Schmidtication 2013

July 13-20 was our annual Schmidt Family Vacation (or as Micah calls it, "Schmidtication"). On the way up to Hessel (in Michigan's Upper Peninsula), Micah became a list-maker (making his mother proud!), creating his own list of what fun things he planned to do on Schmidtication. Since the week was full of activities, it only makes sense that we blog about it in list-fashion!

 SATURDAY:
- Out the door before 11am!
- Long drive up to the UP
- Micah learned a new phrase from Daddy and turned it on Mommy: "Mommy, you smell like squirrel guts!" (Thanks, Daddy)
- Stopped for cheese in Pinconning

- Woke Micah up to see the Mackinac Bridge
- Ate "Bridge Cookies" (our homemade oatmeal raisin cookies) as we drove over the bridge

SUNDAY:
- Played with bubbles
- Family bikeride with both boys in the trailer
- Micah & Daddy took a paddle boat ride

- Micah learned to play badminton
- Played on the beach
- Played football
- Family church service in the evening
- Boys took wagon ride together

 - Micah played soccer with Uncle Davey

 - Henry met (second) cousin Landon for the first time

 - Henry loved (chewing on) the wagon

 - Henry learned how to drink from a straw

 - Micah learned how to play tether ball

 MONDAY:
- Another bike ride

- Micah & Daddy had a boat ride
- We swam at the beach
- Our family cooked the evening meal for the crowd (about 55 people)
- Cousin Heather got a nasty spider bite that resulted in the 1st Urgent Care visit of the vacation
- We took a big family photo with everyone there (we need to get a copy from someone!)
- More soccer with Uncle Davey

TUESDAY:
- Another family bike ride... this time Henry quit early on
- Daddy & Micah had another boat ride
- Uncle Paul went to the Urgent Care for a possible broken toe during water volleyball
- Henry spent some time at the beach
- Henry also took a long stroller ride with Poppa
- It was very windy - a great day to bring out Micah's kite (Micah could fly it all by himself)!

 - Uncle Tom & Landon had a turn with the kite as well

 - All the little cousins enjoyed playing with bubbles
 - After dinner, we took a stroll on the pier at the marina and watched a boy catch a bluegill and a rock bass

- Elijah played his first game of Euchre with Uncle Josh

 WEDNESDAY:
- Micah played at the beach with a "dolphin" toy
- Henry enjoyed a wagon ride with Uncle Josh

- Another windy day for kite-flying
- Cousin Andrea (on the Moldy side) came for the day with her friend Amanda since they were camping on Lake Superior
- Calla and Uncle Andy arrived
-Micah played shuffleboard with Great Poppa Schmidt

 - Henry played on Micah's tricycle while Micah was away (Henry was quite proud of himself)

- It stormed at dinner time - resulting in a double rainbow later
- The kids enjoyed bubbles and chasing Uncle Davey
- Uncle Davey cut his foot on a piece of glass (thankfully, no Urgent Care needed)

 THURSDAY:
- For whom the bell tolls... a big storm overnight caused a short-circuit in the bell of the church directly behind our cabin resulting in the bell ringing continuously from 4-4:30am!
- Our annual "bike to breakfast," culminating in brunch in Cedarville - it rained lightly on the way there and heavy on the way home. But Calla & Micah stayed pretty dry in the bike trailer

- Micah played football with Poppa & Uncle Josh

 - Micah & Uncle Davey raced on the shuffleboard court

 - Mommy, Daddy, and Micah tried out Uncle Andy's kayak... which was taking on water during our brief voyage
- Mommy successfully figured out how to paddleboard
- Uncle Josh gathered 5 skiers to attempt to simultaneously ski behind one boat - this was not a success

 - Uncle Tom cheered on (or taunted?) the skiers from his kayak

 - Daddy played around with all the cousins

 - Henry took a wagon ride with cousin Kaya

 - Henry had lots of playmates! (Lilly, Kaya, Kylee)

 - Henry was sporting some dirty "summer feet"

 - The annual corn hole tournament (which got rained out by a BIG storm and had to be finished the following day)

 - After Mommy's elimination from the tournament, she & Henry took a stroller ride on the dock

 - Daddy gave the cousins a thrill ride

 -We watched the lightening storm from our covered front porch
- Uncle Randy's boat made it safely in during the storm (they had been fishing when the change in winds whipped the boat around and tangled all the lines)
- Mommy & Daddy played "Hand & Foot" with Davey, Jamie, Grandma & Poppa after the kids went to bed

FRIDAY:
- Uncle Davey taught Micah & Calla how to play "War"

 -We had "arts & crafts time" as Grandma taught all the kids how to make their own stepping stone

 - Mommy got a bee sting during the stepping stone project

 - Aunt Jamie had her initiation to Schmidt Vacation

 - Henry had his first Schmidt Vacation boat ride - right into a thunderstorm (thankfully we had time to throw on the rain gear and had the experienced Uncle Randy at the wheel - Henry never fussed at all)

- Henry did throw up his dinner later though
- At the annual family meeting, our branch of the family passed the torch on to the next committee, ending our year at the helm (yea!)
- Suzette took the little kids to get ice cream

 - Micah had his first "Superman ice cream"

SATURDAY:
- We loaded up the truck and said good-bye - making the long trip back home (we ate the last three cookies when we crossed back over the Mackinac Bridge)