I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how we could see Brodee this summer, visit the Carlson's and the Neilson's, and celebrate Theo's first birthday all at the same time. Our Raptor is WAY too small to host anyone and it's a lot to ask family members to come all the way to Illinois for just a birthday party. Solution: Airbnb!
I started looking on Airbnb six months ago for a house that could accommodate a large group and would be close to Josh's work (since he would still have to work). I found this amazing house in Downer's Grove (a beautiful Chicago Suburb). I sent the information to the family members, made sure the timing worked for us to get Brodee, and then booked it!
On Sunday, July 29th, Josh flew to Dallas to pick up Brodee (Brodee was able to fly from Midland to Dallas by himself), while Theo and I drove to our two-week home. We met my parents, Brady, and Dane there, unpacked, and then my dad and I went to Costco and Meyers to stock up on food.
Funny story: While dad and I were shopping at Meyers, we accidentally stole someone else cart and didn't notice until we were checking out! I then took the stolen cart and some of the items back to where I thought the switch took place and luckily our original cart was there! Phew! It was crazy how we didn't realize until we were checking out because so many of the items in our carts were similar 😬
[The finished basement was a HUGE factor in renting this house! I knew it would be great place for the boys to play. They loved the drums, but quickly lost interest once we hooked up the Wii]
Over the next few days the rest of our family members came in. Josh's mom (Suzi); grandparents (Joe and Judy); sister, sister-in-law, and nephew (Jessi, Ally, and Braxton); and my sister-in-law and her son (Missy and Cole) all trickled in eventually.
We spent the rest of the week relaxing by the pool, playing baseball and volleyball, visiting 31st Street Beach, working on a 550 piece Harry Potter puzzle, and eating Superior Meats!
[Dane, Cole, Courtney, Rick, and Arlene]
[Missy and Cole]
[Brady and Brodee]
[Brady, Brodee, and Dane]
[Playing baseball with Papa]
[Learning how to play volleyball]
[My nephews LOVED holding Theo]
[Great-grandpa Joe and Theo]
[I bought Theo this Ottero for the pool, but it was a little chilly, so we filled up the tub and let Theo splash around for a while. It was a pain to get on and off, but other then that, Theo LOVED it!]
[Brodee sleeping in the basement]
I researched a lot before this trip and I found that there were a lot of great beaches for families. I narrowed it down to three and we decided to try our luck with 31st Street Beach on the south side of Chicago. It had a nice big beach, plenty of lifeguards, restrooms, a concession stand, and a play ground. This beach was perfect!
[Brady with the Chicago skyline]
[Theo and Courtney]
[Brodee, Brady, and Dane]
[Cole is so happy in the water!]
[Playing catch with Grandma]
[She's a pro!]
[The water was calm (unless a boat came by) and clear, the lifeguards were nearby (see the one in a row boat?), the food from the concession stand was delicious, the weather was perfect, and the kids had a great time!]
["Aunt Courtney, can you take a picture of me and my beach in a bottle?"]
[We thought this puzzle was hard, boy, were we in for a surprise!]
[Aunt Jessi and Theo]
[Brady putting in the last piece of the Harry Potter puzzle!]
[Josh's family brought brats and stuffed burgers all the way from Superior Meats! Thank you! They were all delicious!]
[Ally, Braxton, and Jessi]
[Fun Aunt Jessi taking the boys for a ride!]
On Friday night, my little brother and his son (Luke and Porter), and my older brother (Ryan) got to Downers Grove. I gathered the family around the TV and showed everyone my plan for tackling Chicago on Saturday. It was going to be a long and HOT day, but I promised we would have fun!
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