State Fair with Mamaw and Papaw

During the second weekend in August my parents came up for an extended four day weekend.  Their visit marked our third straight weekend with visitors.  Although it was a busy few weekends, we love having visitors!  Mom and Dad came on Thursday and we planned to go to the State Fair on Friday.  They hadn't ever been to the Illinois State Fair and the weather forecast was calling for beautiful weather, so we decided that a trip to Springfield was a no brainer. 

Mamaw, Papaw, and a little piggie

We headed out early Friday morning and got to the fair around 10:30.  The weather kept its promise and produced a beautiful day.  We tasted lots of classic fair food and saw lots of interesting sights.    Addy and Carter loved the fair.  Carter especially loved seeing all of the animals.  After going through several barns and the FFA petting barn we learned that Carter will pet any kind of animal including goats, calves, pigs, sheep, fish, and turtles.  Addy wasn't as enthusiastic about petting the fish.  She and Derek did participate in the fishing clinic in Conservation World.  Addy has been requesting to go fishing for quite some time now, so this was the perfect opportunity to take her.  They used real poles, learned about fishing safety, and fished in an overstocked pond.  Addy was very excited that she caught her limit of two fish and we were excited that we could do the whole "fishing experience" at the fair.  Addy was also excited to make a tye dyed t-shirt.  She chose the pattern and colors and she and I applied the color.  We were very happy with the way it turned out.  We had the perfect day for the fair and really enjoyed showing my parents "our" state fair.  The kids enjoying taking in the sights and Addy loved collecting all of the free stuff from the various booths. 

Spinning the Wheel.  Someday I hope to spin the real one! 

Papaw enjoyed taking the kids aroundto see all the farm animals. 

FIshing with Daddy

Addy's big catch--a sunfish

Carter wasn't so find of Smokey

Carter and Papaw taking a walk

No visit is complete without a trip to see the Butter Cow

Playing in the soybeans

Addy was so excited to be on a tractor her own size

We designated the next day as girls' day out.  My mom, Addy, and I headed out on our own to enjoy the day.  We started with a pedicure for Addy that she had earned through the local library's reading program.  Then we went to see The Smurfs, which we really enjoyed.  We ended the afternoon with lunch at Olive Garden. Addy has wanted to take her Grandma Schum to Olive Garden ever since she and I went there for lunch one day and I told her it was one of Grandma's favorite restaurants.

In an attempt the boycott girls' day, the boys decided to organize their own day out.  Derek, Papaw, and Carter headed to Peoria to check out a few playground stores and eat lunch at Red Lobster.  They seemed to have a good time and came home with a ton of information about playgrounds. 

Mom and Dad headed home on Sunday.  We are so glad that they decided to make the trip up for a long weekend!  We a had a ton of fun spending some quality time with them. 

~Freihaut Cousin Camp 2011~

The first inagural Freihaut Cousin Camp was held at our house during the first full week of August.  The festivities began on Sunday evening when Cory, Cameron, and Grandma Freihaut arrived in the evening.  Addy had been looking forward to Cameron coming to play for weeks and was so excited when they arrived.  On Monday morning we headed to Miller Park Zoo.  The kids loved the zoo and had a lot of fun exploring and checking out the animals together.  The zoo wasn't very crowded, so it was an excellent opportunity to allow the kids to wander about and not have to worry about avoiding crowds or keeping a tight reign on them.  We watched the sea lion feeding and the kids got to ride the carosel.  We also went into the petting zoo where Carter loved chasing the goats and Cameron was mezmerized by the chickens.  Addy also got to pet a pig, which she loved.  After the zoo we headed to lunch wuth Derek.  Then we headed home for a much needed naptime. 

Making breakfast

Add caption

Squirt gun Fun!

After naptime we grilled out for dinner and then headed to the splash pad for some soggy fun.  The park wasn't very crowded and the kids had a great time playing in the water.  I was very surprised at how much Carter loved running through the sprinklers and playing in the water.  We knew that Addy was a waterbug, but had no idea that Carter would take to the water so easily.  Carter loved following Cameron around the splash pad and the playground.   It was a lot of fun watching them interact and play with each other.  When we returned to the house we had the dessert that Cameron and Addy had made for everyone earlier in the day--worms and dirt.  It was a tasty way to end a great day!

On Tuesday we headed to the Children's Discovery Museum in the morning.  It wasn't a very busy day, so the kids basically got free reign of the museum.  They particularly enjoyed that water table and paint wall.  Cory was stressed about Cameron getting messy in the paint room, so I kicked him out and made him watch from the outside.  I did let him know that the paint was washable:)  After leaving the museum we headed to a local park to eat lunch and play for a little while. 

 Then we headed home for a much needed naptime.  Later that afternoon we headed to the bowling alley where kids bowl for free during the summer.  We had never taken the kids bowling before and weren't sure how it would go over, but the kids all had a blast.  The bowling alley had a ramp for the kids to use and they put the bumpers up in their lane.  Even Carter enjoyed taking his turn and did lots of clapping for his ball.  The grown-ups bowled in the lane next to the kids and Derek came out victorious by one point over Cory.  However, none of us should quit our day jobs and join the Pro Bowling Association.  It was a pretty sad display of bowling!

Check out those fancy shoes!

After dinner Cory, Cameron, and Grandma headed back to Indiana.  We had a great time during cousin camp and are so glad that they came over to visit! We pakced a ton of activities into two days and the kids and the adults were exhausted afterwards.   We look forward to next year's cousin camp when there will be a fourth cousin, (Cameron's little sister) to join in on all of the fun! 

Making stepping stones

Making worms & dirt

Addy's Big Week

The first week in August was a VERY big week for Adalyn as she achieved a several notable accomplishments that we MUST document.  This  week was her second full week of swimming lessons.  Addy missed two days of the first week due to having a cold and fever, so she was ready to get back into the pool during the second week.  Addy absolutely loved going to lessons and gained so much more confidence in the water.  Miss Logan was a fabulous instructor and I was amazed at the things she got Addy to do in the water.  I must admit I was very nervous when she had Addy hanging on the side of the pool on her own on the first day of lessons.  Yes, I may have been that mother hovering at the side of the pool wincing every time Addy dunked her head underwater.  I know, I know...talk about a paranoid mom!  Eventually I did manage to move over to the lounge chairs to watch from a more acceptable distance.  Throughout the two weeks of lessons Addy learned how to bob her head under water multiple times in a row, push of the wall with her feet, blow bubbles, float on her front and back with support, and float and move in the water using a noodle.  She was promoted to level 2, which we were all excited about!

Our little water bug

Not digging having water in the face after ten head bobs

Addy loved having Miss Logan as a teacher!

We love noodles!

Learning to push off the wall

Addy's biggest feat in the pool happened on Wednesday when she jumped off the diving board.  Yes, it's true--my little girl JUMPED off the diving board.  I hadn't read the posted schedule to know that it was diving board day, so the fact they were indeed jumping off the diving board was a shock to both Addy and myself.  I'm not going to lie; when I heard that my little girl was going to get the chance to do a dive, I got a little nervous!  Addy was the first in her group of three to dive and she didn't hesitate.  I wish she would have hesitated just a bit, because I was trying hold Carter to keep him from diving in the pool and managed only one picture of her standing on the board and no video.  I was disappointed that I wasn't more prepared, but I'm sure there will be more dives off the diving board in our future and you can bet that I'll be ready!  We are so proud of our little girl for conquering her fears of the water and for giving swimming lessons her best effort.  We are already looking forward to the winter session of lessons!

The BIG DIVE

The next big feat for Addy this week happened on the track.  For several weeks Addy has been obsessed with trophies.  She kept mentioning that she wanted to play another sport so she could win a trophy.  We had no idea where this obsession came from.  We hadn't talked about trophies and were surprised that she even understood what they were and why people have them.  We tried to emphasized to her that you play sports for the experience and fun, not for the trophies.  Needless to say her obsession with them continued. 

Closing in on the finish line

Well, it just so happened that Friday night was the final Run for Fun at Bloomington High School.  We had done several of the runs this summer and Addy received a ribbon at each of them.  At the last Fun Run of the season every runner gets their very own trophy.  So, Carter and Addy both ran (well Carter was mostly carried) in their age division and earned their very own trophy.  I ran with Carter and it was Derek's night to run with Adalyn.  I must say that Derek and Addy beat set a new personal best time for Addy of 3 minutes.  Addy ran the entire lap without asking to stop and even had enough left for a strong kick at the end.  She improved so much from her very first race and we are proud of her for her efforts and helping her Dad achieve his personal best in the 400 meter dash!



Receiving her first trophy



Carter clearly values his sippy more than his trophy!

Raising her trophy in victory

Needless to say, this was a very big week for Addy. She had a great time, accomplished a few goals, conquered a few fears, and has a trophy and many great memories to show for it. A summer week can't get any sweeter than that:)

On the Road Again...

During the third week in July the kids hit the road again and headed home on a Sunday to spend time with family and friends for a few days before we headed to French Lick to meet up with Derek for his annual consultant's meeting.  We took off in the morning and headed straight through to Derek's mom's house in Evansville.  The kids were great in the car and we didn't even have to stop once.  Thank goodness for the portable DVD player and morning nap time that enabled us to make awesome time--4 hours and 15 minutes!  Sunday evening we headed to the mall to do a little shopping.  Addy and her grandma also rode the train.  On Monday we headed to the inflatable play place, Pump it Up.  Addy loves this place and I was so amazed at her ability to climb on and scale the things on her own.  We last visited the place over Christmas and what a difference seven months makes.  Since she was so independent and didn't need my help I was able to take Carter on a few of the slides, which he loved. 

Playing with the big kids.  Seconds after taking this picture the kids started pummeling me with balls!

On Tuesday morning we headed to Ferdinand to see my Grandma and spend the day with her.  We took her lunch for her recent birthday and had fun catching up with her.  The kids love going to see great-grandma and Addy always has a ton of stories to tell her.  Wednesday morning we headed to my cousin's house to take pictures of her new little guy and his two siblings.  I have been wanting to practice my photography skills on other kids.  My kiddos get a little tired of me asking to their pictures all of the time.  So, when Gwen had her third baby about a month ago I asked if I could take her kids' pictures.  We headed over in the morning and I set up my backdrop in her basement near her patio doors.  Gwen's sister, Emily, also brought her kids over, so I had a ton of new guinea pics to photograph.  The kids were all really cooperative, all except for my son.  Carter has become a bit of a Mommy's boy lately and wouldn't allow me to put him down at all.  I took pictures holding him the entire time, which didn't allow me to be as mobile as I would have liked.  I got a few good shots, but I promised Emily and Gwen that if I take their kids' pictures again I will have plans for Carter.  Addy had a great time playing with her second cousins and didn't want to leave.  We don't get to see each other very often, so it was great catching up with them!

On Thursday morning the kids and I headed to French Lick to meet Derek for his consultant's meeting.  We got away pretty early in the morning and met Derek for breakfast in the hotel's restaurant.     After eating  the kids and I headed to the indoor water park at the water park resort  in town.  Even though we weren't staying at their hotel, they offer a daily rate for non-guests.  I had heard good things about the water park and was eager to check it out.  I must say that it exceeded my expectations.  Addy and Carter loved it!  We took many trips around the lazy river.  They had awesome inner tubes that were solid in the middle, so Addy and Carter could each sit on their own without falling through.  Carter was so relaxed that he actually took about a twenty minute nap in his tube as we went round and round.  He drew many looks and "ahhs" from onlookers and a few people whipped out their Iphones to snap a picture.  Unfortunately I wasn't able to snap any pictures of our water park adventure.  Believe it or not, taking two young kiddos to an indoor water park can be quite the adventure.  I didn't have the extra hands to keep track of a camera.  We stayed at the water park for about 4 hours and then headed back to the hotel to nap.  Needless to say, after such a fun day, all three of us took a good nap! 

While we were enjoying the controlled climate of the indoor water park, Derek was baking in record temperature on the golf course.  It just so happens that Derek's firm had booked a gold outing on the day in which the temperatures of the heat wave peaked.  Derek doesn't usually mind playing the occasional golf game, but with the heat index at 110, he was a bit grumpy about the thought of baking on the course.  Of course tee time was scheduled during the hottest part of the day, which made all the more enjoyable.  They did make it through all 18 holes--slowly but surely and by drinking lots and lots of fluids!  That evening we ate dinner with the firm at the French Lick Winery, which was very nice.  The kids were very well behaved which made it much more enjoyable.

On Friday morning Derek headed to his all day meeting while the kids and I headed to the stables so the kids could ride ponies.  At first Carter wasn't so sure about being on a pony, but slowly warmed up to her.  Once he felt more comfortable, he sat up straight and kept saying "woof, woof" which is what he says when he sees any furry animal.  Addy loved the pony ride and kept calling herself a cowgirl.  After the ride, the kids got to feed the goats.  At first Addy was cautious of the starving goats, while Carter went right up to them and wanted to pet them.  Then we headed back to the hotel for lunch and nap time.  After a great nap my parents came to pick up the kids and take them back to their house to stay overnight.  The firm had scheduled a nice dinner at the 1875 Steakhouse and I wasn't brave enough to take Addy and Carter to the 5 course dinner.  It also gave us the opportunity to check out the casino, which I was super excited about in the beginning, but not as excited about at the end when I had lost money. 

Giddy up!

Ride em' cowgirl!

One cute cowboy!

On Saturday morning Derek wrapped up his meeting while I hit spa for a pedicure courtesy of the firm.  It was great to get some "me time" and enjoyed the morning on my own.  After Derek's meeting we headed to a restaurant uptown called 33 Brick Street, which has tons of Larry Bird and other sports memorabilia.  My favorite thing there was the Larry Bird Sycamores jersey.  The food was also very tasty!



Proud to be a TREE!

Saturday afternoon we headed back to Ferdinand to pick up the kids and headed to the Fireman's Ball with my family.  We were so happy that we got to see many of our extended family members there and talking to them for a bit.  Addy loved climbing on the fire trucks and playing the kids' games.  It was a great way to wrap up a week long visit to southern Indiana.  We headed home Sunday morning and even though it's always bittersweet saying goodbye to our loved ones, we were all ready to go home and sleep in our own beds and return to our "normal" routines.