Vermilion Vacation 2012

We spent Father's Day Weekend with Grandma, Papa, Uncle David, Aunt Lyn, Toni, and Aidan in beautiful Vermilion, OH, where we had had such a great time last year-- and couldn't wait to go back!  The boys were so excited for our weekend at the "beach" with their IL family.

Based on our experience last year, we decided our best bet for making it through the 8-hour trip would be to leave before dawn, and although both boys woke up with the sun promptly at 5:55 am (less than 2 hours into our trip...), they each proved to be champion travelers.  And kudos to Dad for taking the wheel for the entire trip! (Although in fairness, he said he'd much rather take that job than have mine, which was to wedge between the boys in the backseat and shuttle snacks, toys, etc. to keep them happy and occupied!)

We made awesome time on the way out, and since we were ahead of the IL gang and it was too early for check-in, we decided to take a little detour south to Akron to see my old college roommate and friend Kellie.  I hadn't seen Kellie since 2007 (is that possible?!), before any of us had kids... so okay, we were overdue for a visit.  She was working from home that day, and although we didn't get to see Neil or her son Noah (who was turning 4 the very next day!), we did get to see her, her mom, and her ridiculously adorable daughter Maddie:

The boys were so happy to be able to stretch their legs, run around, and play with all kinds of cool toys.  Liam spent most of his time outside trying out Noah's new bike with training wheels (only one wipe-out, but he loved that bike!), while Joergen hung with Maddie and tasted all of her (and Noah's) stuff.  I loved, loved, loved the chance to catch up with my friend, and it was the perfect pit-stop before the last leg of the trip.

And then finally... we arrived!  We returned to the Cottages at the Water's Edge, but this time we scored a stay in the Guest House, where all of us could be under one roof-- with a full kitchen! And a washing machine!

No sooner had we turned off the ignition and cut Liam loose from his car seat when he took off running in excitement to the "big red steps" that lead down to the shore of Lake Erie.

I just love this picture of Joergen, who was so happy to be there-- enjoying the view and the breeze and vacation!

Let's get the party started, Mom!

Just a few minutes later, look who came down the steps to the beach!  Happy reunion!

Antonia, Aidan, and Mr. Stylin' wasted no time getting suited up and ready to play:

Inside, Joergen checked out his swimming suit in the mirror with Aunt Lyn.  Yup-- I'm ready for fun, too!

Little J really seems to love one-on-one time.  Whether with Aunt Lyn, or with Toni in the water...

... or with Mommy on the beach, he was loving his vacation!

Thanks to the pint-sized life jacket that Grandpa sent us right before our trip, Liam enjoyed some extra confidence in the surf.  It gave us a little peace of mind, and he loved being able to "swim" just like the big kids.  He actually didn't care whether he was in the water or not-- that life jacket (and often the goggles) became his beach uniform.  Even while strolling the beach with Uncle David and Papa!

Dad, Toni, Aidan, and Liam spent hours in Lake Erie, tossing a football and playing keep-away.  Lots of laughs and fun!

We loved having time with Antonia and Aidan-- and to say that the boys did too would be an understatement!  A classic Toni grin:

Football found its way onto land, too, where the boys would toss it around before dinner.  Aidan with the throw...

Pass complete!  Right in the breadbasket!

There was a little play area right outside our back door where the boys had fun climbing and playing with other kids staying at the Cottages.  Toni is another cousin who will no doubt make for an awesome babysitter in the not-too-distant future... maybe we can convince them to move closer too?

We had some great meals as a family during our trip, the best no doubt being Aunt Lyn's pork tenderloin, Papa's potatoes, our corn on the cob, and Grandma's peaches, all on the grill.  Yum.  But I think Joergen's vote was for the spaghetti!

We were treated to some absolutely beautiful sunsets in the evening, which was also the sign that it was time for...

... s'mores!  We brought some allergy-safe chocolate for Liam and enjoyed every last bit of the gooey goodness.  Every night!

One of the other families staying at the Cottages brought along some giant marshmallows, and Liam charmed his way into getting one for himself.  I could not stop laughing at the sight of him trying to maneuver this thing into his mouth!

At the end of yet another day of sunshine and marshmallows, Liam loved his down-time with Grandma, who would read him stories and give him his kiss goodnight:

On our last day in Vermilion, we decided to take in the action at the annual Festival of the Fish.  After church, we went out to lunch downtown and were able to catch the parade-- they threw tons of candy, and all of it was safe!  Liam was over the moon.

All the fun and excitement cut into Joergen's afternoon nap, and although he didn't seem to mind one bit, this pic of him wandering back to the car after the parade says it all:

With both Dad and I having grown up in small towns, getting to vacation in a sweet small town like Vermilion feels a little bit like coming home.  We can't wait to go back!

Anna and Sarah's Graduation Party

A couple of weekends ago, we headed north to Allentown for a family graduation party.  Two of my cousin Anne's daughters, Anna and Sarah, were graduating from high school and 8th grade respectively, and we were excited to join in the festivities.  I miss my cousins and couldn't wait to catch up!

When we first got there, the boys were beyond thrilled to see that Anne and Bob have a dog... and a SAFE (a.k.a. hypoallergenic) dog for Liam, no less!  They could not get enough of Bingo, who was a great sport and is clearly an awesome family dog.  Joergen chased that poor dog all over the place, barking and carrying on... and I mean Joergen, not the dog!

Outside, J was a little more subdued.  My cousin Jim's youngest daughter, Ella (2), took to Joergen right away-- excited to see someone younger than she for a change!

Liam, on the other hand, immediately took to Sarah.  She couldn't have been more patient or kind to Liam, and we just wish she lived closer-- she'd be one heck of a babysitter!  She spent time showing Liam how to play Guitar Hero, while cousin Chase (or is it Matthew?  Hard to tell the twins apart!) sang on the mic:

Then John, Liam, and Sarah all played Wii together:

The balloons were a big hit with the kiddos.  Sarah and Katie got Liam and the twins all playing a volley game together:

And Joergen was happy with one to himself, which he'd throw as hard as he could and then go chasing after it:

And speaking of throwing, Liam got to try his hand at a game or two of cornhole.  He was a fan... no surprise there!

It was great to have an afternoon with family and to be able to celebrate two beautiful, sweet girls.  Congratulations Anna and Sarah!

Mr. Mess

No doubt about it, Liam and Joergen are totally different animals kids.  Liam is an extrovert, Joergen is more of an introvert.  Liam bounces from activity to activity and is go-go-go, Joergen will stick to one thing for a long time and is content to just be.  Liam requires constant interaction and needs to be around people (pretty much always), Joergen is independent and just as happy to be off on his own.  Liam is very neat and tidy, Joergen is... Mr. Mess.

We were first introduced to this messy little man at the dinner table.  Joergen does not just eat food, he wears it!  He truly is what he eats (and perhaps more so what he doesn't eat).  For example:

Eating pasta at Miss Doreen's house

He is often a meal-straight-to-bath kind of a kid (his biggest pet peeve appears to be having his face wiped... go figure).  And don't even ask about his high chair or the floor around it...

Speaking of bath, you can take the kid out of the mess but you can't take the mess out of the kid!

Joergen finds no greater joy than to throw toys out of the tub, scoop water by the cupful and dump it over the side of the tub (yes, onto the floor!), and splash, splash, splash until all in the vicinity are soaked.  Thank goodness for my trusty bath apron and an old towel, which now has permanent residency along the side of the tub during bathtime.

My favorite part of all of this is the mass destruction that Joer will leave in his wake... so you know exactly where he's been and (usually) what he's been up to.  He may be quiet, but he is not subtle!  While doing laundry the other day, I walked by Joergen's room to discover this scene:

This is not atypical.  I had to laugh at the sight of him sitting up against his trashcan, having pulled both it and his diaper genie from their usual spots in the corner, and chucking toys all over his room.  He just loves to make a giant mess and sit in the middle of it with a look of total satisfaction on his face!  As I'm sure you can imagine, some of his favorite toys are things like blocks and his pop-beads: more to dump out on the floor! More to throw all over the room!

As a note of warning, Joergen also likes to turn his messes into basketball games.  So beware when taking out the trash.  Or doing laundry.  I have found many seriously random items in trashcans and hampers in our house...

Mother's Day 2012

We were blessed with a beautiful day and time with some of our favorite moms on Mother's Day this year.  We went to York after Uncle Tim's air show (with two exhausted boys completely conked out in the backseat), stayed the night at Nana and Grandpa's, and joined GG, Aunt Jayne, Judy, and Cheryl for a Mother's Day brunch at Normandie Ridge.  I managed to pull Liam from his intense "coffee-making" project to get a 4-generation photo-- wished I could have gotten both boys in the photo with me at one time, but alas, it was not meant to be!

Gen 4 swap-out:

It meant so much to me to be able to spend my Mother's Day with both my babies and my moms-- here's to many many more!  So so so excited to see our other favorite mom-- Grandma-- in Ohio for her birthday in just 2 weeks!