Tubing

On Sunday we took a spontaneous trip to the QC to go boating with Keith and Vicki. Jadon and Leah both got a chance to go tubing. Jadon found it pretty scary, but braved it anyway. Leah found it thrilling and loved it. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed hanging out with Vicki and Keith.

T-ball

Jadon has been enjoying t-ball. These are some pictures of his first game. These games allow all the kids to be successful and have fun. Each kid gets to bat once/inning. They hit the ball off the tee and run to 1st. The other team tries to field the ball and throw it to 1st. On the rare occassion that the ball gets there before the runner, they are still "safe". When the next batter hits they run to 2nd and so on. It is a great way to get kids started with baseball. Also, Jadon loves being on a team with Brecken.

Jadon takes a turn playing 1st base.

Father's Day

On Father's Day we took the kids to Rockwood State Park in Morrison for some family time. We hiked through the woods, watched some toy planes flying over a field, and let the kids ride their bikes around the campground.

This is a cute shot of Jadon and Leah snuggling a little bit this morning.

Summer Playdates

One really neat thing about this summer is how my group of friends has grown and solidified. Each Tuesday, about 8 of us moms take our kids to a different park in the area. On most Friday nights, about 6 of us families have been doing Picnics at various parks or homes. These simple get-togethers have been so nice for the kids and adults.

Leah, Kate, Laney, and Madison find a spot on the deck to eat their ice cream.

On this Friday night, everyone came over to my house for dinner, playtime, and sundaes.

At Oppold Marina, the kids enjoyed swinging on this Willow tree and exploring the grounds near the river.

Kohl's Children's Museum

Jadon and Leah get to play hospital with their grandma, a former OR nurse.

Jadon got a double dip cone and I've never seen him more excited.

Brian went down to Georgia for a long weekend, so I thought I'd take the kids to my parents' house for a fun getaway to break up the time. Friday was cold and rainy, so my mom and I took the kids to a children's museum. It was a really nice one and we all had fun, even though it was super busy. Afterwards we went out to lunch and then got ice cream at Ben and Jerry's. I also got to spend some time with my brother, go shopping, and get my hair done. Thanks Mom and Dad!

Thrills and Spills

Jadon and Leah love Scooby-Doo, so they posed here with Shaggy.

On Saturday my Dad and I took the kids to Great America. I'm all about making good use of our season passes. This was a day for thrills and spills. First, Jadon's leg slid down between the ledge and the tracks while getting on the Mystery Machine ride. He didn't get hurt, but it shook him up a bit. We rode their usual favorites, but then thought we would branch out. I took them on the River Rocker which swings really high back and forth. They met the height requirement, but I definately had the thought, "My God, what have I done?" Jadon kept his head down the whole time and Leah stared ahead stoicly. They didn't cry, but informed me that that was "too scary". Then we went on the Whizzer- again pushing the envelope. This is a mid-size roller coaster where the child sits on the seat in front of you between your legs. It's very fast. All in all, it was quite an adventurous day.

Our Square Foot Garden

Our project supervisor.

Making "Mel's Mix".

Brian built a box garden at the end of our yard. We are following the square foot garden approach, so we mixed our own soil and Brian put a grid on it. We planted tomatoes, red peppers, summer squash, beans, lettuce, herbs, etc. It's been a long process, but feels good to finally have it in place. Neither of us have really gardened before, so it will be interesting to see how successful we are with it.

Brad Onken 5K

On Sunday, Larry and Cindy came to Sterling to run in one of our favorite local races, a 5K through Sinnissippi Park. It stormed that morning, but the sky cleared up about a half hour before the race and it was great running weather. Brian pushed the kids in the jogging stroller. It was his first time running in 3 years! We enjoyed hanging out in the park for the post race party and awards.

Larry, Cindy, and I each got medals for our age groups.

Here are some of my good friends, Jen, Brenda, and Anita.

In our age group, 35-39, Jen got 2nd place and I got 1st.

Jadon and Leah hanging out at the playground.

Daytrip to Chicago

Brian took Jadon and Leah into Chicago all by himself a few weekends ago. They drove to Aurora and took the train downtown. They also rode the El and took a taxi during the course of the day. They explored Navy Pier and then played at the Children's Museum. After that, they played on the beach until it was time to go home. The kids loved their adventure with Dad!