lake michigan & a wedding // summer vacation

After nearly two weeks of spending time with family and friends up north, I am finally back!  It feels nice to be home, which is a good sign that I was truly able to get rejuvenated while away.  I am not going to even TRY to document all of the fun things we did.  But, here is a glimpse...

Caught up with my best friends from high school at a favorite spot...Rose's.

 This sums up Quinn on vacation.  There was a lot of stimulation!

It was so nice to have my mom around to help with Quinn, especially for the first part of the vacation when Matt wasn't there.

We brought Quinn to the beach for about an hour on most of our days at the lake.  It was very convenient that the cottage was so close to the beach.  Even when Q was napping, there was usually  someone at the cottage willing to keep an eye on her so we could still enjoy the lake and sunshine.

 Grandma Polly stopped by for a day on her way to Chicago!

Papa had neck surgery right before we arrived, so we enjoyed the extra time with him while he was at home recovering .

 

Quinn spent a lot of time with her cousins too.  They are the best! 

Pool time.

We celebrated Gigi's **th birthday.  (Like how I did that, Mom? :)  We went for a low key party this year.  "No major surprises" was the theme as a result of last year's shenanigans.

Matt and I took a mini road trip to Chicago for a wedding.  It was the first time I have ever been away from Quinn overnight.  Gigi did a wonderful job looking after her while we were away.

 

I hadn't been back to the Chicago area since we moved, so we had fun walking around and eating at our favorite places.  While we missed our sweet Quinn, I have to admit it was very liberating to be able to run around from place to place, baby-less.   

THIS was the dessert ROOM at Mark and Ellie's wedding.  Mind blowing!  

Their wedding was beautiful.  The best part...totally Christ centered.  It was so sweet to see these two get married.  We also enjoyed seeing some good college and Young Life friends, as well as some of Matt's family.

 

 

Goodbye, Lake Michigan.  I will see you again soon, I hope!  Speaking of Lake Michigan, did you hear about the three college students who paddle boarded across Lake Michigan?  They started in Milwaukee and ended on Maranatha beach! 

 

Yes, that was the short version of our vacation.

 

I am writing a post on "flying solo part II."  It was a little different this time around now that Quinn is almost six months old.  Let me know if you have an specific questions that I could address!







family road trip

We recently went on a little adventure to Amelia Island. Matt had a conference there for work, so Quinn and I gladly tagged along. I was nervous about staying in a hotel room with a baby, who also happened to be recovering from a cold. All things considered, it went pretty well. We didn't get the best sleep of our lives, but I still think it was worth it. It was fun to go somewhere just as a family of three! Plus, I was REALLY excited about getting Q in her water gear :)

 

We didn't actually end up going in the pool with Quinn, but we dipped her toes in and she loved watching the water spray around in the kiddie pool.

 

 

We took a number of beautiful walks.  This girl LOVES being swaddled. Matt and I were joking about finding a swaddle made for two year olds...not sure what we are going to do when she officially out grows hers!

It was nice being near the ocean breeze. I especially loved leaving the screen door open at night and falling asleep to the sound of the ocean waves...so relaxing :)

I caught a glimpse of the sunrise one morning after getting up with Quinn in the early hours.  Amazing!

I finally figured out how to get this girl giggling...bouncing her (gently!) on the bed did the trick! ;)

Yeah, definitely worth tagging along...

 

I think all of the excitement wore Quinn out a little bit.  She literally fell asleep like this one afternoon in the middle of the bed!

The car ride was surprisingly easy. We just left right after Q had eaten and then brought a bottle to give her for when she woke up. The majority of the ride she was fast asleep. She also loved this new little link toy! Can you tell?!



It was good to get a way for a few days but it was also good to get back home.  Short breaks are always nice!



flying solo

Quinn and I took our first trip on the plane to see my family up north. I had a hard time with deciding how I was going to manage taking a 3 month old by myself through security and on the plane.  After combining what works well for Quinn with other experienced moms' advice, this is what I came up with...
(*Disclaimer-I realize that every baby is different. This is just what worked well for us. I must add that although the trip went well overall, Quinn DID cry and people DID stare at us. I mean, I was travelling with a little baby, so what can one expect, right?!  So, my hope is that this post might be helpful for the first time mom, like me, with getting ideas on how to make travelling go as smoothly as possible.  There are no guarantees here ;)

1. Nuk Soft Pack of 8 Soft OrthoStar Pacifier, Pink/Purple,...-I realize different babies prefer different pacis and some don't prefer them at all.  BUT, Quinn really seems to like the Nuk brand and they stay in pretty well.  These were a must for keeping her happy, especially for take off and landing to help her ears adjust.  She was asleep for both (thanks to the white noise from the plane), but I still made sure she was sucking on the paci. 
2. Wet Ones and Hand Sanitizer-Always good to have on hand when going pretty much anywhere.
3. Ergo Baby Carrier Black with Camel Lining-I like this carrier because it prevents my back from getting too sore and it has a nice covering that you can put over top of your baby if they fall asleep or are outside in the sun (perfect for a Florida baby!).  There are some cons though.  It is a little bulky (the Bjorn seems more compact) and the baby can't face out.  I used the Ergo for getting on and off the plane.  It was nice to have two hands for checking the stroller and car seat at the gate.
4. BabyJJ Cole Collections Stroller - These clips have really come in handy.  They hold the diaper bag so that you can access it easily, which allows for extra space under the stroller.
5. Gap petite straight leg jeans-I am in love with these jeans.  They are light and stretchy, and you can dress them up or down. 

6. Gap dolman sleeve top-This shirt is loose and airy.  I wore it with a nursing tank underneath.  The combo made it easy to nurse in public.
7. L'ovedbaby 4-in-1 Nursing Shawl-This shawl is a little fancier than the DIY one I made, but either would work well for covering up your back.  Even with the shawl, Quinn still took her sweet time and played around a lot while nursing.  But, at least I didn't have to worry about staying covered up!
8. Luvs Ultra Leakguards-So far, I have a good experience with these preventing major leaks.  They worked well for travelling, but I do prefer to use Pampers most of the time.  They seem a lot softer on Q's skin (and, they smell sooo good!).
9. Granola Bars-Don't forget to eat something!  I packed some granola bars and ate them before I had to hold Quinn in my lap on the plane. 
10. Graco SnugRider Elite-This stroller has been a lifesaver! The car seat snaps in and you can literally fold it up with just one hand. I tucked the Ergo underneath so if Quinn would start to fuss, I could just slip it on. I did not take the car seat base with me since I was only staying for a long weekend.  I found a youtube video that was helpful in showing me how to install the car seat without the base and it wasn't too difficult.  

One more thing...don't forget your baby's birth certificate! :) 

What have you done or used that works well for travelling?  I know this will all change as Quinn gets older, so I would appreciate any ideas! 


 

1-2-3-4-5

1. Blog Makeover

No, you didn't go to the wrong blog...I just gave mine a little make over!  Baby isn't here yet, but we are over half way there--so I thought it would be okay to officially make this a family blog :)

 

2. Highlights from our last summer trip to the lake with my family. 

 

Obviously, the biggest highlight was meeting my new nephew, Oliver! (We also had a big b-day party for Natalie and Stratton--love those two!)

Doesn't Matt look like such a natural in this picture?  (Foreshadowing...hehe)

 Or, do I like how this looks better?  I can't decide...maybe a little more realistic at this point ;)

 Princess Natalie...she is the best and such a helpful older sister!

 This is me hogging the baby more so that I could get in more practice before we had to leave.

 Comparing our "bumps."

 

3. Kicking!

Speaking of bumps...I felt the baby kick this past weekend.  She woke me up at 12:30 am with all of her kicking.  I woke up Matt to feel it too...one of the coolest feelings!  I feel her wiggling inside almost every evening now :)

 

4. Moving

Luckily, its going smoother than I anticipated.  Almost done and then we can begin the unpacking...

 

5. Beaconator

 

This poor little guy has been a little neglected lately.  We thought we almost lost him again when Matt said the other night, "Have you seen Beacon latley?"  We found him about five minutes later snug behind his food bin in the pantry (with the door closed...oops :/)  Hopefully this is no indication of what our parenting will be like!  The other big event in Beacon's life will be getting a "Lion's Cut" at the groomer today.  We thought this might be best for him since we don't do a great job of routinely brushing him.  Stay tuned for a look at his new "do!"

Lets pretend school doesn't start Monday and think about summer...

Well, its back to reality now that our hiatus up north is over.  Here is a brief recap of our adventures.  (I had to borrow some pictures from my sister because I barely took any.  I was having too much fun!!!)

This is Matt and Stratton paddle boarding on Lake Michigan.



 Sisters :)

 Matt and I volunteered to take the kiddos for a day.  We started the day at Panera, followed by a lot of coloring, nature walks, swimming at the beach, and naps!

 This picture is kinda cheesey and a little embarassing...but I had to document it.  My sister was so great to me, and helped me start my registry while I was home.  Boy, am I glad that she was there to help!  Thanks, sis!

 This on our way home from the airport.  We had to pick up Beacon from a friends house (thanks, Kurt and Courtney!)  haha

Our adventure continued as we drove east to see Matt's family.  We enjoyed many family dinners and time on the boat before everyone heads back to college (Topher is going to be a freshman at Wheaton and Kelsey will be graduating this year!)  Like I said, I don't have very many pictures because I was too busy relaxing and having fun ;)

 Bump Update- Here I am at 18 weeks, although I am almost 19 weeks as I write this!  We plan to find out the gender in less than 2 weeks!  I have had a feeling from the beginning that its a boy but I had a dream last night that its a girl...hmmm

And, for those of you who are interested...I have some funny preggo moments to share...

-I had meetings at school and orientation this week, and I have been extremely absent minded and exhausted.  Usually going back to school can make you a little scatter brained but this is to a whole new level.  I have to write EVERYTHING down when it comes to mind or else I WILL forget. 

-I was praying I would not make a fool of myself at orientation when the kids and parents visit the classroom (due to my half-brain problem).  Fortunately, there was only one mishap.  I just realized I accidently told a mom (english is not her first language) that school started an hour earlier than it really does....OOOPS...at least her kid will be on time! haha

I'm getting very famliar with the airport...

I'm a little behind with my blog posts, so here we go...

We were able to make a last minute trip to the McCauley's over Memorial Day weekend.  It was a really fun and relaxing trip.  I don't have many pictures from the trip, BUT I did document our long game of Phase 10.  I am usually not a big competitor but I won both games!  Not to toot my own horn, but I rarely win so I was quite proud (even though it was mostly luck haha).

Our other recent trip was to my hometown for the wedding of one of my best girlfriends from high school.  It was so good to have our entire group of friends together again!  The rehearsal dinner was laid-back and lots of fun.  It was at a bowling ally!  (Jackie and Alex became friends through the bowling team in high school--very cute :)

 Some of my pictures of the reception didn't really turn out well but everything was beautiful!! 

It was so great to be with such wonderful friends!

Luckily, I tracked Matt down for a few pics at the reception. I finally caught on to the fact that Matt, along with some of the other dates, were hiding out in the bar to watch golf. ;)

And I thought he was in the bathroom...hah!

Cute picture of my parents

Another highlight of the trip was visiting my family.  We had lots of fun playing and hanging out!

I just can't get enough of these cuties...and I get to be an aunt to another nephew in just two short months!!!