It's GRAND in Grand Haven, Michigan!

Today marked the first little trip we've been on as a family. We've visited family and friends in the past, but this one was different. Sean took the day off from studying and so Isaac and I had him all to ourselves for the entire day. Wahooooo! So many Michiganders (I love that word) have said great things about Grand Haven, which is located on Lake Michigan, so we thought we'd check it out. Now that we know we are moving in less than a year, we want to be sure to see as many places on this side of the state while we have the chance.


We got off to an early start, so we were able to accomplish a lot of sightseeing and biking around town. We rented two bikes, one with a cart behind it. Isaac loved sitting in the cart and feeling the breeze! I think we might have an idea for a first Christmas present for Isaac! I was nervous he wouldn't get any naps today, but he managed to stay right on schedule, falling asleep in the cart while we explored the parks. It was great!! Who knows how
many miles we biked! It felt so nice to be together, talk about anything but school and be in such a beautiful area!


What is great about the area is that there is a boardwalk as well as sidewalks on every street, so you can basically go anywhere with bikes! We ate at Snug Harbor and watched the boats come in from the lake, some of the boats looking more like homes. They are having a boat show this weekend, so we were able to see some massive ones.

The beach was beautiful. Lake Michigan looks more like an ocean. You'd never know you were at a lake. The beach had volleyball courts, kite surfing, a beautiful lighthouse and many little ice cream stands which we were disappointed were closed for the season. Isaac FINALLY wore his bathing suit! I was getting sad that he'd never have the chance to wear it, seeing that we are in the latter part of September and the leaves are already starting to change around here, but today's weather was so nice and warm! I love how chunk-o our little guy is. You'd think he'd be off the chart for his weight, but he remains in the 60th percentile. He loved the feel of the sand but he didn't know what to think of the chilly water! :) It was hard to get him to look at the camera while we were down on the beach. He just stared at the waves while we snapped away with our camera.

I forgot how fun it is to ride bikes. It had been awhile for both Sean and me (since we don't own bikes.) At one point, we realized the path we were on was the wrong path and that the one we needed to be on was a bit below us. So what did Sean do? Did he:


a. Turn around and go back to where we should have turned


b. Keep going on the path we were taking


or c. Manage to go down a hill fit for some serious sledding with Isaac in tow so that we didn't have to turn around and go the correct way.

Yes, c is the answer. Poor Isaac woke up from his nap but must have thought it was fun because he was smiling when I came up beside them.

We headed home around 6:00 p.m. We were thinking about staying over night, but because we got off to an early start we didn't feel the need to waste $90 on a stale hotel room just to sleep and leave the following morning. Here are a few pictures from our little adventure!