Cayden's Baptism Luncheon

Today was Cayden's baptism and we met Tony, Christine, Cayden and their friends and family at Fox Hills golf course for lunch.
After lunch the kids went outside to play on the golf course. Here are a few more pictures.

The Michigan State Fair

So it is Saturday night and movie night is cancelled...Lita is sick. So we said, why not take the kids to the Michigan State Fair and see farm animals!

When we got there there was so much to do we did not know where to go first. We ended up riding a few rides first, the "big slide", the merry-go-round, and "the bees"(twice!!). Then we saw a parade and headed to the Lego Experience. We finally made it to the farm animals. We saw some prize winning steers, donkeys and goats. Then we headed to the donkey chariot race and the pig show!

It was quite an experience...for all of us!
Check out a few more pictures and a movie (including a clip of the "Super Bed" from earlier in the day).

After Dinner Drive

Tonight after dinner we took a walk to the park. Isaac wanted to drive his car all the way there.

Well, it did not take long before Olivia wanted to ride in the car too...

....and then drive it on her own. Of course!


Check out the pictures and video of her driving for the first time.

Cranbrook Dinoasaur Egg Exhibit

Today we went to the Cranbrook Science Museum. There was an exhibit on Dinosaur eggs. The kids (and Miriam) got to dress up as dinosaurs...which was hilarious, and dig for eggs.

We also saw lots of rocks..in the "Hall of Rocks"....not to be confused with the school of rock...or the rock and roll hall of fame.

See a few more pictures here.

Tire Swing & Farmer's Market

Sunday we went to the Cardboard Park, the Farmer's Market and then to dinner. The kids really loved the tire swing. Here are a few more pictures and a video...

Cosmo's 7th Birthday

Tomorrow, August 10th is Cosmo's 7th Birthday!

He has now surpassed Miriam as the oldest member of the Lubin family at 49 years old (dog years...). We all chipped in and bought him a new toy. He and the kids played with it tonight after dinner. He seems to like it.

Here are some pictures from the day we brought him home from the animal shelter to our NYC apartment.

Happy Birthday Cosmo!!

Family Trip to Chicago - Day 4

Sunday was our last day of vacation, so we made the best of it and tried to squeeze as much in as possible.....maybe too much. First we headed to Millennium park where, per tradition, we checked out "The Bean".

Then we headed to the Family Fun Festival, where the kids got to play jump rope, hula hoop, draw, paint and make skyscrapers!

After that we picked up some sandwiches and went to the amphitheatre to listen to Little Miss Ann. It was a beautiful day and the kids and Miriam were dancing around listening to the music.

On the way back to the hotel we stopped at a park and the kids released some energy before we hopped in the car for our ride home.

An hour into the drive the kids woke up and it was time to have dinner. We stopped at a beach town on Lake Michigan, St. Joseph. Here we had a nice dinner on a restaurant which had rooftop dining in the sun. The kids could even draw on the plates with Magic Markers...we all got a kick out of this!

We then, spontaneously decided to walk down to the beach and play in the lake, sand and another play structure. This "little while" turned into 3 hours and we finally decided to stay and watch the sunset, which was absolutely incredible!At about 10PM we hopped in the car and headed back home. The kids promptly fell asleep and we drove home....arriving around 1:30 AM.

It was another great trip to Chicago!
The rest of the pictures from Sunday and a video can be seen here.

Family Trip to Chicago - Day 3

Saturday we woke up and headed straight to the Lincoln Park Zoo.

Since we were on Eastern time, we got there before it was technically open, so some of the animals were still asleep.

The zoo was great even though we got caught in the rain a few times!

It had a really nice open feel to it and a small section just for kids where everything is at eye level (for them). The children's section also had a climbing canopy which was pretty incredible.

Here is Isaac trying to stand like a Flamingo (see the real flamingos in the background?).

We also saw a bunch of other animals. The highlights were the gibbons and Great Apes. The gibbons were really active. One came right up to the glass by Olivia and began scratching at the dirt to try and dig to her. The Great Apes were playing hide-and-seek which was fun to watch. It is hard for a 500lb gorilla to hide!

After the zoo we headed to the beach. It was a cloudy and windy day but that did not stop the kids from playing in the sand and the waves.

On the way back we made our first attempt at mass transit and the kids(+ the double stroller) rode a bus for the first time. It was quite a day...once we finally got home we all slept pretty well.

There are quite a few more pictures here.