Snow Fort

Jay and the kids had fun making a snow fort over the weekend. We had wet snow that is great for packing although not a lot as you can see from all the dirt and leaves in the walls.

Making Cookies & Going Sledding

Sledding is always the best thing to do in the snow. The first real snow we had was last Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday, Jake didn't have school (teacher in-service) so as soon as Jay got home, we went sledding. We only stayed outside for about an hour (it was 4 degrees) and then we came home and had hot chocolate and played games.

Last week the kids and I made candy cane cookies. They loved rolling the dough and twisting the colors to make the candy cane shape. They were so proud of themselves when the cookies were finished baking that they ate several as soon as they could!

Star Wars

Right before Thanksgiving there was a star wars extravaganza at our public library and Jake couldn't wait to go. He wanted to wear his storm trooper costume so bad! He loved posing with the "actors" for this picture.

Gibson Family Pictures

We went back to Indiana last weekend for the funeral of Jason's grandpa Gibson and as it happened, all the family was able to come in to town for the event. It was a sad occasion but it was great to see everyone. We got some pictures of the gang before we all had to leave again.

A visit to Grandma's house

We went to grandma's house a couple of weekends ago and the kids had a great time. We were able to go to a pumpkin place that had a corn maze, pony rides, feeding animals (deer, goats & turkeys) and mining for gold not to mention the pumpkins, gourds and mums that you could buy. The kid had lots of fun as they ran around playing with their cousins and feeding the animals. Uncle Adam gave the kids rides on the four-wheeler and Olivia made biscuits with grandma. The whole weekend was great and we are looking forward to Thanksgiving!

Plane Ride

Jake and I got to do something pretty awesome today, we went on a small plane ride around the city! We have some friends that own their own plane and they invited us to go up with them. We started out by flying over our apartments then headed to the city. We flew over lake Michigan to see the view of the city from that angle and it was gorgeous! The sky was clear and sunny. We couldn't have asked for better weather. We flew back to the airport after flying by the city a couple of times and Todd (he owns the plane) dropped Natalie (his wife) and I back off and took Jake up by himself. They were gone for about a half hour and Todd let Jake fly the plane. Jake even did a 360! Jake thought it was the coolest thing ever!!! Our whole trip (before Jake and Todd went by themselves) took a couple of hours and it was AWESOME! I have to say that this experience ranks pretty high on my list of coolest things that I've ever done.

Soccer starts

Last Saturday was Jake's first soccer game of the season. It was kinda foggy and the field was pretty wet but they had a great game. Jake is wearing a neon green shirt in the last picture and that just means he played goalie that quarter. That was him throwing in the ball. Today's game was alright. It seemed like a lot of the players kept falling on the ground, which does nothing for steady ball movement towards the goal. But they usually seem to have fun no matter the outcome of the game.

Starved Rock and Warren Dunes

Here are a few fun things that we did right before school started. Starved rock is a state park that we heard about and thought we'd check out. The hiking trails got to be a little much for Olivia but she did great the first half of the day. The Warren dunes are always a fun place to visit. Our kids have enjoyed the times we've gone and this time was no different.

Route 66

We took a short vacation this past weekend. We followed the old Route 66 from Chicago to St. Louis. We tried to see as many of the historic sites as we could. It was fun to pass through all of the little towns and stop at the museums and restored gas stations. In the video you'll see the Rich & Creamy ice cream stand (where soft serve was invented), 1933 Texaco Station (the longest operating gas station along Route 66), the Gemini Giant (27 foot tall mascot of the Launching Pad Drive-In), 1932 Standard Oil Station, Cozy Dog Drive-In (where the corn dog was invented, originally called the "crusty cur"), the Ariston Cafe (built in 1935 and kind of smelled like it, too, but the deserts were delicious) and the 1926 Soulsby's Service Station (one of the oldest on Route 66).

We spent a night in Springfield and stayed right down town. All of the sites were within walking distance of the hotel. We toured Lincoln's law office, the old capitol building, the Lincoln Presidential Museum and Lincoln's home. The sites were fun and educational, especially since this year is the bicentennial of his birth. We learned a lot about who he was as a person, not just the myths and legends we're all familiar with. Lincoln built his career there, left for the White House from there and is buried there. It was well worth the time we spent to learn more about this American icon.


We also spent one night in St. Louis. We went up in the arch and the view was magnificent. We also visited Camp River Dubois, the departure site of the Lewis and Clark expedition at the confluence of the Mississippi, Missouri and Dubois rivers. Jake loved the 55-foot full-scale replica of the expedition's keel boat. Then we headed over to Cahokia Mounds State Park which is considered the largest historic Native American settlement north of Mexico. We finally rolled back into town late at night and worn out from the trip but having a greater appreciation of our not so distant past.

First Day

Jake started second grade today. We went yesterday to meet his teacher and see the classroom. His teacher seems nice and I'm sure he'll have a great year.

Peck Farm Park

The kids and I went to peck farm this morning to have a little adventure before lunch. We were able to climb to the top to the observation silo and view the whole park. We looked at the animals and artifacts on display in the farm house and walked through the garden. But the best part was going in the butterfly house. There were lots of butterflies to see and it's easy to get real close to them. We weren't lucky enough to have one land on us but Jake had lots of fun taking pictures of the many butterflies.

kids

I love taking pictures of my kids! I especially love it when you capture their personality. We took these today when we went to the zoo. The weather was great and the kids were happy. What more could I ask for?

Comic Books

Jake and Jay went to an exhibit about the history of comic books last weekend. They had a good time checking out all the old comics, drawing characters and posing like their favorite super hero.

Cub Scout Day Camp

Jake went to cub scout day camp last week and loved every minute of it! He got to shoot BB guns, try his hand at archery, play games & sports, go on nature hikes, make crafts, learn about knife safety and first aid and perform a skit. I was able to go one day as a parent volunteer and see all the fun stuff they did. Their theme was Pirates of the Caribbean and all the crafts they made went along with this theme. Jake had a great time and he can't wait to go again next year.

Meeting Miss Lori

We went to the Brookfield Zoo this morning and met Miss Lori who does Miss Lori's Campus on PBS. She did an hour long show of telling stories, singing songs and dancing with the kids. She even picked Jake to be a helper for a song. There was a tissue paper flower activity, stuffed fish and a free story book (for the first 200 people who came). The kids had lots of fun!

Elkhart County Fair

Every summer Jake goes to the county fair with his Grandma Gibson. This year was no exception. Olivia came also as did her cousins on the Gibson side. We spend the whole day there looking at animals, riding rides, eating yummy food and seeing the exhibits. Everyone had a great time and I'm sure it will continue to be an annual event for years to come! Thanks Grandma Gibson!

Going to Grandma's House

We spent a week visiting Grandma and we had a great time visiting with in-laws and cousins. We went to the zoo, visited Amish country, hung out with friends, and played until we were so tired every night. We always enjoy visiting both sets of grand parents and we are so lucky that they live so close together so we can see them often.

Holiday Weekend

Jay had Friday off so he took Jake to Six Flags Great America. Jake was able to ride most of the big rides like 'Superman: Ultimate Flight' and 'Batman the ride'. He said that these two and 'American Eagle' were his favorites. The weather was great, not too hot and the longest they waited in line was an hour but most of the lines took much less to get through. They were at the park from the time it opened until almost the time it closed and had a blast! Jake said it was the best day of his life this year! We also went to the Morton Arboretum were they have this exhibit of life-sized animal houses. You can prowl on the prairie, trek through the wetland or romp in the woodland to visit 11 different homes. Our family found this exhibit really fun and interesting. Overall, we had a great weekend!

Lego Mania!

A few weekends ago, Jay and Jake went to this HUGE lego expo called Brickworld. This is not put on by lego themselves but collectors and fans. They waited a half hour to just get into the building to see the displays. Jay said there was so much to see it was hard to see it all. I stayed home with Olivia so the boys could have more fun. They spent all day there and had a blast! They can't wait to go again next year.