and we were not disappointed. Uncle Chuck got us going and gave us our first lessons and soon Uncle Harold came and we were baiting hooks, learning to cast and reeling in some pretty amazing fish. Sofie, Toby and Eliot all caught a big fish and lots of little ones and felt so proud and happy to of had a new experience. Especially for Eliot as he has been interested in fishing for a long time.

Next we all took turns and went really, really fast on the wave runner and also got pulled in the big skee doo tube. It felt as if we were flying! Each one of the kids loved it and couldn't wait for it to be their turn again. Even Heidi learned to drive the wave runner and took a turn in the tube. She was not the driver of choice for Toby as she didn't drive fast enough, but Sofie took a ride with mom and she said is was "fast enough for her"-thanks Sof.

Then a ride around the lake on the pontoon boat for more fishing. Then when we didn't think it could get any better, the kayaks came out. What a great way to see the lake in a quiet peaceful ride. Sofie said that it took a lot of "determination" to do some of these new and scary things, and she is so glad she tried them.

So we arrived home exhausted with stomachs full of good summer BBQ and memories to last a long time. Thanks Krols and Konings! We loved spending time with you all and getting to know you better!!

Fun in the sun with cousins!

Wednesday was a day full of so much fun. We started at VBS which was full of crafts and great story telling. Heidi and Amy Koning had a chance to grab a coffee and catch up on things while the kids were busy there-what a special time.

Straight from VBS we went to Grandhaven Beach which is such a beautiful Lake. We spent some good hours there in the very cold water (OK maybe just the kids played in the water), building sand castles and walking down the pier.

Next we headed to our cousins house and played more, had a delicious summer BBQ meal, played some more and then had more yummy Hudsonville ice cream. It was great to be with Bob, Amy and family. Already our kids are looking forward to more visits with them. Julius was able to steal away from his meetings for the evening, so we got to visit with him as well and hear how things are going with his fellowship. Then late night drive to Grand Rapids to drop him off and late to bed for all of us.

Today was a quieter day for all of us with errands and time spent at Uncle Chucks and Aunt Dianes. Our outdoor highlights today were fire flies and playing with the biggest frisbee we have ever seen-thanks Uncle Chuck! Chuck and Diane also did some major babysitting today for us and we are grateful! It gave Heidi the opportunity to go to Calvin and see the work that Julius is doing as well as meet some of the great people he has been meeting with over the last 18 months. It was great to see Julius in action.

We can't believe we only have a few days left here. It has been such a good time. But there are lots of good times still to be had here before we leave for Ontario. More tomorrow!