Dinner at the Beach

Andrina had a wonderful idea to have dinner at the beach.  I often don't think about things like that.  Scratch that.  I do think about doing fun things like that and then I think about the mess.  Like eating food covered in sand.  But we had a great time and I'm so glad we went.

 These three quickly ate a bite or two and then ran to the water.

 Hans was waiting for the waves to come rolling in.

There is just something sweet about a picture like this.  You can't see their faces but you know they are smiling and having the time of their life.

 Still not the outdoorsy girl, Machara decided to pose for some pictures instead.  She has the model pose down already.

It was a beautiful evening with a beautiful view.

Always Wear A Suit To The Beach

Within two hours of getting to Andrina's house in California, we were headed for the beach. 

They played follow the leader the whole way.



It was later in the day and we weren't planning on staying long, so we didn't put the kids in suits.  We will never make that mistake again.  Why we as parents expect our children to act differently around sand and water when they don't have an actually bathing suit on is beyond me.  There was no keeping them from the water.  Which is fine because clothes wash, but we didn't have any other clothes to change into or towels for them to dry off.  I didn't hear any complaints, though.

 Anders liked digging his hands in the sand.

He liked playing in the sand so much he figured he try to eat it.  That didn't turn out so well.

 I can tell these pictures were pretty early on because the kids still look pretty dry.



 Anders would walk toward the water and then a wave would come...

and then we would turn right back around.

 Machara isn't really an outdoorsy girl, so she hung out with me.

Michael is happy as long as he is with his mom.

Gus looks like he is going for a run along the beach.

 This is where John got really wet.

 He loved sitting there waiting for the waves to come.

The beach makes this kid happy.

The Indiana Dunes

As if I wasn't spoiled enough, Debbie and Pam decided to take the boys to the dunes one day.  It was a day I didn't actually have to work.  It was fantastic...but this isn't about my day.

 Anders has no fear.  They would often find him walking towards the water without an adult.  

 Goggled up and ready to go.

 As much as he loves the water, he also loves the sand.

 He just can't get enough.  Check it out, his tongue is sticking out.

 I thought this was a great picture of Sophie diving after John.

 Time for a snack.

 Look at that beautiful smile.

 Partners in crime.

 Rolling down the dunes.  See those three little dark spots? 

 Sophie decided she wanted the boys to bury her.  That is one brave girl.

 Then it was John's turn.

 Gus decided he wanted to try, but he was a little diva and needed to lay on a towel.

And you can't leave out Anders.  Debbie said he sat here really still for a good long while after they were done.  I need to get a sandbox in my living room!

A Zoo and A Beach

When my parents told me they were coming for a quick visit in March, I just assumed the weather would be crappy.  We do live in Illinois.  But, to my surprise, it was rather nice.  I figured there was no reason to waste such a pretty day that we all decided to load up in the car and drive to Chicago.

Well, everyone else had that idea as well.  The city was crawling with people.  Our original destination was Navy Pier, but that stop was quickly crossed off of our list when there was no parking to be found.  So, we drove up Lake Shore Drive a bit and hit Lincoln Park Zoo.

 The boys had a good time looking at a few of the animals that were out and about.

 The carousel was a big hit for Gus.

My kids know that whenever they see a carousel, Grandma will take them.  This has them scouring zoos, malls and festivals for anything resembling a carousel.

After the zoo we decided to walk to the beach.

 The boys were so excited to be near the water.

 Anders discovered his love for sand.

John and Gus tried to skip anything and everything.

We had a great day and a wonderful visit.

Cape Hatteras

After spending a few days in New York we drove down to Hatteras, NC to stay with Hans' parents on the beach. John and Solveig rented a great house that was big enough for John, Solveig, Andrina, Eva, Machara, Hans, me and the boys. We all had a great time and decided we should schedule a vacation like this every couple of years.

This was the view from our deck. I know it's dark, but look at that water.

It was so hard getting a picture of John and Eva looking at you. These two were so intrigued by the sand.










This was Machara at the beach.


Gus on the beach.


More pictures to come...stay tuned.