{AMERICAN GIRL STORE}

Every year the kids get to take me on an outing to the destination of their choice. For the "Girls Outing" this year we went to the American Girl Store in downtown Chicago (again!). We took the Metra to Union Station and then the Chicago trolley to the store where we ate lunch and shopped! These outings are what memories are made of!






This was the view of the girls that I saw the most of while there!







I'm not sure if you can tell, but the girls are gleaming! Eating lunch with their dolls is really the pinnacle of the trip.

Very rarely do I get to be in the pictures but a kind & understanding
mom offered to take this picture of the three of us.






The girls were exhausted after their day of shopping! I'm happy
to report that George's wallet was not harmed in the making of this blog entry. Courtney & Mikayla saved and saved knowing this trip was coming up and they paid for most of their items!

{LOCKS of LOVE}

NO MORE KNOTS! After our excursion to Silver Lake, Courtney's hair was soooo knotted that she decided she was going to donate her hair a couple of inches early.
As a family we spent some time looking at the website http://www.locksoflove.org/ and explained that Courtney's hair was actually going to be turned into a wig for someone.

She was smiling the entire time! She didn't seem nervous at all.....

...not when we were in the parking lot of the salon.






.....or when she sat in the salon chair.

.......or even as she was getting it cut off.




But, as we sat down for her congratulatory lunch, it hit her....she could feel the AC on her neck!

Good thing it was for a worthy cause!

{SILVER LAKE BEACH}

Hooray!! I finally got a battery for my camera!

In my opinion simple fun is what it's all about! We spent the day at a quaint little beach in Silver Lake, Wisconsin! The water is clear, the beach is relatively uncrowded and the sand is definitely castle worthy. The kids spent the day creating award winning sand castles. They dug their toes into the sand in the lake and "caught" shells. The boys almost caught a crawdad....luckily it found its way into an unreachable crevice between the rocks.

Jake couldn't resist "disturbing the peace". A short time later the seagulls retaliated by pooping on Mikayla's head.

I'm glad to say there were no severe sunburns; although Gavin did had a fun tan line from his creative sunblock application.

WHO'S OLDER?

She is!! Happy Birthday to my "older sis". Growing up we fought like... well like sisters! I still laugh when I think about the stunts we pulled as kids. Playing "roller coaster" in the red wagon, hiding Grandma's belt from her and of course hiding our many friends in the closets! Thanks for the fun memories. I love you!

{ALL STAR WEEKEND}

Jake was thrilled when he made the All-Star team. His team played this past weekend. We endured 3 games on a 95 degree Saturday. Jake learned that being part of a team means he has to sometimes play the outfield.

Mikayla learned that her Nintendo is an adequate distraction when played under the cool shade of an old tree.

Unfortunately, Jake's team didn't win. Maybe this coming weekend!

{NIKO'S GRADUATION}

Since I decided to start this blog, my very hard to find camera battery decided to die. So I'm posting some older pictures. These are from Niko's high school graduation. It was an incredibly hot day and an incredibly large graduating class.

Gavin was praying to the ceremony gods that the graduation would end before he passed out from heat stroke.

All in all it was a lovely ceremony and seeing Niko graduate brought about a familiar joy that you only experience when you are proud of someone! Well done Niko!

{FATHER'S DAY}

We visited the Botanic Gardens for Father's Day. It is one of our most favorite places to go! We love seeing the different gardens and all the beautiful flowers. We are so lucky to have George in our lives. He is the best father around.

{HERE'S TO ALL OF YOU}

Well, here we go. We are steadily moving forward, enjoying life and getting closer to moving into our dream house. We want all of you to stay a part of our lives and figured this blog was the best way to keep in touch! Enjoy the pictures! More to come soon. Lots of love.

This was Mikayla's first Brownie parade. She sprained her ankle three days before playing with a friend on the playground at school.

Here's the family at Mikayla's baptism. She was so excited about her big day!