Since the last blog, I have come to a strong conclusion that I just can't sit still, ever. I try to relax and bask in the sun by the pool, but I totally bring a craft project or to-do list with me. I try to convince myself that the house looks fine, the weeds can wait and the kids can fend for themselves. I'm progressing in the right direction, but my road is still long. Good thing I married my polar opposite to keep me grounded. And fortunately, there are some perks to my anxiety of not bring able to sit still. The kids got a playroom makeover! Their toys are getting smaller (thankfully), they both like to color, and they each needed their own storage space to put their belongings in. All hell can break loose if Spiderman has to sleep in the toy box with Elsa.
So after 3 trips to Ikea and 2 trips to Lowe's, I assembled desks, anchored bins and even painted furniture for the first time. Instead of their artwork cluttering every room, there is now one special place that they can display their most favorite creations. It has become our favorite family room!
And with summer finally here, the kids want to be outside all the time. Which is awesome, except when it is 100 degrees and the humidity is outrageous. We have trees surrounding our backyard, but none in the middle to give us shade. So we got a fun umbrella and now have family dinners outside. The kids are obsessed and the clean up is easy. Double win!
We took one more quick trip to Kings Island before Chris had to leave us for two weeks to work in Chicago.....
CHICAGO
For Father's Day weekend, I took off work, loaded up the car, (said a little prayer) and then drove the kids to Chicago. Chris had been working in the west suburbs but after Hudson voiced he was pumped to ride a train, Chris moved us closer to the city. The kids were beyond perfect on the 6 hour ride up. I told them their tablets couldn't operate till we crossed into Indiana and they believed me. Ha, what suckers! They read books, colored and counted trees while waiting patiently. I planned a picnic lunch and a special stop at the Albanese Candy Factory. This candy store is amazing and right on the way to Chicago; you can watch the candy being made, there is a floor-to-ceiling chocolate fountain and endless amounts of candy to purchase. So we picked out Chris' favorite candy...5 lbs of gummy worms!
Once in Chicago, I drove the kids past our old condo and we stopped at Humboldt Park and played; this was the park we would always walk Penny Lane. Hudson got emotional. He still loves and misses that pup. So do we. But he thankfully distracted my tears away by frequently reminding Adley that "Bubba grew up here, not you Adley. This is your first time, but it's ok, I will show you everything." Mind you, he lived in Chicago for two months before we moved to Ohio.
We had dinner at my girlfriend Lisa's house, who was nice enough to make Hudson's current favorite meal - spaghetti and meatballs. We sat on the rooftop and enjoyed the skyline view and reminisced of the awesome, exciting days before becoming parents. But don't be confused, we love our children, we were just wayyyy cooler before they came along. Chris still thinks he is the coolest....and since it was Father's Day weekend, I agreed :)
First train rides!
The BEAN!
So many new parks, playgrounds and restaurants have opened up since we moved. Below is the Maggie Daley Park, which sits right in the center of the city, next to Millennium Park and in walking distance to Lake Michigan. It was amazing. There were dozens of "tiny parks" within the large park, all labeled by age-appropriateness and what to expect. Then there was an enormous bridge with endless slides and tunnels in the center. Add in a hundred plus other kids, the sun plus a nice breeze, and the kids were in heaven.
Then we walked over to Navy Pier "because Adley had never been there before." Per Hudson, he had to show his baby sister all the hot spots in the big city that he "grew up in."
We discovered another new water park in front of Navy Pier, the Polk Bros Park. You can walk, run and skip through a promenade of hundreds synchronized water jets. We weren't prepared for water, but we were ready to cool off.
You can't go to Chicago and not have deep dish pizza. Oh wait, Hudson requested spaghetti and meatballs again. But was a great way to end an exhaustively fun day.
She can already balance two cups and drink from two straws at once...I fear for her college years.
As the kids waited 45 minutes for our deep dish pizza to arrive, they decided to dance and put on a show for anyone who would watch. And I didn't stop them. I will take a giggly dancing kid over a screaming, crying child any day. It was cute to watch.
And the Father's Day gift that continues to keep giving....!
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