Start Your Engines!

Hello!

Summer 2022 was busy and super fun.  The day after we got back from Italy and NYC, we drove the kids to Camp Foster in Spirit Lake, Iowa for a week of away camp. Both kids really enjoyed it, and it gave Jason and I taste of what it will be like someday when the kids are out of the house. 😀

We wrapped up Summer with tickets to the NASCAR race in KC where Grandpa Craig and Grandma Kim had a camping spot and pit tickets so we could tour the area. Olivia and I waited in a long line to take a picture at Victory Lane. When she got up there, she started jumping and hooting like she had won! It was funny and it made people laugh at silly we were being. I'm still not a big NASCAR fan, but the race and atmosphere was fun and I can understand why people get into it.

Olivia in Victory Lane!

Future Crew Chief!

Some other highlights of the Summer included numerous lemonade, cookie, and sno-cone 'stands' that their nanny, Molly, helped to coordinate for them. The photo below shows Quinn with his friend who hosted this one because he's on a great street with good visibility and access. The boys would drive traffic to their stand by pushing the crosswalk button at the intersection nearby so they could lure cars to come to them. Quite sneaky but a good sales technique!

The kids did swim team again and took tennis lessons all summer. They both did a soccer goalie camp in July as well as numerous hockey tournaments, camps and ice time whenever they could get it.  All in all, they stayed really active and (mostly!) off of the electronic devices.

Jason and I took a few trips together including a long weekend in FL and a quick out and back to Big Sky where we had some more work to do on the condo for a carpet install. Updates to the condo are almost complete which is exciting for us since it has been a lot of work. But from here on out, it will be a place we can just enjoy when we visit.  

In August, we went to Colorado to stay at my parent's house in Cascade that is so warm and welcoming. Then it was back to KC and back to school already. Between work and other activities, it seems like the Summer just flew by.

Love always, Claire & Family

Lake People, Part Two

 Hello!

The Summer of 2022, the Cunningham family front loaded our vacation time in the first month or so! Our friends, the Smith family, had a reason to go to Italy in early June, so we planned a trip with them. I will say, it was hectic at times and a tight schedule, but I wouldn't change a thing! BUT maybe it made me nostalgic for the relaxing beach vacays a little bit ;)

We departed early June for London and spend a day there touring and trying to get un-jet-lagged if that's even possible. We rode the London Eye and witnessed lots of the festivities for Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee which wasn't really our primary focus but made for good people watching. 

Kids on London Eye

Family @Big Ben - Why do I always close my eyes! 😂

Early the next AM, we went to Gatwick airport for our flight to Milan BUT, little did we know, our Wizz Air flight had been cancelled and there was no airline support to rectify the situation. Our group had booked this neat condo near Bellagio right on Lake Como and we were kind of stuck for awhile. Like all travel adventures, this was resolved after lots of time, sweat and credit card plastic when we got on a flight to Venice. From there we rented cars and made it to our condo only about 7 hours behind original schedule. Everyone was hungry so we even got there in time for dinner and before the restaurants closed. YAY!

Our place in Lake Como was perfect for our families and we had such a great time.

Go Jump in a Lake!

They're NOT FIGHTING! WOW!

The place we stayed in was right on the lake and was so beautiful. The lake seemed to have a mind of its own and would be calm one minute and choppy the next. One day we went shopping in Bellagio which was so cool! Here's a pic of the kids hanging out at Hotel Bellagio where we got a snack after a full day of shopping :)

One of the days we rented a boat and cruised Como. Wow! I think some of the most amazing real estate in the world is on that lake! And almost every view is like a scene from a movie (literally it is in movies because it's insanely photogenic).

Always a great time to be on the water!

The Cunningham family only made it back to the airport to catch our flight because of some wizardry from Mr. Smith who got us a car when all of our other arrangements had fallen through (thx Justin!). 

The biggest issue with being in Italy (and also London) during that time was a lack of infrastructure to support the tourism industry. Right and left, train operators, taxi drivers, airline attendants, you name it, were going on strike. I know post-COVID is a weird place and it frankly makes me want to stay a bit closer to home just to ensure we don't get stuck somewhere.

So after we made it back to the states, we stopped over in NYC and spent the night there so we could do a little sight-seeing as well. It was a good teaser to what will be a longer trip to the city someday, probably during the holidays.

Love, Claire

PS literally the day we got back from Italy, the US dropped mandatory COVID testing for international travelers to re-enter the US. This bodes well for future travel though we don't have anything planned!

Lake People, Part One

Hi All!

Wow, I write these posts in retrospective obviously and it's so fun to relive the family memories and experiences. I don't expect anyone to really follow along except for us. I write this blog for Olivia and Quinn to someday download and keep to reference fun family experiences and milestones.

Anyhow, this blog is titled Lake People, Part 1 because we closed out the month of May just after school let out in Minnetonka, MN visiting my sister Chandra and her family. It was really fun! We schlepped the dog and the bikes up there because THE THING to do in the Minne area is definitely biking to a cool spot and hanging out and eventually jumping in a lake! :) 

Backing up a bit, we skied at Big Sky in late March which involved a lot of hot chocolate (and apres ski beer!).  Jason and Quinn went to a hockey tourney in early April which makes it kind of fun for whoever is home to plan some fun nights out.  In Tampa, Quinn won the MVP title and his team took first :) Also, they were able to catch a Tampa Bay Lightening NHL game which was very memorable!

@Jax Olivia took down the biggest oyster I've ever seen!

Quinn was MVP of the Tampa Tourney!

We also went to Universal Studios over Easter Weekend which I somehow I have ZERO pictures of but it was super fun (I'll never forget the Popeye ride that soaked us to the bone first thing on of the mornings also the big tube drop waterslide at Volcano Bay that Mom bravely went first on!).

In Quinn's grade at St Paul's, the big 3rd grade "parent" project is to create a rainforest animal that is lifesize and realistic. Jason always goes all in for these projects which I do appreciate -- for this one, he learned to use the sewing machine and I pitched in with some hand stitching ;). I think the Capuchin Monkey we all created turned out great. I absolutely LOVE this picture of Quinn the day he dropped it off at school.

Some days can be hard and challenging, I know that goes for all of us regardless of age or situation. But for me, I have this kind of reminder of what's important in life and what I work for every single day. This little card that Olivia made for me on Mother's Day really says it all.

Olivia is a note-writer, an apologizer (even when she doesn't really have to), and an emotionally intelligent communicator. Some people say that your kids will turn on you when they get to their teen years and eventually probably come back around when they grow up. I don't know what will happen with our relationship, but I cherish this time and I want to be the best mom and best example I can be for both of these incredible kiddos.

Love Always, Claire

No Problem

Hello!

Thanks for tuning in for another installment of our blog. Here's a recap of Q1 2022 highlights for the Cunningham family.

1. We kicked 2022 off with a paintball birthday party for Quinn to celebrate his 9th trip around the sun. It was a neat activity for the kids to do in the caves outside of town. They used lower impact paintball guns and had protective gear. No one got hurt, but there were a few stingers! Olivia held her own with the boys 😀

2. Club hockey and travel hockey kept us busy and the kids are spending hours and hours each week in practices and games. Their commitment to the sport is really impressive! 

Christmas gifts included new hockey gear, sticks, a shooting game and a few other things like the net below that we now get to cram into our garage 😬 Here's one of them playing on the ice patch that Jason put down during a cold spell.

3. We joined the Smith family in Jamaica in February over Prez weekend at an all-inclusive resort and had a blast! The big saying in Jamaica is "Ya Mon!" which means "No Problem". I would have to agree! We left our problems behind (and dodged a massive snowstorm on the way out of town). We were able to relax so much on this trip while the kids played together and had a blast. 

I had never done the all-inclusive thing before and I will say it was really nice to not have to deal with paying for things here and there. The resort had lots of activities for kids including waterslides and a bubble bath pictured here. There was a wide variety of entertainment each night which was also fun.

Here's a view of the ocean from our balcony and a view of the resort from the beach.

We did a few excursions including swimming in the bioluminescent bay (Luminous Lagoon) at night which was really cool. We went on a snorkeling and waterfall hike excursion featuring some interesting onboard entertainment that we will not soon forget!

4. About a month after Jamaica and in another attempt to dodge the cold weather in KC, we joined another family in Cancun during Spring Break! We definitely picked an interesting week to experience Cancun given the whole college and high school senior scene. There was a lot of activity going on outside our room in the hall, especially at night, that made it pretty impossible to sleep a few of the nights!

I'd never been to Cancun before and was really impressed by the beach. The sand was excellent and the waves were so fun to play and swim in. We all had a blast with the Ascencio family and their 5 kids, what a great family and a super-memorable trip!

The boys went fishing on the last day and brought back a haul of fish that was delicious. We had the restaurant serve it up on the last night. Note: Quinn plays on hockey teams with the boys on each end below so this was a good bonding trip for teammates as well! 

Olivia and Lainey are here reading books on the beach. Other than a quick bus ride to the flea market for some shopping and a walk across the street to a restaurant, I actually never left the resort. The beach and pool were just perfect and I was able to read a few books cover to cover on this trip 👍

So far so good, 2022! Most of the mask mandates have expired and it feels like things are settling down and getting back to normal. 

Take care and stay safe! ~claire and family