Chicago

How many times have we been to Chicago?  It seems like we're there all the time, but really we haven't been to Chicago since we had just two kids.  Our last trip there was sometime before Emma was born in 2011.  But Chicago is Chicago, and there are certain things that must be done while in Chicago to truly enjoy.  We easily could have stayed there a week (we didn't visit any of the amazing museums and just barely sampled the cuisine), but here are the highlights we hit in the one day we had.

Stop 1- Buckingham Fountain

Stop 2- The Bean

This bag of candy made me laugh- everyone in our family loves M&Ms except for Adam.  The look on his face when he reached in to grab a handful of cookies and cream drops and got M&Ms instead was priceless.  What a mean trick!  The drops were underneath.

Stop 3- Crown Fountain to cool off, unless you're already cold, like Miss Emma.

Stop 4- Giordano's for some deep dish pizza, then across the Chicago River by way of the gorgeous DuSable Bridge.

Stop 5- A ride down the Chicago River by way of a water taxi.  The best way to travel in Chicago.  Be sure to wave at other boats as they pass.

Stop 6- Navy Pier!  First walk all the way to the tip of the pier to get a great view of Lake Michigan, 

and a great view of the skyline.

Be sure to climb on the giant anchor and feed the screeching seagulls (Noah called them duckies and I didn't correct him until I heard him say see-gull! in just as cute a voice).

Then turn back around and head to the ferris wheel.

The most highly anticipated ride of the summer, and everyone loved it!

Move on to take the most quintessential summer picture ever- Jason and Adam are on the right.

  

Ride the Navy Pier trolley around the Magnificent Mile- twice!- 

before hopping off and heading back over the bridge. 

Stop 7- Garrett's Popcorn, of course!  Then back to the Bean at night and finally back to the car.

 Don't forget to buy a paper box from a homeless man along the way.  This was the only thing the kids asked for as a souvenir (they had no idea he was anything but a kind man with an awesome sidewalk shop, and Leah was especially thrilled to turn hers into a table for Elfie Crystal Shimmer, her fairy).

There wasn't one single peep of complaint throughout the long, busy, fun day.   But when we got to the hotel and discovered that our keys weren't working, the kids didn't skip a beat with their beauty rest.  Everyone was pooped.

Not pictured- the huge and ugly fight that Jason and I had before stop 1 and didn't resolve until after Stop 4.  It was proof that we just can't stretch ourselves too thin, and this trip (and the week leading up to it) we were stretched too thin.  It was also a great chance (!) to talk to the kids about fighting and making up and forgiving each other over and over again because that's what families do when we love each other.  A lesson everyone should learn, just not necessarily in the middle of downtown Chicago.  But still, it was an awesome day, and Chicago continues to hold this little country family's heart in a big way.

Last Summer Trip

Our final excursion this summer took us east!  While I was home throwing Emma's birthday party and packing everyone up for the trip, Jason was already Indy on business.  I have never attempted driving the kids so far by myself before, but we made it!  

We broke the six hour trip into three little ones- and our first stop was the John Deere Pavillion.  The kids loved climbing on the huge equipment, and I loved being out of the car.  It was not easy being the only adult driving, navigating, answering requests, solving problems and providing entertainment and food.

The second stop was the Albanese Gummy Bear factory!  We loaded up on our favorites then headed on to home- I knew we were close to West Lafayette when I saw the hundreds of wind turbines that dot the fields.

We drove by our old house, which surely looked a bit more run down and neglected than it did when we lived there, 

and were lucky enough to see our sweet neighbors that still live there.  Ma-maw and Pa-paw were our Indiana grandparents, and Alivia was one of Leah's best friends!  They picked up right where they left off two years ago. 

We spent our first night at the Bailey's house, where we spent the happiest 14 hours visiting and playing with our sweet friends- and their chickens!

Emma was not thrilled about being the model to pose next to them, but the kids all had a wonderful time running around the yard and eating loads of gummy bears and playing with the kitty.

  Rachael and I always have the best conversations, and I learned this time around that we should not start out a family trip by staying up until the wee hours of the morning catching up with sweet friends.  That was a hard thing to overcome, but boy was it worth it!  And the kids were thrilled to have one of their "special occasions" only sleepovers!

Then we were off to Indianapolis to attend the temple open house- the whole reason we took this trip!

  The temple was announced while we lived in Indiana, and we promised ourselves that we would come back to see it completed and to take our kids through.  The temples are open to anyone that wants to tour them until they are dedicated, then members of the church in good standing may attend. 

And I'm so glad we made the effort to attend!  The temple is absolutely exquisite inside, and the Spirit was so strong as we walked through the sacred building and thought about and talked about the importance of our relationship with God and with each other.  Because of the temple we know that our family will be together forever!  The sweetest moment was when we were standing in the celestial room and looking at our family through the two mirrors whose reflections seem to go on and on forever.  We whispered to the kids about how happy we are that our family will be together forever and did a quiet, one-fingered "family power" and hugged each other happily.

We spent the rest of the afternoon at our favorite place in Indianapolis- the children's museum!  

(I asked Noah who was in this picture.  He said, "Bum-bo-bee!!!"  No idea how he knows who that is.) 

We got there later than we had anticipated, so we had to zip through each of the exhibits faster than we would have preferred.  But it was all still an absolute delight.  I have so many happy memories in the museum, and it was so fun to be there together again.

The underwater sea diving, the fireworks of glass, the Hot Wheels, and the carousel.  The dinosaur exhibit, the science exhibit, the new China exhibit, and the new baby playscape.  It was all so fun.

We even did something I don't recall ever doing at the children's museum before- we bought treats!  It was amazing to realize that we spent more in this one trip ($100 for the five paying members of our family, plus a few treats) than we spent in all of the trips we took combined in the entire time we lived in Indiana (when it cost us just $1 per person, and we always packed in our own food).  This museum was such a blessing in our graduate family life!

 Leah loves to read through old blog posts, and wanted to recreate this picture of three-year-old self from 2010.  Look at that pouty little lip! 

She is growing up way too fast. 

It delighted me to see that Noah reacted to the super reflective floor just as my other kids did- 

he was afraid to walk on it!  

When we had had our fill of the museum and it started getting too crowded (it turned out to be Free Family Night, which drew more visitors than we were willing to share the museum with) we headed on to dinner- with the Mullens!

Sarah is one of the most amazing ladies I've ever met.  She nearly helped Jason deliver Miss Emma as she made her super speedy entrance into the world (but stayed home to take care of sleeping Adam and Leah instead).  Jason and her husband Nathan served their missions in La Paz, Bolivia together.  We set up camp in Chick-fil-a and spent way too long catching up while our sweet husbands monitored the kids in the playplace.  It was such a treat to see them again!

Then we hurried over to the hotel, where we all dropped off to sleep in a flash.  We got what felt like a wink of sleep before it was time to wake up and drive three hours to Chicago in the morning.

Constant Interruptions

Whenever I'm by myself or whenever I'm out with other adults, I'm always amazed at how nice it is to finish a thought that I've started, or notice one key element to my current life that is starkly missing- the constant interruptions.  My days at home often looks like this-

Write out my daily to-do list.
Stop to pull out markers and paper for Emma.
Set her up on the stairs, her new favorite place to color.
Start on the first item on the list- clean out the "closet of doom" (you know, the one that can never stay clean on it's own for some reason).
Stop to pull out some paper for Noah, who wants to "color! color!" and has taken to pulling on my legs and physically manipulating my body so that I'm turned the direction he wants me to be facing.
Continue cleaning out the closet of doom
Answer the phone.  Chat with a kind friend that called just to check in and see how I'm doing.  Listen to several texts "ding" in my ear while we chat.
Try to understand the description of and admire Adam's latest Lego creation while on the phone.
Hurry over to the stairs in response to calls from Emma to see that Noah has commandeered two of Emma's markers and has scribbled on his legs and clothes and is moving on to the wall.
Finish up the phone call.
Take two pictures then set Noah to work scrubbing the wall.  Move Emma to the middle of another room so she can finish her artwork with no walls nearby for Noah to scribble on.
Greet a blurry-eyed Leah, who was up in the night with a fever and has slept in until 10:00.  Make her a small breakfast and turn around to see that the closet of doom is still strewn all over the place.
Put the closet back together and check it off the to-do list.
Set Leah up with a bed tray of markers and crayons so she can rest on the couch but still do something.
Listen to the description of and comment on Adam's next Lego creation.
Turn back to the to-do list, and get started on the next item- calling the museum about a membership question.
Notice Noah has taken to scribbling on the bench cushion.  Redirect Noah and look up the phone number.
The doorbell rings.  I realize no one has gotten dressed yet today, and I stand in my yoga pants and explain to our sweet neighbor friend that we're not coming out to play right now.
Head back to make the phone call, stopping to administer some medicine to Leah and admire Emma's artwork along the way.

Etc., etc., etc.

And somewhere in the middle of this 15 minute snapshot, I freeze and recognize, yet again, that constant interruptions are the staple of my life.

It's not chaos, it's just life.

 Part of it is that it's summer, and we're all together all the time.

Part of it is because I have four little kids at home, and they need me, and I need to get things done during the day.

And part of me is so sad to realize that in 2019- just four short years from now- I will be home alone all day long.  And I won't have constant interruptions.  I'll zip right through my to-do list.  I'll clean a room and it will stay clean.  I'll make a phone call and finish it peacefully.  

Constant interruptions aren't ideal, but they are the bulk of my life right now, and I kind of usually love it.  I love being needed and I love when my kids come running to tell me something happy or to cry about something sad.  I love that I'm here and that they come to me.

Of course, it also drives me crazy that I do so much and don't do anything every day.

Jason took over my job twice this year- once while I was in New York City with my mom and sisters, and once while I was at Girls Camp.  After both occasions he said, somewhat exasperated, "I can't get anything done when I'm at home!  It's like I have to plan on doing nothing all day long, just so I can take care of everything that is happening."  

Exactly. 

But it won't always be like this.  And I've learned to embrace it.  

I wanted to take the kids to the zoo today, but we stayed home instead and that was just fine.  Because a mom with young children knows how to roll with the changes of the day.  

And it will only be like this for four more years. 

So I find it slightly hilarious and somewhat shocking that this is the time that the Lord would ask me to be the Relief Society president for our ward.  The director of the women's program and the keeper of 200 women and the helper of their needs.  I'm suddenly finding myself at meetings in the mornings and the nights, making visits and phone calls and arrangements and praying more than I've prayed in a long time.  I'm busier than I like to be, and I'm recognizing that life itself is one big constant interruption.  Nothing goes exactly the way we expect it to.  So I'm just trying to get it all right as it comes.
Because callings never last for long.  

But neither does childhood.

So you can believe I'm praying for heaven's help as I work my way through both. 

Emma Grace is Four!

 

After seeing all of the hoop-la about Adam's birthday just two weeks before, Emma was more than ready for her turn to be "da birt-day giwl!"  She woke up with a twinkle in her eye that stayed with her all day long- it was a fantastic day to have a birthday!  

Emma decided she wanted a Tinkerbell/Princess/Palace Pets birthday party, and it turned out great!  She had a few sweet friends over for crown decorating, pin the tail on Pumpkin (Cinderella's pet dog) a princess treasure hunt, an all-pink princess lunch and some very sparkly pink cupcakes.  

Emma did a wonderful job of kindly including all of her friends in her celebration and fun, and I was especially proud of her for thanking each of them by name as she opened their gifts.  She even traded her new scepter for a friend's broken one and made it through the treasure hunt without tears, despite not getting to find all of the clues herself.

It was a stark contrast to see her "run" the show at her party in comparison to Adam just a few weeks earlier.  Granted, it was boiling hot and there were twice as many kids at Adam's party, but he was more of a quiet observer.  Emma, on the other hand, thrived in the spotlight, chatting with her girlfriends over lunch and she was especially thrilled when it was time for presents, calling out, "Who wants to give me a present?!!"  

After all the party excitement it was very much time for a nap, so my sweet birthday girl took a three hour rest.  She doesn't always need a nap, but when she does, she takes one with all her might!

 Emma picked Chick-fil-a for her birthday dinner, because they have chocolate milk!  She was all smiles as we ate and played, then headed home for a few more presents and fun before bedtime.  

The kids got to end the night in a very unusual way- by watching a movie in my bed while I had a meeting downstairs.  It wasn't ideal in my eyes, but Emma loved it and that's all that matters.  To her it was a treat!

Jason had to go out of town on Emma's birthday, so we had started the day off with a family breakfast together before he was off.  Emma didn't want Daddy to miss out on her birthday cake, so we wrapped it up in foil and put it in the freezer to enjoy when we all got back from our trip to Indiana.  Emma definitely loves her daddy.

And we love Emma!  Her birthday came at just the right time, when I needed a dedicated chance to fill her up  with extra love and attention.  She is growing up to be such a sweet little lady.  She is always eager to spend one-on-one time with Mommy or Daddy, and she definitely puts up a good fight to find her place amongst her siblings.  She refuses to be left out, and tries her hardest to keep up with her big sister (a feeling I know all about, as a little sister myself).  Just this morning she happily followed Leah around and proclaimed, "You're my best friend, Le-lah!" And it's true.  She loves Leah and wants so much to be accepted by her, which she usually is, but is heartbroken when she isn't.

Emma's not afraid of doing big or scary things- she is brave and is always up for a new challenge.

 She's excited about starting two day preschool in the fall.  And she is one tough cookie.  She knew that she would be getting shots at her well child visit the day after her birthday, and she told everyone she wasn't going to cry.  She was startled by the shots, and I knew she wanted to cry, but she didn't.  She held it in and sat in my lap and said, "That really hurt", but she didn't cry.  It was an amazing thing to watch, especially as her big brother and sister were sitting in the room (at her request, for moral support) and were kind of freaking out on her behalf.  But Emma was the tough one.

 The bribe of a Topped donut helped a bit, too.  

Emma is just like her mama.  Heaven help me.  She knows how to be kind and loving, but she also knows exactly how to push people's buttons.  She is very aware of her ability to get what she wants with a "flutter and a flash" of her eyelashes and smile, or she can pout and hold a grudge with the best of them.  She is a picky little eater, but she always has room in her tummy for M&Ms.  She's the middle child to a 'T'.  I understand her completely, and I hope she'll continue to let me in as she gets older.

Emma has recently discovered the joy of coloring and drawing and creating art.  I often find her like this- 

She is so spunky and full of personality.  Sometimes she hardly seems like a little girl anymore- she's just one of the kids at the table with funny things to say and nice comments to share.  She's always thinking about her grandmas and their dogs and her cousins and and nice things that people have done for her and ways that she can cheer people up.   She wanted to write a letter to Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer this morning so she could tell him that she thinks his nose is cute, not weird.  

She's always making us laugh.  Emma does not like mint flavor.  One day she found a mint-looking perler bead creation and used it as a weapon, "Stay back or I'll mint you!"

And Emma Grace is beautiful!  She has the cutest sprinkling of freckles across her nose, her bright blue eyes often solicit comments from others, and somehow her hair always looks fabulous!

  Happy birthday sweet Emma Grace!  You took us by surprise the day you were born (before we even got to the hospital!) and you've kept us on our toes ever since.  You are a delightful little lady, full of fireworks and excitement and love.  You keep your brothers laughing and crying.  You are Leah's best friend (even if she doesn't admit it often).  And you are always a delight when you peek around the corner after we've tucked you in the for the night for just one more hug. 

We love you, little SuperGirl!

A Sweet Suprise

I found this video on my phone, shot by the kids while I was putting Noah down for a nap.  

It made my week.  I have the sweetest kids in the world!