Case Allen Collins

 An absolutely amazing thing happened on June 24th.  Yes, my Dad celebrated his birthday.  But it just so happens that he's going to have to share his birthdays from now on. 

 Case Allen Collins was brought into the world at 4:54pm, weighing 8lbs, 1oz.  I don't recall his length off the top of my head, but I do remember saying when he was lifted up for us to see that he looked so big!

Case's daddy cut the cord

 I was so incredibly blessed to be able to be in the room with my sister when she delivered.  It was something I wouldn't have seen otherwise (two c-section babies, after all), but I'm so glad I was able to see when my newest nephew was born.  Tears flowed from my eyes with every push in amazement of how strong Lac was, of how miraculous it is that God made her specifically to be this sweet boy's mama.  And let me tell you: when he was actually here, I could hardly stop crying long enough to snap pictures!

 Link is one proud big brother!  I kept him Saturday and he made sure I washed his Big Brother shirt so he could wear it again when he got to bring his baby brother home on Sunday!  He didn't really want to share him with his cousins, either.  

 Erin's world was rocked by the birth of her newest cousin, even if she doesn't quite know it yet.  She's not the baby on this side of the family anymore.  (She lost the title of baby a while back on the other side of the family).

 Case is the 6th great-grandchild for Nan and Pop.  Boys and girls are even until Channing has her baby girl later this summer (and Nan and Pop will be up to 7!)

 I snapped this picture right as the sweet guy yawned!  I loved it!

 Mammy and Popa now have two granddaughters and two grandsons.

 Sweet kids kicked Lacy out of her hospital bed less than 24 hours after delivering.  They're lucky she's a rockstar.

This little guy is already so loved and adored--and I'm going to spoil him rotten!

But what about the kids and Roxie?

 Don't worry!  The kids and Roxie were well cared for!  Roxie got to spend the week with her cousins Bear and Lola at Aunt Lori and Uncle Marty's house.  She hasn't moved much since we brought her home--don't know if she's exhausted from the fun, or missing her buddies, or both!

 The girls did the "Tour de Grandparents", spending the weekend with Papoo and GranGran (Sean's dad and step-mom), the early part of the week with MawMaw and PawPaw (Sean's mom and step-dad), and finishing up with Mammy and Popa (my mom and dad).  They got to take TWO trips to Silver Dollar City, and do some swimming at the Marshfield Country Club.  They hung out with cousins, and said they had a great time. 

Owen hung out with his grandparents on his mom's side the whole week.  When they told him his parents were coming home, he responded with "Elise?"  He was missing the girls!  So he and his daddy stopped by for a quick visit today!

Friendcation 2016, Part 4

 On Wednesday, we hiked out to the Fossil Ledges.  It was quite the hike.

 I was very glad Jessie, Elizabeth, and Cheratin talked me into getting Chaco sandals.  They were comfy for hiking, and no big deal hiking through puddles like this.

 From the Fossil Ledges, we could see Canada.  In fact, when we left our cabin, it would only be a few miles inland before we were on International roaming, picking up a cell tower in Canada.

 The fossil ledges were really pretty.  It was cold, again, and by the time we left our feet were numb, but it was well worth it.

 People stacked rocks along the ledges, and Mr. Adventure climbed up on them.

 The ride to the trail was so rough that Jessie and I decided it would be better to ride in the bed versus in the truck on the way back out.

 Chacos saved the day!  Don't mind that my feet are twice the size of Jessie's elfin feet.

 When I researched the trip, everyone raved about TeePee ice cream.  We had to try it.  Turns out, it was "meh" at best.  We preferred the Gourmet Galley, and it was cheaper, too!

We got in the hot tub every afternoon/evening--we were glad to have it with the chilly days.  The warmest day was Thursday (which was the day Viets and Will went golfing, so that was nice for them) and the high then was 74.  It was quite shocking to come back on Friday to 90+ degree weather!

Overall, it was a great vacation and we had a blast laughing and hanging out.  Next year, we'll vacation again...but we'll have the kids.  That will be a much different feeling than the relaxation and easy-going pace we experienced in Michigan! 

Friendcation 2016, Part 3

 This place was our haunt on the island.  I can't even remember how many times we went there.  They had delicious coffee, awesome fudge, and ice cream too!

 The view of the back of our cabin from the lake

 Sean and I walked out to the very edge of the dock one day.

 Our cabin was in the middle.  VRBO came through for us again!

 We went to Mackinac Island on the ferry on Tuesday.

 The Grand Hotel.  It certainly was grand!

 The day started out pretty chilly, but we had to venture up to the top to take some pics!

 Shrubs that looked like a horse-drawn carriage at the Grand Hotel.

 Jessie and I were NOT appropriately dressed for the Grand Hotel.

 Found another excellent coffee shop on Mackinac Island.

 The fort on Mackinac

 Cool bark chapel

 The view from the top of the fort.

 We shopped a bit on Mackinac and got the girls' souvenirs.

 Viets, Sean and I got drinks and a snack at the Mustang Lounge.  It had a cool history (which I already forgot) and the soup I got was delicious, as was my drink!  The 'Stang Punch

We didn't venture up top on the ferry ride back--there were a ton of school kids up there and I didn't want to volley for deck space with all of them!

One more post to wrap it up...

Friendcation 2016, Part 2

 Our first full day of vacation on Sunday, we went to Canada.  It was about an hour drive to the border, and most of us had never been.  Turns out, Canada is closed on Sunday.  I mean, they let us across the border, but were probably questioning our motives when a few hours later we cruised back across.  We did find a mall that was open (and that surprised border patrol that it was open) and wandered a bit, then walked along the St. Mary.

 This is what we saw on the St. Mary.  Fog.  Lots of fog.  Our first full day on vacation wasn't exactly a pretty one.

 Mr. Adventure decided to go crazy with a gumball at Walmart.

 It took him a while to get it chewed down.

 And it was SO GROSS when he finally did.

 Day two we hiked around Drummond Island. 

 The rain had stopped, but it was still pretty chilly.

 Sean and Will decided to be overachievers and get a workout in while on vacation.  Viets, Jessie, and I followed in the truck.

 We also drove to several of the beaches on the island just to check things out.

 The scenery was gorgeous.

 We saw a ton of deer on the island.  This little guy was brand new, and was struggling to get up and join his momma who was keeping a watchful eye at the forest line.

 We played a lot of board games and cards in the evenings.  Risk, Monopoly, The game of Things, Michigan Rummy (because we were in Michigan, of course), and Peanuts, among others.

More to come...