Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Vacation 2010: Activities & Adventures

WARNING: Lots of pictures and stories -- may be nauseating to casual blog readers:-)


We enjoyed many activities and adventures with Gma & Gpa -- even though we didn't go very far.


The basement was a fun place to play toys, practice Zumba, & throw balls.


Outdoor picnics with watermelon- ummmmmm!!!

Anika:
Eli:
Andrew:
Lloyd:
Kat:



THE POOL -- even though the water was cold, it was a big hit!






Tuckered out!

Playing in the front means hula hoops (4 at a time), balls, trikes/bikes, and more!




Hot dog roast & S'mores is a family favorite (my kids have come to expect this!)


Dress-up time was fun for Anika & Ali:

We were even able to enjoy a few of Ian's baseball games. Andrew was enthralled by his cousin. It was fun to watch him watch the "big boys". Ian's team was the Cubs so it was natural to cheer for them:-)

Someday. . .


Joshie sport a cool "do":

Aunt Hilary "enjoys" the heat & humidity:
Anika & Ali:
Gma & Aunt Heather:
Gma & the grands:

Kat & Isaiah:


Andrew admires Ian's prowess:


Watching & learning:

I asked Andrew if he would like to play someday and be in the dugout and get a uniform and helmet and cleats and. . . "yea," he said reverently, "and a snack and a drink." He was delighted when Ian passed him some cheese crackers and the rest of his sports drink.

Vacation 2010: Travel

I've been sorting through pictures and trying to imagine how I'm going to share about this on the blog -- chronological seems impossible since I have 14 days worth of pictures. . . so I think I might try to make this topical:-)
The saga of our travels were as different as night and day. Our flights out were flawless, the kids were troopers, and we arrived in great spirits. Kathryn was fascinated by the planes and exclaimed "What's that?" every time she heard the engine and the roar of a plane taking off.
Our travels home were a lesson in patience. Storms/tornados in O'Hare cancelled our Weds. pm flight (After about 5 hrs in the airport my saintly parents picked us up and we spent another night with them). Delta couldn't get us out of O'Hare until SUNDAY NIGHT, so we were finally booked on a flight out of Moline, IL (nearer to my parents) with an arrival in San Fran (not the Sacramento we had flown out of) BUT at least we were scheduled to arrive Thurs. about 7:00pm. Thurs. looked like a beautiful day to travel and we made it to our layover in Minn./St.Paul without a problem. But our layover turned into a marathon as our flight to San. Fran was delayed. . . and delayed. . . and delayed . . . until 9:10pm. Our kids were troopers and complained very little -- Mom and Dad on the other hand. . .;-) We eventually made it home about 1:30am after more hours in airports than I care to count. (The one bright light is that we were upgraded to 4 first class tickets. If you can count you know with our family of five that leaves one person sitting in coach. It is probably a rare occurrence to have sane people fighting over coach but. . . I really enjoyed my kindle & exit row;-))
Delayed. . . again? Tough traveler:-)Kathryn insisted on rolling her bag through every airport -- even at midnight she was trucking along with that Dora bag.The aftermath of the storm at O'Hare -- a beautiful sky.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Baseball & Birthday

I didn't realize just how far behind I had gotten in posting. So, here are a few early June pictures before I inundate you with vacation posts.

Since we are well into baseball season, we decided to invest in gloves for our kids (and an investment it is when you have a lefty!!!) They are so excited about them. We've had some fun evening of catch together. Kathryn does her best to keep up.

Lloyd & the kids surprised me with an ice cream cake for my birthday!
Leading Mommy to the kitchen:
Surprise!
Blowing out the candles:

It has become a tradition to celebrate with a fellow June 3rd birthday-er. Jack brought over another AMAZING cake. (I'm so spoiled!)