Wednesday in the City

Wednesday was our day in the city. We started out at Navy Pier. I bought a deal off Living Social for the Amazing Chicago Funhouse Maze. The kids have always wanted to do it but I had heard it wasn't worth the money. I figured the deal on living social was worth it. It turns out it was still pretty much a ripoff, but the kids seemed to like it. Here are the kids in one of the funny mirrors outside.

Then we made our way to Millenium Park. It was the nicest weather day we had all week, so we wanted to enjoy some time outside. I wanted some pictures of Emalyn in the bean.

Maddi and Cade love laying on the ground at the bean.


I love looking in the center of the bean.

My three little stooges, I mean sweeties.

Cade and Emma and I enjoyed some time hanging out watching people and the birds.

Maddi found a railing to flip on. That just about sums her up.

Cade just hanging out on the left, Maddi climbing on/over the wall and Emalyn eating a snack.

I thought this was cute with her little shadow.

The back of Emalyn's hair is so pretty with her soft curls...

...but the front of her hair is often crazy with tight curls!

Cade man is about to get his braces off, but not because his teeth are perfect. They are waiting for him to lose more teeth and for his permanent teeth to grow in. Since none of his teeth are really lose, there is no sense in keeping the braces on. They had to do the expander while he was young and his palate was still moveable and get his front teeth together so his side ones could grow in. That's all been acomplished and now we wait for the adult teeth...

I thought I was getting some great pictures with the blossoming tree in the background but it turns out one of the kids isn't looking, or has a shadow or has their eyes closed in every picture. Ugh! This one was the best, even though Maddi's smile is a little odd.

The kids decided they had sat long enough for pictures and were off to climbing and running around.

Emma was trying to keep up with Bubba and Sissy and just couldn't figure out how to climb over like them. She kept saying "I can't do this. I can't climb like Bubba and Sissy." Her newest thing is that she wants to be held wherever we go and if I try to put her down, she'll throw herself down on the floor and scream "I can't walk (or I can't stand), my legs are broken!" Ahhhh...two year olds!

Another attempt at being a photographer. I think I need a lot more practice :)

Just having fun.


Right after this, Brett drove by and picked us up from Millenium Park and we went to dinner at Lawry's Prime Rib. He had earned $175 in reward certificates from a general manager dinner there back in February. We enjoyed a free dinner and we even all got to order our own desserts. Yum!

Then we made our way over to United Center, aka the Madhouse on Madison, for the McDonald's All American basketball game.

Between the girls and boys games, we had some time to kill and found these fun shoe prints.

None of us could belive how big Shaq's shoes are!!!


We saw about half of the girls game and it was fun to watch, but the boys game was really fun to watch. It's hard to believe they are only high school seniors!

They were dunking like crazy and it was entertaining to watch.

Emalyn and I left at half time of the boys game but the big kids stayed with Brett for the whole thing. It was a fun day in the city but we were all pretty tired the next day:)

Last Week and Weekend

A few pics from my phone of the last week and weekend. I took Emma to Chick Fil A one day and she had a great time playing in the play place. She was the only kid until one other boy came in. It was funny, the little boy climbed up toward the slide and then started screaming. His grandmother was with him and she looked to me, like she wanted me to climb up there and get him. I don't even want to climb in that thing for my own child, must less a strangers child. She was a younger looking grandmother and she climbed up there with no problem and she grabbed him and they left. I have to add, if it had been an older woman, I would have helped, but this lady looked perfectly capable.

I went to Maddi's school for the 5th grade wax museum. Each child did a biographical report and then they dressed like the person they researched and the parents came to the was musuem. Maddi was Kristi Yamaguchi. Each child had a paper plate in front of them. When someone stepped on their plate, then they would come to "life" and start talking about who they were. It was fun to see all the kids dressed like their person. Maddi has become good friends with a boy, Jared, who is in a wheelchair. She has learned sign language so she can talk with him at recess and she will help him go down the slide and play at recess. She talks about him a lot and while I was a the wax museum, I got to see him. His teacher pushed him over to see her at the wax museum. She asked him if he wanted to see Maddi and he got very excited. That Maddi girl is such a sweetheart!

Friday, the kids were out of school, it was their first day of spring break. It's a good thing she had the day off, because she had to be at the O Hare convention center at 3:00 for a dance competition and convention. Here she is enjoying a caramel and chocolate apple from her buddy on the last day of convention.

I took a picture on the screen where they were selling pictures from the competition. Maddi girl and one of her leaps. They competed Friday night and then we stayed the night at a hotel with another mom and dancer. Saturday morning, they started convention at 7:30 a.m.

Here are Maddi and Kate ready to get the convention started. They had some famous choreographers, including some from So You Think You Can Dance, teaching them dances all weekend. She was worn out by the end of it, but had a good time.

Pool Party in March

It's been such a mild winter and has actually felt like spring this March, which is wonderful! Usually at this time of year, we are still covered in snow and freezing our tails off. We had a week of 80 degrees and Emalyn's friend hosted a pool party on March 15! Ever since we went swimming at the hotel in Michigan, Emma has been asking to swim every day and wears a swimsuit most days. She'll say in the sweetest voice, "maybe we go to hotel and go swimming today?" Here she is all ready for the pool party!

These pictures are all out of order, some are from my phone, some are from her friend's mom. They had a great time playing in the pool, eating popsicles and just running around. The pool water was very cold! The kids would climb in the pool and then gasp because it was so cold and then they'd stay in for a minute or two and then get out.










It was a fun day and I am incredibly thankful that we had a week of such nice weather!

First Hair Cut

Emalyn's hair has been growing like crazy, but I wasn't sure if I should cut it or let it keep growing. Since it's curly, it looks better longer so the curls aren't so tight. It was really becoming a mullett, so I decided it was time to get a hair cut. She was very excited to finally be the one getting a haircut because she sees Cade get a haircut every month. She looks a little worried in the pictures, but she really was very excited. She chose to watch Cinderella and sat in a police car while she got her hair cut.

The lady cutting her hair kept saying how good she was. She didn't move at all, just still as could be and did what ever she told her to do.

She got a few inches cut off, mainly in the back.

She's all done! She has this big goofy wrinkled nose smile every time she sees the camera so I have started telling her not to smile sometimes. Ha!

Maddi and Cade were off for spring break, so they got to see Emma get her first hair cut too.

She got a balloon, kid chopsticks and a lollipop! We also got a certificate that has her picture of her first hair cut and a little baggy with her little curls.

The Weekend

The weather here has been WONDERFUL! We have set all sorts of records for longest string of days in the 70s, 80 for a high, very unheard of weather for the Chicago area this time of year. I am so thankful! We are loving it. Miss Emma has been sporting some very creative outfits lately, including this one she wore to dinner with Brett at Culvers. Maddi had a sleepover birthday party at a hotel and Cade and I were at a mother/son event so he had a date night with Emalyn. Let's hope this isn't how she dresses on her real dates!

Another lovely bikini outfit for Emalyn.

The kids school had the Daddy/Daughter dance a few weeks ago and now it was the Mother/Son event. It was at Sky High Sports where they have trampolines, even trampoline walls. The most popular event was dodge ball. It was a lot of fun, but I don't play dodgeball, so I didn't spend a lot of time with Cade, he mostly spent his time with his friends. You can see how sweaty the boys got while having a blast.

Here he is in action playing dodgeball. I HATE dodgeball, always have since elementary school, and I certainly didn't want to play it with big strong boys. But, it was fun to watch him having so much fun.

This is the smoke detector in Emalyn's room. I don't know that she's scared of it, but she always says "That green light is looking at me" in a worried voice. I showed her that all of our rooms have a green light in them and told her it's just a light, it can't look at her. Still every night before bed and when she wakes up she says "that green light is looking at me". So funny.

We took advantage of the nice weather and met some friends at a park. Emma got brave enough to go down the slides all by herself. Usually she wants me to hold her hand while she slides down. After a few times down the rolly slide, she pinched her fingers between the rollers and was crying and wanted to leave the park. I hope she isn't afraid of the slides now :(

Sunday morning was spent finishing up the visual aid for Maddi's biography speech about Kristi Yamaguchi.

Brett was a big help to Maddi, for which I am thankful. I don't enjoy projects, but Brett does a good job with helping the kids. Emma worked on her own project making a colorful picture!


Sunday afternoon, Emalyn was playing with Emily and I snapped some pictures. Emma has recently perfected the forward roll and LOVES to do them all over the house and the trampoline.

Ta Da!

Jump time!

I managed to get Emalyn out of leotards and bikinis for a short period while they were all getting washed! Cute little friends.

More forward rolls.


And more jumping.


It was a nice low key weekend with some fun activities but also some fun relaxing time in the beautiful weather.