Summer fun

A few weeks ago we took Robbie to his first movie in a theater - Toy Story 3! The whole experience was fun because it was all brand new to him.

Handing over his own ticket...

Showing off his ticket!

We got there a little early just to be sure to get seats on the aisle (we were pretty sure Robbie wouldn't sit still), and we ended up being one of only 4 small groups that even showed up!

Who knew the iPhone had a flash for dark settings!?

We made it about an hour through the movie before Robbie became totally distracted by the darkness and the lights that ran through the piping along the stairways. Then he started to think it was funny to crouch down and sneak away from us down the long empty row of seats, and that's when we decided to leave. It was fun, but selfishly I wish I had been able to see the end of the movie (I've heard it's really good!). When the DVD comes out...

****************

Two weekends ago we spend the weekend at the lake house, and my grandma Edie and grandpa Bob (the kids' great-grandparents) drove up for the day on Saturday to see us, too! I thought the weekend would be pretty low key and uneventful, and since I was trying to pack minimally I left my cameras at home. Of course that ended up being the weekend we bought a double tube and took both kids out behind the boat! My mom had banked on the fact that I would have my camera with me, so she had left hers behind too.

Well, thank goodness for iPhones with decent cameras. :) Here's the one shot my dad got of us. It makes me laugh so hard - this was taken just after we had all piled in, but before the ride began.

Both kids loved it, but Ellie couldn't get past her deep hatred of the life jacket. So she and I bailed and let Rob and Robbie ride. Robbie could. not. get. enough. of. the. tube. He rode on the side Ellie and I had vacated. He was grinning and waving and cracking up at whatever Rob was saying to him, and after a while Rob taught him the thumbs up sign for 'faster', and from that point on, his little thumb was constantly held in position. FASTER! I think the average speed was 21 mph, and he loved every second! We were thrilled to discover that he enjoys not only being in the water but being pulled behind the tube, and fast.

After a long day of tubing, a boy just wants to rest with his magazine. (I think he was trying to mimic my dad...)

************************

This past weekend Rob and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary. We are so thankful for the marriage God has given to us, and for the ways He is growing and changing us both to be more like Himself through the other person. We agreed that our wedding day seems like another lifetime ago, and I'm sad that details of the day that just aren't able to all be recorded are already fuzzy to me. I remember it being a wonderful weekend altogether and how happy it made us to have all of our family and friends in one place at the same time, celebrating our new life together with us.

Rob took over planning an overnight getaway in the city for us last weekend to celebrate. The details were all a surprise to me. My mom and sister offered to stay with the kids overnight at our house, even when I told them they had both come down with runny noses and had been waking up through the night in the last few days. (Saints.) As I drove for an hour into the city to get Rob from work on Friday afternoon, I was feeling really unsure about what I had just done - would the kids be ok? I've never been away from either of them overnight, except for Ellie's birth. Would mom and Kels get any sleep, with the kids being sick and waking up? Was I trading their rest for my own!?!?

I knew that I just needed to do it and get this first overnight trip under my belt and try not to worry about the kids. No one loves them like family, and no one knows them better than my mom and Kels. Once I picked Rob up and he told me where we were staying and what we would be doing, I declared out loud that I would not be missing the kids for the next 24 hours! I was so excited.

We checked into our hotel, and headed to dinner at Piccolo Sogno for dinner on the patio. It was gorgeous, the rain held out, there was a slight breeze in the air, and I don't remember the last time I ate a meal as good as that one in total peace! We talked. We made decisions. We enjoyed being served. We sat still in our chairs the entire time! At the end of the meal neither of us had been the recipient of air-born food or angry outbursts. It was so amazing. (Clearly we need to get out more! haha)

After dinner we walked around the city and found the set for Transformers 3. It was so fun to see. We found a place that served italian desserts, so in keeping with the theme of dinner, we enjoyed gelato before heading back to the hotel.

The next morning we had brunch at a cute little place that served huge omelets and pancakes. We walked over to the river and took an architectural boat tour that also went out on Lake Michigan. It was perfect - the weather was wonderful and it wasn't too hot, but it was definitely sunny! I accidentally burned my shoulders on the boat ride, but didn't realize it until we got home. After the boat ride, we spent the afternoon walking around State Street and shopping. When we finally headed home, we felt rested and refreshed and were actually very anxious to see the kids.

The kids had done really well while we were gone, and no one woke up overnight! My mom and sister welcomed us home with an anniversary cake from Whole Foods, cute stories from their adventures with the kids, and laundry done. Seriously, I have the best family. I'm so thankful for them!

The kids decided to save their midnight restlessness for the following night, and I was up with both of them as they struggled with coughs and snotty noses. Sunday we stayed home from church - how many times can you get sick in the summer time!? We are setting a new record. I was exhausted too, so we mainly napped during the day, and finished off the evening with a trip to the park.

Ellie is getting brave. She climbs up the slide, goes down by herself, and if Robbie is encroaching on her personal space, she puts a hand on his arm and moves him aside! This picture sums up the stage we are in right now perfectly.