We rented a 4-bedroom two-story house that also had a basement! It was a beautiful home with plenty of space. It was about a 10-minute drive to the beach.
It was so great having my parents there with us. We rode up in their van (always a blessing to travel in a vehicle that has space between kids so they don't start whacking each other). The kids always love time with their grandparents, and it was special to get to share the trip with them.
Our first visit to the beach (Tunnel Park) was rather overcast and windy. We found a pretty secluded spot and settled in. Everything was so picturesque! Lovely sand, beautiful water (sans salt) that had waves big enough to have some fun in (when you're a little kid). For only a 3-hour drive away I think it trumps the ocean!
We bought this inflatable car right before our trip. It was the hit at the beach! Clara spent a TON of time in it, and even David and I each took a turn, haha! Here's a video of Eli giving it a whirl:
This little guy loved the beach SO MUCH! For months after our trip he'd ask me, "Gramma, Grampa, beach??" Or he'd pretend to leave and say, "Bye-bye, me beach!"
Ezra sure loved chasing those seagulls! Here's a video of him doing just that:
We spent some time walking along a boardwalk, admiring the gorgeous view and beautiful day. We had the best weather!
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| Kids playing by and posing with statues of immigrants from Holland. |
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| Sweet brother/sister moment! |
We strolled around Holland State Park for a bit. Unfortunately the kids didn't have their swimsuits with them or they would have jumped in the water!
We did a little window-shopping, ate dinner out and then one of our favorite stops--Kilwin's. It was OH SO GOOD! Fun to watch them make the treats right there, too.
Love this boy's pure delight in eating his ice cream; dribbly mess and all!
We spent an evening back at Holland State Park to catch some night waves and a glorious sunset! It was a major highlight of the trip!
I hadn't planned to go in the water so I wasn't wearing my suit. But Clara really wanted me to join her so I went in a little but the tide came up higher than I thought so I ended up getting pretty wet! It was such a fun evening on the beach!
Eli loved practicing his snorkeling.
Gorgeous sunset! (David swimming the waves.)
It was always a joy to watch Ezra as he was discovering and exploring it all for the first time.
Our last stop before heading home was to Nelis' Dutch Village. What a beautiful and family-friendly place! We had such a terrific time there! (Unfortunately Ezra was getting very rundown from lots of fun and not much naps. He ended up with a cold and fever but was a trooper.)
Eli was the only kid brave enough to try the ferris wheel.
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David is always a kid at heart. :)
The race is on!
We LOVED getting to pet and brush the goats! They were so sweet and gentle!
Eli was all about the rides! He rode these swings and participated in the zipline and pedal train cars over and over and over! He never seemed to tire of it all!
David was worried about getting nauseous from the spinning of the swings and Eli didn't want to go alone so I went with him. It was surprisingly very enjoyable! Even more fun going together. :)
Trying out the Dutch school in our Dutch wooden shoes!
These dancers put on a terrific performance! Something pretty funny happened during it, though. One of the dancer's wooden shoes came flying off! Somehow we all missed seeing it happen except for Eli! It flew to the left of the dancers and into a stream! Hahaha! Amazing that nobody was hit and hurt by it!
Michigan is just the BEST! What wonderful, happy memories we make when we go there. I can't wait for a return trip!
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