Lake Geneva

While my mom and dad were here earlier in October we took a drive up to Lake Geneva, WI.  It's a rural 45-minute drive from Grayslake. The area reminded us of northern Michigan with lots of cute shops and beautiful lake views. There was even a Kilwins fudge shop in town!

We took a 2-hour boat cruise around the lake and learned the history of some of the gorgeous estates which were summer retreats for the likes of Wrigley Chewing Gum, Morton Salt, Montgomery Ward, Andes Mints, etc.  It was a very interesting tour and the fall colors were gorgeous.

The kids most enjoyed that they could walk on the boat, going up to the top deck to feel the frigid air in their faces!

The boat dock area. 

Cassidy, Julie, and Lincoln

Yia Yia taking a pic of the tour boat coming into the dock.

A coupla great kids on the beach all wrapped up!

Gorgeous autumn colors.

Cassie, Julie, and Papou.

Um, yeah, nice "vacation" home.

photo shoot.

Cass was in a cute mood the other day and was looking particularly beautiful. Ok, I know I'm her mom so of course I think that, but I couldn't help but grab the camera. Here's my gorgeous girl.

Family Day.

We attended family day at Allstate in mid-September and it was a blast. We enjoyed lunch, ice cream, rides, animals, and clowns. Here are a few pics.

Lincoln driving the fire engine.

Doing some driving. 

Thumbs up on the motorcycle ride. 

Cute girl on a carousel giraffe. 

Cute boy on the carousel. 

preschool.

Cassie has been out of the daycare scene since we moved to Grayslake one and one-half years ago and I've enjoyed nearly every moment that I've had with her but she's 3 and it's time for preschool.  Woohoo!  

Her first day was a parent-and-kid day where we got to see the classroom, meet the teachers, read a lovey-dovey book together (The Kissing Hand - very cute if you're a parent and haven't read it yet), and make a parent/child hand print placement that the kids will use throughout the year during snack time. It was a fun time, but Cass was pretty much glued to me.  

She's a shy kid and I knew her new environment would require some transition time. I was conveniently out of town on her second and third days of school so I didn't have to witness her tears first hand. I left that to dad and grandma while I was in MI helping my brother celebrate his 40th birthday. 

We're now three weeks in and she really seems to enjoy preschool, though there are still a few nerves at drop-off time which I can see subsiding with each passing day. She comes home singing new songs and volunteers much more information about her days than her brother does. I hope this trend continues as I love hearing what she's up to on her own time. 

Ready for school, mom!

Proud brother with his sister. 

So proud of her pink owl backpack.

 Congrats, Cassie, on being a big preschooler!

1st grade.

Lincoln started 1st grade today. Full day school - hurray! He's so ready for it and I'm so ready for him to be busy with school and fall sports so he can quit begging to play video games in his every spare moment!

Early morning picture before the bus arrived at 7:37 a.m. 

Good morning!  I'm off to school. 

After school pic with little sister.

Bullseye, Lincoln, Cassidy, and medium blankie.

Showing off his, um, personality.

While Lincoln was busy at school this morning (he had 1/2 day for the first day), I finally slogged through the giant stack of Kindergarten papers that adorned the dining room bookshelves. I needed to clear a space for a brand new stack of school papers. No better time to do it than on the first day of school, right?  It had been on my to-do list since school ended.  Check. 

Cassidy will start M/W/F preschool after Labor Day. Yeehaw! 

play ball.

While we were in Michigan visiting family and friends, we carved out an afternoon for a Gough family outing to Comerica Park. One of Matt's hopes as a father is that his kids will be Detroit sports fans. Lincoln is well on his way. He's been to Tigers, Lions, and Pistons games (still need to get to a Red Wings game). Cassidy is just getting started and she enjoyed her first experience at a Tigers game.

The kids on the giant Tiger in front of the park. 

Cassie's "first game" certificate!

big brother. little sister. 

Watching the first pitch. 

Linc.

It was kids day so we enjoyed a ride on the ferris wheel.

Three cuties on the ferris wheel.

Cassie on the Tiger carousel.

More pics from the game can be found here.

"Baseball? It's just a game - as simple as a ball and a bat. Yet, as complex as the American spirit it symbolizes. It's a sport, business - and sometimes even religion."
                                                                                        ~ Ernie Harwell

specs.

he·red·i·ty/həˈreditē/

Noun:

The passing on of physical or mental characteristics genetically from one generation to another.

Though I repeatedly hear that Lincoln is the spitting image of his father -- my dad says they even walk the same way -- it appears as though Lincoln really is my son. He has successfully inherited my cruddy vision. While I didn't get glasses until I was in 4th grade, Lincoln got them a couple of weeks ago as he's entering 1st grade.  Right now, he is not bordering on blindness as I am but he will need his glasses to read the board at school. 

When he wore them for the first time at home he commented on how he could see the fireplace clock clearly. Sometimes you don't know what you're missing until you can see it clearly. 

You look adorable, buddy!