Thursday, May 19, 2011
Monday, May 16, 2011
Chicago....My kind of town!
During the last weekend of April we spent a few days in Chicago for some much needed family time before Derek flew out of O'Hare to Vancouver for the week. Derek had a meeting at a hotel near the airport all day Thursday and was scheduled to fly out on Saturday, so we loaded up the car early Thursday morning to spend a few days together in the "Windy City." When visiting the city and exploring many of the fun things there are to do in the Chicagoland area I often find myself thinking "Man, it would be great to live here!" But then something happens, usually traffic related, and my opinion changes to "Man, I love visiting here!" We truly loving visiting the city and are so lucky that we are only two hours from so many wonderful things to explore and do.
While Derek was in his syllabus committe meeting all day (which I am sure was truly mind blowing and interesting) I took the kids to Schaumburg to check out Woodfield Mall. This mall is one of my favorites. At one time it was one of the largest in the country and has more stores than I could ever visit in a day. We spent a few hours browsing a few stores (mostly kid related) and playing on the indoor playground. I know the that those indoor playgrounds are "germ-farms" but I couldn't resist after seeing how excited Addy was when she saw the area. She and Carter had a great time and Addy made several new friends whom we kept seeing in the mall afterwards and each time they would yell "See you next time!" After the playground, Disney Store, Lego Store, and a few other stores Addy was less excited about we decided to do lunch at Rainforest Cafe. At first the giant hissing snake at the entrance to the restaurant made Addy a bit hesitant about my choice of restaurants. However, she eventually warmed up to the idea and loved all of the animals and fish tanks. Carter was also entranced by his surroundings and just kept looking around and letting out random screams of excitement. Before ordering I asked Addy if she wanted dino nuggets and with a disgusted look on her face she responded "Are they really made of dinosaurs?" After assuring her that they were made of chicken and only dino shaped, she devoured all six. The girl must be on a growth spurt or something!
After a family nap in the hotel room we headed to the hotel pool. They had a great kiddie pool complete with a mushroom thing and water jets. They also had tons of beachballs of all different sizes, which Carter loved playing with. On Friday Derek took the day off and we headed to the Brookfield Zoo, along with what seemed like everyone else. Apparently it was a popular day for school field trips and many people were taking advantage of the nicest day Chicago had seen in a few weeks. Although it seemed a bit busy at the beginning, thankfully the zoo grounds a large which spread out the crowds and allowed us to steer clear of as many school groups as possible. For a few weeks Addy had had her heart set on seeing the elephants; it was all she talked about. So, Derek scoped out the pacyderm house on the map and trecked across the zoo to fufill her wish only to find out that they have gotten rid of their elephants and won't be getting them back for two years. Needless to see Addy shed many tears and was VERY disappointed! We finally got her to cheer up and settle for going to see the kangaroos instead.
Later the night we headed to U.S. Cellular Field to watch Derek's Chicago White Sox play the Baltimore Orioles. It was Frank Thomas bobblehead night, who happens to be one of Derek's favorite White Sox players of all time. So we intended to get there early to ensure that we were one of the first 10,000 to enter to secure our bobblehead. However, we greatly underestimated travel time into the city on a Friday evening and had to hustle to the ballpark from our parking spot. We did manage scoring 3 (yes 3) bobbleheads, which Derek was very excited about....One for his office, one for the basement sports decor, and I'm not sure where'll he put the other one...probably on his nightstand:) The game was Carter's very first baseball game and he really enjoyed the sights and sounds. The biggest surprise to us was how much Addy enjoyed the game. She loved watching the action with her daddy. At one point I took her to the restroom and decided to swing by the giftshop since we didn't have time before the game. As we were heading in the store the crowd cheered about action on the field and Addy said "Mom, we're missing the game." That's the last time I ever try to buy her a souvenir at a game! The game was a 7:10 start so we certainbly didn't expect to make it the whole game. We left at the beginning of the 7th inning, which was good since the White Sox gave up four unearned runs that inning. We had a great time and have already planned to go to several other games this season. The White Sox ended up losing 10-4, which was one loss in a very long losing streak! GO Reds!
On Saturday we had the whole day before we had to drop Derek off at O'Hare for his 8:00 p.m. flight. We hit the pool one last time and then headed out for lunch at Weber Grill and checked out the Cabela's Store. Derek has been wanting to go tent camping and is supposed to pick out a new tent for his birthday. So we went to check out their camping gear. They also had a ton of stuffed animals and Addy finally got to see her elephant.
After a quick snack at a toll road oasis we dropped Derek off at his terminal curbside and said out goodbyes. The kids did great on the two hour drive home and slept most of the way. Even though we were sad to say goodbye to Derek for a week, we had a great time spending the weekend with him in Chicago before we he had to go.
While Derek was in his syllabus committe meeting all day (which I am sure was truly mind blowing and interesting) I took the kids to Schaumburg to check out Woodfield Mall. This mall is one of my favorites. At one time it was one of the largest in the country and has more stores than I could ever visit in a day. We spent a few hours browsing a few stores (mostly kid related) and playing on the indoor playground. I know the that those indoor playgrounds are "germ-farms" but I couldn't resist after seeing how excited Addy was when she saw the area. She and Carter had a great time and Addy made several new friends whom we kept seeing in the mall afterwards and each time they would yell "See you next time!" After the playground, Disney Store, Lego Store, and a few other stores Addy was less excited about we decided to do lunch at Rainforest Cafe. At first the giant hissing snake at the entrance to the restaurant made Addy a bit hesitant about my choice of restaurants. However, she eventually warmed up to the idea and loved all of the animals and fish tanks. Carter was also entranced by his surroundings and just kept looking around and letting out random screams of excitement. Before ordering I asked Addy if she wanted dino nuggets and with a disgusted look on her face she responded "Are they really made of dinosaurs?" After assuring her that they were made of chicken and only dino shaped, she devoured all six. The girl must be on a growth spurt or something!
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Enjoying lunch in the "Rainforest" |
After a family nap in the hotel room we headed to the hotel pool. They had a great kiddie pool complete with a mushroom thing and water jets. They also had tons of beachballs of all different sizes, which Carter loved playing with. On Friday Derek took the day off and we headed to the Brookfield Zoo, along with what seemed like everyone else. Apparently it was a popular day for school field trips and many people were taking advantage of the nicest day Chicago had seen in a few weeks. Although it seemed a bit busy at the beginning, thankfully the zoo grounds a large which spread out the crowds and allowed us to steer clear of as many school groups as possible. For a few weeks Addy had had her heart set on seeing the elephants; it was all she talked about. So, Derek scoped out the pacyderm house on the map and trecked across the zoo to fufill her wish only to find out that they have gotten rid of their elephants and won't be getting them back for two years. Needless to see Addy shed many tears and was VERY disappointed! We finally got her to cheer up and settle for going to see the kangaroos instead.
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| Loving pool time! |
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| Carter was a litlle scared of the water, but warmed up to it eventually. |
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| Addy and Daddy at the Zoo |
Later the night we headed to U.S. Cellular Field to watch Derek's Chicago White Sox play the Baltimore Orioles. It was Frank Thomas bobblehead night, who happens to be one of Derek's favorite White Sox players of all time. So we intended to get there early to ensure that we were one of the first 10,000 to enter to secure our bobblehead. However, we greatly underestimated travel time into the city on a Friday evening and had to hustle to the ballpark from our parking spot. We did manage scoring 3 (yes 3) bobbleheads, which Derek was very excited about....One for his office, one for the basement sports decor, and I'm not sure where'll he put the other one...probably on his nightstand:) The game was Carter's very first baseball game and he really enjoyed the sights and sounds. The biggest surprise to us was how much Addy enjoyed the game. She loved watching the action with her daddy. At one point I took her to the restroom and decided to swing by the giftshop since we didn't have time before the game. As we were heading in the store the crowd cheered about action on the field and Addy said "Mom, we're missing the game." That's the last time I ever try to buy her a souvenir at a game! The game was a 7:10 start so we certainbly didn't expect to make it the whole game. We left at the beginning of the 7th inning, which was good since the White Sox gave up four unearned runs that inning. We had a great time and have already planned to go to several other games this season. The White Sox ended up losing 10-4, which was one loss in a very long losing streak! GO Reds!
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| Carter's First Baseball Game |
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| Enjoying the fireworks after a White Sox homerun |
After a quick snack at a toll road oasis we dropped Derek off at his terminal curbside and said out goodbyes. The kids did great on the two hour drive home and slept most of the way. Even though we were sad to say goodbye to Derek for a week, we had a great time spending the weekend with him in Chicago before we he had to go.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Easter Weekend
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| Carter's First Easter |
On Friday we headed to the Gasthof with my family. It is an Amish restaurant about an hour from my parents' house that has a great buffet and cute shops on the property. This is the second year in a row that we made the trip to Montgomery on Good Friday, so I guess you could say that it's almost a tradition. After having a great lunch and running a few shopping errands we headed back to my parents' house and spent the rest of the evening there.
On Saturday we headed to Derek's Mom's house to celebrate Easter with his family. Derek's younger brother and his family came down from Terre Haute to spend Saturday celebrating with us. Addy always gets very excited about seeing her cousin Cameron and now Carter really enjoys seeing him too! It's a lot of fun watching them interact with each other. Due to the soggy weather outside we decided to forgo the Easter Egg hunt we had planned on taking the kids to and elected to visit the nursing home where Grandma Freihaut volunteers. The kids got to travel from room to room to "hunt" eggs from the residents trick-or-treating style. It was a great experience for all involved and was a great alternative to the muddy mess that I'm sure Addy would have been after an outdoor hunt. Later that evening we went to church with Derek's mom. Addy loves visiting her church because she gets to go to childcare with Miss Leslie. She always has a great time there and comes away with a craft and song that she has learned.
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| Checking out Addy's Easter book. We have continued Derek's family tradition of giving the kids books for Easter. Each year they get a new book with a short inscription from us. This year both kids got collections of Disney stories and they have become bedtime hits! |
Sunday morning we headed back to my parents house to see if the Easter Bunny found us there and sure enough...he did! Addy and Carter had fun checking out their Easter baskets and their gifts from Grandma and Grandpa. The kids also hunted the eggs the Easter Bunny left in the yard. Yes, the bunny was crazy enough to brave the mud and muck to hide eggs in Grandma and Grandpa's front yard. I was suprised that the kids managed to stay reasonably clean and mud free. We had a yummy easter lunch with my whole family and grandma and spent a bit more time together before heading back just as the kids were getting a bit cranky and were ready for naptime.
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| Checking out his loot from the Bunny |
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| Addy was very concerned about the Bunny finding us at Mamaw and Papaw's house. She even let him know where we would be when she saw him at the mall. He obviously listened! |
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| Even the eggs were soaked! |
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| They miraculously stayed fairly clean! |
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| Addy loved the Bunny decoration! |
Although we fought raindrops and gray skies all weekend we had a fabulous time visiting family and celebrating, It was the first time we had made the trip home since Christmas and we were so glad to be back in Indiana again. We have several more trips to Indiana planned over the next few months and hope that we can see more family and friends during those trips.
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