Eric’s cousin Josh graduated from high school this year. He had a big party a couple weeks ago. Grandma G. had been promising to take cousin Tyler to the beach at Indiana Dunes, so we decided to make it a long weekend in The Region. We planned to spend Friday at the beach, Saturday at the party, and come home on Sunday.
Eric, Tyler, Grandma G., Mommy, and I were all packed up in the car. It was a tight fit, what with the 3-day weekend and all of the necessities for the beach: chairs, toys, coolers, etc. We left in the morning and headed straight to the beach. We were going to Mount Baldy. Unfortunately, Mother Nature arrived before us. Just as we arrived, it started to rain just a little. We were optimistic, so we started unloading the car. We removed the chairs, inflated Tyler’s raft, changed shoes, and then it relly started to rain. Heavy drops, strong winds, we took shelter in the car. It was quite a trick stuffing the raft back in the car after it was inflated. We waited for a while, but it did not appear to be letting up any time soon. We made the difficult decision to abort our plans for a day at the beach. Tyler and Eric were, needless to say, very disappointed. We drove to the hotel where Grandma G. and Tyler were staying. We ate our picnic lunch inthe hotel room. Then we suited up and went swimming in the hotel pool! Eric was so excited! He had been so looking forward to a day at the beach, but this seemed to be an acceptable substitute. We played in the pool for quite a while. Tyler floated on his raft, while Eric and I floated around with Eric’s inflatable tube and noodle. We splashed water on Tyler and swam laps back and forth and around the pool. It was as much fun as one can have without going to the beach!
Early Saturday morning, we headed back to the beach again. We did not need to be at the party until later in the afternoon. So far, Mother Nature was cooperating. We parked the car and began unloading our stuff again. Chairs, coolers, toys, inflatables… It was a long hike to the beach from the parking lot. Eric was full of excitment and anticipation. He was suprisingly patient, as the rest of us lugged all of the stuff up and down the mountainous trail to the beach. We set up “camp” on the beach. Grandma G. and Mommy relaxed in their chairs under an umbrella for shade, while Eric, Tyler, and I played near the water. Tyler floated up the coast in his raft, only to have to wade back with the raft in tow. Tyler built a solid foundation for a sand castle that I built. Eric and Tyler helped dig and fill the moat around the castle. It was a very nice sand castle, complete with a water-filled moat. I think Eric could have played in the sand for days without losing interest. He really enjoyed the beach!
We arrived at Josh’s party later that afternoon. Josh had a giant inflatable “bouncy house” in the back yard! Eric was drawn to it like a moth to a flame! He played in the house for a very long time. He emerged soaking wet from sweat. It was hot and humid that afternoon. Eric had a lot of fun at the party! He played in the bouncy house again later, and once again emerged soaking wet.
Eric had barely time to recover from such a whirlwind busy weekend, when Independence Day arrived mid-week. With Independence Day comes Carmel Fest. We have made a tradition of going to Carmel Fest every year. We walk around, get some food, and play games. We went to the fest on the evening of the 3rd. We walked around, ate some food, had some ice cream cones, and Eric played some agmes in the kid zone. It was a fun evening! This year, same as last year, Eric and I went to see the Carmel 4th of July parade on the morning of the 4th. We loaded the car with Eric’s stroller, a chair for me, and a cooler with snacks and drinks for both of us. We walked down Rangeline Road looking for a nice cool shady spot to watch the parade. We remembered baking last year in the direct sun. It was hot again this year, so we were trying to plan ahead. We finally found a spot in front of a tire store that had a little shade. We set up the stroller and chair inthe grass and waited for the parade to start. We soon realized that the shade would only keep us comfortable during our wait. By the time the parade started, the sun had come around the building leaving only a sliver of shade upagainst the building. This is where we moved our chairs and cooler to keep cool. There were a lot of really cool floats and entertainment inthe parade this year. We really enjoyed our time together, just Eric and Daddy.
We relaxed the next weekend, but following that was our annual Family Camping Trip at Raccoon SRA campground. We decided to make it a 3-night trip this year, from Friday to Monday. Tyler came with us again. We loaded up the camper and hitched to the truck Thursday night. Friday morning, we loaded the cooler and our luggage and hit the road. We arrived at the campground mid-afternoon, just in time to set up in the heat of the day! Grandma D. and Grandpa D. were already there when we arrived. After we set up the camper, Aunt Bev and Uncle Mike took the boys out on the boat. This was Eric’s first boat trip! Aunt Bev had a life vest just the right size for Eric. Mommy and I stayed back at the campsite with Grandma and Grandpa. When they got back, it was nearing dinner time. Eric was so excited, he could barely talk. He had so much fun! I asked him if he had fun, and he stammered and stuttered and barely got ou the words, “Crazy Fun!” While they were out on the lake, Eric got in the water and rode the tube behind the boat with Tyler. The tube is plenty big enough for both of them. Aunt Deborah and Uncle Jeff arrived that afternoon, too. Uncle Joe and Aunt Traci arrived with cousin Jake late that evening.
The theme for this year’s camping trip was Oktoberfest. On Saturday, we all had German outfits, German beer, and lots of fun and games. Eric always enjoys being around family, so this weekend has to be near the top of his favorite weekends each year. Of course, the boys went out on the boat again with Aunt Bev, Uncle Mike, Aunt Deborah, and Uncle Jeff.
Whew! What a busy couple of weeks! Eric had so much fun. We are looking forward to the rest of the summer. Every day is so much fun with Eric!
p.s. Check back. I will add photos soon.
p.p.s. Photos added 8/26/12.
Waiting for pictures… 🙂