A Trip to the Beach

We got back this week from a delightful vacation to the south shore of Lake Michigan. I find travelogues tedious to write and boring to read, but if I don't document it here, then I'm liable to forget all of it, and that would be such a terrible waste!

Home sweet home. Just off the beach. Spacious, classy, and oh-so-quiet.

The view from the 2nd balcony.

I took the kids to the beach within an hour of arriving. Sure, it was bedtime, but we were on vacation!

Soft, sandy beach.

One major advantage to our location was how much privacy it afforded.

James has been talking about his 4th bday party for months. He keeps asking for a "pinata on the beach." We decided to make his dream come true a few months early :)

This vacation went from good to AWESOME once a few special people arrived.

Robert rinsing off sand at the house's outdoor shower. Brilliant!

This is us after our kayaking adventure. Again, this trip would have been only so-so if we didn't have Aunt Erin. Alice and Robert were pretty much attached to her hip the whole vacation. As for kayaking, James was beyond terrified at the notion of riding in a boat. I had to vice-grip him to my lap until we were out from the shore. Once he saw we weren't going to sink, he calmed down a little, but he freaked out again if I ever stopped paddling...as if the paddling were keeping us afloat.

Sunset from the balcony.

I can't stress how perfect this location was for us! There was a big, beautiful living area that acted as the hub for all of our activities. The fridge died, unfortunately, but there was another one on the bottom floor we could use until repairs could be made.

The pinata's last few minutes as a whole creature. It was strong enough for the two youngest kids to ride, but we managed to bust it open in about 10 minutes.

So...many...treats...

Minute-to-win-it challenge: Toilet paper mummy.

Minute-to-win-it challenge: chocolate unicorn!

On Monday, we took the train from Michigan City, IN, into Chicago to visit The Shedd Aquarium.

Of course he insists on having his own seat!

My mom calls my dad "Jer" or "the man", so I had to snap a picture of him by this sign. My dad was a good sport coming to the Shedd Aquarium even after hurting his back the day before. He was in pain the rest of the trip, but he tells me it was still fun :)

This is us as we got off the train after a long day at the aquarium. There was a brief moment during the ride when all three boys were asleep.

Can you see the kite? It looked so much bigger in the store. Now, it's just a teeny speck in the vast blue sky. James is holding it in this picture.

Bobby took the fam to a nifty ice cream shop in town. Totally worth it! What a gem.

Doing a little hike at the Indiana Dunes State Park. We attended a very interesting class on scatology entitled, "Who Pooped in the Park?" I highly recommend it, even if you've moved beyond the anal humor phase.

James in the lake. The water was freezing, but the kids got used to it in just a couple minutes. There was no end to the rock treasures they found.

Bobby and James. Love these guys. On our last evening at the lake, we three went to the beach while Erin played a particularly exciting game with Alice and Robert involving a chocolate bar, dice, and a pair of oven mitts.

After the sunset on our last day, Erin and the kids lay down on the back balcony to look for the first star.