The Dudes: Da UP, eh?

The Dudes were very busy the last week and a half. We started out at Grandpa and Grandma G's house in Jackson where we celebrated Fathers day. Below is the Dudes picture with Dad on Fathers day in the new Tigers outfits that he picked out for them. From there we were on our way up to the UP to visit our friends Dick, Sue, Trever and Austyn. We stoped at the bridge on the way to have our picture taken. As you can see it was a little chilly. The Dudes had to wear their coats and hats.

After a long 8 hours in the car we finally made it to our destination, Escanaba, MI. The dudes were very excited to meet Trever and Austyn and play with their dog, two socks. Two socks was very good with the dudes even though they have not really learned how to pet nicely yet. We arrived in Escanaba on Monday around dinner time and spent the rest of that night playing and making a mess in Auntie Sue's clean house.

On Tuesday, we played a lot. Trever and Austyn took the Dudes for rides in the Gator and Jeep. The Dudes loved cruising around the backyard. And thanks to Trever and Austyn for taking such good care of the Dudes and sharing all of their toys with them.

Apparently, Auntie Sue is the deer whisperer. The Dudes got to see quite a few deer up close and personal while we were gone. These deer were in their front yard eating from the bait pile that Trever and Sue leave out everyday. We couldn't believe it. Four deer just hanging out in your front yard.

On Wednesday, we headed for the DeYoung Zoo, which as you can see is not like most zoo's. We got to pet monkeys and baby deer and even a baby tiger. I don't know who liked it the most, us or the Dudes. We even got see the zoo staff feed the big cats, which was very exciting since you are so close to everything. The next seven pictures and videos show what we got to see and do at the zoo while we were there. It was so much fun.

This is an actual picture of a Liger. Yes, I said a LIGER!. This is a big cat with the body of a lion and the stripes of a tiger. We couldn't believe it actually exists.

This is the Dudes checking out all of the animals in the petting zoo. I think the pig was their favorite.

On Thursday we headed off to the farm to take a tour of the property and look for wildlife. We got hit with a little rain, but that didn't stop us from enjoying the scenery. Here are Austyn and the Dudes sitting in the big gator. Before we knew it, it was Friday and time to head home. The Dudes and Louie got a picture with all the cute neighbor girls and goodbye photo with Trever and Austyn and we headed home. As you can see, it was a big week the Dudes were sleeping before we even hit the highway.

Thanks again to Dick, Sue, Trever and Austyn for inviting us to visit and showing us such a wonderful time.

The Dudes slept in the car for almost two hours and then we pulled over along highway 2 so that they could stick their toes in the icey cold water of Lake Michigan. They weren't to sure about the cold water, but they thought running up and down the beach was great.

The last stop on our trip was Livonia where we attended Ryan's graduation party. Congrats Ryan! The Dudes had a great time at the party. They were kissing all the ladies and having a great time in bouncey machine in the front yard. Oh and also a special thanks to Bridget and Ed for the power wheels. They love it! They have the gas petal all figured out, but have not quite yet learned the art of steering.