Flying - The Real Fun!

Flying to Michigan is almost always pretty terrible because we go between two small airports and usually have two, often three, flights which makes for a long day. This time I decided to get red eye tickets hoping everyone would sleep on the plane. I didn't take into account that we had three flights going there which meant waking up and changing planes. Of course our flight from Phoenix was delayed and we didn't leave until close to 1:00 AM. Aside from Elise, the kids refused to sleep in the airport and steadily got crazier and crazier! Emmett passed out as soon as we boarded and Clara and Bailey soon followed. Emmett slept the entire way, Bailey slept most of the way, Clara and Elise slept for a little while. I think I slept more than Clara! Because our flight had been so delayed we would have missed our connecting flight and we freaking out a little since there were no more flights until that night. Luckily there were enough of us on the plane that they held the flight for us and we made it to Grand Rapids just a little behind schedule! All the kids wore their babies for the first flight and they were pretty much the cutest thing ever! We were all a little worried about Elise since she refuses to sleep anywhere but her bed, but she managed to cry herself to sleep after not too long. She was happiest when Dada held her and we joked that she should sit with him. The kids watched way too many shows, drank juice, and overall had a great time!

Too big to be a carry on

Living their best life

At some point I gave up and let them eat on the floor

Story time with Tia

Crazy time!

Out!

The littlest trooper

On the way home we only had two flights so that was nice! The tiny airport had a couple of fun play areas and the kids had a blast! There was a lot more iPad watching, some sleeping from Emmett and Elise, everyone thought I was going to miss the flight because I had to find meatless food, and we were all so happy to land in Fresno. We were not excited about the heat and terrible smoke filled air, but it was good to be home and sleep in our own beds again! Overall I would say it was a pretty successful trip traveling kids outnumbering adults. The kids made a lot of new friends and no enemies so we'll call it a win!

They carried their own bags for the most part

Flying his babies around

Out!

Just pumping for the babies!

Grand Rapids 2018

Emmett slept the entire way to Grand Rapids, Bailey, Tia, and Clara slept most of the way, and Elise partied! The big kids were nice and rested when we got there so Tia stayed with sleeping Elise and we took the big kids for a walk. Everything was so green and it always amazes me that people don't have fences. We stayed at an Air bnb and it was nice to have a ton of space and be able to cook. There was a trail near the house and we walked along a creek where we saw bunnies and picked wild blackberries. Bailey also picked a random berry and ate it so we had to have a talk about eating random berries. The kids all brought their new animals that they got at the museum in the morning and the girls clipped them to their dresses so they could have races with their hands free! We had a late dinner at a hot dog place because the place we wanted was packed and then had a cousin bath!

On Tuesday we hit up a farmers market and then headed to the children's museum in downtown Grand Rapids. It was two stories and pretty awesome. Highlights included a giant grocery store/restaurant area, a doctor area complete with x-rays and an MRI machine, a giant bubble maker, a construction site that Emmett never wanted to leave, and a music area. We could have spent the entire day there but convinced the kids that we needed to leave to eat lunch.

Getting an MRI

Shots in her eye?

Emmett the builder

The kids took a nap and then we went on a walk to see fireflies. We happened to see some deer and had a cartwheel contest along the way. We saw a ton of fireflies and Dada taught the kids how to catch them (Clara was the only one who was really good at it). Dada scared the poop out of the kids and I and then he and Emmett proceeded to jump out and try to scare us the rest of the night. Emmett thought it was hilarious and always gave them away by giggling.

Post nap reward

Clara declared this yard to be "feo feo!"

Peeing in the bushes

Catching fireflies...Bailey was too scared

Super mom!

All the times we have gone to Michigan we have generally stayed around the Flint area and although we had driven by Lake Michigan, we had never stopped. That is why we decided to go to Grand Rapids since it's close to the lake. Wednesday we headed to the lake that looks like an ocean and the kids were not disappointed! It was so weird to be at a beach similar to Southern California that was at a lake. The lake is absolutely huge and even has waves. The water was super cold (way colder than the ocean) but the kids didn't seem to mind. They had fun splashing around, swimming with Dada, and digging a giant hole with Tia. After lunch we took the scenic way back and all the kids and I slept.

Pretending to throw the kids in the lake was
the best game ever!

About as far as I would get in

Even Elise liked the water!

Bills fan!

Thursday was our last full day in Michigan and we went to the John Ball Zoo. We got a discount with out Fresno zoo membership and the zoo did not disappoint. It was pretty big and the animals had big enclosures as well. We walked all over and saw penguins, kangaroos, birds, tigers, monkeys, and bears to name a few. The kids got to feed some birds which they thought was pretty fun. There were also some fun play areas and we were all exhausted after lunch, but not too exhausted to stop and get Blizzards!

Making a fire

Future pole dancer?

Blizzards!

After nap we came up with the great plan of feeding the kids at the house and choosing a place we wanted to eat that did not have kid food. We went on a scavenger hunt while we waited and let them order dessert while we ate. It was super loud but supposedly had the best burgers in Michigan (my veggie burger was good). It was a win win situation and a great way to spend our last night!

Friday morning was the first time it rained during the day while we were there. We let the kids run around the house, eat leftover blizzard, and get their crazies out before heading to the airport. We had a fabulous trip! The weather was perfect for Michigan summer, Dada and I ran together nearly every morning while Tia stayed with the kids, we had a great visit with the grandparents, and the kids had so much fun together! They had seen each other nearly day for three weeks by the time our trip was over and went through withdrawals when we got home!