Vacation All I Ever Wanted....

Got the Go-Gos on the brain now? Hear them singing in the background? Oh no, don't blame me for putting an 80s tune in your head - I'm just gonna turn around and blame it on someone else, specifically NBC's The Singing Bee. But hey, it's better than the new Scooby Doo theme hubby and I have been whistling ever since we let #1 son watch his new Scooby video about 89 times during vacation.
Which brings me to....South Haven! Lovely South Haven!
We were only there 3 days and 2 nights, but it was great nonetheless. The weather cooperated and we had sunny days the whole time. I was a little nervous before we left, as they were calling for some rain everyday, but it happened to rain only overnight, so nothing but sunshine and sunny Lake Michigan shores for us.


On our first day at the beach, we took the obligatory walk down the pier to check out the lighthouse on "south beach". Obviously not a Miami kind of South Beach, but a nice, family-friendly South Beach. After walking the kids down the pier and checking out the lighthouse, I noticed a sign that said something like "Pier Not Designed for Pedestrian Traffic. Walk at Your Own Risk." Seriously. I should've photographed it, but the shock was too great! What kind of mom am I? I let my kids walk (or roll, in Keira's case) on this thing? It's unsafe? Oh, the horror.
And then hubby comments, "What? You didn't see that earlier?".....Huh? He saw it? Before we walked it? Oh nice, sweetie. Nice.

Despite the 58 degree water temp, we had a blast at the beach. The weather was just right for some kite flying, and so the boys put our nice little parafoil kite in the air. We thought about upgrading when we saw some really, really awesome kites at the Harbor Toy Company. But, I'm not spending 3 figures on something attached to a thin little string. So, little ol' kite it is. Quinn loved it just the same. Probably.

Besides a satisfying breeze and chilly water, the sand at the beach was quite nice. Apparently, Keira was enjoying it so much that she decided to search for buried treasure. And then snack! (Yes, that's my hand reaching for her mouth.) Not only did she sample the sand once, but three times. That I know of! I thought the first taste would've done it. But she kept going back for more.

That was my first clue that these kids might be hungry.

And like any good vacation spot, you won't go hungry in South Haven.
We dined at Clementine's the first night there. The Red Barn Spinach salad was yummy. The Diet Coke spilled onto my lap by the waitress was cold. But, she profusely apologized; we got my salad for free; and she offered to buy us dessert as well. (We declined this offer since we were already so full, but it was kind of her to offer.) My only concern was the loss of a perfectly good DC.
We also dined at Jake's Beach House while we were in South Haven (see Q's grin below....he just found out that they offer chocolate ice cream for dessert with each kid's meal!). Their lake perch is yummy! Yes, real Lake Michigan perch. Not as good as my bro-in-law makes, but a close second.

If you ever find yourself in South Haven, the above places are good and family-friendly. We also ate at a place called Captain Nemo's. You can take your family there, but calling it friendly would be a stretch.

After a belly full of fish from Jake's, we took a walk along the harbor. The kids liked looking at all the boats. But it was feeding the 100s of ducks that they really got a kick out of.

And what fun is vacation if you don't snack a lot? Here in South Haven, a kids cone is a double scoop and a "single" is really 3 scoops! You get your dollar's worth here. A big calorie bang for your buck.

Good thing we did a lot of walking. So much so that Keira slept through the ice-cream-a-palooza. And K falling asleep in her stroller is really a rare sight, so we had to capture that on film. It's almost as rare as Quinn not being able to finish an ice cream cone!

Lastly, to cap off each day of sun, sand, and snacks, the kiddos got to watch a video before bedtime (guess what Q picked?....see above reference to annoying theme song we couldn't get out of our heads!).

Thanks, South Haven, for a lot of fun. We'll see you again soon!

So Much to Blog, So Little Time

We're baaaaack!
What? You didn't miss us?
Well, we just returned (as in, about 3 hours ago) from a quickie 3 day/2 night trip to lovely South Haven, Michigan. We had a great time, all in all. And I'd love to share it all with you, dear readers. But, you know how it goes...You need a vacation to recover from vacation. (That, and Burn Notice is on in 1 hour...a new summer addiction. Love it!)
Anyway, there was much cuteness on the trip, and I had to share a few quick photos before turning into a couch potato for the rest of the evening. Like it or not, you'll get the full run-down later. Until then, enjoy the cliff-notes version!

Oh Vince, I Hardly Knew Ye!

Earlier today, hubby and I loaded the kids up and headed for our annual trek to the Indiana State Fair. We

love to eat, and so what better place to go? Plus, I like to give my kids a chance to see some farm animals up close and personal. Growing up "in the country" and having a few years of 4-H in my past, I've seen my fair share (pun intended) of livestock. But when the first thing your 4-year old says at the Fair is "Look! A farmer!", in that oh-my-gosh-I-can't-believe-it sort of voice, you know you're raising a city-kid.


So, off we go to the horse barn. And, as luck would have it, there were some Belgian Draft Horses out and about. This was like a blast from the past for me, since a few of these creatures shared my address, oh so many years ago. We even got to pet one....all of us except Keira. Yup, even Miss Mighty was a bit scared of the big giant horse. She actually wanted back into her stroller. That's a first.

We continued our tour of the place, sampling such delicacies as corn dogs, corn-on-the-cob, elephant ears, BBQ pork sandwich, and chocolate milkshakes. (A special thanks goes out to the Indiana Corn Farmers, Indiana Pork Producers, and the Indiana Dairy Farmers. Yummmm, yummmm!)

We took in such typical Fair-sights as tractors, boys in John Deere hats (link provided for any confused city-folk readers), and women in tank tops and cowboy hats. But the thing that topped it all was this:

Yup, there - for all to see - was the Vince Lombardi Trophy from Super Bowl XLI. The VLT has been travelling the state of Indiana, giving common folk like us a chance to see that same trophy once held high by Tony D, Peyton, and the rest of the boys in Blue.

There it was. Shiny. Gleaming. Available for touching.

And there I was. WITHOUT MY CAMERA! (Why, oh why, did I listen to hubby this AM, when he said, Nah, just leave it....?!?!?!?) And without my camera phone (charging in the car). Ugh.
So, take my word for it. I touched it.
Quinn touched it.
Keira smiled at the security guys.
Chris rolled his eyes at me and wondered what the big deal was. (Of course, you know me, I told him what the big deal was. And, not one to leave well enough alone, also mentioned the, um, previous camera discussion.)

Anyway, a good time was had by all. And although I don't have photographic evidence of it, I do have photos to prove what a great time we had last weekend in Santa Claus, Indiana. A couple of days at Lake Rudolph (complete with campfire and S'MORES! - see below for Q and K's take on the situation) and a whole day spent at Holiday World and Splashin' Safari can really bring a family together. (Thanks Mom and Dad [Grandma and Grandpa], for making it happen!)

What a Difference a Year Makes!

Last year, at about this time, I was getting a bit cranky. Wondering, wondering, wondering when our referral would arrive! If you like, observe evidence labeled Defense Exhibit A: blog post

Also, last year at about this time, a little girl in Guigang was having her photo taken. She was not very happy about it either.

We enter into evidence these photos, taken August 10, 2006, Defense Exhibit B.



Since last August, the above photos made their way into a file, which was created in Guigang and delivered to the CCAA in Beijing. The aforementioned cranky mom's file was already there, having arrived in August of the previous year.

The 2 files met, were matched, and alas - a lot less crankiness here this August.

Observe Defense Exhibits C and D.

I rest my case.

Calgon, Take Me Away!

Well, not actually Calgon in this case. Hoover. As in the vacuum cleaner.

Yup, vacuuming. As calming, restorative therapy. Really.

I can't believe it took me so long to figure out how good - really, really, really good - vacuuming is. I mean, seriously, we've had pets for 14 years and kids for the last 4.5, and I'm just now fully appreciating all vacuuming has to offer?!

Like, for example, time away from the kids. Time away from them and any whining, fighting, crying, or crabbing that might be going on. It's just momma and a household cleaning appliance. And a loud appliance at them. When things get a little dicey between them and I don't feel like facing it head-on, I look for my old buddy, Herbert H. (What I can't hear going on won't hurt them, right?)

And the results are fabulous. Personally speaking, anyway. You see, a few minutes later, you've got clean floors and a clear mind. It is so uplifting.

And if you are lucky, a scene like this is a welcome by-product:

Then again, as they say, results may vary.
You may get this instead:

(Not to worry - no big brothers were actually harmed in the making of this photo....Q was doing his "Franklin" impersonation. And Keira? Just being Keira, I suppose....)