Gull Lake Adventure

Last week, we loaded up the ol' station wagon and headed off to Hickory Corners, MI (home of Gull Lake Family Camp). Gull Lake Ministries offers a series of family camps in the summer, with teaching and activities for every member of the family. We went with Kendra's mom and dad, many of her aunts and uncles, and her older brother's family. Here are some pictures of our trip.

On Wednesday, we went to the Gilmore Car Museum. This was an amazing collection of cars, all housed in restored barns. At one point, Bennett wanted to take a break from the cars, so he could go look at the "corns:"

The museum had one of the 50 Tucker automobiles, built in the late 1940's (I think):

This is a 1932 Pierce-Arrow. It was so nice, we felt compelled to take our picture in front of it...I'm not sure why...we had never heard of "Pierce-Arrow"...but that's what tourists do:

Here is a picture of the boys in front of a 1930-something Mercedes. A man who lived in what became East Germany hid it under a rose garden for 40 years to keep it from the Soviets. When the Berlin Wall came down, he finally felt safe to bring it out of hiding. It was in bad shape, but he sold it so that he could get some much needed retirement income. They restored it and brought it to Gilmore.

Here is a picture of the boys in front of a Hudson Hornet, like "Doc" from the movie, Cars:

The boys had fun climbing around a double-decker bus from London:

On Thursday, we took a pontoon boat tour of Gull Lake. Here is Preston doing his best to look cool:

You may not be able to see it, but I took a picture of a plane that was practicing take-offs and landings on the lake:

Here is Bennett watching the plane from the boat:

Here is Preston, Bennett and their cousins (Kaylee and Kobe) enjoying the view from the bow of the boat:

Here is a picture of Kendra and her older brother, Kevin:

Thursday afternoon, Kevin and I took Preston and Kobe to play golf. The "Allen Boys" took on the "Slater Boys" in an alternate shot battle royale. Unfortunately, the Allen Boys lost by one...but we had a great time:

Check out the extension and head position!!! Jason Zuback...who??

Potty Time

Kendra and I have struggled to potty train Bennett. We decided not to push the issue too hard, thinking that he would eventually decide to do it on his own, when he was ready. Yesterday, after Kendra worked with him for a couple days, Bennett decided to make the transition. He wore underwear all day...without accident or incident (as a parent you sometimes celebrate the craziest stuff). So, we're off to a good start. One thing Bennett will need to work on is patience on the potty. Yesterday, while Bennett "waited," Preston sat with him, reading him books. He has truly been a caring big brother. He's encouraged Bennett, instructed him a little, and supported him. It was cool to see Preston be truly excited for Bennett's transition. It is something really worth celebrating. Below is a picture of Preston reading, a picture of Bennett listening and "waiting," and then a picture I took of Preston doing one of his favorite activities...coloring (no real connection to potty-training - I just liked it).

Hey Baby, It's the Fourth of July!

Tonight, we went downtown to take in Fairmont's Fourth of July fireworks display. They didn't start until 10:30pm. Some woman named Mary Lou Retton (who apparently made a name for herself in the 1980's) was being honored and welcomed home, and I guess the festivities took longer than they had originally planned. While we waited on the tailgate of our station wagon, we did our best to entertain ourselves. Eventually, two other families from our church joined us. I took some pictures of the fireworks. The building on the side of some pictures is the old Fairmont Hotel. At one time. it was one of the nicest hotels in the state, but is now used for low-income housing. We had a wonderful time.

My Little Redneck

As you may know, both Preston and Bennett are huge NASCAR fans. Preston's favorite driver is Jimmie Johnson. Bennett's favorite driver is Jeff Gordon. Both drivers are part of the Hendrick Motorsports team. Today, we were watching the qualifying for this week's race. The 'talking heads' were discussing the fact that Mark Martin would drive for Hendrick Motorsports next year in the #5 car. Preston listened intently, then looked me square in the eyes, and said, "He better be good." Somehow, my good friend Tim, doesn't seem to share the same concern:

"A Present for Me and for You"

Preston and I have started a tradition, which began when we played golf with my dad a couple of years ago on my birthday. On his birthday, and on my birthday we play nine holes of golf together. Today, he referred to it as a "present for me and for you." Can't really argue with that. We had a lot of fun. Preston hit a couple of 150 yard drives (one of them even had a bit of a draw on it). I took the camera hoping to get lots of pictures, but I forgot about it. Below is the only one we took to document the day: