Labor Day weekend was lots of fun! We spent the long weekend up at the cottage. It was a little overcast, but that never stops a boat ride. We went over to the northeastern portion of the lake where a little peninsula jets out. We docked the boat and the kids started running around on the "island". There were plenty of cat tails there and fun Aunt Jenny decided that they looked like corndogs and thus named that location "Corndog Island". Here is the mascot of Corndog Island:
We went to the Walworth County Fair on Sunday.
We saw lots of farm animals. One guy took this big turkey out of it's cage so that we could get a closer look (Darin got bit!).
The bunnies were a bit more their speed:
The kids always have a great time on all of the rides, but it costs a small fortune. I like to get the family fair photo. This year, Jake is wearing his own Batman hat.
The kids were too tired to walk back to the car, so strong, fun Dad carried them back.
We spent a little time at the beach that afternoon.
And, you can tell by the look on Megan's face that she loves when Jake does this.
After Labor Day, the kids had to start wearing uniforms to school. For some reason, I take a photo of their first uniform day.
On Sept. 8, Megan ran her first 5k. It was the inaugural Girl Scout Cookie Classic 5k. She and Logan were the only two from her troop to participate.
Here we are coming up to the finish. Yes, I'm behind her and not for lack of trying. She and Logan had it all planned out that they were gonna run fast at the end. When the finish line was in sight, Megan put up her hand and said, "I now declare sprinting!". And they took off.
It was such a nice day that we ended up hanging out in Millenium Park for a while and having lunch downtown.
We found this great little garden area behind the bean and just north of the Art Institute. It was like a little oasis in the city.
Jake stood in the water and the Singing Security Guard came over and asked him not to. He was a friendly guy.
Here's another random photo of dress up. I really have no idea what this is all about.
We went to one of the QAS cross country meets to watch Francesca run and Jake ran into his old friend, Sean. This almost looks like an album cover or something - don't you think?
My friend, Jeremy gave us some Ryder Cup tickets and it turned out to be a really nice day.
I snapped some close-up photos with my phone without getting caught!!
Then, we headed back up north and Megan took a great interest in Riggs. That is a dog with a lot of energy! We tried to tire him out on Corndog Island.
This is the moment when Jake gave Aunt Jenny her new nickname. Actually, Megan blurted it out before Jake had a chance and he was mad.....but they began calling her "Aunt Cray Cray". The name stuck.
We had some good lighting that afternoon. Here's a relatively serious look, but such a pretty face <3 <3
He's looking a little older to me here:
And then, on the way back to Chicago, we saw this little guy on the back of a motorcycle at the gas station:
I'm sure I left something out.....but this'll have to do for now!
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
September 2012
August - Part 2
August was another busy month and worthy of a second post. Later in the month, Jenny took Megan (and Francesca) to the American Girl store for a special birthday lunch.
This is a pretty special event for Megan - she thinks it's so cool to go downtown (especially with Aunt Jenny).
On a crummy, rainy day, we joined the Swansons for bowling at Brunswick Zone. Patti had a groupon, so it was as good excuse as any to get over there.
Back to the topic of birthdays........Larry celebrated his 70th birthday this year and came into town with Uncle Adam to attend the big, fancy party at Jenny's house. They stayed with us for most of the week and one night we went out to Club Lucky for a nice dinner.
We had lots of fun with them. We had lunch at Red Robin, Adam and I got pedicures, I dropped off Adam and Larry in Millenium Park while I went to an expo for an hour or two one day. Then came the big event! Here are a few photos of party day.
My boys:
This makes me smile:
With the guest of honor:
A grandkids shot:
And my little family unit:
I like this one, too:
Here's a photo of the beautifully decorated yard:
Of course, to liven up the party....my family ended up in the pool in their clothes. But, boy, did they think that was fun!
Our month ended.....along with summer break. The kids went back to school, much to their dismay.
All in all, we really had a great summer!
August 2012
My baby turned 8. Where has the time gone?! We had some of her friends over for a slip and slide party on the 3rd. Fortunately, the weather cooperated. We started the morning off right with a trip to Sweet Mandy B's in Lincoln Park for a "fancy" cake. We also ended up with a dozen fancy cupcakes to take to the cottage with us.
Here's her group of gals:
And cake time:
And what's a party without wax lips?
Or a wax mustache, for that matter:
We went to the cottage on the 4th and celebrated with family. We didn't have any candles, so Megan blew out the lighter!
We had a fun weekend with cousins on the lake.
We even did a little evening swimming!
A quick family photo while out on the boat at night:
A campfire at night is always a highlight. You'd never know it from the excited looks on their faces, but I can assure you they really did enjoy this.
Sunday afternoon is always a good time for a boating dance party.
The following week, Darin took Megan out for her first round of golf on a real course.
The cart is always fun.
Look at that form! This was apparently a really good shot!
Later that day......(this happens to be a favorite photo of mine):
I'm not sure whether Darin or Jake caught this fish, but I do know that Jake had no interest in holding it.
My little techie kids:
Fun on the boat:
Always fun with Aunt Jenny:
The Keanes joined us for a weekend. The boys got in a couple of rounds of golf and then we had them take the little boys out fishing for a bit!
Pleasant Lake had their first ever "Lighted Boat Parade". There were about 15 boats that participated. Of course, we had Roman Candles:
And music and dancing:
The kids stayed up way too late roasting marshmallows and fighting with sticks, but they had a great time.
The only downside was that poor Brian got stung by bees - 5 times. Ouch.
