Fun with cousins

We had some family come to visit and we did our best to have fun.  Matt and I weren't home when they arrived because we were out enjoying an evening of a really good dinner out and an incredible symphony with friends.  It was a great night.

We came home to a house full of people laughing and playing games.  Anika had an all nighter at church so she was off on her own adventure!

We woke the next morning and had waffles then we were off to the St Patricks Day parade. I mentioned to the kids that last year on this day we went swimming in Lake Michigan.  This year we watched a parade in the snow.

We came home, packed some lunches and went on an adventure to Holland. They have an old farm there that harvests sugar maple sap and turns it into syrup.  We went and watched it happen.  My kids will tell you that part was boring, but they had a great time getting REALLY muddy by the river and then cleaning off with a snowball fight before coming back home. I thought it was interesting to hear and see how it all worked.

We enjoyed Pizza Ranch for supper while Matt and his brother went to the Wild Game Dinner at church.  The Orange Hat society puts this on every year.  The only food served is something that has been killed or caught by the people in the church and prepared for eating.  Only men are allowed, which is just fine by me and everyone comes home with a prize.  Matt got a scope for a gun and his brother got scent for hunting.

The old boys went shooting after church on Sunday, but the rest of us enjoyed a mostly green meal for St Patricks Day - a green veggie tray shaped like a shamrock, green jello, and shamrock shakes!

The time to leave came all too soon, but it was fun to make the memories!