Our Annual Myrtle Beach Trip

Self sufficient
Originally uploaded by tracyg00

We just returned from a week in sunny Myrtle Beach. And, it was truly sunny for the entire week (except for 20 minutes of rain one day). We were originally going to drive there, but found some cheap tickets on Spirit Airlines, so we decided to fly. This year, the kids were completely self-sufficient. They had all of their own belongings in their own suitcases and rolled them through the airport all by themselves. It's amazing how much easier it was this year over last!

The kids hit the beach the first night:



Jake was a fan of that surf beginning on day one. Megan seemed to enjoy the pool a bit more. We kept busy with lots of activities. Obviously, the beach and pool were main attractions. But we also went miniature golfing.



We visited a water park (I have no pictures of that one) and both kids went down the big slides. Woo hoo! We went to the amusement park (I don't have pictures of that either because my battery died). Darin and I played golf and we had an all around good time.



Here are some beach and pool shots to sum up our trip:







And finally - a family photo:

She's 5!!!

Birthday Girl
Originally uploaded by tracyg00

Megan turned 5 on August 4th. She woke up in the morning and said, "Do I get to go to school today?" Apparently I had told her that you can go to kindergarten when you're 5. So, I told her that school starts in the fall. Now, every other day or so, she asks me if it's fall yet. I hope we experience this same sort of enthusiasm a few months from now when we have to be at school by 7:30am. She is not a morning person.

We had a very girly party last Saturday. Megan even made a sign for the door. If it's tough to see in this photo, it says "no boys allowed".



We had lunch at a fancy table with lots of flowers:



We painted flower pots with oil pastels and planted flowers:



And as a few of the girls were leaving, they said "Megan, your party was great". So funny.

Summer Water Fun

Splash!
Originally uploaded by tracyg00

We've had lots of water fun this summer. The backyard pool with the slide has been a big hit. It's our "go to" activity when we're not up for a big outing.







We head out to Montrose Beach when we've got more time on our hands. Jake is much easier to take to the beach this year than last. As soon as he hits the sand, his shoes come off and he runs for the water.



Megan is a beach girl too:



On this particular day, Uncle Jimmy joined us (since he's not working like much of the construction industry).



He was nice enough to buy them ice cream. Note to self - ice cream and sand do not mix.



We got home and went in the neighbor's Slip n' Slide to wash off before I'd let them into the house.

Wednesday Fieldtrip

Tourists
Originally uploaded by tracyg00

We decided to be tourists in our own city today. We took the Metra into Union Station, walked around a bit and then found the Chicago Water Taxi. We were hoping to go to Chinatown, but they informed us that they only go to Chinatown on the weekends. Bummer - we had already purchased tickets! Here's Megan as the taxi is arriving:



We took the water taxi around a bit and ended up near Michigan Ave. where we decided to have "cheezborgers" at Billy Goat. The old guy gave the kids some hats. For some reason, Jake decided to act shy when it was time to have his picture taken. Weird.



After a bit more exploring around town, we got back on the water taxi (with seats at the very front this time):



And back to Union Station:



When I went to the ticket window at Union Station, the guy said, "Is it just you and the two little ones?" I said, "yep". And he said, "Are you nuts?!" And, I think I might be. We started the process of getting off the train about 1 stop before our own, because the kids insisted upon sitting on the upper deck and of course I had to drag our stroller up and down the tiny staircase. But, we made it. Now, I'm tired and we still have swim lessons this evening. Fun, fun!

More July Activity

Jake Kids Race 1
Originally uploaded by tracyg00

On July 9th, Jake ran in his first kids' race. He was excited. He got a late start off of the line, but they gave him a medal and a fireman's hat and he said, "I was the winner!" Megan's an old pro at this one, I think this was her 3rd year. Here's her post-race photo:




On Sunday, the 12th, we spent the afternoon at the Lincolnwood Fest. Megan absolutely loves carnival rides and Jake is finally warming up to them too:



Last Wednesday, Megan finished the masterpiece that she had been working on. Darin hung it that same night for her. The format of this blog will probably cut off the end of the photo, but you'll get the general idea!



And, finally, this past weekend was spent at the cottage in Wisconsin again. Lots of fishing, boating, swimming (although it was a bit chilly, so I was the only one to actually swim). Here's my new favorite photo:



Jake caught the first fish of the day.....so cute:



And, here's a gratuitous Megan photo -- flashing a smile after returning from breakfast (they love to go out to breakfast!):



Whew.

4th of July Weekend

July 019
Originally uploaded by tracyg00

We spent the weekend of the 4th in Wisconsin and found the best place for fireworks. The Grand Geneva Resort has a great set-up that is open to the public with food, a ski show and a decent fireworks display. This was Jake's first fireworks experience and as he said while waiting, "It's exciting!




"



Mimi and Papa joined us too:



You can see from this photo that once the fireworks started, Jake loved it!



The next day, Darin and I went golfing while the kids went to Old Wisconsin with their grandparents. We followed it up with a boat ride in the afternoon.







We had a campfire with smores and Jake gave Harry some lovin.....



.......before hitting the hay and heading home the next morning.

Playing Catch Up Again

Montrose Beach
Originally uploaded by tracyg00

We've been busy this summer and I can't believe it's already the middle of July. We had our first beach outing earlier this month on a hot 90 degree day. Unfortunately, after being there for about two hours and playing in the water and sand, they closed the beach because of poor water quality. Great. I wasn't so worried about my kids. We had gone there with a neighbor and her 3 girls.....



.....at one point I had stopped her 2-year old from drinking Lake Michigan water from a bucket! Turns out no one got sick. Next time, we'll check the beach report before heading over.

We've made our own water fun in the backyard as well.



We save the crazy sprinkler for the front yard. And when we're not cooling off outside, we're finding stuff to do inside. Darin got the kids a huge box of Lincoln Logs. Here is Jake's first project:



More to come.....