Back to School

The kids went back to school this week.

(Oh, you noticed?  Was it the 487 blog entries I posted today - the first ones I've been able to write since all 3 were in camp back in the beginning of July?)

Halleluyer!

Happy 3rd, Miss Eliza Tae

And with Eliza's 3rd birthday, we concluded Birthday Season 2013 (all five of our birthdays fall between May 22 and August 12).  We were in Michigan to celebrate with a sweet family party.

 

 She only wanted a purple cape for her birthday, and sister scored two!

Happy birthday, sweet baby girl.

Michigan Part 2: Michigan (duh)

The highlight and purpose of our trip, of course, is spending time with my family in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  The U.P. in summertime just feels like what childhood is meant to be.

 Eliza came to love evening walks with Auntie.

 And Aunties let you do things like steal apples from the neighbor's yard.

 Noah was in full bad-ass mode on Papa's four-wheeler.

 By the end of the week, both boys were driving alone.  I'm sure that's completely safe.

 Noah's been obsessed with getting a metal detector for months and, somehow, Jess mentioned Michigan might be a good place to do so.  And he made good on his promise.

 Watching the boys bake cookies with Booma was one of those full-circle moments.  I remember standing at that same counter making that same recipe for Snickerdoodles with her when I was a kid.

Hangin' with Papa.

 

We spent one day exploring historic Fayette, an old iron ore town.

 

 

 

I visited a number of times as a kid, but I didn't remember how incredibly gorgeous it is.

 

 



 

 Cousins in a tree.

 

We ended the day with a picnic and some good old Lake Michigan beach time.

 

 

And on our last night, the state fair opened.  We hit the "pocket park" where there were fish galore to catch and release.

 Finally!

Safe to say Eliza's not "hooked."  (See?  Did it again.)

 I'm taking my giant pink inflatable hammer and I'm getting outta here.

 

 Another amazing trip with memories stowed away for (hopefully) ever.



Michigan Part 1: Chicago

 Michigan Road Trip 2013 looked a lot like this:

 Yes, that's our 14-year-old with a pacifier.  Just whatev.  Two-thousand miles, people.  Two.  Thousand.  Miles.

 First stop is always just outside of Indianapolis for dinner and a night swim.

 Northern Indiana:  soy, corn and windmills forever.

 

We got to Chicago around mid-day on Day 2 and headed straight to the lakeshore.

 Ice cream break for these hard-core bikers.

 

After we checked into our hotel, we hopped into a taxi to meet up with one of my very dearest friends and her sweet family.

 Eliza thought this cab ride was going to be the transportation highlight of her time in Chicago (the no car seat thing kind of blew her mind), but we one-upped it later that night.

 Splashing at Millenium Park.

The Bean!

 Dinner on Michigan Avenue with our friends Jennifer and Andy and their beautiful girls.

About a block into our walk back to our hotel, we accepted a ride from this pedicab driver.  Dude was incredible.  He pedaled all 5 of us (with stroller and miscellaneous kid crap) about eight city blocks.

Watching them take in the city in that pedicab - that's a memory captured in my heart forever.

 Lake view from our room.  There was, of course, another late night swim to be had. 

And we hit the Lincoln Park Zoo the next morning before heading on for the final leg of our journey.