Special Time!

With Lincoln in Fremont (we'll touch more on that in a minute) and Otto napping, Nora and I went on a little mom-daughter date. She's been wanting to go to H&M to get some new dresses and Kelsey Elizabeth Ice. Unfortunately the Ice cart isn't open on Mondays but we were able to find her a few dresses and then spent time hanging out at the book store and popping into a couple other stores before getting ice cream (and some for Lady & Grumps too). Once Otto woke up we all went over to my cousin Jeff & his wife Angela's house for a cousin's kid playdate! We got to meet Baby Ben, and Andrew, Nora, Otto and Gwen all had fun playing outside in the driveway. While we were busy here Lincoln had a fun day in Fremont getting to do his own special things!

Photo Credit: SusanPlants, Panera, Playground...Lincoln was busy with Grandma and Pap today! All and all it seems like this week is off to a good start for everyone!

Yay for a Beach Day!

This morning we gathered what we needed and headed to the beach! We arrived at about the same time as my parents rolled in with the boat and while Kyle and I mom took the kids and got set up on the beach my dad and I put the boat in and headed out into the lake to scout conditions for water fun...the lake was not the spot to be today - too rough. So, we checked out the Bay which also proved to be too choppy for the fun we'd want to have with the kiddos we'd want to have it with. Soooo, we pulled the boat back out and then headed for the beach. Turns out, the other Myers kids were taking advantage of the lovely weather and our littles had so much fun playing with their cousins. A little later Marty & Kristin and the kids arrived and joined in the fun, mixing right in with the busy water-loving crew.

There were plenty of sandy snuggles to be had today as Otto slept on me for a while and Lincoln took what turned out to be a very solid and very well timed nap. As the afternoon wore on we packed up Lincoln and Otto and let Nora stay to keep playing while we headed over to Dairy Dock to meet up with Ken. Lincoln is going to spend a few days on his own in Fremont and we decided a Dairy Dock hand-off would probably go pretty well, especially with a convertible ride with Pap to sweeten the deal!

We all ate our ice cream, and in true Lincoln fashion he was still working away on his when it was reaching the time that we needed to leave to get Kyle to the airport in time. So, we said our goodbyes to our sweet guy and he kept on eating his ice cream with Pap while we headed out. I'm going to miss him the next few days but I'm also excited for him to get some solo time and attention too. He's been loving that lately! It'll also be fun to have some special time and adventures with Nora and Otto. Perks of our Summer trips to Ohio, everyone gets to do some special stuff! Also, side note...it was weird driving home with just one kid in the car - and he was asleep the whole time! Totally felt like I was forgetting a couple things! When Otto and I got home from dropping Kyle off the rest of the crew was back, including a happy Nora who also visited Dairy Dock with her driver - Aunt Patty.

Fremont Fun

Well, after last night's big adventure the kids actually slept in a small little smidgen this morning which kicked off our slower than hoped start. Eventually we got packed up and made our way to Fremont for the day. First stop was a tasty lunch downtown. Nora had big plans for the day and as is often the case I think she managed to check all of her boxes. She and Lincoln both had fun getting to ride in the convertible and we all enjoyed dinner out on the patio and Red White and Blue pie which was gobbled up by everyone! Nora was thrilled after dinner when she not only got to go visit Brian and Cindy across the street with her Grandma but managed to bring them back with her! We did a little better getting the kids down at a slightly more reasonable hour tonight, but I have a hunch it's going to take a while to knock them all the way back down to regular bedtime!

Fireworks Double Dip!

We had a really fun afternoon and evening! First we met up with Seth, Sari and their kids at Edgewater. We ran around in the park a little bit and took pictures by the Cleveland sign. Then we headed to Sweet Moses and got some ice cream. Nora had cookies and cream in a waffle cone, Lincoln had strawberry with whipped cream and sprinkles in a cup. I had a root beer float, Kyle and Otto shared a combo of orange creamsicle and cookies and cream. While the pictures of Lincoln eating his ice cream how he does are great I really wish I had a video of him slipping off the booth bench. He was there one second and the next he was under the table, then emerged as though nothing happened. It was so funny! After ice cream we parted ways with our friends and we headed downtown. Tonight was one of my very favorite annual events - the Cleveland Orchestra's Start Spangled Spectacular. We staked out our spot and settled in while Kyle grabbed some food from the food trucks. The kids did lots of running, jumping, rolling and giggling while they waited for the main event. The Orchestra started and Otto fell asleep pretty quickly, Nora wasn't all that far behind and Lincoln was up for the whole thing, including Sean & Erin's arrival and the fireworks - which Otto slept through and we had to wake Nora up for. After the concert and fireworks were over at that event we realized the Indians game was still going on so we headed there and made it JUST in time to see the post game fireworks at the stadium...this time Nora was awake and walked the whole way, Lincoln crashed out alongside Otto in the stroller. The loud booms woke Otto up but not Lincoln and we seat swapped in the stroller again for the walk back to the car, this time Otto got carried. We were definitely parent judged as we walked through downtown at about 11:30pm with 2 kids in the stroller and a one year old in our arms haha! Oh well, it was a fun night out!

Take a Dip

The guys went golfing first thing this morning and we had 5 kinda cranky kids who clearly had 4th of July hangovers. With our original plans to go to the beach foiled by a combination of water quality concerns and the forecast we needed to figure something else out because it was also really hot today. So, what do you do when you're "bakin' like a toasted cheeser - it's so hot"? You head to the pool of course! The kids had a blast playing in the water and going down the little slide over and over and over again and having my mom's extra hands was clutch for Kristin and I in the kid wrangling department. Nora took her swim test then hopped off the diving board and surprised all of us when she decided to jump off the high dive too! She only hesitated for a second then took a deep breath and off she went! I was impressed! The timing worked out well because just as it was becoming clear that the kids were about done, we were chased out of the pool by thunder. When we got home the guys were already back. We had a couple storms pass by but nothing major. Despite getting off to a rocky start the day was salvaged thanks to good 'ole Bay Pool!

KABOOM!

Ahh! All the fun things! We kicked off the day with the Bay Days races. Kyle and Kristin ran the 5 miler and Nora, Keaton & Bexley ran the kids 1 mile. Lincoln & Otto rode along in the stroller. The kids finished their race and then cheered on Kyle and Kristin as they finished theirs. After all the running was done we headed back to the house. Since it's been crazy hot and today was no exception, the kids (and Kyle) took a dip in the VERY cold pool as party prep got underway. Kristin and I again headed out with Keaton and Bexley in tow to get some last minute party supplies. We got home, got cleaned up and after finishing up some decorations and front yard spray painting it was party time! As always it was fun to catch up with everyone, the food was fantastic...the water balloon fight was spectacular, the Optimus Prime Piñata provided sooo many laughs including a sneak water balloon attack on Kyle while he was up to bat. Aunts and Uncles, cousins and kids all got to take whacks before the candy finally spilled and the kids gathered it all up. After the piñata we packed up the kids (minus a snoozing Otto), plenty of glow sticks and our blankets and off to the fireworks we went!! It was a great fireworks show this year and the kids all loved it too! After it was over we walked back to light up some sparklers and throw some poppers! All and all it was an awesome 4th of July this year!!

Fingers, Toes and Treats!

I've been excited about today! As I think we've all realized, Nora is big on getting her nails painted. So, after she pinned TONS of different 4th of July nail ideas she has been so excited at the prospect of getting to have patriotic fingers and toes for the 4th, I thought it'd be fun to surprise her with her first real mani-pedi. This is kind of a big thing because I always swore I'd never be the mom bringing her kid to the place moms go to get away from their kids...BUT like many things I swore I'd never do, Nora has made me eat my words. If nail polish and special mom time is her love language right now...then let's do it. Anyway, she was excited, then scared/hesitant, then totally sold, but clingy the WHOLE time. My mom was with us too but Nora had me next to her or was by my side the whole time. By the end she was a happy kiddo asking when we can go again. Haha...not for a while baby-girl!

Before Marty & Kristin arrived and our evening entertainment commenced my Aunt Patty stopped by and had all 5 kids entranced with her reading from Nora's new book of a zillion (ok, 12) Fancy Nancy stories. Kristin and I made an evening trip to the store and picked up some snacks and supplies for tonight and we officially rang in the 4th of July with our traditional driveway viewing of The Sandlot. We had a relatively small crowd but it remains one of my favorite annual traditions!! Tomorrow is finally the 4th!! Can't wait!