Yanked.

Today was the day that Mason had his rotten, broken molar pulled from his mouth. And while he was a bit anxious en route to the dentist, the laughing gas eased his nerves. We were in and out of the office in 15 minutes, and in his gassed state Mason told the dentist he was having so much fun that he wanted him to pull another tooth! All smiles for this kid!

{Pre-dentist. One last smile!}

{I found this picture on my phone. Mason must have snapped this on the car ride home.}

{And there it is in all its rotten glory.}

Mason wrote a note asking the Tooth Fairy if he could keep his tooth. Rest assured that Ms. Fairy has no interest hijacking that hot mess of a tooth! 

Florida: Day 5

We closed out our vacation with another picture perfect Florida day. And what better way to spend it than at the beach?!

{Camryn is more of a land animal when at the beach. I totally agree!}

{Filling her time with some tumbling moves.}

{Camryn dipped her legs in the Gulf, which made her dramatically cold. But a little sunshine and Mom's way-to-big-for-a-little-girl beach cover up was just what she needed to warm up!}

{The boys went "hunting" for shark teeth. They found a whole bunch, and after not wanting to participate nearly the entire time, Mason found a shark tooth on his first sift through and was hooked!}

{Peace out, Sharky's Pier. Until we meet again...}

One last dip in the pool, and it was time to head home.

{There is no better way to shuttle to the airport than on your own private tram complete with chin-up bars and fireman poles!}

This trip was just the break from routine that we all needed!

Florida: Day 4

Monday. And the first day where it might actually be possible to sweat! We got after it early with plans to see the chalk drawings one last time before heading to Siesta Key beach for the Sandcastle Competition. 

All of the artists were done, which gave us time to admire all of the finished pieces! Our favorites were the 3D drawings.

It's crazy how three dimensional some of these drawings looked. It was a total brain teaser!

We hit the road quickly thereafter so as to not miss another second of the "White Sand Beach" as the kids call Siesta Key.

{But first, a drawbridge. Something we don't see much of in Illinois.}

Then on to the Sandcastle Competition. The kids had taken in enough "art" at this point, so they hurried through the sculptures so that they could get their feet wet in the ocean on this warm and sunny day!

{The design, construction, and detail was quite impressive!}

Finally, time for the kids to make their way to the beach. The sand really is quite remarkable, and, happily, it was packed down enough this time that everyone was able to walk on it without it sucking them in like quicksand. 

{Sand angels? Yes, please!}

We spent the better part of the afternoon making sandcastles and sand turtles, burying each other in the sand, splashing in the water, boogie boarding in the waves, and watching dolphins swim by. This was the vacation we were expecting!

Florida: Day 3

Sunday was supposed to be sunny and warm-ish, but it turned out that my weather app did not communicate that with the weather. So we powered through another unseasonably cool Florida day.

{We started off our morning at the park where these two played on the equipment while Caleb and Jacob shot hoops. It would eventually evolve into everyone shooting hoops on a very crowded half-court setup.}

My parents frequent the teeny-tiny local airport restaurant, which is conveniently located at the Chalk Fest venue, so we headed there for lunch before heading over to the Fest. The unexpected entertainment was the plane that caught fire prior to takeoff as we were being seated. No injuries, but a great way to keep the kids entertained as we waited for our food!

{Wiki Stix were another great entertainment option. Mason fashioned himself a pair of reading glasses so he could more clearly read the menu.}

{This girl sipped on her Sprite as if it were a cup of hot coffee. High maintenance college co-ed in the making!}

After lunch we headed to the Fest to check out the artists' progress.

{This chalk-board was significantly different since the kids made the first marks on it days earlier. And, yes, it really did feel as cold as Mason was making it out to be.}

{This dinosaur piece popped out of nowhere!}

{Where does the ground end and the wall begin?}

{Electrifying!}

We breezed through the Fest today so that we could get back to the warm condo.

{And when your kids are wasting away on their iPads, you must take them somewhere to be entertained. So we went to see Playing with Fire, which should officially rank as the worst movie ever. It wasn't even so bad that it was funny. It was just so bad. Mason opted out of the movie because he would rather "just relax," so he and my dad hung back. They sure dodged the bullet!}

Florida: Day 2

Saturday started out chilly, so we hung at the condo waiting for the clouds to break, the wind to die down, and the air to warm up. When none of that happened, we decided it best to go about our day doing the things we had planned to do anyways. First up: searching for shark teeth at Venice Pier. Caleb and Jacob found a few and got soaked during the process! Mason spent his time racing the waves along the shoreline, while Camryn repeatedly filled a bucket with sand and dumped it. 

Because this activity left the boys soaked and Camryn freezing, my parents and I were the only three participants willing and able to attend the Chalk Fest. It was amazing to see just how much progress the artists were able to make in such a short time and under less than ideal conditions! 

{This drawing wasn’t even started on Friday, and it was complete by Saturday afternoon!}

A couple of the 3-D paintings underway. It’s crazy how much the paintings change from day to day as the artists work!}

Not pictured: The daily two trips to the pool that the kids have promised themselves. No matter the temperature! 

Lost Tooth Update

Camryn has come to terms with her missing tooth. In fact, she is happy with her decision to lose it. She says she thinks her missing tooth makes her look older. She believes she could now easily pass for a second grader. And that makes me laugh!

Florida: Day 1

We took off for Florida Thursday for a long weekend spent with my parents at their condo. And despite an airplane mechanical delay—that turned out to be nothing more than a broken armrest—we arrived into Tampa very late at night, yet right on time.


{The kids wasted no time on Friday morning jumping into the pool! What was even more exciting to them was when they found the heated outdoor shower. Game changer!}


{The purpose of our trip out to Florida was to attend the Chalk Festival, as we did a couple of years back; however, rain and chalk do not mix. Once the rain slowed, we decided to check out the fest. We were about one of five people who were there to see, well, not much at that point!}

{Camryn standing with a very big bee!}

{Last time we went to the fest there was no space left for us to create our own masterpieces. This time we had free range!}

 
{This shark has been here for several years, and was just restored for this year’s fest. The kids hopped right into the mouth, and a local newspaper snapped a picture. It didn’t make the press cut, but we were able to have the photographer take a picture from the media-only scaffolding for us to keep.}


{We saw a pair of bald eagles sitting high atop some electrical poles on our way home from the beach. And then we saw another one grabbing a quick bite outside my parents’ condo!} 
{We ate lunch at Sharky’s. A crowd favorite!

{And then this happened. Camryn has had a wiggly tooth for about 6 weeks now. So wiggly that it was hanging out sideways in her mouth. Time to pull. Yes, it was absolutely as traumatic for all involved as her face leads you to believe. Good grief, girl. It was hardly even attached!}

Cubs’ Family Day

The final season ticket holder perk of the season: Family Day! And because Jacob had a basketball game that conflicted with our scheduled time, we had to slightly modify our family by bringing my mom along instead.

{Yes, the day started out as cold as it looks!}

{Pieces of Wrigley Field favorites were scaled down and set up in the concourse for photo ops!} 

{My Willson Contreras wannabe posing as Willson Contreras. Perfection!}

{Perhaps Camryn's favorite part of the day: Balloon art!}

{Hitting up the dugout. Mason's balloon art is a fishing pole, never mind what it actually looks like.}

{My favorite part of the day was having the opportunity to check out the Cubs Clubhouse. It was AMAZING! Sadly, no pictures allowed in the clubhouse--so I won't be posting the pictures I snuck of Contreras, Bryant, and Rizzo's lockers. Wink. Wink.}

{The view from the press box. A view like this almost makes me want to go back to my roots as a reporter.}

{Mason wanted to make some diving catches in the outfield. So he did. Camryn wanted to dance like a free spirit with her balloon wand. So she did. Notice how the kids have shed their layers? Chicago weather is crazy!}

{They had batting cages set up in the bullpen. Mason killed it! And almost killed me.}

So grateful to have had this opportunity! I wish Jacob and Caleb could have gone with, but Jacob would rather play basketball with all of his friends. Even if one of those said friends is the reason for a 20 minute on-court puke delay. True story. And so glad to miss that!