DIS Dads Rust Belt Road Trip (2 UPDATES--1/18)

[Poolrat]

On the contrary, think of the mess if he didn't wear the diaper.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

I hope that does not mean you are sitting on the couch in a diaper.

On the contrary, think of the mess if he didn't wear the diaper.

We're installing a big-screen TV in the bathroom.

Think of it as falling with style.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Here's Sarah doing the football signals when she was 18 months old:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ei0cd7f5yU

 

[FreezinRafiki]

Here's Sarah doing the football signals when she was 18 months old:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ei0cd7f5yU

That's adorable! And it calls for an updated version. Find similar clothes in her current size and have her do the signals again!

 

[KatMark]

Here's Sarah doing the football signals when she was 18 months old:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ei0cd7f5yU

Her mom must be a great teacher!

 

[glennbo123]

Here's Sarah doing the football signals when she was 18 months old:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ei0cd7f5yU

Loved it!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

You are so smart! You are so smart! S-M-R-T...I mean S-M-A-R-T....

The Simpsons! Do I get a point?

'Cause someone's a good shopper!

Mrs. Knowitall: football fan. Bargain-shopper extraordinaire.

Sigh.....maybe when you start scrappin' with me....

What are we talking here? Arm-wrestling? Pillow fight? MMA?

This is really, REALLY cute. (Mark you should post the video of her doing her touchdown dance...) And sadly, because she was the first, she also knew them the best. By the time Scott came around, we were lucky if he knew what a football was!

Done! And as for the rest of the kids, I just need to do a better job of drilling them.

That's adorable! And it calls for an updated version. Find similar clothes in her current size and have her do the signals again!

Hmm. I don't think Carter's makes clothes in her size. Nowadays I have to do more convincing to get her to watch football with me.

Her mom must be a great teacher!

Loved it!

It never gets old to me!

 

[jenb1023]

I football!!!

But you are rooting for the wrong PA team. . . . . .GO STEELERS!!!!

Our fantasy football draft is Monday night (DH and I pick a team together).

Thanks for the scoop on the football hall of fame. Looks like a cool place to stop at if you are in the area but not cool enough to make it your destination. I love Joe Montana too - I was so mad when they booted him from the 49ers.

Yikes! Look at that rain!

 

[Cinderella's Fella]

I football!!!

But you are rooting for the wrong PA team. . . . . .GO STEELERS!!!!

 

[mom3sonstt]

I'm sad to say that at 18 months Sarah knew more about football than I have figured out in 45 years. My dad and brother were big football fans, and by default call myself a Bears fan....( I do remember the Suberbowl Shuffle if that counts ) But Danny doesn't watch football so I never had to learn. Two of my boys played in Jr High, so I did have to go to their games, but they didn't really know what they were doing either, so I didn't learn much there either.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

I football!!!

But you are rooting for the wrong PA team. . . . . .GO STEELERS!!!!

Our fantasy football draft is Monday night (DH and I pick a team together).

Thanks for the scoop on the football hall of fame. Looks like a cool place to stop at if you are in the area but not cool enough to make it your destination. I love Joe Montana too - I was so mad when they booted him from the 49ers.

Yikes! Look at that rain!

Oh, come on. Anyone can root for the Steelers. Sure, they have 6 championships. Big deal. I think it takes a lot more guts to cheer for the team that you know will rip your heart out and stomp on it every year.

So how did your draft go? I got crappy running backs on my team.

Hmm. I'll let you Ravens and Steelers fans work this one out.

I'm sad to say that at 18 months Sarah knew more about football than I have figured out in 45 years. My dad and brother were big football fans, and by default call myself a Bears fan....( I do remember the Suberbowl Shuffle if that counts ) But Danny doesn't watch football so I never had to learn. Two of my boys played in Jr High, so I did have to go to their games, but they didn't really know what they were doing either, so I didn't learn much there either.

Ah, the Super Bowl Shuffle. I do miss Jim MacMahon.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Our plan for Saturday was to take a break from heavy driving and hang out with our old friends. Well, not OLD old, but just in the sense that we'd known them for a while. I mean, they are older than me, but it's all relative anyway, and...

Ahem. Let's try this again.

Our friends suggested that we spend the day at one of their favorite spots, the town of St. Joseph, Michigan. Nearby was a small beach on Lake Michigan known as Silver Beach. Ever since Tom and Cathy had moved to South Bend, they'd been spending summer days lounging by the lake. Sounded great to us.

The only problem was, the weather was calling for overcast skies and a 60% chance of rain. Tom and Cathy's neighbors had been planning on joining us for the day, but they backed out when they saw that forecast. We debated internally for a few minutes before deciding to press on. After all, in our quest for the 50 states, our kids still needed to collect Michigan. And when would we be this close again? It's like the saying goes: "Anytime you get the chance to go to Michigan, you've got to take it."

Ok, nobody actually says that. But it beat sitting around the house all day. And if you're going to get soaked, you might as well have your bathing suit on, right? So, we headed north.

I'm so glad we crossed into Pure Michigan. Artificial Michigan would have been a let-down.

Before long, we were pulling into the parking lot at Silver Beach. Between the weather and our morning arrival, we were able to park just a short walk away from the sand. The sky was...iffy. But so far, we'd managed to avoid rain. You'd think with 4 adults and 5 kids, we'd be able to haul every chair, cooler, umbrella, beach toy, towel, ball, etc. down in one trip, but I believe we had to go back for a second trip.

I've been suffering from plantar fasciitis all summer, which makes it very painful to walk. Before the trip, Julie had found some orthotic inserts that were very thin, and bought them for me to try in my beach sandals, thinking I'd be able to walk in them without pain. It was a noble effort, but the sand ended up getting into my sandals and causing the inserts to keep sliding around. By the time I got to our spot on the beach, I had half an insert hanging out the back of each sandal.

The skies were gray, but the rain was holding off, and it felt warm enough to test the water. The winds from the storms to the west were actually whipping up some waves in the lake, and they were thundering ashore with regularity. I'd say they got up to 2.5-feet high, easily.

Ok, so maybe we East Coast folk are a little jaded. But the water felt good, anyway.

I stood back and hung out with the adults while the kids played for a while. But eventually they begged me to come out and swim with them. I wasn't sure if swimming in Lake Michigan would have any long-term health effects, but the kids convinced me with a very convincing argument. They kept saying, "Please? Pleeeeease? Please come out with us? PLEASE!! Pleeease?" every 30 seconds until I relented. How can you argue with that logic?

I basically had to sit down on the lake bottom in order to get wet, but the kids were happy. Then Sarah asked me to "ride some waves in" with her. The crest of the waves were barely up to my thighs. How exactly do I ride them in?

The force of the storm was at its peak, and the fury of the relentless waves showed no mercy. Yet I perservered, refusing to allow the merciless sea to defeat me as it had so many others.

I made Sarah happy by doing this. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

As it turned out, the rain held off all day. We had chosen...wisely. The kids were having a blast.

After our standard lunch of PB&J and cheeseballs (in a nice setting, of course), we got to check out the nearby playground on the beach.

We spent a couple more hours on the beach, well into mid-afternoon. We started to think about heading back to South Bend. But first, we had to get rid of all that beach sand. As it turned out, St. Joseph had a perfect place to do this: a newly built splash park.

I have no idea if you're technically supposed to wash your sand off here (probably not), but I'm betting the vast majority of visitors do just that. It's convenient to the beach and a lot more fun than the standard public cold showers in the bathrooms. They have little jets that shoot out from the concrete floor, similar to those you find at WDW. Every so often, the jets turn off and the huge water cannons you see in the picture above start to rain water on everyone. This proved to be a big hit with the kids.

Wouldn't you know it? A big bully showed up and started harassing poor Scotty.

Scotty was undeterred, however. He concentrated on his duty of making sure he got every single inch of himself clean.

Uh oh. This became a trend.

So what do you think of the beach and splash park, Dave?

Coming Up Next: All of your deep, burning questions you've ever wanted answered about St. Joseph, MI will be answered!

 

[FreezinRafiki]

Our plan for Saturday was to take a break from heavy driving and hang out with our old friends. Well, not OLD old, but just in the sense that we'd known them for a while. I mean, they are older than me, but it's all relative anyway, and...

If they're reading along, you may want to extract your foot from your mouth right about now.

Tom and Cathy's neighbors had been planning on joining us for the day, but they backed out when they saw that forecast.

I guess this is the ultimate definition of Fair Weather Fans, huh?

It's like the saying goes: "Anytime you get the chance to go to Michigan, you've got to take it."

Ok, nobody actually says that.

I'll be even people in Michigan never even say that.

ou'd think with 4 adults and 5 kids, we'd be able to haul every chair, cooler, umbrella, beach toy, towel, ball, etc. down in one trip, but I believe we had to go back for a second trip.

No, I would expect a party of 9 people to take everything in one trip. However, if your family is anything like ours, you were handicapped by having 5 people carry nothing and go running for the beach, while the other 4 are left to carry everything. I'm naming names or suggesting who is in which group to protect the innocent.

I've been suffering from plantar fasciitis all summer, which makes it very painful to walk.

Wow! Big fancy medical terms! That sounds like an actual injury a professional athlete would get!

By the time I got to our spot on the beach, I had half an insert hanging out the back of each sandal.

Better than having toilet paper stuck to the bottom of each sandal.

I wasn't sure if swimming in Lake Michigan would have any long-term health effects, but the kids convinced me with a very convincing argument.

My kids have been swimming in it their entire lives. Of course, that's on the nice, clean Wisconsin side. I can't speak for filthy, nasty things those other states do.

The crest of the waves were barely up to my thighs. How exactly do I ride them in?

No worries, bro! Just gonna hot dog that honker past the boneyard to the sand!

(I learned that from Phineas and Ferb. I have no idea what it means)

I made Sarah happy by doing this. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

Such a good daddy. Sacrificing your happiness on the warm, cozy sand to suffer out in the raging water.

We had chosen...wisely.

Since no official contest has been announced, I will not give in to temptation and mention that this is from Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade.

Scotty was undeterred, however. He concentrated on his duty of making sure he got every single inch of himself clean.

Uh oh. This became a trend.

New! From the makers of Colon Blow!

Coming Up Next: All of your deep, burning questions you've ever wanted answered about St. Joseph, MI will be answered!

You mean like where the heck is St. Joseph, MI?

 

[glennbo123]

I'm so glad we crossed into Pure Michigan. Artificial Michigan would have been a let-down.

Artificial Michigan surely wouldn't have counted toward that whole 50-state thing.

By the time I got to our spot on the beach, I had half an insert hanging out the back of each sandal.

Most guys wouldn't have had the guts to include this story. Thank you.

The skies were gray, but the rain was holding off, and it felt warm enough to test the water. The winds from the storms to the west were actually whipping up some waves in the lake, and they were thundering ashore with regularity. I'd say they got up to 2.5-feet high, easily.

Really? That big, huh?

The force of the storm was at its peak, and the fury of the relentless waves showed no mercy. Yet I perservered, refusing to allow the merciless sea to defeat me as it had so many others.

I'm sorry, but I have to say it....this made me think of The Hair Club for Men commercial. But an "after" picture, so that's good!

Wouldn't you know it? A big bully showed up and started harassing poor Scotty.

We don't know what transpired before this picture...Scotty probably made fun of this guy's tan and had it comin'.

Scotty was undeterred, however. He concentrated on his duty of making sure he got every single inch of himself clean.

That's just how the bidet was invented!

Coming Up Next: All of your deep, burning questions you've ever wanted answered about St. Joseph, MI will be answered!

Do people from Michigan really show where they're from by pointing to a location on their hand?

 

[mom3sonstt]

When I read this the first time I didn't really notice this too much, but now that I am back this afternoon and was scrolling past it quickly the boys' heads looked almost like Mouse Ears on your daughter's head.

Wouldn't you know it? A big bully showed up and started harassing poor Scotty.

Scotty was undeterred, however. He concentrated on his duty of making sure he got every single inch of himself clean.

Uh oh. This became a trend.

Those darn bullies!!

Love the that the boys are so concerned with their cleanliness

 

[Mrs. Knowitall]

The Simpsons! Do I get a point?

Uh....sure! +1

Mrs. Knowitall: football fan. Bargain-shopper extraordinaire.

What are we talking here? Arm-wrestling? Pillow fight? MMA?

Hmm. I don't think Carter's makes clothes in her size.

Wow. +1 to you for knowing that her outfit was from Carter's. Was there a huge tag hanging out the side?

 

[afwdwfan]

We battled internet issues at work all afternoon today. I had a witty, sarcastic multi-quote reply made up, but we lost internet and therefore I lost my post. If we have some downtime tomorrow I'll have to try again.

Looks like a fun day at the lake though!

 

[Mrs. Knowitall]

But it beat sitting around the house all day.

.....or heading to the RV Hall of Fame....

The skies were gray, but the rain was holding off, and it felt warm enough to test the water. The winds from the storms to the west were actually whipping up some waves in the lake, and they were thundering ashore with regularity. I'd say they got up to 2.5-feet high, easily.

Ok, so maybe we East Coast folk are a little jaded. But the water felt good, anyway.

It was really, really nice. Our friends told us not to bring our boogie boards, but we were kind of wishing we did. Our kids could have shown off to some of the teens there!

long-term health effects,

As it turned out, the rain held off all day. We had chosen...wisely. The kids were having a blast.

It was a GREAT day!!!

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this picture!!!!

You'd think with 4 adults and 5 kids, we'd be able to haul every chair, cooler, umbrella, beach toy, towel, ball, etc. down in one trip, but I believe we had to go back for a second trip.

No, I would expect a party of 9 people to take everything in one trip. However, if your family is anything like ours, you were handicapped by having 5 people carry nothing and go running for the beach, while the other 4 are left to carry everything. I'm naming names or suggesting who is in which group to protect the innocent.

Well, Tom drove with all the guys in their van and parked in the "paid" lot with all the stuff. (They had an annual pass on their car.) Cathy and I drove in our van with the girls and parked in a free lot. When Cathy, her daughter, Sarah and I got down to the beach, Tom and Mark had managed to get everything out there - most likely without the help of the 7 year old, the 5 year old or the 4 year old. So really....as far as Cathy and I were concerned - this process worked GREAT!

We don't know what transpired before this picture...Scotty probably made fun of this guy's tan and had it comin'.

When I read this the first time I didn't really notice this too much, but now that I am back this afternoon and was scrolling past it quickly the boys' heads looked almost like Mouse Ears on your daughter's head.

That's right! I hadn't noticed that until you pointed it out. Cute!

Love the that the boys are so concerned with their cleanliness

Yeah....they're like that all the time.

 

[jenb1023]

So how did your draft go? I got crappy running backs on my team.

Draft was okay - we were 11th out of 14 picking and then the dang computer timed out so we got the auto-picks on our first two choices. But those auto picks were Tom Brady and Darren McFadden so not too bad. Our team is okay - just all depends on how the first few weeks shake out. We seem to either score a zillion points or zero points - it would be nice if we could average it out this year! Good luck this week! I run a straight up pick em pool at my office so I need to get those picks done next.

Love the update!!! Glad you decided to stick with the plans and go to the beach. The kids look like they are having a blast in all of the photos! I am impressed that you were able to ride those huge waves without wiping out!

 

[Poolrat]

Scotty was undeterred, however. He concentrated on his duty of making sure he got every single inch of himself clean.

Really?!?!?!? How punny.

When I read this the first time I didn't really notice this too much, but now that I am back this afternoon and was scrolling past it quickly the boys' heads looked almost like Mouse Ears on your daughter's head.

See Mickey Heads everywhere.


Sounds like a nice day at the lake. I see the process of the thorough cleaning all the time. Makes me glad we use lots of chlorine.