LAGOON...it's what fun is

We had our yearly trip to Lagoon as part of Jason's summer work party....so off we went. Since this is one of Sam's favorite places (he can often be heard saying, "Hey, I know, let's go to Lagoon!"), we could hardly pass up the chance to drive the 2 HOURS it took to get there during rush hour traffic. The things we do for our kids....but the smiles on their faces say it all; and, we did get in for free. Can't beat that! (Ironically, in the other room I just heard Sam say, "Lagoon is REALLY fun!")

They thought they were SO cool...riding off in their own little car!

Sweet Sayings:

I was cutting onions the other day and Sam's eyes started to water. In a surprised voice, he said, "Mom, there's juice in my eyes!"

It's so fun to listen to what your kids are thinking. The other night I put Sam to bed and was in my room when I heard him call out, "Mom, come here, I need to show you something!" He was standing on his bed staring out the window at the moon. He said "The moon has holes in it!" I asked him who he thought made those holes..."I don't know, somebody just digged them!" Well, how did they get up there, I asked..."They climbed up the mountain and just jumped right on."

Gotta love it!

Family Dinner at Grandma's

Every Sunday when I was young we had dinner at my grandma's. We celebrated every birthday, anniversary, and holiday together. I remember walking in the front door to the smells and sounds of my grandma's house, where everyone was always welcome. She always let me help set the table with her nice dishes and fancy silverware. I still remember the smell of the velvet lined drawers in the hutch, the green shag carpet in the dining room, and the long table that held all of our family. Some of my very best memories are of those times. I have really missed that....but now with my brother here, I have family close by that I can start those traditions with, memories I can begin to build for my children. I don't think there's anything more special I can give them than memories of a loving family building bonds that will last forever.

ODE to a sister-in-law

Did you know that the definition of an "ode" is: a kind of poem devoted to the praise of a person, animal, or thing and often expresses deep emotion? I didn't, but now I do....and if anyone deserves it, it's my sister-in-law, Nicole. Here goes (and please remember, I'm NOT a poet):

Someone who loves me and helps me with all,

the things that I do whether big or small.

Generous, funny, amazing, and kind,

my brother was lucky this beauty to find.

A place in the hearts of my kids she did make,

we'll love her forever, a bond that won't break.

Thank you , Nicole, for your warm, loving heart,

for all that you gave us, right from the start.

A special place in our family you have, don't you see?

I'm grateful for all that you've done for me.

Trip to Chicago

So here's a little recap of our trip.....

*driving all night, crabby kids, spending time with Grammy and Papa, COUSINS!, children's garden at the Morton Arboretum, parks!, splash pad, finding bugs in the backyard...lots of bugs, tears over a ruined sunflower broken by two mischievious kids, picking up Lincoln Logs...again and again and again, Chicago pizza, time with NaNa and TaTa, crabby kids, canoeing/swimming in the lake, driving Grandpa's mint green Thunderbird convertible, Portillo's, five kids under six , boat ride on Lake Michigan, crabby kids, holding new baby Austin, a bath in Nana's jacuzzi, missing Daddy, walking down Michigan Ave, happy kids, visiting the Lego store, sand box in the backyard, the Old Graue Mill, dressing up like pioneers, sword fighting, Steve's INCREDIBLE pasta, jumping on the trampoline at Aunt Lucy's, being with people we love love love, Nauvoo on a very rainy day, swimming in the hotel pool, getting the truckers to honk, Aunt Nicole headbanging, Sam singing Mama Mia, getting back to our Dad......

That pretty much sums it up! Thanks to my mom and dad for everything they did to make our trip lots of fun...and to everyone for being patient with our chaos....and to Spencer and Jay who were the very best of friends....we love you guys!

Crazy

So I just might be crazy....I'm taking a road trip to Chicago with my kids...yes, that's right...I'm driving, with my kids, in the car, 1500 miles. I really do love road trips. I love to watch the country change as I go, I love the smell of the air, the beautiful farms in the midwest, the sunrise (and the sunset), and I love how you can see for miles in every direction. So, here's to craziness....and to going home.

I caught this picture driving home the other night...Sam was so excited to see a rainbow. He said we should drive until we got there, and it's too bad we can't really do that. It would be so fun.

Reunion

I love family reunions! You get to see all your cousins you haven't seen in years and you know everyone is commenting on how much weight you've gained during the last year....just kidding, well...not really. I can say that I had a lot of fun, but my kids....I think it was the highlight of the year! For any of you who know Sam, he LOVES cars....I mean, LOVES them. His universe revolves around them. So we're eating dinner and we hear this "Vrroooommmm" sound; Sam stands up, reminding me a little of a dog, ears raised, who knows something exciting is about to happen. Then from around the corner comes this ride-on four wheeler and he says "MOM! What is that?" Needless to say, dinner was forgotten and I didn't see him for over an hour. It was heaven on earth. He also jumped endlessly on the trampoline. Did you ever see such a happy face? Meanwhile, Charlie, who is extremely shy, went and sat on all the men's laps! I don't know why, but he likes to be one of the guys. He doesn't want anything to do with the women...weird, but ok, whatever! Uncle Tim was his favorite! Lucky for me, they got so worn out they were asleep the second their heads hit the pillow...I love nights like that.