Thursday, August 1, 2013
Trippin'
We are back. And we are exhausted.
Chicago is a much different city when you are toting four young kids with you. Todd and I have been to Chicago many times, enjoying the nightlife, the food, the music, the art museums, the theater. I have always loved Chicago, but I knew taking the kids to Chicago would be a different experience all together.
I fell in love with Chicago all over again through my kids' eyes.
We drove into Chicago on Tuesday night. It was fun driving into the city in the dark and watching the kids' eyes pop out as they took in the Chicago skyline. Very exciting stuff. Then of course there was the excitement of staying in a hotel. The kids were CRAZY after the long car ride and it was near impossible to settle them down. Bedtime that night was madness, and there was far too much scolding and yelling. I was afraid we were off to a bad start.
The kids were tired the next day (surprise, surprise- messing around until after midnight makes you tired) but the day went surprisingly well. I think Todd and I started off to a grumpy start (we were also tired so we were less able to handle the kids' fighting and whining) but we managed to turn it around.
There is so much to do, and we tried to cover all the major bases. We bought Chicago CityPasses and that helped immensely. We got in to all of the attractions we wanted to see. The problem was fitting it all in to our two day trip.
Our first stop was The Shedd Aquarium. It was a very cloud/foggy Wednesday morning but that didn't stop us from walking from our hotel to the aquarium.
We spent 7 hours walking around the aquarium, taking in a dolphin/beluga
whale show, and seeing thousands of amazing fish. The kids loved it.
So did I. (i won't bore you with the hundreds of fish pictures i took-
your welcome)
The kids were bone tired after walking for over 7 hours but we dragged
their little bones over to the Field Museum to see some very old bones.
A dinosaur named Sue.
More walking, walking, walking and the kids were practically crying.
So, we walked them back to the hotel (we are so mean) and relaxed in
our room for a little while. As a treat for all their wonderful walking
we took them to The Rainforest Cafe. Not exactly what Todd would have
picked for a birthday dinner but he sure was a trooper.
It was another very late night and the next morning we were up bright
and early so we had plenty of time to fit in more adventures.
This time we took a cab (it was a little too far to walk and I think the kids' feet weren't working so well anymore) to the Sears (Willis) Tower. The kids marveled at how fast the elevator went up 103 floors and they LOVED the little glass observation decks. As you can see below, I did not. I was clinging to the wall and only managed to stick a foot out onto the glass. Watching my kids go out onto it nearly made me pass out. I'm sweating just thinking about it. I'll probably have nightmares tonight. Grace, Tommy, and Ben later admitted to me that it REALLY freaked them out too.
When that was done we went back to the hotel and packed up our stuff,
grabbed our truck, and drove over to Navy Pier. We took the
architectural riverboat tour. I absolutely loved it. And I think the
kids liked it too. When they saw the glass observation boxes sticking
out on the side of the Sears Tower they couldn't believe that was how
high up they were. Yikes!
It was a perfect day for hanging outside on Navy Pier, and a perfect way
to wrap up our Chicago trip. Hopefully the kids will only remember the
awesome sites we saw and fun activities we did and forget about mom and
dad losing their patience one too many times in the beginning.
Chicago is a much different city when you are toting four young kids with you. Todd and I have been to Chicago many times, enjoying the nightlife, the food, the music, the art museums, the theater. I have always loved Chicago, but I knew taking the kids to Chicago would be a different experience all together.
I fell in love with Chicago all over again through my kids' eyes.
We drove into Chicago on Tuesday night. It was fun driving into the city in the dark and watching the kids' eyes pop out as they took in the Chicago skyline. Very exciting stuff. Then of course there was the excitement of staying in a hotel. The kids were CRAZY after the long car ride and it was near impossible to settle them down. Bedtime that night was madness, and there was far too much scolding and yelling. I was afraid we were off to a bad start.
The kids were tired the next day (surprise, surprise- messing around until after midnight makes you tired) but the day went surprisingly well. I think Todd and I started off to a grumpy start (we were also tired so we were less able to handle the kids' fighting and whining) but we managed to turn it around.
There is so much to do, and we tried to cover all the major bases. We bought Chicago CityPasses and that helped immensely. We got in to all of the attractions we wanted to see. The problem was fitting it all in to our two day trip.
Our first stop was The Shedd Aquarium. It was a very cloud/foggy Wednesday morning but that didn't stop us from walking from our hotel to the aquarium.
This time we took a cab (it was a little too far to walk and I think the kids' feet weren't working so well anymore) to the Sears (Willis) Tower. The kids marveled at how fast the elevator went up 103 floors and they LOVED the little glass observation decks. As you can see below, I did not. I was clinging to the wall and only managed to stick a foot out onto the glass. Watching my kids go out onto it nearly made me pass out. I'm sweating just thinking about it. I'll probably have nightmares tonight. Grace, Tommy, and Ben later admitted to me that it REALLY freaked them out too.
Overall, I'd say the trip was a huge success.
Kids exhausted. Mission complete.
No rest for the weary. Tomorrow morning we are leaving early for a trip
up north. I'm sure the kids won't be thrilled for another 3 hour car
ride, but they are willing to put up with it for a visit to the cabin.
Hopefully there will be much fishing, and swimming, and bonfires so we
can properly and thoroughly exhaust them again.
Ahh... summer.
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Happy Birthday
And we are grateful for you.
Happy Birthday to the best man I know.
We love you!
Monday, July 29, 2013
Much Needed
Life has been busy, busy, busy around here and this past weekend was just what we needed to slow down and relax a bit.
On Saturday Todd and I had the rare and elusive "date night". And man, it was a good one.
We started out with dinner. On the drive to Green Bay I was checking
for restaurants on Todd's phone. We had planned on going to Olive Garden
but I was really hoping to find a non-chain restaurant. We have so
many great restaurants in our city that people don't know about so I
wanted to find something like that in Green Bay. Of course, I knew
there were plenty around I just needed to find them. And boy, did I
ever find a good one!
If you live in the Green Bay area and haven't gone to Kaleidoscope you
need to get there ASAP. It is a swanky lounge type of restaurant and
immediately made me think of the movie Swingers. The service was top
notch. The owner, Kathy, made our experience unforgetable. Kathy is a
total foodie and delighted in bringing dishes out from the kitchen for
us to try at the bar as we were having some drinks. And our entrees.
Oh. My. Word. I had a spice encrusted scallop and Todd had a parmesan
crusted steak. AMAZING. It was a fabulous dinner with great drinks, a
chill atmosphere, and great people. A wonderful way to start out the
night. It made me feel so much cooler than I actually am. See?
This is me lounging.
After dinner we were off to see a show. We were able to snag some prime
seats to one of our very favorite comedians. Jim Gaffigan, baby!
It was such a hilarious show. I can't tell you how good it feels to laugh for almost two hours straight. What a great night.
Needless to say, we were out late that night. But that didn't stop us
from enjoying the next day as well. After church we took the kids out to
our local (small) airport where the planes were practicing their drills
for the big EAA AirVenture show in
Oshkosh. Since Joey (and then by default, Tommy and Ben) is obsessed
with airplanes we thought it would be fun to watch the planes take off
and do stunts right above us.
The fun doesn't stop around here. Soon we will be leaving to take the kids to Chicago. We are planning on visiting the Shedd Aquarium, The Field Museum, take a tour on the ONLY German submarine in the US, and maybe to a riverboat tour and eat at the Rainforest Cafe. We are talking FUN, people. And then after that it is back up north to the cabin. Whew! I may need another rejuvenating date night when all is said and done.
It looks like this summer is shaping up to be a great one!
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Best Summer Salad
I am a huge fan of salads and this one may be the best salad ever. And I invented it! HA! I'm a genius!
I could eat this salad every single day of my life and never get tired of it. Seriously. Best. Ever. And I'm gonna share it with you. 'Cause I love you.
I'll tell you the ingredients but I won't tell you how much of anything because it is entirely up to you.
Bag of baby spinach or 50/50 baby spinach/spring mix
Purple onion
5oz tub of crumbled Gorganzola cheese (I never use the whole container)
Green beans
Bacon
Slivered almonds
Cranberries
Lite Balsamic Vinaigrette
I always blanch my green beans before adding them to the salad but the rest of the ingredients you really don't have to do any prep work (besides making sure the bacon is cooked and chopped into bits). Just toss them all in a bowl and mix gently with a very light coating of the vinaigrette.
If you want to make the salad a meal then you could add some strips of steak or grilled chicken. Even some hard boiled egg slices or little wedges of cooked red potatoes would be a great addition. Mmm. My mouth is watering!
Enjoy!
Friday, July 19, 2013
Summertime
"Summertime and the livin' is easy..."
The hot weather is here and we are taking full advantage. Our favorite swimming hole has provided hours and hours of fun. The baseball games at night are a little less comfortable to play (and to watch) but it is a trade-off we are willing to make. Yay for summer!
I have taken so many pics that sum up summer to me and I decided to post them all in one post (minus the pics that have already made it into previous posts). Hang on to your hats!
So many water pictures but it has reached 100 degrees here (with LOTS of humidity) for the last three days so we've been hanging in the water. Personally, I like the hot weather. Certainly makes for a fun summer.
Hosted by Cecily and Lolli
The hot weather is here and we are taking full advantage. Our favorite swimming hole has provided hours and hours of fun. The baseball games at night are a little less comfortable to play (and to watch) but it is a trade-off we are willing to make. Yay for summer!
I have taken so many pics that sum up summer to me and I decided to post them all in one post (minus the pics that have already made it into previous posts). Hang on to your hats!
So many water pictures but it has reached 100 degrees here (with LOTS of humidity) for the last three days so we've been hanging in the water. Personally, I like the hot weather. Certainly makes for a fun summer.
Hosted by Cecily and Lolli
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Magic Moments
Baseball season is quickly coming to an end around here. A few more
games and we will be all done. For the past six weeks four nights out of
the week have been dedicated to baseball. I don't know what we will do
with all of our evenings free.
This was our boys' first year playing baseball and I'd call it a success. The boys had fun, improved, made friends, and truly enjoyed themselves. You can't ask for more than that. And yet, more is what we got.
There are moments in life that help define us. Last night had one of those moments.
Tommy had an early game and Joe had a late game so, for once, the whole family was able to watch both games.
The evening started out at Tommy's baseball game. The kid hit well, as usual, and had a running snag of a foul ball off of third that was out of this world. "Wow!" went around the entire bleacher section. No matter where the coach put Tommy, his go-to guy, he made some plays. The kid is a natural athlete.
I watched Joey during Tommy's game. He cheered his brother on and was supportive, but he was also quiet. Thinking, thinking, thinking. You could see the wheels turning. Always comparing himself to others, especially his younger brother.
After Tommy's game was done we packed up and headed over to our second baseball game of the 90 degree day.
Coach Todd (dad) started the game by giving his timid players the same speech he gives before every game. Swing away. Have fun! Don't be afraid to swing. Remember, even professionals strike out 7 out of 10 times! (and looking right at Joey) Better to strike out than to be too scared to swing. You will never hit the ball if you don't swing. Have fun! Go team!
Joey started out as catcher. It was a tough position to play in the heat and Coach Todd (dad) swapped out catchers for each inning. After playing catcher Joey moved on to third base for the next inning. The opposing team was good and had hit after hit. I could feel Joey's morale start to sag.
Suddenly, "Whack!" The batter hit a foul ball headed for third base. Joey ran, stretched his glove out with all his might, and snagged the foul ball getting the batter out. He quickly glanced around and saw the second baseman running to third. Knowing the runner had to go back to second Joey threw the ball to the second baseman. It was a great throw but the second baseman missed it and the ball rolled into the outfield. That gave the runner enough time to advance to third base. Joey, even though he made an amazing catch and a great throw, was now miffed that the double play didn't work out. The kid holds himself to impossibly high standards.
When the inning was over Joey walked over to the bench and I hollered out, "Nice catch, Joe!" He looked at me and gave me a thumbs down. "Positive attitude, Joe!" I tried to remind him.
Somehow we managed to get three guys across home plate (I think our team has scored MAYBE four times all season) in the next inning making the score somewhere around 7-3. Then the opposing team got a couple more runs in their next time at bat increasing their lead even more.
The last inning and we are up to bat. Our players were hot and tired and ready to go home. Coach Todd (dad) reminds the batters, once again, to have fun and swing away! The first batter up struck out. Second batter up struck out. At least they're swinging!
Joey is up next. The first couple of pitches are balls. Then Joey racks up two strikes. The pitcher winds up, throws the ball, and "WHACK!" Joey sends a line drive down past third base and out into the outfield where it zings past the outfielder. Joey runs past first and on to second base. The outfielder finally gets the ball and throws it to second. The second baseman misses the ball and it flies past him into the outfield. Joey takes off from second to third as the entire stands full of parents are cheering. Coach Todd (dad) is telling Joe to stay on third but through the excitement of it all Joey can't hear him. Joey glances at the kid now holding the ball and makes the decision to go for home. Joe rounds third and runs full speed ahead to home base. SAFE!
HOME RUN.
HOME. FREAKING. RUN.
Joey's team rushes the field hooting and hollering and chanting Joey's name. "That was our first home run of the season, Joe!" "Way to go, Joey!" they all say. You'd think they had just won the game.
Joey's smile was radiant. Put tears in my eyes. He was so PROUD of himself.
The next batter up struck out but it didn't matter. Everyone was still cheering over Joey's home run. Joey's team may not have won the game but it felt like a win to them.
"I can't believe I got a home run!" Joey admitted to us on the way home, all smiles.
"That was awesome, Joe!" younger brother Tommy said with admiration.
It was a big moment for a boy who too often makes himself feel like he isn't good enough. It was a lesson in trying. A lesson in not being afraid. A lesson to keep at it. A lesson, a feeling, that I pray stays with him his entire life. Try. Possible failure be damned. Try. Don't give up.
You'll never hit a home run if you don't swing.
This was our boys' first year playing baseball and I'd call it a success. The boys had fun, improved, made friends, and truly enjoyed themselves. You can't ask for more than that. And yet, more is what we got.
There are moments in life that help define us. Last night had one of those moments.
Tommy had an early game and Joe had a late game so, for once, the whole family was able to watch both games.
The evening started out at Tommy's baseball game. The kid hit well, as usual, and had a running snag of a foul ball off of third that was out of this world. "Wow!" went around the entire bleacher section. No matter where the coach put Tommy, his go-to guy, he made some plays. The kid is a natural athlete.
I watched Joey during Tommy's game. He cheered his brother on and was supportive, but he was also quiet. Thinking, thinking, thinking. You could see the wheels turning. Always comparing himself to others, especially his younger brother.
After Tommy's game was done we packed up and headed over to our second baseball game of the 90 degree day.
Coach Todd (dad) started the game by giving his timid players the same speech he gives before every game. Swing away. Have fun! Don't be afraid to swing. Remember, even professionals strike out 7 out of 10 times! (and looking right at Joey) Better to strike out than to be too scared to swing. You will never hit the ball if you don't swing. Have fun! Go team!
Joey started out as catcher. It was a tough position to play in the heat and Coach Todd (dad) swapped out catchers for each inning. After playing catcher Joey moved on to third base for the next inning. The opposing team was good and had hit after hit. I could feel Joey's morale start to sag.
Suddenly, "Whack!" The batter hit a foul ball headed for third base. Joey ran, stretched his glove out with all his might, and snagged the foul ball getting the batter out. He quickly glanced around and saw the second baseman running to third. Knowing the runner had to go back to second Joey threw the ball to the second baseman. It was a great throw but the second baseman missed it and the ball rolled into the outfield. That gave the runner enough time to advance to third base. Joey, even though he made an amazing catch and a great throw, was now miffed that the double play didn't work out. The kid holds himself to impossibly high standards.
When the inning was over Joey walked over to the bench and I hollered out, "Nice catch, Joe!" He looked at me and gave me a thumbs down. "Positive attitude, Joe!" I tried to remind him.
Somehow we managed to get three guys across home plate (I think our team has scored MAYBE four times all season) in the next inning making the score somewhere around 7-3. Then the opposing team got a couple more runs in their next time at bat increasing their lead even more.
The last inning and we are up to bat. Our players were hot and tired and ready to go home. Coach Todd (dad) reminds the batters, once again, to have fun and swing away! The first batter up struck out. Second batter up struck out. At least they're swinging!
Joey is up next. The first couple of pitches are balls. Then Joey racks up two strikes. The pitcher winds up, throws the ball, and "WHACK!" Joey sends a line drive down past third base and out into the outfield where it zings past the outfielder. Joey runs past first and on to second base. The outfielder finally gets the ball and throws it to second. The second baseman misses the ball and it flies past him into the outfield. Joey takes off from second to third as the entire stands full of parents are cheering. Coach Todd (dad) is telling Joe to stay on third but through the excitement of it all Joey can't hear him. Joey glances at the kid now holding the ball and makes the decision to go for home. Joe rounds third and runs full speed ahead to home base. SAFE!
HOME RUN.
HOME. FREAKING. RUN.
Joey's team rushes the field hooting and hollering and chanting Joey's name. "That was our first home run of the season, Joe!" "Way to go, Joey!" they all say. You'd think they had just won the game.
Joey's smile was radiant. Put tears in my eyes. He was so PROUD of himself.
The next batter up struck out but it didn't matter. Everyone was still cheering over Joey's home run. Joey's team may not have won the game but it felt like a win to them.
"I can't believe I got a home run!" Joey admitted to us on the way home, all smiles.
"That was awesome, Joe!" younger brother Tommy said with admiration.
It was a big moment for a boy who too often makes himself feel like he isn't good enough. It was a lesson in trying. A lesson in not being afraid. A lesson to keep at it. A lesson, a feeling, that I pray stays with him his entire life. Try. Possible failure be damned. Try. Don't give up.
You'll never hit a home run if you don't swing.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
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