An update a long time coming

This post has been a long time coming and is the result of trying to have as little technology as possible this summer. Our little 3-year-old is a screen addict! He constantly asks for screens and wants the TV, Ipad, Iphone, etc. basically all the time.  As a result, we have strictly cut screens out of our lives.  We do not watch TV (maybe a bit after he goes to bed) and are not on our phones when we are around him.  The implications of this are that it is difficult to write blog posts!

Michigan Summer

From mid-June to the beginning of August, we spent time with our family in Southeast Michigan. It was nice to be home.  We missed the color green and being able to be outside most of the day!  Our day-to-day itinerary involved very little overall.  We would play outside, go to the park, go over Aunt Kristi, Grandma (now known as piano grandma because my mom has a piano in her basement) or Papa’s house.  It was nice to not have to do anything.

Lindsey was able to get away for a few days and visit friends in Florida (leaving me as a solo parent again!).  Maybe we will all take a trip down next summer…

Some of our trips included going to the Aquarium, the Ann Arbor Hands-on Museum, and both the Toledo and Detroit Zoos. Here are some random pictures from summer.

A trip to the Upper Peninsula

Our little clan did take one trip this summer and this was up to the Gish family cabin “Up North*”.  The cabin is in Manistique, and it was very relaxing to be away from civilization right on the shores of Lake Michigan.  Simon loved exploring the woods and looking for deer, chipmunks, squirrels and other bits of nature.

We also took a couple of trips to local attractions like the Seul Choix Lighthouse. (there were no ghosts despite the rumors) We also had a pretty good time at the Manistique July 4th parade (although the fire engines were a bit too loud at times) Afterwards, we went to the park afterward and at a picnic/carnival type thing, there was a bounce house (which Simon loved)

A Day out in Munising

While we weren’t able to get an overnight trip away, Lindsey and I were able to spend our anniversary in Munising.  Munising is home to the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.  We didn’t really plan very well and so were not able to get a boat to the Pictured Rocks. (it was Fourth of July weekend and we didn’t book ahead so it was fully booked), but we had a good time none-the-less.

For those who do visit Munising and are looking for a place to eat, we recommend Tracey’s at the Roam Inn (just across the street from Munising High School).  We ate there for our anniversary dinner and had amazing Bison tenderloin! Our anniversary ended with a trip to the Kewadin Casino in Manistique where we won over $400 on a Willy Wonka slot machine!  Score!

*for those not from Michigan the term ‘Up North” is a highly debated topic.  But the Upper Peninsula is definitely Up North!

Simon’s Birthday

The end of the summer seems to always be marked with Simon’s birthday.  Like the previous two years, we used this as a chance to get everyone together in one place and see everyone one last time before we headed back to Saudi. Like last summer, we got Simon a bouncy castle as his birthday present.  Unlike last summer, the one we wanted was sold out, so Simon got a pretty pink princess castle. (He’s 3, he won’t care!)

So that was our summer.  Not too bad, overall and we were able to come back to Saudi feeling pretty relaxed.