A first for us

So after all these years in Chicago, we have just become members of one of the "Museums" for the first time ever. Most of you know, I am a big fan of utilizing free things in the city, especially the Museum passes we can check out at the library.

However, the Shedd Aquarium, has limited their participation so much, that you can only have access to a small portion of the place when using the museum pass. So when my parents visited a few weeks ago, it was literally almost the same cost to buy a family membership as it would have been to purchase tickets for all of us. So we broke down and joined. Mom and Dad even gave it to us as a gift, and we will be using it alot-thanks Mom and Dad! Both Gabriella and Nicholas love the aquarium. And I must admit over the past few years, they have made some great improvements, and the new show Fantasea is spectacular! I describe it as Cirque du Soleil with animals.

This winter, it will undoubtedly be a favorite destination for us. And since we can admit 2 adults and up to 4 kids, we can take friends. Let us know when you want to go...

Breaking the silence

It's long overdue so here I am blogging for a brief moment in exchange for much needed sleep. Life has been very busy since I last posted about our then upcoming move. We are fairly settled in our new home now though it's taking alot of time to get used to so much space. It was surprisingly uncomfortable at first, but now the abundance of square footage is getting to feel somewhat normal for all. I'm still in love with my washer and dryer and we've christened our grill and deck properly with alot of alfresco meals! And did I mention I can practically float in my bathtub? Seriously.

Ella is having sleep issues and we think it's most likely emotions from the move, her recently acquired glasses and the unavoidable teasing that comes with that, as well as getting used to sleeping in a room without us for the first time in her life! Hopefully she can work through it soon because it's getting awfully crowded in our bed in the wee morning hours. BTW she looks gorgeous in her very stylish purple glasses--pictures soon.

Nicholas had his 1st birthday if you can believe it. Uncle Jeff and Aunt Marion came up for the party which was Easter weekend and we had a great visit with them. It was also good to host a party and house guests less than 2 weeks after moving so we had alot of incentive to get unpacked in a hurry. Nicholas took a few steps alone right before his birthday but about 2 weeks ago really decided to walk instead of crawl. I'm still getting used to that. He loves going down our long hallway.

Two weeks ago our friends the Hudson's came down from Minneapolis and stayed with us. The kids all had a great time playing together. Our friends the Hanson's also drove over from Grand Rapids on Sunday and the 6 of us adults went out to celebrate David's Architectural licensing and Craig's newly published book. We went to Alinea. That's a whole post needed right there coming soon. Let's just say: Spectacular.

Last night, actually this morning, we returned from a long overdue visit to California to see Nana and Pa. David traveled with us out there but returned earlier than us. We had alot of fun including a first trip to Sea World for the kids, a visit to the County Fair, Mother's Day, planting tomato plants, etc.. We were able to spend alot of time with my sister and nieces too which was very nice. Our trip home was a disaster and I'm in no hurry to get on an airplane again, but we are safe on the ground and successfully endured 10 hours aboard a plane with no meltdowns. I think I have a new issue with ATC that I will probably blog more about later. I'm just thankful to be home safely with my children.

Just wanted to break the silence. I'll be back soon with more stories and some pictures too.

Spring Gym Show

I forgot to change my camera to the right setting until the show was almost over, but here are the pictures from the "Beach Party" Theme (that's why the swimsuits) Twinkle Stars Gymnastics Show. It's amazing what 3 to 5 year olds can do and remember to do on the obstacle course--well, most of them....ummm not necessarily including my daughter. She remember's what to do just fine. But let's just say Ella will never be the next Mary Lou...but she absolutely LOVES gymnastics and has NO idea how terrible she is at it. It's so sweet. We encourage her to do it and overcome her great fear of heights, and become more coordinated. It was a fun night, and Nana & Pa arrived straight from the airport (after a thunderstorm delay) just in time for it!

Ella on the first beam

Finishing her front rolls

Waiting patiently until Miss Jessica comes to help her on the beam.
Did I mention she's afraid of heights?

Doing the flip

Straddle legs over the barrel

Back-flip out of the doughnut

Taking a bow.

Getting her certificate

Bashful beauty

Hug from Pa

Papa on Nicholas duty

Nana & Pa with Ella and Nikky

Planting Monkeys

If you recall, Ella got to plant flowers with my Dad in California last week. Tuesday night, when I was at rehearsal, David said Ella was talking about planting flowers with Pa. David said, "What kind of flowers did you plant?" Ella promptly replied, "chimpanzees!" Of course, what she meant is pansy's.
David's been asking me repeatedly to put this on the blog. I kept reminding him that he had permission to post on our blog whenever he wanted, but that he would actually have to register with blogger first......I gave up.

A week with Nana & Pa

Buried in the sand

Carriage ride

Before hard hat tour

1400 Museum Park

Picnic at the orchestra concert

Here is a brief caption of our week: Monday afternoon=too much excitement=no nap, then Nana & Pa arrive. Swing by and pick up David, check into B&B and still return i-go car ontime! Dinner in, etc. Tueday: Beach day, Smoque BBQ night, Wednesday: Art Institute, Lunch, Me haircut-Mom, Dad & Ella home to nap, Grant Park Orchestra concert at Millennium Park night with picnic. Thursday: Breakfast at Patisserie P, Train to 1400 Museum Park (David's building) for Dad to take hard-hat tour with David while we play at park (btw, David not only impressed my Dad, but the Kinney Construction guy with his exhaustive knowledge of the building), Lunch at Eleven City Diner, Nap, Carriage Ride (Ella's first!), Giordano's for Chicago pizza! Friday: prepare to cry, pick-up rental car, pick-up Mom &Dad at B&B (checking out), home for quick breakfast, go through more instructions with Mom, drive Mom & Dad & Ella to Lincoln Park zoo where we drop them at the farm, cry. Quick errands, drive straight to Fenn Valley winery instead of Saugatuck, upon remembering that we're headed to Michigan which is in the Eastern time zone! Made it just in time to go on our vineyard tour on empty stomach's (no time to stop for lunch!) Whew! To be continued in weekend getaway post..........

So continuing with Nana/Pa & Ella: Friday=zoo, Saturday=Cedar Park, Sunday,=church, etc.
Monday, me Mom, Dad & Ella went down to see Buckingham Fountain (believe it or not, I think it was Ella's first time--I guess living here, you don't do the typical tourist things), lunch and ice cream at Potbelly (one of Ella's favorite), and then they were off to the airport.....
Will post a flickr link soon with more pics to fill in the stories of what we did.