The kids and I are completely psyched about summer. We planned and executed the final days of school with flair. We celebrated Cecilia's last day of pre-K with M&M cookies and a play date. We celebrated Danny's last day of school with a bike ride (to & from school) and to the local drive-in restaurant for an ice cream treat. I hope to spend more time on bicycles this summer, it is so amazing to see my little Cecilia peddling along on her 2-wheeler!
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| Cecilia (5) Karina (2) Danny (8) at the Frosty Mug celebrating the beginning of summer vacation. |
We kicked off summer with a road trip to Lake Geneva. Many of my happiest childhood memories were formed in this area. While so close to our destination of Lake Geneva, I gave the kids their annual tour of Lake Como. First stop, my Grandma's house. It is so amazing how small it looks now. Unfortunately, it is run down, the grass was knee high and the new owners cut down the sky high pine trees that lined the driveway. Grandpa's flowering vine was still flourishing amidst the disaster around it. The next stop was the drive along the lake shore followed by a visit to the natural spring. The kids loved touching and drinking the freezing cold spring water (except for Karina who pursed her lips and shook her head, reminiscent of an old Seinfeld episode). We drove by my cousin's house, who still lives in the small town but no one was home. I also showed the kids the house that was built around a tree. They were amazed to see the top of the tree coming out of the roof. We also took a peak at the places where my Mom used to live. Danny surprised me by how many details of this tiny town he had captured from previous tours. He remembered that the streets are in alphabetic order and named after flowers and trees, that my Mom and Grandpa Donn used to live across the street from each other, the spring empties into the lake and that the lake freezes in the winter - he is a sponge I tell ya!
We continued on to beautiful Lake Geneva. We drove through the town and peaked at the lake. Danny recognized the funeral home, I guess his memories of this town will be a bit different from my childhood memories. We spent two nights at a resort with its own water park. The girls debuted their beautiful retro-swim suits. Danny had a great time on the tube and body slides. He played basketball and played on the ropes coarse in the pool and warmed up in the hot tub. He made friends easily each day. Karina was more timid in the water than last year.....THANK YOU GOD!!! While I don't think she had as much fun, I didn't have to pull her out from under the water, not even once this year! She liked being held and bouncing and spinning in the deeper water. Karina also requested to go into the "hot water" when she was chilled. Cecilia was SUPER BRAVE!! After Danny bribed her with a $1, she ventured down the tube slide with her brother and loved it! Danny took Cecilia on that slide no less than 20 times! Cecilia was very flexible and understanding, she could go on the tube slide with Danny, at his discretion. Otherwise, Cecilia stayed with me, either in the deep water (with her life vest) or in the "baby area" at my discretion. I tried to be fair and take turns on the different turf, but I felt bad that Cecilia couldn't always do what she wanted.
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| Karina took a nap at the water park while I snapped pictures. |
On our first morning, we went out for breakfast followed by a trip to the cemetery. We said prayers over the five graves of loved ones who were laid to rest there. Once the kids were finished with their prayers, they went exploring while I visited a bit longer. Danny liked looking at the dates on the head stones and doing the math of their ages when they died....he's so smart. He was very affected by the ages, at 8 he already understands that it's NEVER enough time.
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| The kids are praying at my Dad's grave. |
On the final day of our trip, Mario took Karina so I could go on the slides with the big kids. We went up those 66 stairs 13 times in that hour. I hadn't even caught my breath from each stair climb when we were beginning the next climb. There were no lines, no waiting, no resting!! We squeezed every minute of fun we could out of our final hour at the water park. Danny and I alternated going down the slide with Cecilia while the other went solo either on the tube slide or the body slide. Cecilia wasn't quite ready to go down on her own yet. I wasn't a fan of the body slide at all! It was pitch black and it drove me nuts that I couldn't see what was up ahead, I didn't know whether to breathe or hold my breath, yuk!
After that jam packed hour of fun, we piled in the car (our final trip in the mini-van) and headed out to my Mom's cottage. We met my sister Pam, her husband Rob and three of her children (Robert, Jack and Anna) for an afternoon of fun. It was the perfect day with kids playing with their cousins, the adults chatting, swimming and bar-b-que'ing. The men did some work around the house for my Mom, but for the most part it was a relaxing day in the country.
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| Cousin Anna and Karina being silly in Grandma's golf cart. |
Week one, down and it rocked! The house looks as if it were a snow globe and someone turned it upside down and shook it.........Mama has some work ahead of her!
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