Bike Rides and Trust Falls

We are just loving our summer together. We can ride our bikes around the neighborhood, play in the water, or if it's too hot, we jump around the house and even fluff the cushions. Brianna is starting a two-day Preschool this fall and we just received our first school calendar. Can't believe summer is almost over and a new phase of life is beginning. Here's to enjoying every bit of summer possible!

Chicago Family Visit - part 2

After exploring for a few hours, having a make-shift lunch, and running down some energy, we packed in the car and headed to our Chicago family's house. Our Chicago family is our good friends, and Carl's godparents, Tim and Lori! They are awesome friends who, when we weren't able to go home for some holidays, would invite us to their family functions and were always welcomed with open arms. We love them!

So as we made our way to their house, and only minutes after getting in the car, the kids fell fast asleep. We then opted to take the long way, reminiscing and even driving by our old townhome. Finally we arrived and had a wonderful afternoon and evening together, complete with delicious Chicago deep dish pizza. YUM! Since the last time we were at their house, they had put up this really fun tire swing. It was a huge hit with both Brianna and Carl!

Saturday we made our trip down into the Chicago! Always a must! We first stopped to check out LitFest, grabbed some lunch, then took a walk north on State Street. Our final destination was our favorite tea place the TeaGschwendner! So many memories of taking the L into the city, getting a freshly brewed cup of tea, and just walking around. Ahh, love it!

The kids patiently waiting for departure. Thanks Linnea for reading to them!

Brianna was a little tired after lunch since we were skipping naps so she rested on daddy!

After a cup of tea, we boarded the L for a faster trip back to our car. We had plans that evening to hang out with friends, so we didn't want to be late. Before leaving downtown though, we quickly stopped for a sweet snack of yummy Garrett's popcorn. We couldn't resist!

And in an effort to save on gas and all ride together, we pilled in our tahoe for the trip. I think we were all glad to be back in the car and headed home (and sitting in some traffic!). Can you tell Brianna and Carl were worn out from the morning's adventure!?

We had an absolutely gorgeous evening visiting with friends. The weather was perfect, the conversation was uplifting, and the gaggle of kids were all having fun together. We are so grateful for our Chicago family. Feeling so blessed that we got to see everyone and share that time together. Looking forward to our next trip, hopefully sooner rather than later!

STOP!!

One guess as to what I'm thinking about/trying to do at the same moment I'm set to take the this picture.
Note: I just realized that's a used kleenex Carl is looking at.

Chicago Family Visit - part 1

We love our visits to Chicago. We love visiting with our friends, traveling downtown to a few of our favorite spots, sniffing what's new at the Chicago Botanic Garden, worshipping with our dear friends at DeerGrove, and generally just being in the place we called home for 4.5 years.

All set to go!

We were blessed this time to extend the trip by an extra day. Since that was the case, we decided to head out after work on Thursday evening to get the driving out of the way and give us a full day on Friday for adventures. Everyone traveled really well and we made good time, arriving at our hotel by 11:30. Cozy sleeping arrangements were made quickly and sleepy children fell nicely back to sleep!

Side story: While I had just gotten Carl out of his carseat and holding him with one arm and arranging bags to carry to the room, Jon was working on getting Brianna out of her seat on the other side of the car. A younger couple, probably intoxicated, came walking up from my side of the car and first said how cute Carl was (again 11:30 pm) and asked if I needed help. I said "no, I'm ok, thanks" hoping they would continue on. Then they noticed Jon on the other side of the car but he didn't have Brianna out yet. They yelled at him to help me (he was, but they were oblivious) and made some unnecessary, loud comments. Did that just happen? Um, ok. Thanks for your obnoxious commentary.

Anyway! Once Jon got some work done and we were all showered and ready to go, we set out for one of our favorite spots in the Chicagoland area, the Chicago Botanic Garden. Every time you go you always see something new. Brianna this time loved seeing and searching for each fountain. Carl was thrilled also by the fountains and it became a fun game to see who could catch him before he got all wet!

Oh yeah! Someone found another rock!

Helpful B - Thankful C

We love being outside; we love biking. Yet even in the midst of play time, Brianna still has eyes to see her brother needing help. Hoping that when they get a little older, he'll return the favor and keep a watchful eye on his favorite sister!

In Preparation: Missed Video

Look at that form! I'm a tad jealous that I can't bend like that!

Anyone have a trampoline this boy can borrow? He LOVES to jump!

Let's Get Ready to Tumble!

As Brianna and Carl's first ever tumbling experience came to a close (I first mentioned it here), we were able to sit in on all the action. The last class was a lot different than the first classes, where we had a big gym to run around in, because the final class was crammed into a back meeting classroom. I can only assume was caused by poor scheduling or a mixup in programming. Oh well, the show must go on!

Brianna couldn't wait to go to tumbling! We had picked out our outfits and did our hair particularly for this occasion.

Carl's class was first, which Brianna wasn't as thrilled about but was willing to wait. He did a great job and actually followed instructions better this class than any previous. I think he knew he had an audience!

Brianna and Daddy watching Carl run around... being patient!!

Look at him showing off! I love this picture... he is so proud of his accomplishment!

As soon as the tots class finished, Brianna quickly found her mat waiting for her classmates to arrive and get ready themselves. Her enthusiasm is adorable!

She enjoyed showing off her new skills and was quite good at it too (her new skills that is)! One of my favorite parts of the whole thing is that they would "finish" each skill by raising their hands above their heads like professional gymnasts. Super cute! So grateful we were able to participate and that they had so much fun!

At the end of each class, both Brianna and Carl received certificates for participating. Hand written notes on each child was a nice touch. Thanks to Miss Tiffany and Mr. James for caring for kids and teaching them basic tumbling skills!

I Can Read it Carl!

There is no doubt in my mind that Brianna has the gift of helps. She will help and wants to help with anything and everything. She's even willing to help read to her brother. I love these quiet moments that they share together. Not just because they are quiet, but because you can tell that they love spending time together. That may change someday, but for right now I'm just soaking it in.

Blessings Wrapped in Friends

In May, I posted this video of Carl running through a flooded portion of the park. It was our small group end of year barbecue and I couldn't resist keeping the video quiet so I posted slightly out of order, but it was a good video, why wait!

It's been wonderful to get to laugh with this group, grow with them, and study the Word with them. It's great too because the kids have so much fun playing together. 11 under 11 is pretty much amazing. We took a group shot last year, so I thought it would be fun to get another one to see how we've all grown. Jon had a work thing that night so I was on my own, but I did manage to remember the tripod!

As you can see, we do like to have fun! Thanks everyone for a great night and breaking bread together. And a special shout out to Dan for helping me watch Carl on the playground while the adults talked about next year. I can't tell you how sweet that was and how much it blessed me that night!

The Very Next Day

The next day we headed over to visit with my sister and her boys for the day. We biked to the park for a while and just hung out and played through dinner time. I had considered a trip to get some ice cream after we ate, but once I heard my sister and family would come too, we made it official! It's always better to enjoy ice cream with others!

And enjoy it we did! My sister nabbed this shot of three of the them working on their dessert choices.

Once we got home, bed time actually went rather smoothly. Maybe they were in an ice cream coma or maybe they were rewarding me for the delicious dessert, either way it made my evening!