Becky's Blog

My Dad's Train

2012-01-17T20:01:00.000-08:00

My dad was not the type of person to save a lot "stuff" from his childhood. One item that did make it through the years was his treasured American Flyer train. However, for many, many years (30+) this train sat in an uncovered metal pail in the garage of our old house in Woodridge. A couple years back the train made its way to our house when we borrowed it to show Aidan the train cars. I cleaned the train cars up a bit at that time and thought that was about it. But, last Christmas we had the idea to try and get the train up and running as a gift to my mom to keep at her house.

A year later we finally made that a reality. Cort and his dad were great in talking to train people, figuring out what track it needed, seeing if the transformer worked, and finally setting it up and getting it going. While the kids and I were hanging out in the family room, I heard odd sounds coming from the living room. Cort called us all over and sure enough the train was running!

It truly is something special to be able to see my children have such joy from something that used to bring my dad so much joy too. I cannot wait to set it up (or have Cort set it up I should say!) at my Mom's so all the grandkids can enjoy it whenever they're there.

Cole watching the train

So excited!

The kids watching the train

The rusty old transformer-hey, it still works!

Mia working the train

The cars and barbies watching the train with the kids

So happy!

The train-probably from about the mid-50's

2nd Annual Valentine's Day Craft Night

2012-01-15T09:09:00.000-08:00

Last night I got together with my girlfriends for our 2nd Annual Valentine's Craft Night. We have all been sucked into yet another timesucker-Pinterest! We had all seen a really cute craft idea here that we liked so we decided to use it as inspiration. :) It was pretty easy and we were able to pick everything up at either Michael's or Hobby Lobby. Scroll down to see our steps and then the finished product!

Step 1-Painting our "conversation hearts"

Letting the hearts dry

Pam painting one of her hearts (right after this picture, her brush went tumbling down her clothes-the good news is the paint came out! :)

Step 2: Sticking the letters on to spell each name (we figured stickers would be easier than trying to paint the names on)

Erica and Aaron's hearts

Our fam

Step 3: Lining up the ribbon and glue gunning the hearts on the ribbon

Bow tying and glue gunning

Pam's finished product!

Obligatory self-timer group shot :)

The finished product hanging in my house-love it!!!

And because I don't think I ever shared last year's craft, here you go...

The inspiration came from here: Heart Shaped Wreath

This project was pretty simple, all it required was a heart shaped foam wreath (cheap at Michaels), red felt, and lots of straight pins. Let me tell you though, the wreath turned out adrorable, but it was time consuming cutting out all those circles!!

Our finished products

Being silly

On my door-can't wait to hang it up again this year!

1 month until Valentine's Day!

First Time Mini-Golfing 6.20.11

2011-12-15T08:41:00.000-08:00

So I am still attempting to catch up on the blog, so please excuse the summer posts. :) Back in June we were invited to Mikey's birthday party which happened to be at a mini-golf place. The kids had never been mini-golfing before, so we knew it would be fun for them. Needless to say, they both had some interesting "technique."

Cole checking out his ball in the hole

Mia posing

Intense concentration and interesting grip :)

Waiting her turn

Cole excited to get to the next hole

Again, interesting technique

Cole loved this one where the water took the ball down

Playing hard

The birthday boy

Melissa and Mikey

Make a wish!

Fall Pictures

2011-12-13T20:59:00.000-08:00

By now most people have received our Christmas cards so I can finally post these pictures. Each year I swap taking pictures with my girlfriends Kristy and Melissa. A special thanks to Kristy for taking our pictures once again this year. I have kept these under wraps since early October, so it is nice to have a chance to finally post these and to update the blog.

These were taken on a beautiful fall day in downtown Naperville. I would love to say both kids were super-cooperative, but Cole is still a bit resistant to getting his picture taken and required quite a few bribes. :) Either way, I am always happy to have a nice family photo we can look back at in years to come.

Mia-5 Years Old

Cole-3 Years Old

LOVE these two!

And our card this year...

Cole's School Pictures

2011-11-01T18:09:00.000-07:00

This is a little later, but here is my sweet Cole's fall pictures. Doesn't he look like a little man?

This one cracks me up! The kids don't look particularly thrilled, but I will tell you that Cole LOVES school and his teachers. :)

Happy Halloween!!!

2011-10-31T18:53:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween from Jessie and Buzz Lightyear!

Father's Day at Cantigny

2011-06-27T14:17:00.000-07:00

Father's Day is a bit of a bittersweet holiday. It's hard since my dad is not around, but I also feel fortunate to be able to celebrate what a good dad Cort is to our kids, to celebrate my grandpa who is a wonderful father, grandpa, and great-grandpa, as well as Cort's dad who is a great dad and grandpa. This year we headed to Cantigny to celebrate. They had an art show going on as well as all the typical neat things to see there-the beautiful gardens, the tanks, and the museum. Here are some pictures from the day.

Mia participating in an art project

Cole checking out a fountain

Noah on one of the tanks

Mia's turn

Cousins!

Cole and Dad

Papa B. and Cole checking out a tank

Mia giving her best "Miss America" wave

Claire

The cousins again

Brushing up on some history

We spent a good amount of time in the First Division Museum. The kids were suprisingly interested in a lot of the artifacts there.

I'm not sure if it was the information that was so interesting or the fact they were holding these unusual things called "phones with cords," but the kids were entranced during this part of the museum.

And a beautiful flower to end the post!

Fishing with Great-Grandpa

2011-06-26T19:36:00.000-07:00

This past June Mia and Noah had their 2nd annual fishing trip with Papa B. How amazing is it that they have an opportunity to spend such quality time with their Great-Grandpa! The dads (Cort and Mike) went along as well. The kids had a great time fishing and Mia even caught a blue gill. I have fond memories of fishing with both my dad and grandpa growing up and I am happy that my kids will have the same. :)

So proud!

Mia and Papa B.

Hello, Hello? Anyone Still Out There?

2011-06-25T11:59:00.000-07:00

So I have fallen off the face of the Earth with my blogging. I really have no excuse other than life is busy! I've pretty much been absent all summer and some time before that, but I am hoping to do some catch-up. The thing I love about a blog is being able to look back at things we did, watching the kids grow, and having those memories. I need to get back on track with that! So I am slowly going to do some catch up and highlight some of the fun things that have been going on in our lives over the past 6 months or so. So start checking back in because over the next couple of weeks there should be lots of updates, starting with the ones below...

Mia's Dance Recital

2011-06-25T10:41:00.000-07:00

Like I mentioned previously, Mia had been taking dance for around 10 months and finally had a chance to showcase her hard work at her recital. Mia's class danced tap to a song called "Wake Up." The performance was at the local high school on the auditorium stage in the BIG auditorium. I wasn't sure how she would react and I wondered if she would be nervous. Well, if she was, you couldn't tell! She seemed to love being on stage and did a great job with her class. It was definitely a proud mommy moment! When the recital was done she was already asking what song she would be dancing to next year. :) We were not able to take pictures at the actual recital, so the ones of her on stage are from the dress rehearsal. They aren't the best since the lights were so bright, but you can get an idea.

Mia in the "waiting room" with Pam where all the girls waited until it was their turn to dance

Mia and Erica

Sammy and Mia

Final bow after the show

Venessa had the idea to get the girls flowers that matched their costumes. The bouquets turned out beautiful!

So proud of my girl!

Family pic

Mia and Daddy

Cole congratulating Mia

Congratulations Mia on your first dance recital! We are so proud of you!

Indiana Dunes

2011-06-18T19:19:00.000-07:00

Last summer Cort and I took the kids to the Warren Dunes and had an amazing time. After talking with my Mom and Jen, we were reminded how my Mom used to go to the Dunes ever summer with her family, bringing fried chicken that my Grandma would make and spending the day in the sun. We thought it would be fun to bring my mom there (fried chicken and all!) since it had been a long time since she had visited. The original plan was to go to the Warren Dunes in Michigan, but the weather forecast was looking a little sketchy. We decided to go to the Indiana Dunes instead in case the weather turned we wouldn't have driven as far.

Just like last year, the Dunes didn't disappoint. The kids and adults all had a great time! My only complaint is the water was quite cold, although it didn't seem to bother my water babies! Here are a ton of pictures from the day....

Cole enjoying the sand

Mia doing her best Baywatch run :)

I cannot begin to explain how cold the water was-it hurt my legs, but apparently Mia didn't notice

Diving in-Mia became much more comfortable in the water this summer

Cole got in on the water action, but my little skinny bones got cold a lot quicker

Love how happy he looks here!

Enjoying the waves

A view of the whole family enjoying the beach

Claire-bear putting her toes in the water

Mia and Mommy building a castle

Cole and Cort pondering life :)

Grammy and Mia!

Mike working on his super-cool sand castle

Cole and Aunt Jen

Time for a break!

Lunchtime-fried chicken and birthday cupcakes for my mom

And of course, we had to conquer the dunes (click to see larger)!

Proud to be at the top!

Cole making his way up

Cousins

Cole and Daddy at the top

The kids chose a variety of ways to get down-rolling, running, taking breaks, etc....

Sandy face after rolling part-way down

Pulins Fam

Where's Mia's body?

Brave Cort-did I mention the water was cold??

Cole

Family Pic

(CLICK OLDER POSTS TO SEE MORE UPDATES)

Grammy's Birthday

2011-06-16T19:55:00.000-07:00

On June 16th Grammy celebrated her birthday. Since she was working we met with her for lunch and took her out to Juicy-Os. We had a great lunch and the donuts were a hit as usual. :) Here are a couple pictures...

Grammy and Mia

Grammy and Cole with her new Lady Gaga CD-this is one hip Grandma!

Gammy being swarmed by kids wanting to help her open gifts

Dance Pictures!

2011-06-10T09:56:00.000-07:00

This past June Mia was involved in her first big recital (other than dancing at the zoo). A week or two prior she had dance pictures at the studio. Since she was already dressed up I figured I would try and snap a couple of pictures myself. Lucky for us Erica stopped by too and we were able to get some cute shots of the girls together.

Striking a pose

Such a big girl!

With her headpiece

Mia and Erica

My favorite of the girls!

Sweet Erica

Summer's Almost Here!!!

2011-05-13T19:09:00.000-07:00

Our first strawberry of the year! I am hoping the garden will be planted in the next week or two...

Mother's Day Breakfast

2011-05-13T19:04:00.000-07:00

For Mother's Day I was invited by Mia to join her at her school for breakfast. She was so excited and asked about it numerous times the days leading up to the breakfast. :) Not only did we enjoy breakfast together, she read me a book, and gave me a little gift. The teacher's also had the kids do a little "fill in the blank" where Mia described me as being 45 and as pretty as a crystal. :) She nailed it when she described my favorite food as chicken tacos and favorite tv show as "Dancing With the Stars." I was glad to have a chance to do this since I was going to be away from the kids for Mother's Day in Florida for a reading conference (more on that later). Here are some pictures...

Mia enjoying a bagel

So happy to have mom at school

Mia and Mommy

(I am wearing a SkippyJon Jones shirt in case you are wondering why there is a cat on my shirt, ha ha!)

Reading me a book

Touch a Truck

2011-04-17T14:25:00.000-07:00

This week is the "Week of the Young Child," which I know is celebrated by many park districts with free activities. Today we headed over to the Bolingbrook Park District for their "Touch a Truck" event. They had a bunch of different types of trucks including a firetruck, ambulance, construction vehicles, an awesome RV, etc. They also had pony rides and a trackless train the kids could ride. The only downside is it is still so cold! The kids had a good time checking them all out and then we hit the pool afterwards. Needless to say they were worn out by the time we were done.

Mia in a firetruck

Cole in the firetruck

The kids in the RV

Cort "traveling" in style

Cort and the kids

Mia and Mommy

Mia and Cole having a good time

Mia in a school bus, gettting ready for kindergarten next year!

Pony Rides!

The kids with "Parkie" the Pelican

Cute Cole on the train

Mia with "Uncle" Rich and his police dog Goliath

Soccer-Part 2

2011-04-16T08:28:00.000-07:00

Last night I was too beat after being out in the fabulous weather with the kids to blog these all, but this morning I am feeling more refreshed. :) Sooooo, awhile back we decided to sign Mia up for soccer. She had a bit of an introduction last summer with a week long summer camp session at her school, and we felt this would be a good activity for her. She is still taking dance, but we knew a team sport would be a good chance for her to both learn some new athletic skills as well as how to play on a team (she was a bit frustrated last summer when she wouldn't get the ball or would get it taken away).

We signed her up for the "Little Kickers" team and soon received an email that they needed coaches. When I forwarded it on to Cort he said he would be willing to assistant coach and I let the league know that. Well, surprise!! Cort is the head coach, ha, ha! :) I do have to say, he did an AWESOME job with the 10 boys and girls on Mia's team last night and has one of our family friends helping assistant coach who also has a son on our team.

The only downside was yesterday was in the 50s, wet, and rainy. I guess this was our induction in being "soccer parents." By the end of the night everyone was COVERED in mud. We came home, did baths for the kids, and laundry for all of our mud covered clothes and shoes.

Mia right before we left, soooo excited for soccer! She had talked about it all day.

Practicing her kicks

Out on the soccer field

Ummm, can you see how excited she was?

Practicing her running

Jerseys on! Practicing dribbling with Ava

Kicking toward the goal

Getting some pointers from dad

Cort giving the kids some pointers

Concentration

Keeping Cole occupied during the game. Poor guy wanted to be a part of things so bad. He kept saying he wanted to be a "big kid" so he could play soccer. We need to look into something for him. :)

The "Sharks" stretching

Ava and Mia waiting for directions

Me with Venessa-by the second half of the hour-long practice. Aaron and Cole retreated to her car for a movie while we watched from the parking lot. Erica and Mia didn't end up on the same team since Jimmy got roped into coaching too. They are on the field next to us though.

Mia is #4-ha, ha!

Action shot-going after the ball

I am sure there will be more pictures once they start playing games in a couple of weeks. Until then, I am back on the bandwagon-yeah!

Soccer!!

2011-04-15T19:51:00.000-07:00

Wow! No post since January! What can I say?? Between family life and work things have been BUSY! The good news is I've been taking lots of pictures, now I just have to blog them! :)

Here's a start! Today was Mia's 1st soccer practice. Here's a picture to hold you over until I do a longer post tomorrow. :)

My Little Ham

2011-01-14T20:10:00.000-08:00

While chasing down Cole to take pictures is currently a challenge, Mia is happy to pose for my camera. Here are 2 pictures of my little ham. :)

A Girl and Her Cat, take 2

2011-01-12T20:18:00.000-08:00

After posting this on my new 365 blog, I found Mia and Zip all snuggled up together in bed last night. I love how his tail is wrapped around her leg. :)

Eye Contact!

2011-01-10T15:19:00.000-08:00

It is always a challenge to get my Cole train to slow down long enough to snap a picture with actual eye contact. So I was thrilled when I was able to get one the other day (even with the Thomas shirt! :) ). Isn't he getting big??

And I know I have posted a similar picture in the past, but he just LOVES playing with his trains and will play for HOURS with them.

Polar Express

2011-01-06T08:01:00.000-08:00

Last year we suprised my mom by taking her for a ride on the Polar Express with the two oldest grandkids-Mia and Noah. We decided to go again this year with Cole and Claire as well. Once again, it did not disappoint. The kids had a great time and meeting Santa was a highlight. It is so fun to have new traditions as a family. :)

Santa Mia on the Polar Express

Mommy and Mia

ColeTrain on the train :)

Noah

And Claire

Santa Cole

Mia visiting with a princess and an elf

Mom and Jen

We were surprised to bump into our neighbors on the train-Cole and Conner were enjoying one another's company

SANTA!!!

Mia was so excited to see him and ask for a Rapunzel doll

Cole was a little more indifferent, but at least didn't freak out when meeting Santa like last year :)

So cute!

Cole giving Santa knuckles

Family Picture

We had a busy weekend and Cole was pretty worn out

But he perked back up when he got a balloon animal (which quickly lost its shape!)

Love this of Cole looking out the train

Grammy and Mia

Cort, Cole and Grammy

New Year, New Blog

2011-01-04T21:06:00.000-08:00

I know what you are thinking, new blog? She can hardly keep up with the one she has! :) That may be true, but I am going to give it a try. Head over HERE to check out my new picture-a-day blog. The purpose of the new blog is to document our day-to-day life with a just one picture a day. I am not always the best at updating this blog since it tends to be more time consuming to upload multiple pictures and narrate the text that goes along with it. My 365 blog will be much simpler and will challenge me to post a picture a day of our every day life that alone tells the story. And yes, I will still be updating this blog as well, this will just be the more long-winded one. :)

Happy New Year!!

2011-01-04T20:54:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Of course, new year, new resolutions! Hopefully one of those will be keeping up with my blog! More on that in another post. :)

This year we were lucky to spend New Years Eve with some of my oldest friends-Venessa, Marina, and Lisa, as well as their families. Each New Years I am reminded how much my life has changed when we trade in fancy hotel parties, for kiddie countdowns at 8pm. :) However, I wouldn't change it for the world!

Here's the recap....

We started off the evening with a "pizza picnic" aka, the only way to seat all the kids

The girls had fun playing together

We settled in for a bit to watch Mia and Erica in their debut tv performance on Bolingbrook public access TV

Then we decided to get in the New Years spirit

Love this of the 3 girls

(thanks to Auntie Cathy for Mia's dress up outfit, it is one of her faves!)

Then we got the kids ready for their countdown as well as sparkling grape juice toast

(ignore the annoying tivo on the screen in the background!)

Sparkling grape juice toast!

Mia was not a fan-she said it was burning her mouth :)

Then we got the kids in their pjs and let them watch a quick show to settle down before bed

The girls again

Cole and me

Mia and me

Once we put the kids to bed, the grownups decided to have some fun

Venessa and Jimmy

Me and Cort

Lisa and Bob

We broke out an oldie but goodie-Catch Phrase

All of us (minus Corey who took over photo duties)

Finally, we toasted the new year at midnight

Cort and I are so lucky to have spent the weekend with such wonderful friends who have been in my life since junior high! Happy New Years to you all!

And to finish off, here is a quick video clip of the kids counting down and toasting at midnight. It makes me laugh hearing how many times a grown-up is calling out "two hands" as the kids get ahold of their juice. :)

Mia's Dance Performance at the Brookfield Zoo

2010-12-07T09:42:00.000-08:00

Mia has recently been taking a tap/ballet/tumbling combo dance class at Dance Dimensions in Bolingbrook. Venessa asked if Mia would like to join Erica in the class and I am so glad she did! This past week she got to be a part of 2 performances, dancing dressed as a little reindeer to "Run, Run, Rudolph." The first performance was at the local cable access channel, where they danced in a little studio and were recorded for TV. :) A day later, they got to perform at the Brookfield Zoo as part of Holiday Magic there. A special thanks to all who braved the COLD to come out and support Mia. She was thrilled to see you in the audience. :) Here are some pictures from the zoo.

Venessa touching up the girls makeup

Grammy greeting Mia before her dance

Mia and Noah

Mia and Sammy

The reindeer up on stage ready to start

And dancing...

Run, Run, Rudolph!

This is what you get with a group of 4-year-olds dancing-everyone doing something different. :)

Mia was so smiley and excited to be on stage. :)

They were having so much fun!

Pam and Ryan came out to watch

And Grammy, Jen, and Mike brought flowers (Mia didn't let go of them the rest of the time)

Posing with Mia (poor Noah got blocked out by the flowers!)

Noah congratulating Mia :)

Cutest reindeer ever!

Gigi and Papa with Mia

Family pic

Daddy and Mia

Mommy and Mia

I Did It!

2010-11-27T19:47:00.000-08:00

I know this blog is normally more about the kids and our family, but I just have to take minute to share something very exciting. After much blood, sweat and tears (well actually, probably just sweat and tears), I passed my National Board Certification for teaching!!!!

About a year and a half ago, I found out that several teachers were going to try to go for their board certification. This had always been a goal of mine and I had actually gone to a meeting about it before Mia was even born. At that point it I was burned out since I had just finished my Masters Degree and needed some time off. This time though, knowing so many others were doing it and that I would have that for motivation and a built in support system, was a very good incentive for me to go for it. That and the fact that the state was willing to subsidize $2000 of the $2500 fee. :) I made the somewhat impulsive decision to do it and started my journey.

When the 2009-2010 school year started, I was forced to dive right in. It was an overwhelming, stressful, but very rewarding process that I know has improved my teaching. A lot of people have asked me what the process consists of. In a nutshell you have to complete 4 portfolio entries, 2 in which you videotape yourself teaching and have to reflect on your teaching. These entries require you to be very analytical about your teaching and to do a LOT of writing and reflecting. This is a pretty simplistic explanation seeing that these entries took a ton of work and a ton of time to complete. It is also a good idea to have other National Board Certified teachers review your work to give you feedback. I was lucky to have several wonderful, helpful people to critique my work and give me ideas on how to improve it. I had until March 31st to complete the portfolio and then it was time to focus on the test. The test contained 6 essay question in which you had 30 minutes to complete each one in a highly guarded-intense test taking facility (they did palm scans-pretty crazy!). I took the test right before school ended at the end of May.

The worst part of it all was spending practically a year doing all that work and then not being able to find out until November. Since there is so much content to grade and they want it to be as fair and unbiased as possible, it took that long for all the applicants work to be scored. Scores were released the week before Thanksgiving and I can tell you that I was shaking logging into the computer to see if I made it. I am happy to say I did!! I also am appreciative to my friends and family for listening to my whining throughout the year, my coworkers for being part of the journey with me, and especially Cort, who spent LARGE amounts of time with the kids while I was glued to the computer working on my portoflio. THANK YOU ALL!! I couldn't have done it without you. :)

Terrible pics, but here is me the day I mailed off my portfolio. It was terrifying to let go of all of that work, and pray that it arrived safely (of course I made copies!!!). This is me and the infamous blue box.

Putting Up the Christmas Tree

2010-11-26T17:04:00.000-08:00

I have once again fallen off the blogging bandwagon, but am hoping to get back in the swing of things. We are currently in the middle of enjoying a very nice, very much needed, LONG Thanksgiving weekend. Every year we put up our Christmas decorations Thanksgiving weekend and this year was no different. What is different this year is that the kids are super-interested in helping with everything we do. :) They are very excited for the holiday season...

Getting ready to start-Mia is clearly very excited! (Ignore the terrible, blury picture)

Cort with the kids after they put the top on our tree

The kids anxiously awaiting directions

Mia helping out

Cole helping out

Handing branches to daddy

And as always Zip has been a total pain!

We also got Mia's tree up (still need to do Cole's). She had a blast going through her ornaments and choosing spots for them on her tree.

Our tree is currently up with lights and Mia's is completed. Hopefully this weekend we will get ornaments up and Cole's tree up too. These things take time now that we have kids! :) Hope everyone is enjoying their Thanksgiving weekend!

A Day in the Life

2010-11-06T20:24:00.000-07:00

This blog has been sadly neglected lately. I will be better, I promise!

Here is a quick snapshot of Cole. This is pretty representative of our little 2 year-old right now. He loves his cars and he loves his trains. If you know Thomas, you know that there are tons of trains all with different names. It is crazy, but he knows them all! The worst is when he requests a certain one and I have no idea which one it is. Thankfully they are labeled on the bottom. :) This is a day in the life at our house...

School Pics Are In!

2010-10-15T17:14:00.000-07:00

So the school pics are in-and I love them! Looking at them I am struck by how grown-up Mia looks. These are terrible scans-my scanner makes the color super-wonky, but you get the idea....

Love this smile!

Much better than last year!!

School Pics-Ava and Mia, 1 year later

2010-10-03T19:22:00.000-07:00

The school year is now in full-swing and Mia is loving school and getting to go 5 days a week. We are in our routine and that includes yearly traditions like field trips and school pictures. Do you remember last year's school pictures? I do, the pictures below are burned in my head and make me laugh out loud every time. Mia had taken her individual pictures, but when it came time to do one with Ava, was not having it. It resulted in this...

Luckily I had taken this one earlier that morning :)

Although I was pretty sure we wouldn't have a repeat of that experience this year, I picked up Ava a couple minutes early on picture day and took the girls out to a small tree farm in our neighborhood and got this, my new favorite picture of the two of them. Look how they have changed-no longer toddlers, they are looking so grown up.

I now anxiously await seeing their school pictures...

Mia's 1st Dance Class

2010-09-16T17:12:00.000-07:00

Today Mia had her first ever dance class at Dance Dimensions in Bolingbrook. I have been meaning to sign her up for dance FOREVER, but Venessa gave me the push I needed by suggesting we join the class she had signed Erica up for. Thanks Ness! It is a 1-hour class that is a combo of Tap, Ballet, and Tumbling. The last couple of days have been building up the excitement as we got her shoes, tried on her leotards (Thanks Lisa!) and talked about what class would be like. Needless to say, it was a hit! She really liked having Erica in the class and she made a new friend Lily, the daughter of one my friends from my junior high days. What a great surprise! She had a great time and I think this will be a great way to improve her coordination. :) And of course, pictures...

Waiting for class to begin

Erica and Mia

So excited to be in the studio for the first time

Not so sure...

But then jumping right in!

All the girls dancing

Tapping her heel

The girls concentrating

Mia and Erica again

Jumping :)

Love this! You can see how excited she is :)

The girls

Pretending to sleep-part of one of the songs

Hi Mom!

Fall Pictures-Take 1

2010-09-13T18:55:00.000-07:00

Can I tell you how much I love these two??? :) These shots may have cost me some M&Ms, but was well worth it!

Mia-4 Years

Cole-2 Years

Wish they looked more enthused, but glad to have one of them just to document them together at this age.

Happy Fall!

Cornfest at Graue Mill

2010-09-12T20:02:00.000-07:00

Today we went to Graue Mill to both celebrate Grandparent's Day with my mom, but also to enjoy their annual Cornfest. The last time we had been to this event was when Mia was just 1 year old. Click here for a blast from the past. :) It couldn't have been a more perfect day, there wasn't a cloud in the sky and the weather was just beautiful! There was good food and lots of fun activities. Here are some pictures from the day.

I bet you didn't all know I was an expert at the stilts! It is one of my hidden talents-watch out, I am good. My grandpa made me a pair when I was a kid and I have had lots of practice :)

After showing off my skills, the family had to all give it a try.

Cort's competitive side came out. :)

Even Cole got in on the action

When did she get so big?

Him too!

Cole looking for "Nemos"

Walking across the bridge

Right here Cole is demonstrating his new skill of walking backwards :) I like this because for once it actually allows me to get a picture of his face instead of the back of his head.

Cole never wants to take off his Lightning McQueen glasses

Seriously, when did she grow from this into this?

The musical instruments were once again a hit.

With Grammy

Cole tried to drive the firetruck that was visiting

So did Mia

The kids had fun playing some old fashioned games (so did I!)

Mia had a blast trying out the potato sacks...

While Cole didn't quite understand the concept even though he had fun hopping.

Our family (don't the kids look thrilled?)

Happy Grandparent's Day to the best Grammy ever!!

Look Who's Riding a Bike!

2010-09-07T19:44:00.000-07:00

Yikes! How can it already be September? As usual I am super-behind on blogging, most specifically the kids birthdays and our trip out to California this summer, so hopefully I will get caught up soon.

Before I do though, here are some pics from today. We are enjoying the wonderful, cooler early fall weather (as much as it pains me to say summer is over) and we have been spending some time outside. We have had a bike with training wheels sitting in our garage for quite awhile that was a hand-me-down from a friend. Mia has been on it a time or two, but in true Mia fashion her talents lie more in the verbal realm than the physical realm. :) After a very long trip to the park the other day on a much smaller tricycle-type bike, I realized that Mia needed some help practicing her peddling and steering. You see Mia has some short little legs (she is short for her age) and lacks a bit of leg strength. She is also easily distracted by leaves, acorns, birds and bunnies. :)

However, I have to say Mia pleasantly surprised us and was riding her bike rather well after just a little bit of practice. We were very proud of her and she was very proud of herself. She even took one fairly nasty fall and when I said she could walk the rest of the way home, she was crying that she wanted to get back on her bike. That a girl!

Mia posing with her bike

Riding

Chicago Fire Game

2010-09-05T13:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had the opportunity to attend a Chicago Fire Game. As I have mentioned before, my family is going to be participating in the American Heart Association's Start! Heartwalk on September 25th (which thanks to my AMAZING friends I have raised $500!!! Whooo hooo!!). We are walking as part of Good Samaritan's Heart of the Image team and our team leaders Dina and Lee set up an amazing event which was the game at Toyota Park.

Dina and Lee were coworkers of my dad and have been so wonderful in keeping my dad's memory alive between the beautiful memorial plaque and bench on the grounds of Good Sam, to walking in his memory in past years for the heartwalk, to this wonderful event yesterday. This event also was honoring 2 young boys who have had heart problems and heart surgeries in the past, but are thriving now. We had an opportunity to talk with their families as well, which was really cool. Ironically enough, the one boy's cardiologist was the same one who did Mia's very 1st echo right after she was born and detected her pulmonary stenosis.

For the game, we spent our time up in the party deck, which was great with the kids. I was hesitant about bringing them since it was right during nap time and I was worried about them sitting for an extended period of time, but none of that mattered! The novelty of the experience, plus the opportunity to run around the party deck made things easy. Plus there was great food, drink, prizes, bags, etc.!

The weather was beautiful, the game was fun, and I am thankful for days like this where my kids can see the impact their "Grampy" had on other's lives, how loved and respected he was, and how his memory is now helping to raise money to help others with heart problems. Thank you so much to Dina and Lee for their organization of this event and their generosity in having our families!

And now the pictures...

They were giving free scarves out and Mia always loves her accessories!

Our view of the field

Claire bear

Noah enjoying the popcorn

Cole going to town on an apple

My aunt and mom

Cole checking out the view-it was great!

Players warming up

The kids enjoying the food

A view of the party deck all set up

One of the displays with a short story about each person

These were on each of the tables too-lots of nice touches!

Me and Mia

The kids playing bags-this provided endless entertainment!

When they would play music the kids would go crazy dancing-I love this picture!

Doesn't Cole look so grown-up???

Breaking it down

Cort and Cole

Mia and Aidan watching the game

All the kids watching

Attempt at a group picture with all the kids :)

The kids with Lee and Dina

Having fun!

Party deck

Our family

Dina even made party bags for the kids-here's Cole checking out Aidan's

Aidan taking it all in

Mia

Cort and Ian watching the game. This was the last minute or so of the game. There was literally no scoring until then and then both teams scored and the game ended in a tie.

Our Family

My aunt and Cole-love his little smile!

And a quick story to end this post. They wheeled the dessert cart through the party deck (it was coming from another suite and not meant for us). Aidan and Mia went up (with some encouragement-ha, ha) to ask them where it was going and Aidan managed to score a giant cookie (which he very nicely shared with Mia). So funny!

Visit with the Sellers Side

2010-08-21T18:16:00.000-07:00

Today we had an opportunity for the kids to spend some time with my dad's side of the family. My 2nd cousin Mary Lou was kind enough to both initiate all of us getting together as well as also driving out my Aunt and Great Aunt. It had been awhile since we had an opportunity to see them, so it was nice to have a chance to visit with them and for them to see how the kids have grown. Thanks Mom also for a great lunch, despite Cole getting sick (yuck!) in the middle of it. And onto the pictures....

The 4 cousins

The kids with Auntie Babe (my Dad's Aunt, so the kids' Great-Great Aunt, right?)

The kids with Cousin Mary Lou (my dad's cousin)

With Auntie Deets (my Dad's Sister)

The kids with Grammy

Yay! A family picture! (Although Cole is looking a little sick/tired here)

Jen and Mike with their kids

Love this pic with my mom!

This is a neat story. When Cort and I got married 8 years ago, I had my 2nd cousins (My Auntie Deets's daughter's girls-do you follow?) as our flower girls. They were slightly older than Mia is now. My aunt brought their old flower girl dresses for Mia (and Claire when she gets a little bigger!) to have for dress up. This one fit Mia perfectly!

Start! Heart Walk, Round 2-Will You Consider Donating?

2010-08-17T18:39:00.000-07:00

I would like to take a minute from our regularly scheduled blog posts to ask for your help.

You probably remember that last year I participated with my family in the American Heart Associations's Start! Heart Walk. We were successful in raising a large amount of money and we are looking to do it again this year.

This is obviously a cause close to my heart. Throughout my dad's life, he dealt with heart problems and both Mia and I currently visit cardiologists on a yearly basis for less serious problems. The American Heart Association dedicates more monies to research than any other voluntary health organization, and only the federal government funds more cardiovascular research.

If you would like to donate you can either click on the fundraising thermometer on the side of the page (this tracks my fundraising progress) or go directly to my page by clicking here. Please consider donating to this wonderful cause. Thank you so much!

My Dad with a newborn Mia

Warren Dunes

2010-08-14T16:15:00.000-07:00

This past week, as one of our last hurrahs of the summer, Sarah and Ian invited us to the Warren Dunes for a day a the beach. We were not feeling totally motivated for 2 more hours in the car (since we had been to St. Louis the weekend prior), but I am glad we did it. The kids had a blast. Cole took a little while to get used to all the sand, but once he did, he was having a ball! I am excited, because I know we will be back visiting next summer with my sister's family and my mom. Here are a ton of pictures....

Cole playing in the sand and water

I love this of the guys with the girls

Mia and Ava swimming

Aidan

Cort and Cole

Ian and Aidan

The kids had a blast burying one another

Mia, Aidan, and Ava

Mia being buried

Just a head

Me with the kids

Sarah and Ian

All 3 kids buried (this was endless entertainment)

Burying Sarah (Cole also getting in on the action-he did not want to be buried!)

Mia, Sarah and Ava

Some backstory on this-Friday was HOT. It was fine if you were in or near the water, but the guys got the idea they wanted to conquer the big sand dune. However you could barely walk in the sand with flip flops (which they went barefoot) without your feet burning up. But they wanted to give it a try. I sat on a log with Mia and took pictures. :)

Halfway up the dune-taking a break

Cort running for his life with Cole(he had to run it was so hot)

A scenic view of the dunes while I was waiting for the guys to come back down

Cort and Cole trucking down the dune

Back to the beach...

YUM!

I love these next 2 pictures of Cole-he is such a water baby, just like I was when I was little

Cole and Mia swimmning together

2 funny sidenotes-I had to buy a $2 pair of flip flops to wear home since mine mysteriously disappeared. I don't know if someone accidently (or not accidently) took them, or if they got buried (I dug and dug looking), but they were nowhere to be found and I knew we were stopping for food on the way home and I would need them. Also, I have an awesome farmers tan on my face from wearing my sunglasses all day-and a really, really tan nose. :) I knew it was bad when I took them off and saw Sarah's reaction. :)

A trip to Arlington tomorrow and summer is officially over for us as school resumes mid-week next week. It's been a good one though!

Swimming at Goose Lake

2010-08-11T19:23:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we took a wonderful end of the summer trip to St. Louis. Pictures are coming shortly, but here are a couple video clips of Cole and Cort enjoying the water (Mia and Mommy were not so adventurous) from when we were boating and swimming on the lake.

Cole jumping off the boat

Cole jumping off the dock

Cort jumping off the dock :)

The Nature Museum and Cupcakes

2010-08-04T08:14:00.000-07:00

All summer long I have been wanting to get into the city with the kids. But it has been a crazy-busy summer with lots of traveling and it just hadn't happened yet. Until Monday. I think the fact that it is August has put me into high-gear to do and take care of some of the things I was saying I was going to do this summer, but hadn't yet done. So we packed up the car and hit the road. We started first at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum and went to the butterfly haven which was a huge hit. We then ate lunch outside looking out at the city-so pretty! The kids spent the rest of the afternoon checking out the various exhibits. I had thought we might end up at either Lincoln Park Zoo or the beach, but the kids were entertained at the museum so we stayed there. However, before leaving the city, I wanted to take the quick walk up to Molly's Cupcakes to get some of the best cupcakes ever (thanks to Pam for introducing me!!). They were yummy and of course the kids loved them. :) Here is a little collage of pictures, click it if you want to see it larger.

Hobson Splash Pad

2010-08-01T13:54:00.000-07:00

Back in the day when I lived in Woodridge, there used to be 2 pools, the 75th Street Pool and Hobson Pool. When Woodridge opened a water park, both the pools were shut down, with 75th Street Pool later becoming a park and Hobson Pool becoming a Splash Pad. I had heard this Splash Pad had recently opened and we decided to check it out. Cort and I were both feeling a bit unmotivated today, and it was really to hot to be outside without being near water, so this seemed like a good fit. :) The kids loved it. It was not too crowded and there were lots of jets, so a good time was had by all! My only complaint is there could have been more shade. :) You can tell I am getting old!

Here are some pictures...

Mia enjoying the splash pad

Encouraging Cole, too cute!

And Cole having a blast

Snack time!

Zucchini Bread (and some updated garden pics)

2010-07-29T13:40:00.000-07:00

Back when we planted our garden back at the end of May, I wasn't sure how it would turn out. I am not really known to have a green thumb and Cort is in charge of watering our house plants to keep them alive. However, I am proud to say that we have actually succeeded in growing some veggies in our garden! It is probably due to Mia's green thumb, not mine. :) So far we have harvested more cucumbers than I can count (and if you are a neighbor or relative, you may have received some), many tomatoes (both the Bush Early Girl, which did come nice and early, as well as grape tomatoes), strawberries, and 1 zucchini. Our pumpkin plant is out of control as our the beans (which we still have not found any beans). I have learned many lessons along the way if we plant a garden again next year such as starting with a good bunny-proof fence as well as not planting things so close together. Either way, it is exciting to check out the garden each day to see what we can pick. Here are some pictures...

Mia with her 1st cucumber

(which she will not eat due to a traumatic cucumber eating experience she will gladly tell you about if you ask her)

The cucumbers on the trellis (this worked really well)

A view of the whole trellis

Strawberries (these as well as the grape tomatoes are in containers on the deck)

Grape tomatoes

View of the whole garden (unfortunately due to all the rain I had to pull a couple zucchini plants because of root rot and some cucumber beetles have now invaded)

Our 1st zucchini growing

Tomatoes-YUMMY!!!

Mia's garden harvest one day

After picking our lone zucchini so far today, we decided to make zucchini bread. The kids were super-excited to help and are now napping with hopes it will be ready when they wake up. :)

Mia with the zucchini before grating it

And Cole too

(yes, he has a sticker on his head, and yes that is the recipe up on the computer in the background)

Grating the zucchini so carefully

Pouring the sugar in with dad's help

Stirring

Watching the mixer (this may have been the highlight of the whole experience!)

Cole thought this was the greatest thing ever!

An attempt of a pic of both of them

The finished product

Hopefully it will taste as good as it smells!!

I'm Back!!!!

2010-07-25T21:30:00.000-07:00

Yikes! It has been a long time since I have posted! July has been a crazy month which has included 9 days in California with Cort and the kids, returning back to Chicago for about a week, and then a second trip back out to California for 6 days with my Mom and sister. Life is good!!

I am really wanting to update the blog since I have SO many pictures from both trips to share. But I will start with this one of me, my aunt, sister and mom from a BEAUTIFUL winery. Look for updates coming soon!

Cole Jumping and Swimming

2010-07-09T23:29:00.000-07:00

Cole has always enjoyed the water, but this summer he has been enjoying it more than ever. He is a fearless little guy, so thank goodness for life jackets! I think we need to get him into swim lessons soon though so we can wean him off the life jacket when swimming...

Here's some video from Cole enjoying the pool on our trip to California. He LOVED jumping in over, and over, and over, and over (you get the idea!).

Here you go...

Doing his best doggie paddle....

Garden Progress

2010-06-19T18:58:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to update our vegetable garden progress...

Mia was thrilled to discover 2 small tomatoes on our tomato plant These cucumbers seem to be growing SLOWLY, but they are getting slightly bigger

These were the zucchini plants the first day we put them in (5-27)

And how they look today about 3 weeks later (6-18)
I have started to tie these to the trellis in hopes of encouraging them to vine up.

Mia and I dug out the old beans since they were just stems with no leaves and replanted. I plan on enclosing them in chicken wire once they start growing in again.

No carrots popping out yet! Where are they???

Pumpkin starting to look slightly more hearty

Happy 60th Birthday Mom!

2010-06-19T18:47:00.000-07:00

On June 16th my mom turned the big 6-0. We put together a slideshow to help her take a trip down memory lane. I was waiting to share this until she saw it at her surprise party yesterday. :) I also have pictures to share but that will come in another post. Until then, check out the slideshow here...

Happy Birthday Mom! We love you!

Cavalcade of Planes 2010

2010-06-17T18:43:00.000-07:00

A couple of weekends ago we hit up Bolingbrook's annual Cavalcade of Planes at Clow Airport. You can see pics from our previous visits back in 2008 and 2009. My mom joined us and as always, it was a great time with lots to see and do.

Right after getting there, we saw parachuters jump from a plane

Cort, my mom and the kids

One of the many planes taking off that day

Mia testing out one of the planes

Cole's turn

Sitting in the back of a helicopter

Cole was having a blast!

Mia copiloting the helicopter

Cole peering out at Cort

Cort and Cole

Mia and "Coastie"

Cole was not a huge fan of Snoopy. Disney should be interesting. :)

Mia liked him though

Family picture

Plane taking off

One of the things I love about the Cavalcade is we always run into lots people we know. I didn't grab pics with everyone, but here are a couple..

Mia and Ava

Mia and Payton

Mia running around "dancing"

They had a little station set up where they were taking pics of the kids in one of the planes and you could pick up the pictures later. I absolutely LOVE this one of Cole. He just looks like such a little man here and looks so happy to be in the plane. :)

And Mia's...

See you there next year! :)

Visit to Blackberry Farm

2010-06-15T19:52:00.000-07:00

Today Cort and I packed up the kids, dropped Mia off at summer camp (for her 1st day of swimming-fun!) and took Cole to Blackberry Farm. Blackberry Farm is a little pioneer village with a lot of fun things to do including a train, a tractor/wagon ride, a carousel and pony rides. We had went with Cole last year, but he was still pretty young to enjoy it. This year he LOVED it. We did a steady rotation of the train, carousel, pony, and wagon ride with the farm animals and corn table thrown in. I think the chance of rain kept a lot of people away, so we had the place to ourselves and didn't have to wait for anything. I am loving summer!

On the train

Cole really loved the carousel

Riding his pony "Misty"

Petting Misty

Back on the train

With Daddy

Cracking up

Cole thought it was hysterical going through the dark tunnel. I pointed my camera toward him while we were in there and died laughing when I saw this picture :) I think it is hysterical he was sitting there with a big grin on his face in the dark. :)

Right after we got out of the tunnel signing "more"

Back on the carousel

Love the seriousness of this one

But not for long...

Mommy and Cole

Visiting the goats

This duck came running over to me, I think he thought I had food for him

I think I have decided to fill our water table with feed corn. I think Cole would have stayed at this table all day if we let him.

Cole has still not transitioned fully to just one nap a day, so he starts to get tired mid-morning. When he gets tired he rubs his hair and sucks his thumb-so cute!

Back on Misty

Our Vegetable Garden

2010-06-14T12:01:00.000-07:00

The last summer or two I have wanted to plant some vegetables, but it just never happened. This year Mia has been VERY interested in flowers and anything that grows in general. This was the motivation I needed to get something planted. First though I needed to figure out where we were going to do it. I am not known for my green thumb, so I wasn't really feeling like digging up a portion of my lawn. The left side of our house has been a sore spot for awhile. We had some bushes there that had been fried by the sun and we had recently dug them out. There was a huge bed there that was nothing but dried, cracked dirt and was a bit of an eyesore. I decided that would be our new vegetable garden. :)

Between battling the business of summer and the rain we have had, the garden has progressed in steps. We finally now have everything in. Here are some pics of our progress...

5.27.10--Planting of Zucchini and Cucumbers

Mia with the zucchini plants

Look at that lovely dried out dirt :)

Mia has been very interested in worms lately (which is an improvement upon her being terrified when they were all over the driveway after a rain). Here she is with one of her "worm friends" on her shovel.

Zucchini and cucumber plants in

Tiny cucumber plants

Tiny zucchini plants

6.5.10--Adding the trellis for the zucchini, bean tower for the beans, and planting the beans

Because this area is small, doesn't have a lot of space and I wanted to plant a couple of different things, I decided to try and vine both the zucchini and cucumbers. I had found several links online when I had googled it where people had successfully grown their veggies on a trellis, so we will see!

A look at the whole garden-thanks to Cort for edging it too!

The trellis for the zucchini (which are growing well), still need to get one for the cucumbers

Our tomato plant

(Bush Early Girl for a certain someone who is ready to see things grow NOW)

Bean tower for the Kentucky Wonder Pole Beans

6.11.10--Garden Complete!

We added in a trellis for the cucumbers as well as adding some mushroom compost to keep the dirt from drying out so easily. The beans have been sprouting up like crazy.

Zucchini plants growing larger, I added some cable ties to start guiding them toward the trellis

Tomato plant with 2 flowers on it (hard to see)

Cucumber plants are growing slowly, but making some progress

Beans!

Sadly as I write this, they no longer look like this as some creature made his way in and ate the leaves off of all the stems. I am a little perplexed about what it might be as I am pretty sure there is no way a bunny could have gotten in since it is locked down like Fort Knox. :) Maybe birds or chipmunks? I told Mia we would replant and try to put something else more secure around them or on top like chicken wire.

We also put in some carrot seeds and a pumpkin plant. We did this last minute as my sister's husband Mike was nice and had come and put in some plants for us which the bunnies promptly ate up, so we had an empty space again. :( There are some bulbs there though that should come up next year. I will probably need to fence at least the carrots once they start coming up.

I am so glad we decided to do this. Mia has had so much fun helping me out wearing her princess garden gloves. :) Cole and Cort have had lots of daddy-son bonding time as they bike around the neighborhood and go to the park as we work on the garden. Both of the kids love to check the garden each day to see the progress. I just hope we are able to grow SOMETHING this summer and we can battle all the creatures living in our yard. :) I will continue to update as the summer goes on.

Hidden Lakes with Cole

2010-06-11T19:41:00.000-07:00

One of the nice things about Mia going to summer camp is that it gives Cort and I some nice one-on-one time with Cole. Having a second child, you have that guilt that they don't get the same amount of one-on-one time that you had with your firstborn. So this has been a great chance to do some fun stuff with just Cole. This week we went over to Hidden Lakes and had a great time feeding the ducks and walking around the lakes. Cole loved the ducks and also enjoyed eating the bread he was supposed to be feeding them. :) Here are some pics...

We saw these baby duckings right off the bat-so cute!!

Checking out the water

Swimming up for some food

Cole eating the bread meant for the ducks :)

Taking on the geese

While we were there this goofy looking duck came over for food. He was very odd and the other ducks were not very fond of him. My aunt did some research and found out he is a Muscovy Duck-so crazy looking!

Feeding the ducks

Mommy and Cole

Cort and Cole looking cute in their matching outfits :)

On a big tree trunk (wanting to get down)

One of the rooftop gardens at Hidden Lakes

Cole taking a break enjoying the last of my Caribou drink :)

MIa's 1st Soccer Game

2010-06-10T19:52:00.000-07:00

Today was Mia's 1st soccer game. She has been attending summer camp where she goes to school during the school year, and this week the theme was soccer. We went out, bought some shin guards and soccer socks and she was ready to go. :) I was a little worried how it would go since Mia is a little on the slow side and tends to get frustrated easily when she doesn't get a turn. But as the week has gone on, I have heard no complaints and it seems like everything has gone well. Today's game was the culmination of their practice during the week.

It was so cute. They had the kids divided up by age so Mia played in the 3-6 year old game. I use the word "game" loosely. It was basically the kids just running around all wanting to get a chance to kick the ball. Cort and I were impressed how well Mia kept up and that she did a good job making contact with the ball several times.

However, a bit into the game, she started getting a bit angry and frustrated when she didn't get to the ball first. :) After some encouragement from her "coach" (a nice high school soccer player), she kept on going. After the game Mia and I had the following exchange:

Mia: Everyone kept trying to take the ball away from me.

Me: Yes honey, that is what soccer is. :)

I have to say though we were proud of her keeping up and definitely see more soccer in her future.

Posing before camp

Demonstrating her kicking skills

When did she get so big?

She was so excited to see me there

Team cheer before the game

Kicking the ball

Chasing after the ball

It doesn't matter they are on the same team, they both want the ball. :)

Getting a little fired up (I see the Cort in her here, ha, ha!)

Ava and Mia after the game (Ava played in the 1st 3-6 game, there were a lot of kids!)

Me and my girl

One more of Mia and Ava

Inaugural Ride on Gigi and Papa's Boat: A Photo Essay

2010-06-09T19:57:00.000-07:00

Gigi and Papa (aka Cort's parents) recently bought a new fishing boat and invited us as they took their inaugural ride out. We picked Mia up after summer camp and met them in Wilmington to take it for a spin on the Kankakee River.

Driving there it looked like this-I knew it was going to be a good day! :)

Self-Portrait

Once we got on 55,

It looked like this

and our spedometer looked like this

But we were there soon enough and quickly got on the boat, broke out the snacks, and got ready to go for a ride

Gigi was patient and answered Mia's endless questions

Papa was at the wheel and we enjoyed a peaceful ride

Cort and Cole

Mia driving the boat

Then we sped it up-Cole though this was hilarious and couldn't stop laughing

Mia was at the wheel at this point-look at that face!

Having a blast!

Cole ate his way through much of our time on the boat

And hung out with Papa

After spending a good amount of time on the water, we docked. Mia kept asking Papa when they were going to fish since we had told her that the boat was a fishing boat. After badgering Papa (and Papa being so nice!), Papa pulled out a pole and they did a little fishing.

Cole did what Cole does, which is run around like a mad man. :)

Then relaxed with Cort for awhile

And the highlight of the day??? After casting and reeling in many times Mia (cough, cough Papa) caught a fish!! It was very, very exciting

Mia reeling in the line

Wait! There's something on the other end

Look what we got!

I want to touch it!

So proud!!

Mia's fish

Cole wanted to see him too and called him Nemo (he is as obsessed with Nemo as Mia was)

Mia giving him one last touch. Right after he was thrown back Mia got upset. Not because we threw him back, but because she wasn't the one who got to throw him back in. :) We promised her the next fish she caught she could throw in. :)

Thanks Gigi and Papa for a great time and great memories! We had a blast and can't wait to do it again!

Meeting Mickey

2010-06-02T13:01:00.000-07:00

About 2 weeks ago we headed over to the Bolingbrook Promenade for a chance to meet Mickey Mouse. This was a little preview for the kids seeing that we will be going to Disneyland later this summer-yay!! Anyhow, despite getting there about an hour early (I had picked up Wendy's and had just planned on finding a spot to eat with the kids), there was already a line. So we hopped into the line and ate our Wendy's as we waited. Jen and Mike joined us a short while later with their kids and we waited, and waited and waited some more :) I would say it was worth the wait for Mia, but Cole wasn't quite as sure. He was excited to see Mickey from a distance, but was not as excited to be right next to him. :)

Enjoying her frosty!

Yum!

Passing the time by practicing jumping

The line ahead of us (behind us was WAY longer)

Cole checking out Mickey on the sign

And passing the time playing with the construction cones

Once it was time for Mickey, I came to the quick realization that I would also be in the picture if I wanted both kids in it as well. :) Don't they look thrilled?

Excited for Mickey!

Jen and her kids

Pam's Bachelorette Weekend

2010-05-13T12:36:00.000-07:00

As I write this post, I am gearing up for Pam and Ryan's wedding extravaganza and can hardly wait for their wedding and the celebration afterwards. However, there of course was some preliminary celebrating with Pam's Bachelorette weekend. A group of 12 girls headed up to Galena for a weekend of fun, relaxation, and many, many laughs and good times. We rented a beautiful 6-bedroom house and went on a fun wine tour of the Galena area courtesy of Iowa Wine Tours. The rest of the time was spent back at the house, hot tubbing, eating, and celebrating Pam. Here are some pics of the weekend.

Getting ready to go-Rebecca and Pam with A LOT of stuff

Packing up Venessa's minivan (which she was so nice to drive us in!!)

The beautiful house

The view from the deck

Pam posing before the wine tour

At Galena Cellars

HS buddies!

At Rocky Waters Winery-this place was AMAZING!

My little Pampers :)

Out in the Vineyard

The bachelorette with some wine and cheese

Our whole group out in the vineyard

And in front of our bus, flashing our light-up bling rings

The table set for a nice dinner

Our on the deck

All of us again

Dinner!

Practice Pics

2010-05-13T12:09:00.000-07:00

I was practicing some pictures of Mia with a new background and fake floor and even though she is looking a little disheveled, I still thought she looked pretty cute. I want to use this set-up for Cole, ut figured I would practice with her first to see how it looked since she is a much more willing subject. :)

Claire's 2nd Birthday

2010-05-12T12:32:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe it, but my niece Claire just turned 2. What makes it scarier is that Cole is not far behind-aahhhh!! They are growing up too fast! :) Claire's party was Wiggles-themed and super-cute!

Mia being silly with her hat

Cole in the middle of the action-check out the look he is giving me

(thanks Jen for this pic and the next one!)

Cole was loving the balloons!

Love this of Claire-so cute!

Mia having a blast playing balloons with Grandma and Papa B.

The Cake

The Bday Girl

Cousins enjoying cake outside

(I love that Cole isn't even taking a break for the picture, he is just digging right in)

An arial view :)

Happy Birthday Claire!

Baskin Robbins $0.31 Scoop Night!

2010-05-05T07:04:00.000-07:00

Last week we hit up Baskin Robbins for their $0.31 Scoop Night. We got there and it wasn't too crowded, but within minutes there was a line out the door. :) However, we got our scoops, found a table and the kids couldn't be happier (and me too!)

Cole really enjoying his ice cream

Mia holding up her 2nd scoop

Samantha's Bday Party

2010-05-04T19:01:00.000-07:00

The same day that we had everyone over to meet Braiden, Mia also had Samantha's birthday party at Petland. This had to be the coolest bday party ever and we are seriously considering doing the kids' bday party there this summer. Also, kudos to Andy and Shannon for having 20 little girls there-wow! It started with the kids getting tour of all the aquatic animals/tanks, even getting to touch some of the creatures.

Mia learning about a horseshoe crab

And brave enough to touch it

Wasn't so sure about the frog that Sarah was brave enough to hold, but she did end up touching it

We then went to the party room where Sam blew out her candles and the kids enjoyed some yummy treats.

And then the BEST part-Sam got to pick out the animals she wanted to have brought out and the kids got to sit in a circle and hold/pet them. As a kid, my dad and I used to go to Petland and take out the different puppies, even though we knew we wouldn't be bringing any home (allergies in the fam). This totally reminded me of that. The kids were sooooo excited and the animals were very good with them.

Sam with one of her picks

Stephanie and Mia proudly holding one of the puppies

I love how happy she looks here

There were tons of squeals when he walked in!

They even got to hold a bird

This one cracks me up!!!

It really was a great party-thanks to Sammy for inviting Mia! Maybe we will be seeing you there again sometime in July/August! :)

Dave and Liz: Part II

2010-05-04T12:11:00.000-07:00

As is the story of my life, I am once again WAY behind on my blogging-blah! Anyhow, as I mentioned in my last post, Dave and Liz came in for Dave's sister's wedding and we really enjoyed seeing them. However, we couldn't hog them all to ourselves, so on Sunday, we invited the gang over to meet Braiden. Here is what that looked like in our living room...

Wow! That is a lot of kids, and that isn't even everyone! My favorite part of that first picture is Cole. I'm not quite sure what he is doing, but it makes me laugh. :) Here are a couple of other shots...

Cole LOVING his juicebox

(after everyone else finished, he also proceeded to eat any leftover food and drink any leftover juiceboxes-ha, ha!)

Miss Mia-french braids courtesy of Liz

Braiden hanging with the big kids

And here are a couple of cute ones I stole off of Dave and Liz's blog

I love this pic of the 3 of them. I cannot believe how big Mia and Cole look!

Mia chatting with Braiden

2 boys causing trouble :) And yes, those are Halloween PJs