Saying Goodbye

Today we drove to Wisconsin to see Erin and her 3 girls who are moving to China in a few weeks. We met Erin and Abby at playgroup when Cade and Abby were around 10 months old. Now Abby has two little sisters, Jill and Meg, and they live in Wisconsin. When we moved to the Chicago area it was so nice to know we at least had some friends in the area (2 hours away is in the area when you don't know anyone!). We had lunch with them and then we went to the Jelly Belly wharehouse. We will miss Erin, Jeff and the girls while they are gone for a year or two, but with todays technology, we'll be able to keep in touch. Who knows if we'll still be in Chicago when they come back to the states, but if we are still here the kids can't wait to go back to the Jelly Belly store with them. I can remember taking Erin and Abby and Jill to the airport when they moved to Wisconsin and I was so sad to see them go. Little did I know that we would soon follow them up to the Midwest and I just hope we don't follow them over to China!

After saying goodbye to Erin and the girls, the kids and I decided to stay for the train ride tour of how jelly bellys are made. We all enjoyed the tour and the kids especially enjoyed wearing the hats and getting jelly bellys at the end. Did you know it takes 7 days to make a jelly belly?
The kids are standing in front of the gross jelly belly flavors like diaper wipes, skunk spray, vomit, molded cheese (you get the point) and the kids just think it's the funniest thing. It was a fun day seeing old friends and eating candy.

Today's trip was four hours in the car round trip so it was a warm up for our 9 1/2 hour trip tomorrow to see my Aunt Lynn in Tennessee. We'll finish up our travels Saturday with another 6 1/2 hour car ride to Myrtle Beach, SC. ROAD TRIP!

Preparing for MB

This time next week we'll be relaxing on the beach in Myrtle Beach, SC. Cade has been very interested in scuba diving for a long time and since he's too young to scuba, we got them snorkel sets. They were so excited to try it all on. Don't know if we'll go on a snorkeling trip or not but at least they can use them in the ocean.

Brett is showing Cade how to breathe through his mouth and not his nose. Cade assured Brett that he already knows everything there is to know about snorkeling and scuba. Who is this kid that thinks he knows it all? Must be his father's child!

This will take you back a few years to high school. We made spirit gifts for all of the minis and petites in dance company. It started out lots of fun for Maddi and she was so helpful. She would get me the candy for each poster and sign her name. As we continued she was not so excited to help anymore and guess who got to finish them? It was really difficult to find the miniature sizes of candy. We couldn't find the mini size boxes of hot tamales so we had to put them in a ziploc and write hot tamale on it. Classy, huh? When it's Halloween I'm going to stock up on the mini sizes of candy just in case we do this again next year. Of course we could have bought the full size candy boxes and bars but we made 22 gifts and I'm too cheap to buy that many full size candies.

Not looking forward to the 16 hour drive to Myrtle Beach, but we are looking forward to visiting with my dad's sister, Lynn, in Tennesee on the way. We are also looking forward to spending time at the beach and watching Maddi dance. But what I'm really excited about is getting me some good food in my belly! Chick-fil-A, Sonic, Abuelo's. Mmmm....good. Chick-fil-A has a thing on their website to track your starting and ending points and they'll show you Chick-fil-A's on the way. There are 25 from here to Myrtle Beach! Too bad the closest one to us is over 3 hours away! Maybe that's a good thing.

Four for Friday

1. I was looking forward to a slower and less hectic schedule for the summer, but so far that is not the case. I feel like I spend my days running from place to place to pick up and drop off kids. Hopefully that will settle a bit in July. This is a pic from the pool with Jack and Liam. They were sitting out at adult swim and the kids don't enjoy sitting out for 15 minutes, but they were trying to make it fun.

2. To go along with the hectic schedule...I am looking for a few good brain cells! This morning we left the house to start our crazy day. I was going through my mind....got the stuff to shower after teaching step class, check; golf clubs for Cade, check; lunch for picnic after Maddi's dance, check; Maddi's dance bag, no. So I called Brett to see if he could drop it off at dance on his way to work. Then I got to the gym to teach the step class and got out of the car to realize I had two different tennis shoes on. I am not kidding! So I explained to my class that I'm a goof ball and please don't laugh at my unmatching shoes. Then I realize I have no water. Teaching a step class without water is not easy, my friends. So I made it through and the rest of the day went pretty well, but sometimes I just wonder wear my brain could be.

3. Brett has strep throat. Poor guy has been on antibiotics for two days and he still feels awful. Now it's in his head and he's so congested. Hopefully he'll be feeling better soon.

4. Are you watching So You Think You Can Dance? Love that show! Don't have a favorite yet, but there are some good ones this year. Maddi loves to watch it and it's so fun to hear her comments.

Golf Camp and Anniversary

Cade started golf camp Monday. He is quite excited because several of his friends are doing it with him. Now he wants to play golf all the time with Brett. Brett's taken him out a few times for a few holes, but I think it will be awhile before he's ready for a whole round.

Also, it's approaching the One Year Anniversary of our blog! I think it's June 19th that's the real anniversary, but I'm sure I'll forget on that date, so I'm writing about it now. It has been so much fun capturing our lives in pictures and in words this last year. Since I haven't scrapbooked for either of my kids since their second birthdays, it's a great way for me to remember their lives during these times. It has forced me to take pictures when we do things and to write down the happenings in our lives. So for those of you who enjoy reading other's blogs, go ahead and start your own. It's fun for others to read and it's a great way to document your lives.

Happy Father's Day

We made a trip to Texas...Roadhouse that is to celebrate Father's Day. Happy Father's Day to Brett who is a wonderful husband and father and Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there. It is so fun to watch Brett's relationships with the kids. Cade adores him and loves talking movies, legos, sports, etc. with him. Maddi has him wrapped around her little finger and she loves cuddling with him and teasing him about how many boyfriends she has. Maddi and Cade don't know how lucky they are that they have such a warm and caring father who loves them so much and is so much a part of their lives. Father's Day is a hard day for me since my dad has passed, but it's always so fun to see the kids and their excitement for Brett and his love for them. Texas Roadhouse was delish as usual. Love those rolls and cinnamon butter!

We had some neighbors over for a cookout Saturday night, so we stayed up quite late. Cade slept in until 7:20 which is a wonderful gift in itself. After waking up and cleaning up and getting ready, we headed over to the Oswego Prariefest Parade. Cade was on a float for a kennell that his friend's parents own. He was excited to throw out candy, but was dissapointed that he only got to throw it and not eat it.

Here are the boys on the kennell float. Keep in mind that we live in a small suburb and their floats are very "small town". It was a cute parade, but nothing like the Neiman Marcus Children's Parade that we used to go to in Dallas. The kids kept saying "these floats are so tiny. These aren't what I thought it would be." Yes, children, you are not in Texas anymore. Remember that everything is bigger (and better) in Texas. Did I just say that? Not everything is better in Texas, but a lot of things are!

Maddi was on the float for her dance studio. They wore recital costumes and sat on the float and waved. She didn't get to throw candy, but she was so excited when she waved to several of her friends from school. I showed her the parade wave. You know, elbow, elbow, wrist, wrist. She did the wave very well. Brett and I sat with Emily's parents and watched the parade. It was kind of weird to be at a parade and watch your kids IN it rather than watch it WITH the kids. I told the kids I'd catch candy for them since they were on the floats and couldn't catch it themselves. I felt so weird pushing the other kids out of the way to get the candy. No, I didn't push kids out of the way. But I did pick some off the street twice and it did feel goofy, so that was all the candy they got.

First week of Summer

School's..out...for...the...summer! And so far, so good. We've had fun doing the slip and slide, going to the pool, riding bikes, etc. Here are a few highlights from our week so far. They have the coolest slides at some of the parks here. They are "rolly" and the kids love them. We met some friends at the park Wednesday morning before Maddi spent a day at dance. They are practicing like crazy getting ready for the national competition in Myrtle Beach in two weeks.

Cade on the see saw. He was not so thrilled that a toddler was on the other end of the see saw and he had to take it easy.

The kids were "painting" the tree with water. I read somewhere a few years ago about having the kids "paint with water". You get the spongey brushes and then give them a bowl of water and they can paint the sidewalk. The kids got bored painting the sidewalk and decided to paint the tree.

Thursday we took advantage of no dance or baseball and ventured over to a mall that I've been wanting to go to since we moved here. It's about 45 minutes away and they have a ton of stores. The kids were very patient while I did some (ok, a lot) of shopping and then we went to Rainforest Cafe for lunch. They were pretty scared of the crocodile at first. Maddi was thrilled when she got her penny in the mouth and she is certain her wish will come true.

Omie, this is for you. Cade with his big ol' black shoes and Maddi in her sparkley shoes. Cade has some opinions in his clothing and shoe choices lately and let's just say they wouldn't be my choice. When my mom was here she took them to get some new shoes and Cade chose the ones he's wearing. On another note, can you see why the kids are always asked if they are twins? Maddi tells me that she doesn't know why I'm keeping it a secret from them that they really are twins. She's such a goof ball. Take a look at the baby albums, Maddi. You are almost 2 years older than Cade you just look like you're the same age.

We were seated next to dolphins at Rainforest Cafe. Are there really dolphins in a rain forest?

After taking a tour of the restaurant and seeing all the animals the kids were hard at work deciphering the games on the menu.

Tracy Tree. The kids love Tracy Tree who talks. It's so goofy and she's actually pretty scary if you ask me. They had a blast and were very thankful that we got to eat lunch there. Then we headed to the candy store for dessert where they each got to pick their own candy for their bags. They were happy to shop some more while hyped up on sugar.

Slip n Slide

We got a new slip and slide and the neighbors came over to help break it in. We had some storms roll in right before they went out to slip n slide so it was pretty chilly, but they didn't seem to mind.
Friday we had pizza night with the neighbors next door. Saturday Maddi had a rock climbing certification class, Cade had baseball pictures and then we ate lunch at Moe's which is our closest thing to Freebirds. Brett took Cade to see Indiana Jones and Maddi and I spent some girl time together shopping. When we got home we ended up talking with the neighbors outside and then we all hung out on their patio. Since the kids had already had a late night Friday we brought the kids home to bathe and get to bed. Brett was going to back and party with the neighbors, but he decided to stay home. This morning Maddi went out to get the paper for us and came back to tell us our driveway said "Brett is a party pooper." We were cracking up. I wanted to get a picture of it, but the rain came and washed it away.

Here are the kids showing their moves on the slip and slide. First it's Grace, then Jack, Cade, Emily and Maddi is last.

It's the end of the world,as we know it and I feel.....

SCARED! School is oficially out and summer break has begun! On one hand I'm thinking how nice it will be to spend time with the kids and go do fun summer things. On the other hand I'm thinking how the kids are going to drive me crazy spending so much time with them and doing fun summer things. When school starts back in a few months, our lives (mine mainly) are going to be changed. Cade will be full day being in first grade. I complain that it's annoying having to pick him up from half day kinder every day, but I'm realizing that all the free time to myself will be nice but I'm afraid it will be somewhat boring as well. I have mixed emotions about summer and the start of school in the fall.

Today was Maddi's last day of school. They only had half a day. She wanted to wear a dress and I was thrilled because she always wants to wear "big girl" clothes. She's thinks everything looks like a "baby". I think she looks so pretty in dresses and love when she decides to wear one. When I was in school all we wore were dresses. Well, that's all I wore in first grade. It seems to me that everyone else wore dresses too.

They got to visit the second grade classes and there are 3 teachers she really wants. One she thought she wanted but after meeting her she's not so sure and one teacher she really doesn't want. She was excited for school to end but then when I picked her up she was sad that it was over. Typical girl. She is looking forward to being a big second grader. She had such an amazing teacher and a great class this year. She learned so much and we are very proud of our Maddi Girl!

Boo Ya!

The kindergarden word is Boo Ya! Today was their kindergarden tea. They don't do a "graduation" because not all kids go on to first grade. They all held up their certificates and said "boo ya". It was so cute. Here is Cade in his classroom with his best bud Jack. They are only 5 days apart but Cade looks like his big brother, doesn't he?

Signing autographs in the classroom.

Mason, Jack, and Cade. After visiting in the classrooms, they got to have cookies, brownies, donuts, and lemonade in the hallway. This is Cade's impatient face. He was thinking "hurry up and take the picture so I can eat some sugar".

Then we went to McDonald's for lunch, playground time and ice cream. Congratulations Cade for making it through kindergarden. You did a great job and we are so proud!

Catching Up!

Happy Anniversary to me and Brett! May 30th was our 10 year anniversary. My dear, sweet mom came in town to watch the kiddos while we enjoyed a weekend in the city. The kids were thrilled to have Omie here and we were thrilled that Maddi and Cade were in good hands with Omie. Omie visited Cade and Maddi's classrooms on Friday, took them to dance, a birthday party, the pool, and she even taught Cade how to tie his shoes while she was here! Woo-hoo to the shoe tying. We practiced again today and he's getting it down. Thanks for coming to visit Omie.
This was a quick pic before we headed into the city. Instead of taking a big trip for our 10 year anniversary, Brett bought me a new diamond and wedding/engagement ring set. The ring he gave me was his grandmother's and he wanted to buy me a ring since he was never able to. Isn't that sweet?

We spent most of Saturday shopping on Michigan Avenue. I have to say that I've trained Brett well and after 10 years he's fun to shop with. He doesn't complain or anything. Of course he would find a chair most places and check his fantasy baseball scores on his phone while I shopped, but he was still a good sport.

Saturday evening we went for a nice dinner at Tavern on Rush. It was very good and we enjoyed looking out the window and people watching while eating. This pic is of my dessert. It was yummy!

After dinner we went to see Wicked. It was fabulous! I had heard it was really good, but thought I didn't really care much to see a musical about the witches of Wizard of Oz. After seeing it, I realized I am interested in the witches from Oz and it was such a good story.

This was intermission at Wicked. Gotta love those self portraits! My mom always said that couples start to look like each other as they grow older. 10 years and I don't see us looking like each other. What do you think? My mom and dad never looked anything like each other either, so we'll see what happens!

Sunday morning we walked over to Millenium Park. I always love going there and checking out the "bean". This is a reflection of the buildings on Michigan seen on the bean. Then we got on the "L" and headed to Wrigleyville for a Cubs game.

We spent the hour before the game shopping for a t-shirt for me. Brett had found his shirt Saturday while we were shopping on Michigan. Man, I'm picky. Finally found a t-shirt and then we headed in for the game.

Well, once we got inside and found we were in the shade (as much of the stadium was), we were FREEZING! Even Brett. So after the first inning we headed to the gift shop (where we waiting in line to get in b/c so many people were buying jackets, sweatshirts, etc.) to buy some warmer Cubs gear. Now that we were warm, we could enjoy the game and it was great. Cubs won!

After we got home the kids wanted to put on their Cubs shirts and we decided to get a family photo in our Chicago Cubs gear. We are starting to like the Chicago sports teams but we are TEXANS and we will always be Cowboy fans before the Bears.

Monday morning was Field Day at the kids school. Maddi was tired and also grumpy. Don't you love the grump face!?! She was mad that I made her put sunscreen on. I'm so mean! Of course it didn't help her mood that Omie was leaving at lunchtime and Daddy will be gone until Thursday night. Good byes are not Maddi's thing and having to say goodbye to Omie and Daddy on the same day was not a good thing.

Usually Cade is my oppostitional child but luckily this morning Cade was all for taking pictures while his sister was busy throwing big ol fits about having to take a picture. This was the only time I got pictures of Omie with the kids because we were gone for most of Omie's visit. Silly me.

Maddi says she was smiling in this picture. I guess she was TRYING to smile in the middle of crying. Poor girl.

Later at field day Maddi was out of her bad mood and having fun. Omie got to help with that too. The kids loved that Omie came to their school Friday and Monday. Then it was off to the airport for Omie.

Monday night Cade had his first baseball game. I showed him this picture and told him I caught him not paying attention. His reply was "mom. I can see through the holes in the glove, you know."

Check out that swing! Actually we'll be practicing that swing quite a bit. Poor guy struck out 3 times last night. He played t-ball last year and this year he's on Rookie ball where the coach pitches and they only get 3 swings and they're out. He had the saddest look on his face the first time he struck out and he realized he wouldn't get to run the bases.

Tomorrow is Cade's last day of kindergarden and Thursday is Maddi's last day of first grade. Summer break is fast approaching.