Beach day on Lake Michigan

I have been wanting beach trip up to the Dunes on Lake Michigan since we moved to Indiana.  We finally planned a day and the night before the forecast was for rain.  If we hadn't committed to our friends, we would have bailed, but we headed up anyway.  It rained the whole way and then cleared up just as we got to the beach.  It was perfect.  We had a great day with great friends and great weather.  The water was warm enough and Jane was so excited to swim around in it with her floaties on.

Chicago

We knew Chicago in the summer would be hot and sticky so we planned our activities accordingly, but in the end, it was probably the best weather we've ever had in Chicago.  You never know.  We started our day at the Museum of Science and Industry.  It was very impressive, especially the only captured U-Boat that they have sitting in the basement.  There was so much to see, but our kids ran out of steam and we needed some food.  We headed over to the Magnificent Mile, ate at Portillos, grabbed donuts from Do-Rite, and finished our day at Millenium Park.  Playing in the fountains was probably everyone's favorite parts (except Peter, who mostly complained that it was too cold).  Jane and Alice were so cute.  Alice loved splashing her feet in the water, and Jane would try to make her laugh and splash around her.  She really dotes on her baby sister.

Alice - 5 months old

Alice is 5 months old now, weighs 12 lbs 14 oz, and is 24.5 inches tall.  She learned to roll from back to front while we were in Reno and does it almost immediately when you put her down now.  Of course, if you put her down on her tummy, she’ll roll right on to her back too.  Needless to say, she doesn’t necessarily stay where we put her anymore.  

She’s very smiley and is happy to be held by others.  Her smile takes up half her face and her limbs swing excitedly as well.  She sleeps very well too (usually).  This week of adjusting back to Eastern time has been a pill, but normally she goes to bed around eight or nine, sleeps until three or four, nurses, and goes right back down until around seven.  It’s wonderful.  I hope it continues. 

She’s grabbing toys and bringing them to her mouth now.  One toy can keep her occupied for several minutes, like it would for Jane when she was a baby.  She could really lock in on any toy with tags on it.  Peter couldn’t seem to focus that long.  He’d hold a toy for a second and then lose interest.  Alice also finds her toes all the time (which is one of the cutest baby moves). I love it.  It’s always her right foot and it goes straight into her mouth. 

We’re obsessed with her she really is incredibly happy and easy going.   Often she’s just staring at me with this little half smile, waiting to catch my eye and when she does, she breaks into this huge full body smile.  She melts our hearts every day. 

Peter came in while I was taking pictures of Alice and asked if he could hold Alice for a picture.  You bet!  Peter rarely pays ANY attention to Alice at all, much less wants to hold her.  He was done in about 30 seconds.

4th of July

The 4^th of July is always a little hectic. We have to get up early to get down to Newport Beach by 8am to get parking.  It’s a lot of stuff to unload and set up and usually, it isn’t even that nice out until the clouds burn off around noon.  This year, the weather was nice right from the start and the water was warm, so that got things off to a great start.  Peter was pretty whiny most of the day, but Jane was absolutely adorable.  She loved chasing the waves and danced between each set.  We had fun going into the water together.  I would hold her and crouch down and she would scream stand up nervous-excitedly as the next wave approached and I would pop up just in time.  She loved it, and I loved having that one on one time with her.  No cameras, just mommy and Jane time.  After lunch, Daddy got some great Jane time in collecting shells with her.  They found tons and filled up a bucket with their treasures.  Alice took a killer nap on the beach, giving us lots of free, relaxing beach time.  It was wonderful.  

 It was so nice to have Theresa stop in, even if it was just for a few minutes.  Jane had so much fun with her Grandma.

 I love this kid.  He sticks those lips out so far.  It's the cutest thing.

After cleaning up the beach stuff and bathing sandy children, we headed over to watch the fireworks.  It was a little colder than I expected, but listening to Jane and Peter chattering away as they watched made it worth it.  Back at the Reid homestead, Dave had purchased a bunch of fireworks, but of course the kids were way too tired to enjoy them, so we lit off a few ourselves, which was just as fun.