Stage 4, Trip 2

To break up the endlessly long drive home, we spent some time in South Bend, Indiana, at the College Football Hall of Fame.  There was a lot to see there . . .

And even more to do there.

The boys loved it.  A lot.  Matthew lost it both in the gift shop when we cruelly declined to purchase him his own helmet and out on the practice field when we cruelly insisted that we get back in the car as we still had approximately eleventy nine hours of driving left. 

As always, a long car ride with kids becomes an even longer car ride, so about twelvty nine hours later we finally arrived at our home.  Trip 2 complete.

Stage 3, Trip 2

Same lake, different beach.  Next stop was Ludington, Michigan.  We spent our first evening enjoying the beach and watching the sunset.

Again, David's willingness to take a goofy photo is one of the things I find most endearing about him.

 The next day, we went to the sand dunes.  The hike to the lake was awesome and exciting!  The hike back . . . sorta long.

That's Cameron up there.  He was the only family member willing to go to the top of this mammoth dune!

The next day was the big day -- the day one of my best friends in the world would get married!  After spending hours washing sand off of two boys, we were ready.  The setting, on Lake Michigan, was gorgeous.  The weather was gorgeous.  The boys looked gorgeous.  Then Cameron looked at the wedding program.  Readings, vows, rings . . . wait.  The Kiss?!?!

"Matthew, there's kissing!"

It was these two.  They kissed.  For real.  I won't make you look at that photo . . . ewww!

Think about something else, think about something else . . . the reception!

Matthew slept.

Cameron danced.

Then, the bride and groom arrived and the party really got started!

Stage 2, Trip 2

The next stage of our trip was Chicago, where the fun began at the Adler Planetarium.

 This was awesome, as there were loads of opportunities to take funny photos.  And isn't that what vacation is all about?

 Matthew had little interest in the activities actually designed to teach you about space, aside from pumping this rocket launcher.

 This display was awesome.  Paper and pencils were provided so that you could post your own response to "I want to be the first ____ on the moon." 

 I swear, I did not write this response.

 But Maxine totally stole my answer.  I  have always hoped to be the first author to write a memoir about my experience as a fashion-designing dolphin trainer on the moon.

And who could resist an opportunity to write 'fart' and stick it up on the wall of a planetarium?  I mean, the Adler was practically begging for that answer when they created this display.

Cameron got to experience what it would be like to walk on the moon while Matthew stood nearby and bemoaned the fact that he was not tall enough.  "But I AM!  I AM big enough!"

 It was fun.

 The next day, we went to the Field Museum.  We walked in and Matthew said, "I want to go home."  Cameron enjoyed it, though.

 We took the water taxi that day, ferry about from museums to Navy Pier to Michigan Ave to the Willis Tower.  It was a super fun way to travel!

 That night, we stayed up late so we could go on the Navy Pier ferris wheel at night.  You can't tell, but we are on the ferris wheel.  Really.

 For our last day in Chicago, we went to the beach.  The boys loved jumping in the waves, insisting on swimming even when they were chattering with cold.

 Finally, they took a break from the water to build a few sand castles.

The next day, we would leave the shores of Lake Michigan to . . . drive along the shore of Lake Michigan and . . . spend some time on the beach and in the sand.

Stage 1, Trip 2

So, I realize that I haven't even blogged about our first multi-stage trip of the summer (Saugatuck-Metro Detroit-NYC-Poconos trip), but we are on to trip number 2.  Our first stop was Lafayette, Indiana, simply because it was a convenient stopping point and it had a water park.  As we drove there, the weather was beautiful.  When we pulled into the parking lot, we noted a concerning mass of dark clouds on the horizon.  And shortly thereafter, we found ourselves huddled in the covered entrance of the local zoo, waiting out a huge downpour.  Good times.

Once the weather cleared, however, Cameron and David spent their time on the huge water slide.

Matthew had a blast on the water slide, too.  I realize it looks a bit ridiculous for him to be wearing a life jacket in ankle deep water but he loved it!

Living it up in the mitten

We just returned from a long and multi-phase vacation which began with David and I celebrating our anniversary in Saugatuck, Michigan.  We spent two blissful days there WITHOUT the kids!  (Thanks Mom and Dad!)  As usual, this meant indulging in every food we can't eat in our home thanks to food allergies.  Here's David with a smile that says, "Helloooo mustard!"

I think the best part of the weekend was seeing Chicago at the Mason Street Warehouse.  We snapped this shot outside before taking our FRONT ROW AND CENTER seats! 

And here we are on the porch of the B&B, being goofy.

One of my favorite things about David is that he loves to take goofy photos.  As we walked along Lake Michigan, he spotted a fire pit surrounded by discarded beer cans.  He immediately dove face first into the sand, laughing and saying, "Take a photo!  Take a photo!"  So I did.

 This is his face afterwards.

 David bravely ventured into Lake Michigan, which was frigid despite the scorching temperatures on land.

 This is how far I was willing to go!