Cottage Time!!

On Sunday we made our first trip of the year to the cottage.  I love that we have a place like this to get away from the city for a day or a weekend.  We packed some food for lunch, a couple games and diapers for Otis, and took off. 

We had to measure the kids on the door.  Otis has grown a whole foot in the past year!  And, as always, it's fun to see the marks from the past.  Grandpa as a two year old in 1947, Daddy as a two year old in 1980.  And Ingrid as a two year old in 2008.  Family history on this door!

The kids had fun just hanging out, getting into the croquet set, coloring, and going to the parks.  It rained a bit so we made some muddy sand castles in the sandbox.  Fun!

Yesterday we had a great morning, too.  We took a nice long walk along Lake Michigan with the dog and enjoyed the sun and the sparkly lake.  Have I mentioned how awesome it is living three blocks from Lake Michigan?  Our walks are gorgeous, and the view from the park is amazing.



Memorial Day Weekend

Ahh, the sun has finally shown its yellow face around here!  After weeks of rain and cold, we had a nice, hot, sunny day yesterday! Perhaps summer really is coming?  We packed up some snacks and took a nice long walk by the lake yesterday morning, ending up at the rock beach where we sat and threw rocks in the water for a good half hour. 

When we got home, we went straight out in the backyard.  Ingrid got a new basketball hoop for her birthday, so she and Brendan played with that.  And the tball set from last year.  I sat on a blanket with Otis and marveled at how hot it was.

As soon as we stepped back inside, Ingrid passed out.  Her little cheeks were all rosy and she was just sooo tired from all that fresh air!  She slept for almost three hours, totally unlike her!  I took a nap with Otis, Brendan watched baseball, we hung out quietly, it was amazing.  I love breaks from all the chaos!

I decided to make summery things for dinner.  We grilled burgers and I made potato salad.  I also made a graham cracker crust pudding pie.  It was delish.  Ingrid has already asked for some this morning!  Otis' new spot for dinner time is his Bumbo which we set on the table.  He loves to be a part of things!

All in all a great Memorial Day.  I really love that Brendan works in industry now instead of academia.  School people don't take holidays.  They just work, work, work.  Now Brendan's job is closed on holidays!  He can't go in!  And he doesn't feel guilty about it.  Phew.  I hated holidays before because it was like pulling teeth to convince him to stay home and relax. 

A Day at the Beach

Even though it was cloudy and gloomy looking today, we went back to Independance Lake for some nature walks, a picnic, and the splash pad.  We had promised Ingrid we'd go last night, and the first thing out of her mouth this morning was "go to the beach!" 

Honestly it was nice out.  We had some super hot, muggy weather the day before, so mid-60s and breezy felt great.  We walked a little trail, dipped our toes in the lake, then ate lunch and let Ingrid splash around the splash pad.  Brendan had to leave for a conference this afternoon, so we had to make it home for him to pack.  It was just enough time to enjoy being together and enjoy some nature.

As you may be able to tell from these pictures, Ingrid's face still hasn't gone down!  We've given her Benedryl twice daily and nothing--it doesn't seem to bother her, but is she going to puff up every time she gets a mosquito bite?  We live in the midwest, there are mosquitos EVERYWHERE.  Poor kid's not going to do well during summer.

Painting, Picnic, and Puddles.

We got a watercolor book at Target yesterday.  It was funny to watch Ingrid try it.  She's used to regular paints, so watching her figure out how to get the brush wet and then get the paint wet and then try to get the paint on the paper was interesting.  It's so amazing when you can watch their little brains working to unravel a new mystery!  She did well with it, and I like that watercolors seem to be less messy than regular paints. 

After painting we went for another picnic.  This is Ingrid's new favorite thing to do.  We take some snacks and a blanket down to the field, let Cody run around, and enjoy the sun.  The other day I wanted to go home so I stood up and started to take the blanket to fold.  Ingrid yelled at me, "No, Mama!  Lay down!"  I guess she wasn't ready to go home...

Post-picnic was puddle time.  I honestly did not think the puddles would still be there, as it hasn't rained in a few days.  But, down by the lake they hung on.  And Ingrid won't let me bypass them, she has to run straight to them with the look of greatest joy on her face!  I caught a pretty good splash shot here!

Her feet were so gross and dirty when we got home, and I hate to think of what was in that puddle!

In other news, we're packing slowly but surely and should have everything ready to go in a couple weeks.  The first of May cannot come soon enough.  Our 20-something neighbors were having a nice fight all day yesterday, with slamming doors, swear words, and much yelling.  And our other neighbors' washing machine was unbalanced and making the loudest noises above us all day long.  It sucks living in a complex!!