Michigan...part two

Maddie wanted to go apple picking the next day so badly that the minute she woke up she couldn't stop asking. So what did we do? We made her wait until we finished our Saugatuck sight-seeing tour :) Then we headed off to "Big Dan's U-Pick'em Farm and Orchard." Now mind you, Mike just found this place on the internet and decided to make it THE place to pick apples. So we kept driving through corn fields until we reached it. Luckily, it turned out to be a great place. It was a fairly large orchard that grew various kinds of apples from Red Delicious, Gala, Fuji, Ida Red, Johnathan, and so on and so on. They even had a peach orchard and pumpkin patch.

It was very cool that they drove us to the specific apple tree by means of a tractor hayride.

Remember the old days when we had to use a ladder to get the apples? Well, things have changed since I was a little girl. Or was it because I was little at the time? Anyway, the girls had a blast picking them right off the trees without any help.

But the little one still needed some help.

Mikayla taking a break from the hot weather that day?



Warrens Dunes State Park Michigan

After the orchard, on our way home we stopped at the Warren Dunes State Park. The road access to the beach area was closed so we had to walk. Well, we parked right under this large sand dune and decided to climb over it to get to the beach. I tell you that this thing you are looking at is actually much steeper than it looks. And between laughing so hard and crying, because it was sooo much harder to climb it than we thought, I seriously thought I wasn't going to make it. My kids however must have had enough sugar to pull them through because they didn't have half as difficult a time as I did.

And this is the beautiful scenery you get after you make over that hill o' fun.

More playtime in the sand was how we ended our wonderful trip. And that's how my kids wanted it to be.

Michigan

It's hard to believe that I have lived in the Chicagoland area all my life and have never really vacationed in Michigan or even explored it. Little did I know that it's such a beautiful scenic state just a hop and a skip away. We decided to drive up for an overnight stay and explore for two days. Our first stop was Redemaks Restaurant in New Buffalo. It was highly recommended by a very good friend of mine who is a Michigan native. They serve one of the best burgers I've tasted. The menu has a lot to offer but they are best known for their delicious hamburgers. I do think everyone has to stop by and try this one out!



Our main destination was South Haven. We were lucky enough to catch the Fall Harvest Sweets and Cider Celebration. It was a lot of fun to walk down the streets in their downtown area and sample the sweet apple cider and treats each shop owner had to offer while window shopping. All the stores were very cute boutique and specialty shops. But the only thing my kids wanted to do was try every treat that came their way!







As you can see, it had one of the most beautiful sunsets I've seen in a long time. If you think about it, aside from being in the west coast, it's the only sunset over water you'll see in the midwest. It took my breath away. And my kids loved the beach and played in it like it was daytime.









And the next morning, we drove to Saugatuck. The drive throughout Michigan was absolutely beautiful. It seemed that every fall color came to life with it's vibrant reds, oranges and yellows. It was something out of a picture book.

strolling through the downtown shops and restaurants of Saugatuck...they were all very charming and busy with lots of tourists

Maddie chillin on some lounges outside the shops


of course you can't overlook the water

Mikayla posing for us in her goofy way!

Sarah

Sarah is a student at Plainfield North High School in her last year...senior year. We had such a fun time during her shoot that it made me remember what it was like to be a senior...only for a second though. Her best friend Emily joined us to give Sarah some support so her true personality would shine through. Even with that, I would not call Sarah shy at all. Her outgoing and fun loving side are easily self evident when you talk to her.

Sarah is a member of the Debate Team and enjoys hanging out with friends and reading a good book. She is a great student in school and I'm sure her parents are very proud of her. I know a glowing future when I see one and I definitely see one in Sarah.

it wasn't easy getting to the tracks but the pictures were sure worth it!

she looks so great...one of my favorites

Good luck and have fun Sarah with your last year in high school!