Easter 2011

  • Post category:Holidays
  • Reading time:4 mins read

We normally go to Lake Lawn in Delavan, Wisconsin for Easter weekend. It has been a family tradition since before I was born. This year we decided to do go someplace different. A few years ago, Lake Lawn was sold to a group of investors who had an ambitious plan to sell the individual hotel rooms, renovate them, and then rent them out. I don’t know where I heard or read it, but the word condotels was mentioned. I guess this would be a cross between a condo and a hotel, where somebody would own the room similar to owning a condo, and the room would be rented out like a hotel room. I remember looking over the price list for the rooms and thinking “who in their right mind would pay that much for a hotel room?” Looking back now, this was during the runup to the financial crisis when real estate was on fire. And I guess people were actually buying the rooms hoping to make enough off the rental to pay the mortgage. As a family that had been going to Lake Lawn for many generations, we did not like the way things were headed. And the fact that the room prices went up significantly, we decided to try out another resort. Maybe we’ll go back to Lake Lawn someday, but really, as long as we’re together as a family, that’s all that really matters, right?

 

Adult in a plaid shirt holding a child in a green graphic tee and glasses while another child in a gray shirt hugs them, all sitting together on a multicolored floor in a casual, playful setting.
Getting a hug from his cousin

 

We knew that our room only had one bed, so we brought a blowup mattress for me to sleep on. Unfortunately, the mattress must have had a hole in it. When I woke up Saturday morning, it was completely deflated! I ended up running out to the local Walmart to buy another one so I’d have something to sleep on Saturday night.

 

Person lying on an inflatable mattress covered with a green blanket and resting on a white pillow in a carpeted hotel room, with a small wooden table and a Route 66 backpack nearby.
Deflated mattress

 

My grandma always liked to dress my cousin and I in matching outfits for Easter dinner. My mom wanted to carry on that tradition. Here is James and his cousin in their matching outfits:

 

Two children sitting on a brown couch wearing matching orange sweater vests over plaid shirts and khaki pants; one child in glasses with a plush toy behind his head and a visible medical wire by his foot, while the other child’s face is blurred, with a stroller and lamp in the background.
Matching outfits

 

Here’s me and James all ready for Easter dinner:

 

Adult seated on a brown couch holding a child in glasses wearing a plaid shirt and orange sweater vest, sharing a quiet moment together in a living‑room setting with patterned carpet and a wooden side table in the background.
James and Daddy ready for Easter dinner

 

And here’s the beautiful Stacy and the handsome James:

 

Adult with long dark hair sitting in a lobby holding a child in glasses wearing an orange plaid shirt and sweater vest, with orange chairs, a stained‑glass lamp, and large glass doors in the background.
James and Mommy ready for Easter dinner

 

James went swimming for the first time and got a chance to test out the neck ring that Nana and Papa got him for Christmas. It worked out really well.

 

Woman in a swimming pool supporting a child wearing a blue inflatable neck float and green floral swim trunks, with the child resting peacefully during a calm water‑based activity.
In the pool with the neck ring

 

Here are a couple of videos I took of James in the pool with his neck ring. It’s from a company called Water Way Babies. Click on the link to be redirected to their website.

Here are a couple of videos I took of James in the pool with his neck ring. In the first video, Stacy is putting on the neck ring. It’s really easy. Just slip it around his neck and fasten the clips on the top and bottom to hold it closed around his neck. In the second video below, they are in the pool.

 

 

 

After James was done swimming, he dried off in his hooded towel. This is something new that Stacy started making. If you’re interested, check out her Facebook page, Stacy Rae Creations.

 

Child wrapped in an orange towel with a green hooded towel over their head, sitting in an indoor lounge chair as sunlight streams through a nearby window, creating a calm, cozy atmosphere against a tiled wall.
Drying Off in His Hooded Towel

 

I didn’t take a picture before we left, but here is how full our car was when we got home from our weekend trip:

 

Open trunk of a vehicle packed for travel with pillows, bags, a black suitcase, a laptop bag, and a paper shopping bag labeled “happy,” parked in a residential driveway with a person standing near the house.
Packed car

 

Can you see James?

 

Child in a car seat wearing glasses and a red hood, partially obscured by packed bags including a green reusable tote and a white paper bag, during a crowded travel moment.
Where’s James?

 

Even though we weren’t at Lake Lawn this year, it was still a good weekend, minus the mattress incident. It’s the one time a year I get to see my aunt, uncle, cousins, and their kids. It’s always nice to catch up.