Tim and Lesley Year of Million Compromises/TONS pics- 8/5 help me pg. 164!!!

[timandlesley]

Hey guys, we're back from Grand Haven. I'm now officially depressed, my last vacation of the summer is over, August is this week which means that I have to start setting up the classroom, going back to school/work and missing my babies during the day . Also sad this trip report is officially over and no more posting all the time and checking in daily to see who has posted and respond to them. I appreciate all the comments while we've been away, I'll start going back/ reading them and responding. I took some good pics of Grand Haven and will post them with a mini TR summary this week for you all to see. Until then. . . .thanks for reading everyone!!!! This has been so much fun. Can't wait for August so 08' rates can come out, we can book our vacation for June 08' and I can start dreaming of Disney again
Lesley

 

[2angelsinheaven]

Welcome home guys! Can't wait to hear all about Grand Haven, don't worry Lesley, June will be here soon enough.

 

[cherbear]

Welcome back! Can't wait to read your mini TR! June will be here before you know it. Til then, there's a bunch of us going in September and we'll have plenty to write about. You can live vicariously through us, and when we're done reporting it will be time for you to start your next Pre-trip report! How does that sound?

 

[timandlesley]

Thank you Lesley and Tim!!!!!!!

I really enjoyed your trip and hope we have half as much fun as you did!!! if more strollers have the Nopants name I will laugh and think of you!!! Maybe next year Tim can name your family a different name every day. He has a year to think of them!

Thanks, so glad you liked it. The nopants thing was halarious, I told him about your challenge, I think he's up to it, should be fun next year!
Lesley

Great TR Lesley!!

I can't believe it is over. Those World vacations seem to go by way too fast!! I am patiently waiting for those 08 rates to come out too!!!

So glad you liked it, I'm waiting for those 08 rates too, come on Disney!!!

Thanks for having such a detailed trip!! I' malso waiting on next years' rates! I look forward to your next report...until then have a great rest of summer and fall!

So glad yo uenjoyed it, thanks for your post

What a magical trip you guys had!!!

I'm sure that your trip next year will be just as memorable.

I can't believe that they allowed beer on the magical express bus. Some people just try and ruin the magic for everyone else...

I am so excited about taking our trip next year. Our little one goes around saying "let's go to Disney now...ok" so cute We took him to the Disney Store at our local mall and he screamed in excitement. Can't want to show him the "real' Disney....

Thanks for sharing your trip with us.. I feel like we know each other....

I can't believe they allowed beer on the bus either, I was surprised the driver didn't say anything. Have fun showing your little one Disney, it is the greatest experiencing it through their eyes!!!
Lesley

What a great TR!!! I enjoyed reading every minute of it. You are a great writer and I hear a rumor on this thread that you will be writing a book soon? Thanks for sharing your family's vacation with us! And thanks for the awesome pics of POFQ!! I'll be there in less than 2 weeks and reading your TR helped me get through the wait! Hope to be reading your next report real soon!

So glad you enjoyed it. I have put the book on hold for now with all I have going on, traveling, getting me and the kids back to school and teaching 4 classes with UOP I'm a little overwhelmed.
Lesley

Awww Leslie, so sad that it ended! I enjoyed reading the report very much! I'm looking forward to your next pre-trippie!

Take care!

So glad you enjoyed it, pre trippie will start by January, for sure!!!
Lesley

Thank you for a wonderful trip report. Tim's funny pictures made me laugh and your DD reminds me on my 4 yo. They both have curly hair and that cutie smile. It's so great that Disney can bring people together to share the happy times of their life. We're all so lucky to have wonderful families and friends to share that Disney magic with.

So glad you enjoyed it, Tim does keep us laughing. I agree, Disney+family=incredible memories!

I also have to agree that seeing the ME bus on the last day makes me EXTREMELY sad too! That's the worst feeling! I really enjoyed your TR, you and your family look like so much fun! Your kids are adorable too! Thanks for sharing your trip and pics with us!!

Oh, isn't that ME bus on the last day the worst, first day you are so excited to see it though, never knew a bus could cause so many emmotions glad you enjoyed the TR, thanks for posting!
Lesley

Wow Lesley-thanks so much for sharing your memories with all of us. Looks like you guys had a GREAT time!! Sorry about the crappy tour but look on the bright side 10 days at WDW and a lot of wishes were granted!!

I have never rode Spl Mtn (I hate getting wet and then walking around all day), plus the ride mechanism itself seems like log ride at PKI. So I greatly enjoyed the pics. Zip a Dee Doh Dah is one of my DD very favorites songs. That is the name of her guinea pig too. I should her the sign and she is going to hang it above his cage-she said "thanks."

Again thanks for the great TR-you have inspired me to start a pre-TR for upcoming trip.

Hope you have a safe MI trip.

Oh, you have to ride Splash Mtn, you usually don't get wet at all, do it right before you leave for the day. We still walk down the street singing those songs from that ride (did the other day as a matter of fact)
Lesley

Last installment?!?! Say it isn't so Lesley! Well that was a great trip report (I also loved your report last year)! Thanks for 'taking us along with you'. I found myself frequently checking for your report updates and CourtneyandRyan's as well. And now you're both done. I'll be looking forward to your next pre-trippie. My family wants to get back to the World. It's been 2 years since we've been to WDW and we had a fantastic time. It really is a magical place.

Enjoy the rest of your summer!

I know, I can't believe it either, I hate that it is ending and that summer is coming to an end, I start school soon! I hope you get to plan a return trip to WDW soon!
Lesley

Another diser from Cincy! I just spent two hours of my Saturday night reading your report while my husband is reading Harry Potter. Sounds like you had a wonderful trip. Your family reminds me so much of my own. We have also already planned our trip for next summer. My husband even spent time adding the fonts of every restaurant to our spreadsheet. He also works in education and has a little time on his hands. Looking forwards to your next pretrip report.

Hey, it's a small world! Tim just finished Harry Potter on our drive back from Grand Haven, he loved it! That is funny about your DH and the spreadsheets! Thanks for reading/posting!
Lesley

 

[timandlesley]

Thanks for the wonderful trip report! I am now looking forward to June 2008 to be able to read next year's report so much!

You are welcome, glad you enjoyed it, thanks for posting!!!

Thanks for sharing your vacation! I get that same feeling in the pit of my stomach on the last day. Ugh. Well at least you're now less than 11 months away til next year's trip. That means you'll be starting a pre-trippie soon,right? PLEASE!!!

Have a great time in Michigan. Be sure to let us all know where you're posting that mini-report. I think everyone on this thread will be waiting.

Have you ever thought of doing a mini trip to Disney's Hilton Head Island?

Thanks for reading, I've never thought of Hilton Head, good idea!

Wow, the report is over! Thanks so much for taking the time to write it and let us relive your trip with you. It was so much fun to read. Will be looking forward to your next one next year.

Thanks so much for reading/posting!!! See ya soon in another report.

Loved your trip report and all the photos of your cute kids. Ican't believe you didn't see Wishes! It is the best night time show though makes me very emotional for some reason. I have to say we have not seen Fantasmic yet but we are planning too this trip in 73 more days.

So glad you loved it, Wishes will be next year for sure!!!!

Lesley, for sharing your report and pictures! It was a good read and I am looking forward to your next one.

Thank you very much, thanks for reading and posting!

Lesley, Thank you! Thank you! Your trip report nearly made me feel as if I had been right there with you. I loved every minute of it. I am a bit depressed this morning though with both the end of your trip report and the end of the Harry Potter Series (finished book 7 last night). By the way when we go in October we are flying Delta out of Dayton (mother-in-law still lives there and it was WAY cheaper than Louisville or Cincinnati) but Airtran was an option. I didn't choose it because I had read mixed reviews. What did you think of Airtran?

Thanks Again!

So glad you enjoyed it, Tim just finished the book. Airtran is always the cheapest best way for us to fly there, we LOVED airtran, have never had a problem, love their cheap direct flights too! We've never beend delayed, luggage always arrives, etc.

Thank you for your TR and all the pics! Can you tell me more about Luke building the Robot? I would love my oldest DS Nathan to do this! Do they get to keep it? I thought I saw it in a pic (Tim @ Alfredos).

Sure, for the robot they go to a demo about plastics talking about agility, etc. then they go to a computer area and design a robot on the computer and then "race" their robot against the others on the computer by running on these foot pads, jumping ,etc. then after the race they go into another room where they build an actual plastic robot they get to keep, it's great!
Lesley

Lesley, thank you for taking your time to share your trip with us. I enjoyed every minute of it. When I read about your family waiting for the magical express and Luke crying I had tears in my eyes also (so glad dh wasn't home, he would have thought I went off the deep end). I know that feeling though; we are still a month and a few weeks away from our trip and I am dreading the day we have to leave. I can't believe the man on the bus, what a bummer.
I read the post that Tim left on the abandoned tr that you are referring to and I thought it was funny and knew he meant no harm. I am shocked she took it so personally. (wondering what she said in that pm)
Have a great trip and can't wait to hear all about it when you return.

So glad you enjoyed it, glad I didn't post that pic of Luke crying, you really would have been in tears, it was so sad! let's just say that pm was very nasty and extremely uncalled for and if others on that thread knew what she says behind the scenes they wouldn't be reading it!
Lesley

Wow. Its sad to see it over. Thank you so much for this great detailed and photo filled Trip report. I have truly enjoyed reading it. I might just have to write one myself now! Thank you, Looking forward to reading your june 08 aka Happy Tenth! Pre Trip report real soon.

I'm sad to see it end too, have fun if you write one yourself, sure is fun sharing it with others!

Thank you for sharing all your magical Disney moments with us. I had tears in my eyes reading about your departure. I'll probably be just like Luke when it's time for me to leave. And I only get 7 days.
Tim did a great job "keeping the magic" and getting snacks for everyone. He also did a great job building UP the magic before the trip with dreams for everyone. I'm going to keep all of that in mind so I can bring those special moments to my family when I have children of my own.

Again, thank you! It was wonderful and I look forward to the next one. I also can't wait to get the book! Think you can have it published before my vacation in September?

Have fun on your seven days. You are quite welcome, so glad you loved it!
Lesley

Thanks so much for sharing your planning and trip!

I cannot wait for the next one

you are welcome, glad you enjoyed it!

BRAVO GIRL!!! Loved your TR...

Tim sounds so cool...I am the one who would say stuff to mean people. I am tactful of course but I do not get rude, meanies esp at Disney! I have luckily never encountered one and have never had to speak my mind on anything but I am glad Tim sticks up for what it right for others!

I know how little Luke feels...when we have to come back home from Disney. It is so sad. The only thing that keeps us from jumping in front of the Magic Express bus...(ok people that was a JOKE!!!)

Is the NEXT trip....we start planning RIGHT away!!

Bravo once again.
Where do you plan on staying in 2008? Riverside is BEAUTIFUL...as is the Poly!! Just teach a few extra online courses!!! or twenty!!!


The kids are cute and your story is wonderful.

THANK YOU LESLIE!!!

I know, it will depend on money flow on where we stay, I'm thinking POFQ for MORE days or WL for less, if we could afford Poly we'd go in a heartbeat but that would mean less days in the world, decisions decisions. So glad yo uenjoyed it, you are quite welcome!
Lesley

What a wonderful end to your report. I am in the middle of moving and reading the last two days was a great break. I feel like I was right there with you. You outdid yourself Lesley. I cant thank you enough for sharing your family vacation with us.

So glad you enjoyed it!

Wow! So sad! I could feel Luke (and Lauren)'s sadness; we all feel like crying when we leave. How great it is, though, that we are able to give our kids this vacation over & over!! My one friend never took her kids (they're now all in their 20s); she always said "They're too young; they won't remember (or appreciate) it." Now I ask her if she thinks she'll go with her grandchildren! How EARLY you finish school!! Do you start in mid-August? I live in Jersey & teach also. We start the day after Labor Day and always end around June 20-22. THANK YOU SO MUCH for another awesome report. It really is so kind of you to treat us to every aspect of your trip! You are a gifted writer and it seems like you are one of our friends b/c of your writing style. Hope I see your pretrippie next year! Again, many thanks for "inviting" us to share your little piece of the World!!

I know, our kids are spoiled aren't they, yo uknow, my kids remember vividly about each trip so I think those comments about them being too young are crazy (as you do to I can see). After labor day start, I'm jealous. So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for writing.

Oh Lesley. I'm so happy that you guys had such a wonderful vacation. I'm sad that the TR has ended, but you can count me in for your TR next year!

Thank you, we did have a great time, thanks for "coming with us".
Lesley

 

[Gina35]

Hi Lesley~ Glad you had a good time at Grand Haven; looking forward to your pics and mini TR...and of course your pre-trippie around January. I know how you're feeling right now; I'll be there in a few weeks. Going back to school is such a "down" feeling when we've been spending the last 10 weeks with our kids....and thinking DISNEY! It IS overwhelming, because it seems like everything starts at once. One minute we're living in Disney World, and the next we're in work mode!! Thanks again for your great TR and your wonderful responses. Have a great school year (as depressing as that sounds)!!

 

[timandlesley]

Thanks for another great TR! I don't know what I'm going to do with myself now that I don't have any more installments to look forward to! I cannot get over the nerve of the guy on the ME on your way back to the airport! What a jerk! And then having to read that nasty PM afterwards! I'm glad y'all didn't let it ruin your magical vacation!

So glad you enjoyed it, hey, one more mini Grand Haven TR coming up, something to look forward to.

Thanks for the TR and all the great information. Glad you made it home safe, until next time.

Regina

You are welcome, thanks for reading/posting

I can't believe your trip is over!! I am going to miss your installments! Your family is great and yes, Tim is a hoot! I will be waiting for the next trip report!

So glad your trip was everything you dreamed!!! Thanks again for sharing with us!!!

Glad you enjoyed it and that Tim kept you entertained. It was everything we dreamed, thats for sure!

Another great trip report. You guys are such a cute family. I'll be counting down for your next pre trippie

So glad you enjoyed it!

Thank You for sharing your trip report with all of us! You have given us so many great tips for our next upcoming vacations! Everytime we leave Disney or the Disney Cruise I get soooo choked up! Disney is a magical place and gives families such great memories that you hate to see it end and then have to come back to the real life. Many of our friends can not understand why we choose to come back to Disney year after year but if they don't get it then I can't explain it! My kids faces are priceless and it truly is the most magical place on earth! Looking forward to your pre-trip report for June 2008!

You are quite welcome, glad you got some good tips. I want to go on a cruise so badly! Maybe someday!

it's over. What a GREAT trip report though...I so enjoyed reading about your wonderful trip!!! I'm sure you are already thinking about your next one.


So is it going to be POFQ or Wilderness Lodge again?

So glad yo uenjoyed it. We're trying to decide between POFQ and WL, we're waiting for rates to come out, I'll post here when we decide!

Wow, what a great TR! I'm sad to see it end! Thanks so much for being so prompt and detailed! I really hope you are able to write your book, you will sell many Looking forward to next years TR already! Have a terrific summer

So glad you enjoyed it, I wanted to get it out as quick as possible for you guys, glad you enjoyed it!

Lesley, thank you for sharing another great trip report with us! Your trippie helped to keep me motivated for our next trip! THanks again!

You are quite welcome, have fun planning your trip!

I knew Tim was a good man!!! Go Stillers!!!!!

Now I have to get caught up on your TR.

Oh, he LOVES the Steelers!!!

Thank you for such a great report! I have really enjoyed reading it and looking at all the wonderful pictures.

When does the next pre-trippie start?!

So glad you enjoyed it, pre trippie probably by January at least!!! Look out for it. Any name ideas??
Lesley

Just wanted to add my 2 cents worth here...
Thanks so much for taking the time to write such a wonderful TR. I remember reading yours from last year, so when I came across this one, I knew it was a must read. I have to tell you that I can't look at Lauren without thinking about Ruthie on 7th Heaven. I know I made that comment to you on your last TR, but she is just so dang cute. And that Luke is something else. You really have a wonderful family, and I really enjoyed reading about your adventures. I honestly felt like I was right there with y'all. And when the dreaded time came to board that ME bus, my heart was heavy for you!!!
Thanks again, and I can't wait to hear more from you!

Thanks for adding your 2 cents, glad you enjoyed it. Lauren does look a bit like Ruthie doesn't she, I remember your comment last year actually. Thanks for being a loyal reader!

great TR Lesley! It was a joy to read!! Look foward to you June 2008 Pre-Trip Report!!

Thank you!!!!

Lesley - I don't think I've commented before, but I've read the whole thing - great TR! You guys sound like such a fun family and thanks for including all of the pictures

I'm sorry you got a nasty PM from Blayne. I stopped reading that TR a long time ago (though I found yours from there - so glad I did) Tim's comments were funny, and if she took them so personally as to send you something horrid, someone needs to take things a little less seriously. It's not like she's the only one with obligations outside of the DIS!

Hope you had/are having fun in Grand Haven - I'm from Michigan and we're actually having decent weather right now, so it should be a nice time for you guys.

Can't wait to read the next one!

Thank you, I agree, I'm busy and managed to get mine done in less than a month, hmmmmmm. We did have a great Grand Haven trip, will post photos soon!
Lesley

First Off

Another great TR!

Second

I can't believe it's over!

Until next time, wishing you Disney Dreams.

PS...all of my T&L stories just earned me 2 bonus days in the Orlando area. Granted, they won't be at WDW, but I am excited none the less. Seaworld bound for 2 days, WDW bound for 9 w/free dining. 56 days and counting.

Thanks so much, I really appreciate it. Glad you enjoyed it. Enjoy your bonus days, TAKE ME WITH YOU!!!!

Just wanted to say how much I have loved your trip report. I wish I would have done one for our trip in March.
Do you know when Disney will come out with prices for 2008?
We are hoping to take a trip over my spring break in early March.

Thanks, so glad yo uenjoyed it, they say prices in 08 will be out first two weeks of August, I'm hoping!!!
Lesley

 

[dddisrunner]

Welcome back Lesley! Glad to hear you had a wonderful vacation. Sorry you have to think about back to school already! Gosh, the summer just goes by sooo fast. I wanted to let you know that over on the resort thread there have been numerous posts that people have spoken to CRO and they have said August 5th is the magical date for package prices to be released Let's hope that's true, I dying to plan our April trip!

 

[kribit]

Wow, you guys sure do travel a lot. It seems like the summer is never long enough though.

Lesley, your family sound like Florida candidates. Would you ever move down there?

 

[r4blessings]

Ok, I'm so embarressed to even ask this, but when the codes come out, what does that tell you? We just book through disney online or over the phone and buy park hoppers and book room and dining package. Are we spending more money than we need to? Or are the codes for annual passes or something? I'm guessing we could be saving some money somewhere, right?

Take pity on the clueless!

 

[alabamagirl]

I have enjoyed your trip report so much! I love how you had links to all the posts in the very first installment. Your kids are too cute and I could tell that they were having the time of their lives in WDW. Your family seems very close and I think that is so special.

Thank you for sharing your trip with us!!

 

[BuzzandAriel'smom]

Just sub'ing and saying hi! I loved your report last year before we went and I just came across this one and we are leaving in a few days! We have so much in common. I turned 30 in June, DH and I have been married 8 years tomorrow and we Disneymooned too! Our kids are 5 and 3.


Nice to meet ya!

 

[cherbear]

Since you mentioned it in an earlier post, I have a name idea for your pre-trippie to come...

"No more sleepin' in our stinkin' beds...we're going to see Princesses!" (taken from Lauren's quote which I will remember forever cuz it's just so cute!)

 

[jwwi]

Lesley,

After my 10 day vacation it was fun to read your TR. (not to WDW, but another favorite place, a quiet cottage on a pristine Northern WI lake.......) Very sad to see your TR come to an end, just like a great vacation. You did an awsome job, loved every part of it. Your family is precious. And again I love how you stay positive all the time. (Sorry about Blayne. I think that is how I found your TR's, so there is a silver lining.)

I will stay tuned to see the pre TR, enjoy the remaining summer days.

 

[timandlesley]

Hi Lesley~ Glad you had a good time at Grand Haven; looking forward to your pics and mini TR...and of course your pre-trippie around January. I know how you're feeling right now; I'll be there in a few weeks. Going back to school is such a "down" feeling when we've been spending the last 10 weeks with our kids....and thinking DISNEY! It IS overwhelming, because it seems like everything starts at once. One minute we're living in Disney World, and the next we're in work mode!! Thanks again for your great TR and your wonderful responses. Have a great school year (as depressing as that sounds)!!

Yes, school sure does seem depressing right now, so hard to go from full time mommy to back to work, guess we're fortunate we get this time though. You have a great school year too!

Welcome back Lesley! Glad to hear you had a wonderful vacation. Sorry you have to think about back to school already! Gosh, the summer just goes by sooo fast. I wanted to let you know that over on the resort thread there have been numerous posts that people have spoken to CRO and they have said August 5th is the magical date for package prices to be released Let's hope that's true, I dying to plan our April trip!

August 5th!!! Yes!!! I can't wait, hope it's true!!!
Lesley

Wow, you guys sure do travel a lot. It seems like the summer is never long enough though.

Lesley, your family sound like Florida candidates. Would you ever move down there?

We are blessed to travel a lot, my parents pay for the place in Grand Haven every year so we always go up, it's so beautiful, you'll see what I mean when I post pics tonight. Florida is set aside for when I retire, can't wait!
Lesley

Ok, I'm so embarressed to even ask this, but when the codes come out, what does that tell you? We just book through disney online or over the phone and buy park hoppers and book room and dining package. Are we spending more money than we need to? Or are the codes for annual passes or something? I'm guessing we could be saving some money somewhere, right?

Take pity on the clueless!

Well, what we are waiting for right now are the 2008 rates so we can book our vacations, codes are separate, and they come out on occassion for certain dates, I always check this site and mousesavers.com for the codes and then if they come out for your dates you can call and apply it to your reservation to save you money. Anothe rway we save money is booking through AAA, we saved 400 on our package this year by doing that.
Lesley

I have enjoyed your trip report so much! I love how you had links to all the posts in the very first installment. Your kids are too cute and I could tell that they were having the time of their lives in WDW. Your family seems very close and I think that is so special.

Thank you for sharing your trip with us!!

Thanks, so glad you enjoyed it, we are quite a close family and enjoy spending tons of time together, we are so blessed!

Just sub'ing and saying hi! I loved your report last year before we went and I just came across this one and we are leaving in a few days! We have so much in common. I turned 30 in June, DH and I have been married 8 years tomorrow and we Disneymooned too! Our kids are 5 and 3.


Nice to meet ya!

Hello, thanks for saying hi, glad you found us. We do have a lot in common, what a cute family you have, have a wonderful trip!!!!

Since you mentioned it in an earlier post, I have a name idea for your pre-trippie to come...

"No more sleepin' in our stinkin' beds...we're going to see Princesses!" (taken from Lauren's quote which I will remember forever cuz it's just so cute!)

That is halarious, may just use that!
Lesley

Lesley,

After my 10 day vacation it was fun to read your TR. (not to WDW, but another favorite place, a quiet cottage on a pristine Northern WI lake.......) Very sad to see your TR come to an end, just like a great vacation. You did an awsome job, loved every part of it. Your family is precious. And again I love how you stay positive all the time. (Sorry about Blayne. I think that is how I found your TR's, so there is a silver lining.)

I will stay tuned to see the pre TR, enjoy the remaining summer days.

Welcome home, glad you have a great trip, glad you found us, that is a silver lining.
Lesley

 

[timandlesley]

As promised, here is a little mini mini mini sized TR on our recent family vacation to Grand Haven Michigan.
For those of you not familiar with it, Grand Haven Michigan is about 30 minutes from Grand Rapids and Holland Michigan if you are familiar with those. It actually got ranked number 2 on the Today show a few years ago for wonderful family destinations and I couldn't agree more. Just like Disney we go here every summer, we do Disney in June and Grand Haven in July, great way to wrap up the summer.
We go with my parents who pay for the house that we rent, who can pass up a free vacation!!!
The first day we got there we walked down Grand Havens gorgeous boardwalk towards the pier to check out the sunset.

Isn't it pretty.
Tim and I stopped for a self portrait:

Here are my mom and Luke walking hand in hand toward the lighthouse at the end of the pier:

Tim caught up with Lauren on his shoulders as my dad and I trailed behind:

The end of the pier was full of people waiting to watch the sunset, it was just a beautiful night. I took my favorite picture of the trip as this sailboat sailed by in the distance, Luke called it a pirate ship, I just LOVE this picture, (it will soon be blown up and framed in our house):

Luke poses by the sunset:

Here is a closer view of that beautiful "pirate" ship as it got closer and sailed by:

The next morning it was another gorgous sunny day so we headed to the beach. Whenever I mention beaches to people regarding Michigan they probably picture a crappy lake and little hard sand, NOT SO!!! These beaches are some of the prettiest I've been on, the softest sand, wonderful water, just beautiful. Here is a view of the beach from the parking lot I took to show how big it is:

Here are the kids on the beach our second day there:

I just love this pic of the kids having snacks on the beach, Lauren just looks at Luke like he is the biggest hero to her, so cute:

Time to build sand castles (I get a little intense about this : )

The kids filling in the moat:

Here is Luke soaking up some rays:

My dad and Lauren getting crazy in the water:

In Grand Haven there is a wonderful town that we spent lots of evenings strolling through, they have a beautiful grassy hill area with a sailboat structure that the kids love to play on:

Here they are running around on the hill playing one night:

This place is FULL of great food, and more ice cream stands that you could possibly imagine, so every night we would walk the boardwalk, enjoy the beautiful views, get some ice cream and let the kids play on this hillside and sailboat structure. There is also a trolley that goes through town that the kids love, so we took that as well (picture of that coming later). Grand Haven also has one of the worlds largest musical fountains, it plays up on the hill every night for everyone to see at 10:00, so we watched that two different nights too, the kids loved it, the show lasts about a half an hour, they finally modernized the music so it was GREAT this year!

To be continued, trying to solve a photobucket problem

 

[cherbear]

I'm so glad I am on the computer right now! Gotta get my TimandLesley fix!

Those are GREAT pics! I love that Tim is wearing a Mickey shirt. Luke and Lauren look like they LOVE the beach. Lauren's hair is so cute and curly! Looking forward to reading the next part!

 

[timandlesley]

Our third and fourth days there stunk because it rained the entire day. The first day my dad, Lauren and I walked around town, did the museum, etc. had a great time while my mom, Tim and Lauren saw Hairspray (they LOVED the movie by the way). The second day of rain did more around town together, it cleared up that night so we were able to get in a trolley ride, play on the hill ,etc. turned out a nice evening.

The next day it was finally another beautiful sunny day so we hit the beach by 10:00 a.m. We were enjoying a beautiful day, I was busy making sand castles again:

Lauren was busy being her pretty little self on the beach

I even have a picture of myself on the beach this day before "it" happened:

Mom, dad, Luke, and Lauren were all playing ball in the water (as I was busy sand castle making of course : ) and I had the urge to pee, o.k., I'm not like some of those lake dwellers who pee in the water, so I headed up to the large concession stand area. As I did I noticed the yellow flag that had been up earlier was now changed to red "odd" I thought to myself. Then I noticed as I got closer to the building there were yellow signs posted everywhere, as I got closer they read "no swimming per the order of the Ottowa County Health Department" OH NO!!!!! I walked back as fast as I could, watching tons of people (my family included) in the water, I explained the signs, we got everyone in the sand and rinsed off, I told a few neighboring (thankful) families as well, couldn't believe they didn't go around with a bull horn or something. Anyway, we found the guy taking water samples, and he said ecoli rates were high due to the recent rain and the water not flowing properly past the lighthouse/pier area. So we kept ourselves busy in the sand for the rest of the afternoon:

The next day this beach was still closed so we decided to go to another beach about 15 minutes away that was safe to swim in, it was a beautiful beach!!!

The kids had a great time playing in the sand and the water, what a wonderful day!!! More pics of it for you:

Lauren making "dinner" for me : )

That night Luke was pooped and fell sound asleep around 5:00, my parents watched him while Lauren, Tim and I hit the town for ice cream and a stroll. Lauren really enjoyed her time out just the 3 of us. We found someone doing face painting and she got her face painted, she was so thrilled:

The last Saturday we were there the town was setting up for Coast Guard Festival, this is a huge event they have the last week of July each year, tons of vendors come in, they have huge parades, a fair, fireworks display, etc. Every year it kicks off with a kids parade, the kids just love it, it is a great parade lasting about 45 minutes. Here are some pics from the kids parade.
Lauren and Luke with their pinwheels they handed out waiting for the parade to start:

They got SOOOOO much candy:

Here is a pic of a float:

Had to get a picture of the bird lady for Tim

Here is the trolley I told you about earlier that takes you through town, it was in the parade too:

 

[timandlesley]

Our final night in Grand Haven was a beautiful evening, we planned to stay up and see the musical fountain one last time. We enjoyed walking around and seeing the Coast Guard Festival vendors that had been set up the day before (especially the food vendors ).
Luke was thrilled they had a Nascar display and he got to see Dale Jarretts car, here he is with it:

We walked the boardwalk, enjoyed the scenery and got some pics before the sun went down:

A family pic:

We then got some food from the vendors and settled in on the hill and let the kids play.

We watched a beautiful sunset, got some ice cream and watched the musical fountain one last time. The kids danced their hearts out with some other kids they had been playing with, it was fun to watch. We packed up the next morning and left Grand Haven around 10:30, we had a wonderful time. If you are ever considering a new summer getaway, I recommend Grand Haven in the summer, it is sooooo beautiful (as I hope these pictures showed you).
Well, I hope you enjoyed our final vacation of the summer with us, now I have the dreadful reality of going back to school soon and going from full time mommy to working mommy which is going to be so hard on Lauren.
Thanks for sharing this with us, it has been great and I feel like I know so many of you. Can't wait until those rates come out August 5th (if Disney is really releasing them then) for 08' so we can start planning our return for June next year.
Until then. . .. .
Lesley

 

[cherbear]

Despite the bad weather and the e-coli, it sounds like y'all had a good trip. And I see you are still getting use out of your crocs. I tried some on(the capris) and thought that the "bumps" on the footbed would bother me, so I didn't get them.