In the midst of a crazy busy summer, this vacation was welcomed with open arms. It was soooo nice to have a break from everything - to just sit back, relax, and enjoy family. I didn't even think about all the things going on back home once. Jonathan had a harder time leaving things behind, but he was able to really enjoy himself and get some rest too.
What a beautiful, beautiful place. We all just love it here so much. We are so thankful to Uncle Klaas and Auntie Ann for allowing us to use it year after year. This year marked 10 years of coming here. Crazy!! It really doesn't seem like that many at all. There are so many memories tied up in this place. I sometimes wonder if we would really connect with family like we do here, if we didn't have our week at the cottage. We would try . . . but it would be hard. This place is just so great for every age - from newborns to Opa and Oma. It is easy and really allows us to relax. I love camping, but it is definitely more work. Without further ado, let me share a whole bunch of pictures of our great time at a great place with a great family:)
I thought I'd start with all the family pictures first:
Mom and Dad
David, Mom, Dad, Christy, Matt
Dan and Sarah, Jesse, Jacob, Joshua, Josiah, and Jonathan
John Michael and Becky, Maaike, Holly, Tim, Christiaan, Isaiah and Judah
Steve and Jo, Allison, Kate, MaryBeth, Faith, Isaac, Matthew, and Keziah
(and b/c they did two poses, I posted two pictures of them:))
Jonathan and Denise, Kevin, Kade, Kylie, Karter
Josh and Steph, Ryan, Jonathan, James, Jeremy, Brooke, and Owen
Nate and Beth, Mackenzie, Titus and Reese
Richard and MaryBeth, Summer, Hunter, and Savannah
Stephen, Jenna, and Mason
Jeff and Christy
Matt and Elizabeth
Becky and Sarah
The sisters
and the sisters-in-law thrown in there too!
Summer, Kylie, and Brooke
We had beautiful weather again. We had one day of rain (Monday) and the rest was really nice. Some days we had a bit of a breeze, but every day was a swimming day - even the rainy one! The water was well used - but I have to say - more by the adults than the kids!!! The kids have so many things to do, that the water is just one stop in their busy day!
Stephen, Jenna, and Mason out for their daily paddleboat ride.
Jeremy and Kade out snorkeling. Snorkeling was a popular activity this year - though no major treasures were found!
Coffee time!
Karter loved the water once again.
The raft is always popular.
Kade
Enjoying the sun.
Kevin
Jeremy and Kade
Stephen, Mason, and Jonathan
Kylie
MaryBeth doing flips off the raft.
Kylie, Isaiah, and Judah
MaryBeth enjoying a Readers Digest in the sun.
Jeff practicing his casting:)
Jonathan and Karter
Karter and Mason out for a dip.
Karter
Mason
Lots of beautiful ladies.
Frog kingdom being set up . . .
These two boys were so cute with their frogs. They carried them around and named them and had a great time with them.
Nate took a bunch of the kids fishing again this year. They love going with him!
Kylie and Mackenzie on Bluebeards boat.
Fun in the sand.
Isaiah
Summer is such a great sister to Hunter. He absolutely loves her!
Savannah
Savannah, Mackenzie and Hunter
We had lots of fun volleyball games - girls only, guys only and mixed. The next generation is starting to play now too and are doing really well. They are going to be taking over the court soon!
The spectators . . .
The kids playing dodgeball.
Sarah brought a box of princess stuff that she found in her second hand store. The girls (and a few boys!) absolutely LOVED it! It was so cute to watch them. They wore the dresses for days and the dresses took a lot of abuse and got a bit dirty, but it was so fun for them.
Isaiah, Brooke, Summer, Kylie, Mackenzie and Faith
Summer, Kylie and Mackenzie
Summer and Ky. Who knew princesses could be SO dirty!!!
Savannah
Fun making card pyramids at night. Lots of other games were enjoyed too.
Ryan enjoying his book.
Bedtime story for Ky.
Karter taking things in.
Karter being cozy with Aunt Christy
Mackenzie
Josiah and Kylie. These two had a great time together too!
Titus
Kylie
Brooke
Savannah
MaryBeth and Savannah
Jenna and Mason
Holly
Maaike, Christy, and Allison
MaryBeth and Karter. MaryBeth was such a great help with the babies. We sure love it that she loves helping out and holding them!
Hunter and Holly
Karter
Mackenzie was the first to spot the snake, but when Jo saw it next, a few boys just couldn't resist leaving it alone! Kade just loves critters like this. This one had just swallowed something and had a huge lump.
Colouring by Oma's cottage.
Karter and Jonathan
Karter. Did I mention that this boy was on his best behavior at the cottage - during the day anyway!! He was so happy almost all the time. Night was a bit of a different story, but that's okay!
And that is all! Doesn't it look wonderful?! It was. Thanks to each and every family member for coming and making it another special year! Every person contributes in a different way and it makes a wonderful mix. Thank you to all of you. We love you all!
Great pictures Denise! Such a wonderful place... love how you do the family pictures every year. It's nice to see the families grow!
ReplyDeleteThese were awesome!! There is nothing like vacationing with the whole family. They are some special times that your kids will never forget!
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw the comment about MaryBeth doing backflips off of the raft, I really thought I was gonna see Marybeth Hartemink doing backflips. I was a little dissapointed when it was the little niece MaryBeth... ;)
ReplyDeleteAlso, Savannah really looks like Ella in some pictures.
Looks like it was a fun vacation again. And the Vandyk family is still good-looking! I love seeing the progress from year-to-year.
As always, looks like it was a GREAT time! Love the pics of all the ladies dressed alike :) What a beautiful group of ladies! I also really enjoy the family pictures! I always look forward to this post :)
ReplyDelete