Pixie’s First Vacation.

North, South, East, West…Pixie can tell you which way is best.

She says Saugatuck, Michigan is the place to be!  We shall see…

And, seriously, how could you resist those eyes?!

We stayed in the CUTEST little cottage right on the Kalamazoo River.  Peterson Mill.  An old flour mill.  So much character!

Look at her little ballet slippers from Aunt Sherry.  Love.

Okay.  Let’s just say we were NOT the smartest bunch of beach goers.  The first day, we decided to ride our bikes to the beach.  We packed the backpack with all of the beach necessities…towels, books, suits and sunscreen.  Ya know, what you would normally do if YOU DIDN”T HAVE AN 8 MONTH OLD.

When we got there, we realized two things…

1.)  A baby needs shade.

2.) There is no shade at the beach.

We tried VERY hard to create our own little shady nook.  First, we tried to camp out as close as we could to the handicap sign near the parking lot.  It was casting a shade big enough for Pix’s little body.  Ten minutes later, the sun moved and the shade dwindled.  DUH.  So, we put our bikes in the sand and created a tent with our beach towels.  Ten minutes later, the sun moved and the shade dwindled.  OH MAN.  Yes, we broke down and rented the umbrella from the overpriced concession stand.  The joy of the umbrella lasted all of an hour.  The strong winds lifted the umbrella and it flew 20 feet behind us and landed IN a carseat where a 3 month old baby had been laying just minutes before.  LUCKILY, that family just walked down by the water.  It scared us to the point of packing up and heading home to much safer, less windy, shadier location.  The next day we bought an umbrella anchor and DROVE to the beach with a trunk full of DIFFERENT beach necessities.  The kind appropriate for an 8 month old.  Oh, parenthood.  How we learn.

Day One…

Day Two….(big difference)

Pixie is not so sure about the sand.  She kept face planting into it.  Silly girl.

(Shanks fer my onezee, Light Girl.)

Mommy and Daddy love each other.And our little family.

These were sand dunes that went on for miles.  There were lots of brave souls that were riding the dunes in jeeps, four wheelers, and other vehicles that were somehow concocted into a sand buggy.  It was kinda crazy watching them.  I’d cringe when they headed over the big hills going 30mph.  Children were sledding down the sand on what looked like skateboards and snow sleds.  Something I never expected to see in Michigan.  Feeding my girl on top of the dune.  A memory I will hold close to my heart forever.  So peaceful and beautiful.Feeding the ducks.  The mill owners had duck food for us to use.  These ducks would come around everyday waiting for Pix to feed them.  Douglas Beach.  A small public beach that felt very private.The most kissable cheeks in the world, right here.  We did LOTS of relaxing.  It was so tranquil sitting out by the mill along the stream.
Fenn Valley Winery.  And a sunset cruise on the Kalamazoo and into Lake Michigan.  It was BEAUTIFUL!We match with our jeggings on!Every night we would take a stroll along the water.  The town of Saugatuck had a fun nightlife.  Jason and I enjoyed the music and laughter from the sidewalks.  Pix enjoyed her zzzz’s in the stroller.

Jason posing like the bear.  Funny boy.Pix got this Barbie kite for Easter from Gramia.  She was SO excited to fly a kite.  She talked about it all morning.  And it was about the windiest day EVER.  Which is why Pix is wearing long pants!  Needless to say, the Barbie kite didn’t make it home.On the way back to Ohio, we made a quick stop in St. Joseph, Michigan so Pixie could visit the infamous carousel.

She loved it!

Check out the stork with the hanging baby. 

We love you old Peterson Mill.  We’ll miss you everyday!  We made some unforgettable memories here.  Until next time.

If you would like to see a slideshow of our vacation, click HERE.  There’s lots of really cute videos of Pixie Pie.