The "Beach" Trip

Lake Michigan. Ballet pose.

Elise does not keep it a secret that she would like to visit a beach someday  immediately. And she means the real thing--the pool won't do. "But I want to collect shells there, Mommy!" And she knows the difference between a lake and an ocean. She wants the real deal.

"Mommy, can we please go to the beach tomorrow?"
"For my birthday, I want to go to the beach!"
"Oops, Mommy, turn around! The beach is that way!"
"Oh no, Mommy! You left your purse at the beach!"

Lighthouse. Can you spot
Uncle Tom at the top? All
three girls were okay with
Uncle Tom while Matt and I
dashed to the top as well!

Elise used to believe that once she'd arrived at the beach she could swim out with a net and capture a pet clownfish and a pet seahorse to bring home and keep, an idea that is farfetched not only because seahorses and clownfish don't typically venture to the surf--the child can't swim (she kind of thinks she can, though).

[She also thinks she can fly: The other day, "Mommy, I flew a little!" she exclaimed after running and flapping her arms. And she's convinced she can catch a fairy if only her plan is elaborate enough. But I digress...]

We are not going to the real ocean this summer (maybe next, or the one after?), but we got about as close as you can when we visited Uncle Tom in Wisconsin last weekend when we all went to Lake Michigan. The Great Lake didn't disappoint--although it can be docile, it gave Elise quite the show with ocean-like waves underneath sunny skies. She even found a shell! Just one, and it broke (we won't mention any names, but rest assured, she remembers...), but there were more at the lighthouse we visited later, and any prior shell accidents were well compensated. The beach day ended with chocolate milk and lots of fried things. Yum.

Hiking!

Of course, the rest of the Wisconsin trip was nothing to sneeze at (an expression that can send all three girls into a fit of giggles). We visited a windmill and a cute coffee shop where the big girls got their own table, we hiked at a state park, we swam at a lesser beach that was still tons of fun, we visited some friends, we played games and we even survived the loss of power on our first night in due to a violent thunderstorm.

And we saw Uncle Tom! His house was the most beautiful the girls had ever seen, his food the tastiest (he has chocolate milk, too!), his jokes the funniest. Plus he'd do just about anything the girls thought to dare him to, a discovery that will not be lost on them during future visits. It was magical.

The car rides were not magical, but they were mostly livable, and Naomi took her first nap of the trip on the way home. That particular part of the journey would've been much less livable if she hadn't.

Back at home, the girls still perk up every time they hear the word "lake" or "Michigan," and they're dying to go back. Mommy and Daddy kind of are, too...

Ballet pose again, on a hike.

It was really bright at the top of the
windmill!

This is Kalina's "I'm having lots of fun!" look.

Really bright up here, and yes, Elise was actually allowed to stand on the blade.

Windmill! And Naomi is letting Uncle Tom hold her!

This is why the kids have an uncle: so they can pummel him. He was a good
sport. This was our Saturday beach--not Lake Michigan but almost as fun.

Elise learns that she can actually put her feet in
the giant lake/ocean thing in front of her. Whoah!

We found a cool "tide pool," as Elise decided. Almost the ocean!

Somebody stacked all these rocks, and Naomi only knocked down a couple!

We had a table by the lake, and Kalina dared Uncle Tom to climb a tree. He almost made it!

Do you think she'll float?

Chasing Lake Michigan's
rather impressive waves!

Naomi was scared of the sand and the surf and probably just tired at naptime on her third day with no nap. I was totally content to veg with her a while.

Somehow we managed to get this shot without the hoards of people who are also enjoying Lake Michigan on this beautiful day.

The land bridge to the lighthouse. Great views and handfuls of tiny shells, plus it was cool that we had to wade through in the middle.

Sighting danger, or surveying
the future? Either way, Uncle
Tom is on top of the world.