Summer adventure: Tippecanoe, Delilah, Notre Dame a new wagon and the beach too.

Summer is quickly coming to an end and we have been soaking up every last minute of summertime fun. Many of our Chicago summers are filled with terribly sticky, hot and humid days that keep us inside cooling in the a/c. This summer has been much cooler with the exception of one miserably hot week. We have been keeping busy which has helped keep us smiling through our difficulties with having another baby. We are so blessed with our one beautiful sweet, adventurous little girl and can't deny the extreme happiness that she fills us with.

Delilah loves adventure and to explore new places. We do our best to expand her horizons and fulfill her sense of wonder. A few weekends ago we took a trip to Indiana to pick up Delilah's brand new ATW Radio Flyer wagon. Patrick insisted that Delilah's red wagon have all terrain wheels and we drove to South Bend Indiana to buy her one. I'm sure that we could have found one locally but we had been talking about taking a beach day and this added to our adventurous day. 

First stop, South Bend Indiana to pick up the wagon. Delilah immediately jumped in and gave it her approval. We then decided to stop at the Tippecanoe House in downtown South Bend for Sunday brunch. We love historical homes and this one did not disappoint. Delilah made herself at home as soon as we walked in the door by removing her shoes. We were seated for brunch in an exquisite dinning room and enjoyed a lovely meal. Delilah was antsy and kept getting up to explore the house just like any little girl in a historical mansion should do. As soon as we were all finished eating, exploring is exactly what we did. We got ourselves into every nook and cranny of this beautiful home inside and out. For about an hr of our day, this house was our very own. 

After leaving the Tippecanoe House, we took a quick tour of the grounds of Notre Dame. It was a very hot day so we didn't stay as long as we would have liked. This was our first time visiting Notre Dame and I must say it is a gorgeous campus. Patrick made sure to tell Delilah many times that he would be ok with her attending college at Notre Dame.

Now we were off to the beach. It was an easy breezy kind of day with not too much of a plan. We drove towards the lake and figured we would just explore and find beach access somewhere. We didn't want to go to an overly crowded beach. We were looking for a beach without a lifeguard, more of a secret spot and we found it. 

We found our way through a beautiful community in Grand Beach, Michigan. We found a nice place to park the car and headed down some secluded steps down to the beach. It was perfect! Not at all crowded and everyone was very friendly. 

We set up a nice little spot for Delilah and she quickly informed us that she needed some serious time to warm up to the beach. The waves were crashing in and I can see how that may have been a bit traumatic for her. She wanted nothing to do with the water or the sand. Our beach time didn't last very long, but for the short time we were there, it sure was peaceful and beautiful. We will continue to take her and I'm certain that one day soon enough she will love the beach. 

Our sweet baby girl is growing into a little lady so very fast. Special days like this mean the world to me.