Chicago for a Day

So sometimes I forget how lucky we are to live so close to such a great city!  We were invited to go with our amazing friends the Petersons to Chicago for the day a few weeks ago to celebrate Kamryn’s birthday.  We went back and forth about if we would or not and then finally decided to just do it and I’m so glad we did!

Our first stop was at the American Girl store.  Kamryn picked out Julie for her birthday and since Emma already has a doll we decided to let her get Kit’s ears pierced (what will they think of next for these crazy dolls!).  We aren’t much for spending a bunch of money there (we leave that to the Grandmas!) but I figure $12 wasn’t too bad to get the ears pierced and it comes with a couple pairs to be able to change them.  Laila had lots of fun watching all the people and the girls playing with their dolls.  In fact, Ahna let Laila hold her bitty baby since she has the twins so all the girls had a doll to hold.  Guess what our new obsession is…… yep, baby dolls! 

I love my Peterson girls.  Not sure what I’d do without them!

Next on our list was a little something for the boys.  We decided it would be fun to walk down to the Lego store to let the boys check it out.  On the way we stopped for some Chicago dogs :)

Our kids minus two (Nolen & Laila).  We’re quite the bunch :)

The boys were excited to check out all the stuff at the Lego store.  I definitely think there will be a trip to Legoland in our near future.  It was so neat to see the huge things they have made out of Legos.  Jackson got to get two little kits to build which came in handy when we were waiting on dinner later that night.

We parted ways with the Petersons and headed down to let the kids check out the river before heading back toward our car.

We had already decided that we were going to eat at Giordano’s for some Chicago style deep dish pizza before heading home.  There was a long wait but it was definitely worth it!

MMMMMMMMMMMMM!

While we were waiting for our pizza I took pictures of my three beautiful children.  They were so good all day and very patient through all the walking, shopping and eating.  Check these cuties out!  How blessed am I?!?

Children’s Museum

So, we’re starting to get bogged down a little with all of these trips to and from Riley’s and now Shriner’s in Chicago too so last week we decided to make the best of the fact that we were in the lovely city of Indianapolis!

The Children’s Museum in Indy gives a free year membership to foster families with a current license so we headed on over there after Laila’s check up with her urologist.  It’s super fun and we can’t wait to go back because there’s so much to do and we only had the afternoon because our nurse Sharon was with us and needed to get back.  ps – how fun is it for her to “work” while we go to the museum?!? but I’m definitely thankful she was with!

Playing Ice Cream Shop

All Aboard!!

This ceiling is so cool!  Made of blown glass!

My fashion model

Penguin slide!

Funny Penguin

Nope, I’m not too big ;)

Watch out for the Polar Bear!!!

Jackson in a cave

Very cool Barbie display in the girt shop.  Emma wanted to buy one but they were SO expensive!

Laila picking flowers

Coloring is fun!

Water Play

Black light sisters

Our membership also includes rides on the carousel!

Laila was in awe of all the lights up on the ceiling.

 

It was a super fun day.  Can’t wait to bring Jack with us next time!

An Eight Year Old???

I’m still pondering the fact that I now have an eight year old!!!  How did this happen?  Who let her get so grown up?  I think I’m going to file a complaint….with….. well I guess no one.

Seriously though, what an amazing daughter I have.  She has been such a light to me over the past few months when I needed it the most.  She loves God with everything she has and always turns to prayer when there’s something anyone needs.  God definitely teaches us through our children!

This year I finally broke down and got her a Nintendo DSi.  I’ve never, ever been a fan of video games.  I feel like pointless hours are lost and I see so many kids who don’t know how to function in normal society without having their faces burried in an electronic device.  But, she’s been asking for a couple of years and so I figured with the right rules and mind set it can actually be very helpful.  We set limitations on the fact that she is only allowed to have educational games and that we have a time limit that she allowed to play it.  I know, I’m no fun but she’ll thank me one day right??  There are some pretty fun educational games out there and honestly  I have found myself a little addicted to Brain Age and Book Worm!  I figure DS with educational games beats no DS at al right?  Anyway, she was very excited about it and very happy with how her birthday turned out. 

Here is a picture of her with the cake.  Let me just say before anyone else can, yes I know that when you look at the cake it looks a bit like an inappropriate part of the female anatomy but it is actually the number 8!!

Thank you God for giving me this special girl.  Keep her safe and close to you for not only 8 more years but for 80 more years!!

Field Trips!!

I got to go on two fields trip in the past few weeks!  I love getting to go and experience these things with the kids and learn right along with them.  It did take a little divine intervention to get me to have someone for Laila for both of them but it actually happen!!

First I went with Jackson’s preschool class to go and visit the Sandhill Cranes.  I have always heard about the fact that they make a stop over in Wheatfield on their way flying south for the winter but I had never actually made it out there to see them. 

The game preserve has a free observation deck where you can go out and see where the birds are out in the field so we trecked out there to check them out.  Jackson’s teacher is so creative and fun.  She made all of the kids these little goggles out of toilet paper rolls so they could “see better".”

Of course mommies can have fun too!!  :)

After seeing the cranes and learning about them we headed over to the pumpkin patch and picked some out for halloween.  Jackson was very excited because Grandma Kathy had already got each kid a pumpkins so now he’s the only one who has two!!

Mrs. Friend did their bible story and bible memory out at the pumpkin patch that day.  VERY fun!  She talked about how all of use have yucky stuff in our lives but how Jesus can help us become clean.

Then the next week I got to go with Emma on her field trip to Buckley Homestead.  This was the one where divine intervention was called in.  I quadruple booked myself that morning and the nursing agency conveniently never got a nurse for me for Laila.  Crazy, but I ended up getting to do everything I needed to that morning.  Thank you God for giving me my mom!!!

Buckley Homstead is a little farm that shows the kids what life was like long ago.  Boy did they thank their lucky stars that they don’t still have to do chores like those!!!  It was amazing that I was able to go that day because just that morning we got word that the mom of one of the boys in Emma’s class had tragically died that morning.  She told me as soon as I got there (I had already known) and she desperately clung to my side that whole day.

2nd Grade Class ready to go!!

Sitting in the school house.

What a blessing it is to be able to spend this wonderful time with my kiddos.  I’m so thankful God has allowed me to be able to be home with them and, for now, have some extra help with Laila so I can still be able to go on trips like this.

Fun Fall Activities

I don’t know about you but I LOVE fall!!  I don’t know if it’s just the fact that I like that I can wear comfy pants and sweatshirts to hide this extra five pounds I’ve put on with constantly eating fast food with this new child of mine or the fact that we’re closer and closer to Christmas which I LOVE but I think mostly it’s the campfires, nights spent taking walks with jackets on and burning my deliciously scented autumn candle :)

Our nurse Sharon is now definitely a part of our family.  She is so great with Laila and loves Emma & Jackson as well.  She was growing gourds in her garden so she brought a bagful for the kids.  We got them out one evening and had lots of fun painting them.  Now they’re a fun decoration on dining room table.

Also along with fall comes FOOTBALL!!! OK, so I’m not as in to football as I used to be but Jack’s of course in it full force.  These days I find a nap would be much more enjoyable if I actually had a minute to do anything besides take care of children.  Seems that I can’t ever get him away from the computer and to stop looking at his fantasy league!  He was very excited when he got an unexpected last minute call from his friend with a free extra lower level 40 yd line ticket to the Colts game a few weeks ago.  Needless to say, we were on our own that Sunday ;)  Here’s a picture he took from his seat.

And then finally here’s a picture that I really like that has nothing to do with fall ;)

Annual Fly In

We got to go and visit Jack’s work a few weeks ago for their annual fly in.  Every October they have a “conference” where they invite their customers for lunch and a seminar taught by his boss on do’s and dont’s of having your own airplane.  The kids always think it’s cool to go and see all the airplanes and of course we never turn down free lunch ;)

All ready to go!!!

WOW!  A Family picture!!

 

My babies :)

It was a little windy but fun!

Here is one sort of unrelated but related picture.  Jackson conned one of Jack’s customers who is a farmer to give him a ride in his combine the following weekend when he was working on a field by our house.  SO exciting!

ALSO, Jack FINALLY got his pilot’s license!  He’s only been working on it for fifteen years!!  We’re very proud of him and I’m already trying to decide where to have him fly me to for that ever looming big birthday I have coming up next year.