The week after we returned from our wonderful vacation in Fort Myers Beach, my Uncle Larry came to visit. We saw him last December when he came into town after my Dad passed away. He had so much fun spending time with the girls that he wanted to come back during the summer months.
He brought along his girlfriend, Marianne, so it was lovely to meet her and get to know her better. The one thing they requested to do during their visit was check out our awesome zoo. The girls were excited to spend the day with them there. It was a perfect summer day!
And just like that our summer was coming to an end. The girls had a few more days left before starting school, so of course they had to squeeze in some last minute fun. One of the days my Mom took the girls to check out the new park that opened downtown, followed by a nice outdoor lunch. Cecilia's one request before heading back to school was to spend an afternoon doing pancake art. Yes, pancake art!
The final weekend before going back to school we took the girls and Olivia's friend Aleah to a fun little water park about an hour from home. We spent the entire day enjoying the water slides, wave pool and lazy river. It was the perfect way to wrap up the summer!
First back to school was Olivia. She started a few days before Cecilia. This girl was ready to tackle 7th grade head on. Hard to imagine that in a few short years this girl will be getting ready to start her first day of high school!
Cecilia was equally excited to take on her first day of 3th grade! This is going to be Cecilia's final year at Peace Montessori. Our hope is for her to join her sister at Canterbury next year. We sent Olivia there for 4th grade, and we have always wanted to do the same for Cece. This girl walked into her school with confidence, ready for a great final year at Peace.
The week after school started we had a long weekend for the Labor Day holiday. We decided to take the girls up to Muskegon, Michigan to enjoy some beach time. Even though my Grandmother is no longer with us, my Uncle John still lives in her home, so we try to visit a few times a year. Unfortunately the weather wasn't great so we did not get as much beach time as we hoped, but the girls still braved the freezing water. We also took a nice walk down to the lighthouse by the lake.
Whenever we visit Muskegon we try to spend as much time outside as possible. There are lots of pretty areas to explore and fun little places to visit. It's always nice to go back.
On our way home from Michigan we stopped at Papa Fred's lake. Fred and Sue are our family friends that I have known my entire life. Each year they invite us up to their lake house. We hadn't found time to visit yet this summer, so it worked out perfectly to stop on our way home. It ended up being a super fun day! The girls spent hours out on the lake tubing. So fun!
The weather was starting to cool down which meant Fall was on the way. The zoo was going to be closing in a few weeks, so Cece and I took advantage of the change in weather and enjoyed it before the season was over. Cooler days are the best days to visit the zoo.
Best part about Fall? Decorating! One of our traditions this time of year is to visit the local Amish farm, Schmucker's. Cece loves visiting this place and picking out pumpkins and gourds. This was just the beginning of our many Fall traditions.
Next up...apple picking! This is by far one of our favorite fall activities. There are so many delicious varities of apples to choose from and we always walk away with more than we need, but they are just so good!
The weather was just perfect that day. While taking our time finding the perfect apples, there was lots of tasting going on. I love how involved the girls get with this activity. They take a lot of pride in finding the best apples on the trees. We walked away with two bags full of delicious apples, and we are still working our way through them!
One of Cecilia's favorite things to do leading up to Halloween is visiting the pumpkin farm and corn maze scavenger hunt. She loves running through the corn maze looking for all of the Halloween blow-up decorations. There are lots of other fun fall activities at the farm that make it a must-do each Fall.
Fall is such a great time of year, for so many reasons! Next up...Halloween! Who would have thought that it would actually get postponed this year! Don't worry, there will still be lots of candy!
