Here we are on the 4th
We went up to St. Joseph, MI to visit some friends for Labor Day weekend. We drove up after Sean got home from work and got there late Friday night. Our GPS decided to route us on the backroads through every podunk town in Indiana. Saturday, after we had breakfast and got ready, which included seeing the chickens and getting their eggs and playing out in the driveway, we were all set to go when the skies started to get dark. So we waited for the rain to pass and then headed into St. Joe to the waterfront area. We went to the Silver Beach Carousel and the Kids Discovery Zone, walked around town a little bit and got some ice cream, and then changed and went to the beach. There were some great (big) waves. Ava liked me holding her and jumping in the waves together. Fiona preferred to stay near the shore and play in the water. After the beach, the men went to get a delicious pizza to bring home, while Jill and I stayed with the kids at the playground area. The kids went to bed reasonably early and we stayed up talking.
Stopped at Bob Evans on the way up.
Fun at the Discovery Zone
and the Carousel.
Walking around town.
Walked out the end of the pier/wall.
Sean and Ed
Ed and Jill
Playground by the beach.
Of course the next morning came just as early as usual...since they never seem to sleep in on the weekends. Sunday, after breakfast/brunch, we went into the pool while Ava took a nap. After Ava woke up and we had snacks (of course!) we headed out to Warren Dunes State Park. About half of SW MI and Chicagoland were there also, I think, Since it was later in the day, people were starting to leave so we found pretty decent parking. After weaving our way through the crowd on the beach, we found a good spot near the water and had fun splashing around. Ed and Jill's kids are used to the water and swimming so they were like little fish, which I think was good for the girls to see. Ava even wanted me to dunk her after she saw Caleb and Marissa being thrown in the water. With so many people there it sounded like you were on the Titanic when you got farther away from shore. We also hiked up the 260' dune, in two shifts. First Sean went with Fiona, Ed, Marissa and Caleb, and then I went with Fiona, Jill and Caleb, except Jill and Fiona decided to hike the little dune, so just Caleb and I went up the big one. It was a great view! After playing in water some more, we headed back to Ed and Jill's for a late campfire dinner and smores. Sunday night Marissa, Fiona and Ava were all able to share a room for their sleepover. Monday we headed back around lunchtime. Just in time to get ready for the rest of the week.
Fiona liked floating in the pool, but not on her own.
Just playing.
3 ninjas.
It was quite a hike up.
Jill and Fiona are the teeny tiny dots.
At the top!
Headed home after a fun weekend.
The next week Ava and I went running and to the playground, plus I got to work on my class, and then on Thursday got sent home from school with a fever and was home sick from school until the following Tuesday. Ava also got sick over the weekend, so we didn't do much. I did run the Popcornfest 5k and went grocery shopping.
Working on my last ACSC class while Ava plays.
By the following Friday they were both feeling better, which was good because we had the Kleins over in the afternoon to play and then for dinner. Even Tim came for dinner, which was fun since we hadn't seen him in awhile. On Saturday I ran the AF 10k and then Tim Meerstein (another friend from college) came over on Sunday for dinner. It was great to see him and visit also.
She picked out her outfit and put the sunglasses and shoes on herself. And put her own clip in her hair!
I went on a work trip the following Tuesday through Friday so Sean was on his own getting Fiona ready in the mornings, although Ava did stay with his parents most of the nights which helped some. I got back late Friday so Saturday we went to First Watch for breakfast and then headed to the Yellow Springs market to get some food (since we were pretty low). After a quick stop at home to drop off the food, we went to the Aero Club's open house for lunch. We also went up for a short flight with each of the girls in a 4-seater Piper. I went with Ava first and then Sean went with Fiona. It was Ava's first flight and she LOVED it. This was Fiona's third and she really liked it too; she liked looking out the window and trying to find different things. As we were driving home I heard the girls talking in the back. Fiona was playing with a twist tie and Ava wanted it so I suggested to Fiona that she can share it, to which she replied, "No thanks, I not a big fan of sharing."
Just for fun at home.
On Sunday we went to the Renaissance Festival. It was Barbarian Weekend, but we didn't dress up at all. We got there around 11, saw the Robin Hood show, had some lunch, saw more shows, ate more food, looked in shops, and did a couple of 'rides.' Fiona really wanted to go on the merry-go-round so we did that one, and then Sean took the girls in the maze. We got to see the live chess match this year, which was fun to watch. They 'fought' after each move when one piece took out another. The repetitive drumbeats also put Ava to sleep. :) We didn't see the joust this year, but have seen it the past few years, so maybe next year.
Hard to be dead when the sun's in your eyes.
Not happy to be in chains.
Very happy to be in chains. :)
And she's out.
I really did like the merry-go-round too...even though it's hard to tell by my face.
We ended September with Fiona starting a new gymnastics class on the 29th, at a different place. She liked it, but her first comment was that is was "too short." It was only an hour!
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