UP north

3 hour car trip + 2 days + 2 packed cars + 6 adults + 3 kids under 3 + 1 awesome cottage = a fun family weekend

the family at sleeping bear cottage

looking forward to many more family trips and pictures in this same spot

{maybe a warmer one next time}

we had such a fun time relaxing with family, no agenda just spend time with one another. i got some good cuddle time in with lil miss mattie kate {no pics of me and her, maybe next time} and loved playing in the fresh snow with the kids.

papa making his usually mickey mouse pancakes and gram dishing out the chocolate face...elle anticipates the chocolate chips and loves counting them out with grammy.

elle was in heaven having a "real" baby to check on, snuggle, and help with. beckett was curious! he thought she was pretty cute and tried a few times to tuck her a blanket in around her...sweet little gentleman :) will bypass the part where he decided to sit next to her in the bouncy seat and ended up sitting on her! just trying to teach sharing early on, i guess.

checking out the food choices with grammy....i feel like this is classic pic of a gram and her grandkids finding a snack. hmmm...what to have???

on saturday we ventured out to check out the local town near by and come to find out they were having a winter festival. ski ball, sledding, and horse drawn wagon rides for the family. cute little beach town

josh and elle checking out the man made sledding hill, can't tell from this picture but right where they are standing there is a straight drop off....a little scary. elle was a trooper, but looked a little concerned if anyone was going to catch her time.

luging down the hill...good form!

after naps we headed out to try the hill next to papa & grams cottage....a little safer than the luging hill in town. so fun to see the kids having good old fashion fun outside.

aunt anna taking a turn with all the kiddos

the mccarter's : mattie kate joined us for a quick slide down the hill, little snow bunny already.

so fun!

josh's parents own two pieces of property that overlook little platte lake in traverse city. one piece of land sit ON TOP of a mountain {ok a michigan mountain, basically}. this was my first time up to see the property and so of course had to check out the sweet spot ON TOP of the MOUNTAIN. elle {and baby doll, lucy} decided to join us on our hike. it was a gradual climb at first, with elle still in in the sled being pulled by papa. then, it took a drastic turn from gradual to STEEP. it was a little more treacherous than i expected but the view was AMAZING. you could see the for miles and it felt so serene and peaceful there. so neat to stand and take it all in. then...

the question arose, hmmm....how to get down? more importantly, how to get down with a 3 year old, a baby doll, sled, and 2 very expensive cameras...well,

slide down, of course!

elle and josh's slide down the hill {which was into an old gravel pit, that then would lead us back down to the cottage} wasn't as graceful as say papa and i's. then again he was trying to hold onto elle, the baby doll and stay on the sled. pretty funny to watch, but no so funny for the 3 year old afterwards.

we had a great weekend and loved getting the chance to share in josh's parents dream of a family cottage. can't wait for more family time there and to see the cousins grow up with fond memories of spending time with one another.