Chicago Trip-May 2013

So, with the baby coming in August, I figured we would do our Chicago trip in the early summer (I was sad not to miss out on more of the Houston heat) and we had a great time.  We came in just in time to see my brother graduate from High School.  Can't believe my little Drakey-Bakey is going to college.  My mom had lots more pictures from that day that I forgot to get, but I got one of the graduating class. He is up in the front. 

 Then we had a fun party for him, during and after which, just about everyone in my family got this horrible stomach flu that started with Raegan days before.  She got over it so fast, I thought she ate something bad, but then 2 days later, my dad got it, Harrison got it, I got it, my mom and the rest went down like flies...it was fast and horrible, but the house felt like the movie Contagion for a few days.  Once we all started feeling better, we could actually get out and enjoy some stuff.

We went to the Lego Discovery Center.

 We found a mall playground-Looney Tunes themed.

 We got a tour of the police station from Grandpa and Harrison got to sit in the car with the lights and sirens on.

 Raegan wasn't as excited about all the noise.

 We also found grandpa's retired star.

 We walked to a police station close to my parents house as they were pulling out and they did lights and sirens on the truck for us as they left.

 Harrison had a wipe out on the walk so Raegan lost her seat in the stroller and we pushed Harrison home.  She enjoyed the swinging with Aunt Dillan and Uncle Tyler though.

 Another day we went to the Shedd Aquarium.  It was a really fun trip for the kids and I hope we can go back again soon.  There was a place to pet sting rays and you can see my kids are wet in the next picture.  You are supposed to reach down and pet the top and that worked for everyone  But when I reached Raegan down, the one we were going to pet, came to the top and slapped its flipper thing and soaked us.  Raegan was not happy at all (it was salt water too!) and Harrison thought it was pretty funny.

She liked the penguins much better.

 Penguin suits.

 Watching dolphins.

 Checking out the jellies.

 We ended with a show.  Luckily it was only 30 minutes.  The kids loved it, but I don't think they had it in them to sit much longer.  They loved the whales and dolphins jumping though.

 My favorite city...

 Another day I got brave (or crazy) and me and the kids rode the train into the city.  It is about an hour in and it was rough.  Harrison loved it for the first 30 minutes and Raegan was happy for about 5 minutes, but we made it. 

 We stopped at the river and Willis Tower.

 We had lunch in the train station and headed back.

 And I bought extra snacks for the ride home.  Nothing like M&Ms and gummy bears to pass the hour ride home.

All in all it was a great trip!  We loved seeing family and spending time doing new things.  Next time I take on Chicago, I will have 3 kids and that is still crazy for me to wrap my head around!

Mothers Day/Fathers Day

I had a great Mothers Day this year.  I got flowers in the days before and enjoyed them for the day and the days following.  I was able to sleep in, have home made cinnamon rolls for breakfast, go to church with my family (and get chocolate there!), took a nap, had some amazing Chicago-style deep dish pizza (also home made) and enjoyed a relaxing evening with my family.   Harrison also made me some very cute crafts at preschool that I enjoyed.  I could not have asked for a better day.

Fathers Day was also fun.  (At least Jeff said he enjoyed it!)  He also got to sleep in (his early church meetings all cancelled!), we brought him breakfast in bed complete with Harrison's preschool crafts, we enjoyed church, naps, and I made Shake Shack burgers, onion rings and chocolate coconut macaroons.  Jeff was able to spend the day relaxing with his family and watching golf.  Raegan has really enjoyed watching golf with Jeff.  I think it is all the clapping...it makes her really happy.  It was a nice, quiet day and we loved it. 

Happy late Mothers/Fathers Day to all the wonderful Moms and Dads (Present and future).  I love having a day to celebrate such an amazing thing!

Moving

No, we are not moving, but it seems like most people down here are leaving.  We have had friends moving and it has been a little hard on us.  Harrison more then anyone.  Out of the 10 kids who came to his birthday party last year, 6 of them will be gone by the end of the summer!  It is crazy.  We have had some good times with our friends here and wish them all the best, but we will miss them.  Harrison prays every night now that Daddy will get a new job so we can move closer to his friends.  He doesn't quite understand that all his friends did not move to the same place, so us moving would not solve his problem! 

Here are some pictures of his last play dates with friends who moved. 

Harrison with Carter, Afton and Sam.

 Harrison with Jett.

 Harrison with Corbin.

Even I had to come to terms with some of the best friends I have made since moving to TX leaving.  Kristen and Gretchen moved to opposite ends of the country and I will miss them both.  They have been such a support to me and I have loved their friendship.  I don't know what I would have done without them in so many cases!

 

 

Water Adventures

So, I am way behind on my blogging.  We have had a lot going on and I have been exhausted most days so yes, a nap has taken priority most days.  But we have been busy so I'll catch up soon.  In the mean time, it is summer in Houston and it is a hot one!  We run our errands as soon as the kids are up and we are ready in the morning to beat the heat and we don't really spend much time outside.  The only thing we do outside involves the water and luckily we have lots of options. 

We have already made several trips to our neighborhood splash pad and pool.

We made a trip out to Galveston last weekend (also early in the day) and enjoyed the water and beach there.

 And we bought a little pool for our backyard just so the kids could get out a little more.  I was feeling guilty that we spend so little time outside, but the truth is, being pregnant in this heat is not ideal, so this is our compromise.  We have another smaller pool too that I can stick my feet in.  My kids like it so far.

Hopefully we survive the summer heat and enjoy the water time that we have!