Our Mother's Day Weekend

Did everyone have a good Mother's Day celebrating the women in our lives who do so much for us?  I sure did.  As a grandmother of four I think Mother's Day is one of my favorite holidays.  I can't stand to be without my kids and grandbabies on Mother's Day.  One year, it was just my husband and me and I was so miserable  I vowed to never let that happen again.  Since then, every Mother's Day we always meet up half way between our two homes and stay in hotel for one night.  And before you say "Oh, my kids would never do that for me", I am the one who plans the whole weekend and pays for it;  so it's more of a Mother's Day gift to myself. 😄  My children always give me lovely gifts and the grandkids are always so sweet about wishing me a Happy Mother's Day.  This year, even baby Lazarus said "Happy Mother's Day".  He has incredible speech for a two year old.

Almost every Mother's Day we meet up in a different location than we did the year before.  This year, we met up in Lake Geneva.  We took these fun photos down by the lake.  I did one with just the grandkids and then my son had to jump in and get in on the action.  It was so funny.

To keep costs down, we first had a picnic at Seminary Park where the kids could play on the playground and expend some pent up energy from the four hour car drive.  Then we headed down to Donian Park which was very different from Seminary Park.  This park offers a woodland setting with a scenic observation deck overlooking the White River and walkways along Mill Creek.  The park features walking trails, wildlife viewing, and picnic areas.

This is such a pretty park.  We noticed it the last time my husband and I were in Lake Geneva, but we didn't spend anytime exploring it then.

The grandkids had a blast climbing on the rocks along the river.  The water is very shallow, so it is safe, except their mom was very worried they would fall in and their only pair of shoes would be wet for the weekend. 😀

There was a small island in the center of the river so Grandpa had to jump onto it with baby Lazarus so they could throw rocks.

Then of course the other three grandchildren wanted grandpa to help them onto the island too. 😀

We did spot a couple of turtles sunning themselves, but that is all the wildlife we saw this day.

After stopping at Kilwins for some Dubai Chocolate Fudge 😋 we then headed down for a walk on the Lakeshore Path.  

If you recall, my husband and I were just in Lake Geneva for a Romantic Weekend Getaway.  We walked this same path and I couldn't believe how much prettier it was in May than in March.  All the trees were in bloom and the grass was green.  

It all looked so different from our March visit.  The piers and boathouses were back in the water.  Every winter they pull them out of the water and put them near the Lakeshore Path which sometimes ruins your views.  I like the views with the piers in the water so much better.

Atticus was complaining of being tired and the path isn't always stroller friendly, so we didn't walk far.  By now it was almost three so we thought by the time we walk all the way back to the car, we could check into our hotel and then the grandkids could spend some time in the pool before dinner. 

On the way back to the car, we walked right past The Riviera and once again, I couldn't believe how different it looked from our first visit.  The fountain wasn't running then, and the trees weren't in bloom, and both of those things just added so much beauty to the place.

Once checked in to our hotel, we headed straight down to the pool.  The Comfort Inn and Suites is one of the more affordable hotels in Lake Geneva and it's perfect for families with small children.  The pool area was so spacious, and we loved that they had a kiddie pool for the wee little ones. 

For dinner, we just took everyone to Culvers because they really wanted ice cream.

The next morning, we went back to the pool for a couple of hours then we headed over to a Farmer's Market at Lake Geneva House of Music.  What a fun place this was!  The weather was beautiful, they had bouncy inflatable toys for the kids to play in, while I shopped for honey and other delicacies.  Even though I just had a small breakfast at the hotel, when I saw these Nutella/Strawberry Crepes, I had to have one...shared with four grandchildren of course!

For Mother's Day lunch we headed over to Next Door Pub and Pizzeria which boasts the best pizza in town.  I would have to agree especially after the icky pizza we had at the Oakfire two months before.  Seriously, how is it possible to screw up pizza that badly?

And to our surprise, when we were all done with our pizza, they brought out a tray of desserts to be shared by everyone at the table in honor of Mother's Day.  That was so sweet!

After lunch, we said our goodbyes 😢 and we all jumped back in our cars for the four hour drive home.  

Before I leave, I have to show you some of my Mother's Day gifts.  One I am wearing in the Farmer's Market/crepe photo above.  It was a straw bucket hat from my sun.  I wanted a hat that shaded my face and not just my head, and this one from Amazon certainly fits the bill.  If you don't want such a wide floppy brim, order the S.  I accidentally put the M in my wish list thinking that was the hat size.  Nope, that's the brim size.  I would have preferred the S, because the brim is too sloppy for my taste.  Oh well, it shades my face well!

On the way home, we stopped at Aldi to get groceries, and I found these beautiful "copper" wind spinners for $14.99 each, so that was my Mother's Day gift to myself.   What a deal!  I love wind spinners;  they add so much interest to a garden with their movement and these are so elegant looking. 

My daughter gifted me this shirt from Amazon which I wore to the post office the next day.  I just love this shirt! It's super soft and I adore the bird print.  She also gave me a new Kay Arthur bible study book and a bell for my e bike.  

I really enjoyed our Mother's Day weekend.  The weather was beautiful and the company was what made it all the more special.  Even though we live eight hours a part, with a little effort and planning, we can still be together on meaningful holidays.

Have A Great Day!  Amy

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For more posts on Lake Geneva, check this out:

How to Spend a Romantic Weekend in Lake Geneva in Spring