Back to School -- 2nd Grade

You may have noticed LOTS of posts in the last couple of days. It's all so I could get caught up and be current for today -- THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL.

Dillon started 2nd Grade today. Whoa!  When did my boy get so big?  He was obviously excited because he came into my room, fully dressed, at 7:05AM.  He said he woke up even earlier, but stayed in his bed until 7:00.  We got all ready and walked out to greet the bus driver to let her know I'd drive him just for today.  I grabbed a quick picture of our school boy before heading to the school.

 The route to the school was slow but we eventually got there. 

Things were a bit chaotic, but we found his classroom and met Mrs. Gordon.

After school we waited outside for the bus.  Do you see Wesley giving Dillon a "thumbs up" as he got off the bus?!  So cute.

We're up for another great school year.  I'm proud of my little 2nd grader!

Zoom Zoom Cruisin' the Dunes

As Nickelodeon's Backyardigans would say, on Saturday we were "Zoom, Zoom, Cruisin' the Dunes" --the Indiana Dunes.  We met other members of the church there for a day of fun.  We had about 50 in all, so a pretty good turn out.

 If you ask Wesley what his favorite part was, he'll answer, "playing with Jen!"

 Fun in the sand.

Dillon's favorite part was hanging with Mason. These two boys were inseparable.  So glad the Bradys moved in!

 It took Caleb a while, but he finally decided he could venture off my lap and into the sand

 ...and water.  I love this picture!

 We got to do this on the free-way on the way home:

Exciting ending to a fun day.  Actually Aaron and I are quite the pit crew.  We were stopped a total of 10 minutes -- pretty impressive if you ask me!

Children's Museum

A while back I bought a Groupon for the Children's Museum.  I decided we better use it before school starts, so we coordinated with our friends and made the trip.  I actually got us all out the door by 8:30 AM -- pretty impressive!  We were among the first people there which put us ahead of the rush -- awesome!

 Caleb was all over the place.  There was a shadow room he loved.  He also loved this light area that had a light that moved all over.   He chased it, just giggling as he tried to stomp on it. It was pretty fun to watch.

 Some Museum employees started a little activity and our kids joined right in, really enjoying the games.

 There was a special bug exhibit just for the day so we stopped in to say hello.

 The kids loved it!

 

 I can't believe how fearless they are.

 Even when the bug climbs right up onto your shoulder!!  Ahh!

 They got to dress up like bugs too.

 We spent a long time in this area.  All the kids loved it.  Caleb kept rolling the ball down the track and chasing after it so he could start the fun all over again.

 Wesley really took ownership of this one.

 Then onto Dillon's favorite -- the trains!

 Wes and Caleb had fun there too.

Another great day with awesome friends!

Karate

Dillon and Wesley took a Karate class this summer.  They met once a week for the whole summer. The boys had a lot of fun and I think it was definitely worth our time. Here's a picture of them showing off their horse stance.  Aren't they adorable?!

 And we got a quick shot with the teachers (Sensei)

I love that Karate teaches discipline, respect, focus and self confidence.  Dillon really got into it and it was fun to watch him. Great summer activity!

Day in the City

After our Idaho trip I layed on the couch for a week with some kind of terrible stomach bug.  At the first sign of recovery I knew we had to hurry and get to playin' so we could fit in as much fun as possible before the summer ended.  So we grabbed the Soelbergs and headed to the city. The train ride is always half the fun.

 Walking the streets of Chicago

 The whole reason for going was to make it to the Family Fun tent in Millennium Park.  We only had about 20 min before they closed, but we did get some block building in.

 And a little reading too!

 We met up with the Froerers for a few minutes and these two buddies headed straight to the swings.

 We made sure to walk on the cool bridge as we headed out of the park.

 I'm no architect, but I'm pretty sure there are lots of cool angles in this picture.

 Quick dip in Crown Fountain

 Once again, Wesley got soaked...

 ...and then very cold!

 Caleb didn't like the cold water at first, but eventually waded through a bit.

 This cute girl got a little chilly too.  I love this picture!

 We ran through the city to make it on an express train.  Unfortunately all the seats were gone, so we found ourselves a spot in the stairwell.

Such a fun day with awesome friends!  Glad I could finally get out of the house!!!!

(Meanwhile, Aaron was at home with the stomach bug -- Uhg!)

Idaho Trip: Mini Chandler reunion

The Chandler clan was kind enough to plan some fun for the whole family while we were in town.  Both Amy and Lindsay's families drove to join in the fun so we could have a miniature reunion.  Just Luke and Brittany (our double brother and sister!) were missing :(

The slip 'n slide was a hit...

especially with Amy Jo and Lauren.  I had so much fun watching these two crazy sisters!

The bounce house Grandpa rented was another huge highlight of our family time.

The trampoline brought out the kid in all of us!

Aaron and I both resurrected the back flip! 

These train boys were pretty excited Grandpa let them pull out the Christmas train!

 Before it got too dark, we set up "Tent City" for the boys.  All the dads and kids (except Caleb) slept in tents that night.  So fun!!!

 And the girls slept on the tramp.  They had quite the wake up crew in the morning!

 Grandma made french toast for breakfast -- YUM!

Next up, while still in our PJs, go-cart riding!

 I even took it for a spin.  It's a little scary sitting that close to the road -- ahh!

Thanks Shane!

Then off to Nat Soo Pah Hot Springs for some swimming!

 Our fish, Dillon, had lots of fun.  This is one of those old school pools with few rules, so he was able to go off the diving board!  I'm kicking myself for not getting a picture :(

 Suckers with Grandpa by the side of the pool (like a said, few rules)

 I LOVE this picture!  Caleb had lots of fun with Grandma Lori poolside.

 Back to the house for a little more playtime.

 Including toe nail painting courtesy of Aunt Lauren.

 Check out those dirty little boy feet with nail polish!  Ahh!

So much fun packed into our week in Idaho.  I'm so grateful for family and the chance to reconnect.  Thanks to all of those who made it possible to be together. What great memories!