The youngest in the family was pushed to his limit several times during the week, and ended up taking a car nap each and every day.
Tuesday we had planned as our "Door County Day". We wanted to stop in Sturgeon Bay in the morning, then continue on to Whitefish Dunes State Park for lunch and the afternoon. At one point while planning this trip, I mentioned a toy store to the kids. Well, that was enough for them to be excited about spending their hard earned money.
Unfortunately, though, they had been spending their cash on little things here and there during the last couple of months and didn't have very much left, at least not enough for a real toy store in a tourist hotspot. In the future, I don't think we will plan on the kids bringing along spending money on trips; it just makes for too much time and energy spent on something that doesn't have much lasting enjoyment or meaning.
Here are a few good parts of that morning, though ... Kate was able to add to her collection of "little animals"; Ethan wisely decided to buy nothing instead of spending money on something he didn't really want; Anna did NOT get a stuffed animal (although she really wanted to). Plus, Anna used her walker to walk several blocks on the sidewalk. She actually used her walker quite a bit every morning of our trip; her stamina is certainly increasing.
Next stop ... Whitefish Dunes!
After our picnic lunch, we had planned to split up for awhile with one parent playing games with Anna while the other parent hiked with the other two. Then we would all join up again to visit the beach. But then ... Kate and I were checking out an information station and noticed a flyer mentioning an all-terrain wheelchair as well as a beach wheelchair that were available for guests to use. We talked to the rangers at the nature center and got ourselves a sweet all-terrain wheelchair to use for the afternoon!
We started making our way down one of the more popular trails, seeing some of the examples of indigenous shelters along the way.
It didn't take us to long to realize, however, that we had a tired 4 year old on our hands. So we took one of the beach access trails and spent the rest of our time at the beach. I love that our family has lots of experience with flexibility :)
The kids started out slowly testing the waters of Lake Michigan. It was c-o-l-d!
Then everyone opted for some playtime in the sand, either being buried by dad,
or by making sand angels.
Being buried by dad just once wasn't quite enough :)
It was about this time that we ran into another family from McFarland ... seriously! Last year when we were in the Badlands in South Dakota, we ran into TWO families from our small town; this year it was only one. However, this family was not only from McFarland, but one of the parents happened to be one of Anna's former nurses on P4. Small world!
The next time I turned around, Kate was venturing farther and farther into the water.
And then Ethan fell into the water, and then into the sand.
Before things progressed any more, we decided it was time to head back and return the wheelchair. The kids got cleaned up, sort of, before we visited the nature center. Then we went back "home" for a dinner around the campfire.
Hot dogs, roasted peppers, and s'mores made for a very yummy dinner indeed.
And who doesn't love a good campfire for throwing sticks and leaves on?
The kids spent the rest of their energy (they still had some left?!?!) on the playset in the yard.
Some led the imagination story.
Others discovered they could happily swing in a regular swing.
While still others found creative ways to slide.
No matter what they did, their goofy sides shone through very brightly.
This day ended with a few different games inside and then a much deeper and longer sleep for everyone than the previous night ;)
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