We got home yesterday from a long weekend in "Coastal Ohio" (who knew?!), where we celebrated Grandma's milestone birthday with family on Lake Erie. It was the perfect mid-point between us and the Illinois gang, so after 8 hours (give or take) of driving each, we arrived at the Cottages at the Water's Edge for 4 fantastic days of sunshine, a little rain, and a whole lot of family fun.
This was our first major road trip as a family, and I am happily amazed to say that the kids did great! We left in the middle of the night both on the way there and the way back, so in both cases we were about halfway to our destination before the boys even woke up. We will definitely do that again!
The Cottages were a right on the water (hence the name...) and although they were individually pretty small, we had our own private beach, lots of green grass to play on, and plenty of outdoor space for hanging out together.
It was an incredibly relaxing few days, and there really was something for everyone. Both Liam and Joergen were in their own little heavens! For Liam, he could pretty much get out of bed in the morning and spend every other moment of the day outside-- including his meals! Except for breakfast, which was spent every morning with Daddy and Papa in our cottage, and was a great way to start the day. For Joergen, he could smile and flirt to his little heart's content and had lots of loving arms to hold him. What could be better than that?!
So here's how we spent our vacation:
We reconnected with family...
and soaked up the sun...
We played in the sand...
...went swimming in the lake (I think kids must be immune to cold water!)...
...relaxed on the beach...
... took walks with Papa...
... and of course played baseball!
Who wants to go fishing?
We colored when we needed a little quiet time...
... and grilled when we were hungry.
We learned fun new games...
...found some new playmates...
... and played some serious volleyball:
(ok, not that serious. Daddy played with Joergen strapped to his chest, and Liam just ran around in circles, thrilled to be part of the action!)
Liam and Toni formed a special bond together-- and it was really hard to say goodbye at the end of the trip!
Kate, Toni, and the boys before Grandma's birthday dinner:
Singing waiters brought Grandma a birthday cupcake after dinner...
...and she got a little help blowing it out:
I don't know that I've ever seen Liam so happy-- and have so few meltdowns-- for that many days in a row. And Aunt Beth, aka The Baby Whisperer, helped ensure that the same was true for Joergen.
When we arrived back home, to say we crashed would be an understatement. If the question was, "What were the men in your life doing at 3:30 pm yesterday?" then the answer would be...
Thank you Grandma, Papa, Aunt Lyn, Uncle David, Uncle Jake, Uncle Andrew, Aunt Beth, Abby, Kate, Toni, and Aidan for an AWESOME trip! We love you all!
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