Sunday, August 25, 2013

A Florida Beach Visit with Grandma & Grandpa

In mid-August, the kids and I headed down to Pompano Beach to meet up with Grandma & Grandpa Reder!  We missed Erik, who was super busy with work and could not get away that particular week, but we made the most of our time in the sun.  We spent the days splashing in the pool, riding ocean waves, checking on the many sea turtle nests both morning and night (one lucky morning we got to see some newborn loggerheads that had just been rescued from the bottom of their nest hours earlier!).  We enjoyed some great meals out at our favorite Pompano restaurants and best of all, got to spend some great quality time with Grandma & Grandpa Reder.  Below are some photos from the trip!  Big thanks to Grandma & Grandpa for a fabulous week!
At O'Hare, waiting for our plane to arrive at the gate!
Grandma Reder's Birthday dinner at Piranha Pat's
Birthday cake for Grandma in the party room!
A newborn loggerhead!  The rescuers were so nice to let us see him up close.
A fun boat ride over to Cap's Place
This is how many of my group kiddie pictures look...2 out of 3 looking isn't so bad
Historic Cap's Place -  the best crab cakes I've ever had, bar none.
Cassidy and Gavin spent hours each afternoon with Grandpa in the ocean
Me and the crew!
Tyler often played with Grandma in the sand while the older two had ocean time

Group photo - they were probably chasing chameleons around the patio here

We found that a family of snails lived in the rocks on the west side of the condo building, so we made daily visits - they were fascinating to watch as they slithered all around
We had fun at the playground at the new boardwalk at Atlantic & A1A

The kids loved strolling along the piers to watch the fishermen at work

A lovely dinner out at Aruba's Beach Cafe

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Summer FUN!

We made the most of the relaxing summer months!  Cassidy and Gavin went to summer camp in the mornings and we spent the rest of the time enjoying all that summer has to offer.  Oh how I love the warm sunny weather!  Here are some photos of our summertime adventures...

Playtime at the park!
First lemonade stand of summer
Tyler hams it up these days
Exploring the local beach
It's always fun to run into friends at the beach!
Water gun action with friends
Playdates with the Vlach family up in WI
More beach time...look closely and you'll see a mermaid!  (Her idea and her handiwork!)
This little rascal loves to crawl through the sand
We went for pony rides at a nearby stable
The kids loved it!
A day with Daddy in Chicago
Can't miss The Bean!
Light sabers were a big part of our summer...big Star Wars phase here
Somebody loves her grapefruit!
The beautiful Botanic Garden
The 3 Musketeers!