Of Cousins, Backyards, and Sunshine

ROAD TRIP! Our dear relatives love us so much that as soon as we move within a relatively short distance of them, they prepare to move within a couple months. We don't stink that bad, do we? But really, what an unfortunate coincidence. We decided to make the trek to visit them (made possible by the very rare chance that the Mr. got 3 days in a row off of work . . . only after 11 full days straight without any time off). What a blast we had - so glad they were willing to house us for our stay! 

First off, we stopped at an incredible museum to see all the inventions their city brought to the world. Far more than I expected, to be sure! It included a fun little village and train cars to run through. What fun!

These two! They're like best buds!

Clean up party after dinner! These two were the best of helpers!

Can't forget story time! That was quite a frequent occurrence since both kiddos LOVE books!

We can't forget the simple pleasures of being outside and playing in a backyard. Oh, how we miss that living in a city! Thanks for sharing yours with us for a while cousins! The space! The greenery! The grass! The sun! What a fabulous day and a fabulous way to play! We look forward to, and hope, that one day we will be able to have a yard for our boys to play in . . . one day.

Water painting? On the deck? Yes, please! Not only is it fun for children, but it's also very mother-friendly in terms of cleanup!

One thing leads to another and now the whole deck gets a splash-down! I love the simple joys these two find together. It makes life so much more enjoyable.

Who wouldn't love a hug or kisses from that cute girl?! We hated saying goodbye, but we are grateful we were able to go down. Thanks for the fun times!

We are lucky to have such happy boys who travel so well. Most of our trip looked like this (or sleeping):

 Only the last hour (that miraculously dragged out into 3 hours) was a bit tough. Traffic didn't help coming into the city, and once in the city, it didn't let up much.

The haze/fog was a bit of a shock as well after coming from such clear skies.

It's Still Freezing Outside ...

Spring?! Sorta. There are blossoms on the trees and the sun comes out just enough for a tease, but today it's still below freezing (according to the "feels like" temperature) - they don't call this the Windy City for nothing! On the colder days, we go indoors to play. And I must say, one perk about living in the city is that there are a good number of indoor places to play (for a price, of course).

Like a stop at the Auto Show, but not before we get to look at normal cars in the glass walkway over the street.

And free test drives we get to watch on the show floor - the performance section was the most interesting to see.

 And pretending to be Mickey Mouse and control the water in the fountain.

 BUT the best part was the kids' Ford F-150 test drive for Mickey!

 We also sometimes to to Costco and wander around . . . but that also sometimes led to Mickey's first blackeye.

 We also love getting cards and stickers from Grandma.

Or we go to Target and pretend to play lacrosse like and Deej.

 Or going to the Harley Davidson store to play. Mickey says, "I'm a motorcycle guy." :)

 And then crash during quiet time at home (though he usually won't take naps anymore).

 With all the public transportation we've been taking, Mickey had to use a nebulizer to heal - and he did it for a week like a champ.

We couldn't pass by the Orchid Show one cold week either!

 And Goose learned some new tricks! Like sitting up on his own!

And rolling over! (Both from front to back and back to front).

And winning wrestling matches with brother.

 Can't forget Skyping family! Mickey especially loves Skype book reading!

When we can get out, we love heading to all the parks around. AND Mickey FINALLY found the joys of slides and will run around to go down again (can you believe it mom!?)

 And on especially warm days, we head out to do the closest thing to hiking as we can here.

I must say, we especially LOVED the sun and nature and can't wait for more! (Oh mr. sun, sun, mr. golden sun, please shine down on me .... :) )

We can't forget our trips to the temple! The Mr and I have to take turns so we make it a family affair and Mickey always asks if he gets to go in. :)

Oh, and one thing in particular that we have enjoyed here more than any other place we have lived is the vastness of biking paths and destinations. Thankfully we were able to bike through a nature preserve this Spring to get our hearts moving again. ;) Looking forward to lots more of that when summer hits!

Lunch picnic break on the bike ride.

Put Me In the Zoo

"I will go into the zoo.

I want to see it.

Yes, I do."

Duck pond at the zoo - he's seen ducks millions of times, but it's always a favorite.

With all the cold weather, it was hard to stay outside with the littles, so we ventured into the ape building to see the gorillas. Mickey loved it! 

All my boys in a tree. :)

When it warms up, we definitely want to come back and see the sea lion show. But for now, it was definitely fun to just watch them swim around.