Chicago Summer Recap

 Our first Chicago summer was very fun! And very full!  Here's a picture recap of what we did... (Warning! It's A LOT of pictures!)

We began the summer with a BBQ lunch at Harvest where people had the opportunity to dunk the pastors. Somehow Micah got in on the action too...

We loved having a yard this summer and took advantage of the extra space it afforded to have lots of people over. This was a BBQ with the Biblical Soul Care families.

 And since we had a yard, the kids wanted to plant a garden. Ashlyn was thrilled to find this little worm in the process.

 For Father's Day we headed down to the Aquarium in Chicago...

We were excited to join our CC friends at a practicum. The kids loved Play Camp/Geo Camp and learned so much while they were there.

And one Saturday we were treated to a day at Kohl Children's Museum. This place was amazing!

The kids LOVED grocery shopping!

And Ashlyn was excited to be a baby nurse, just like Aunt Joy Joy

He might have moved cross-country, but he's still sporting his team colors

Ashlyn's favorite spot in the museum was Potbelly's Sandwich Shop. She loved making sandwiches, serving her customers, and cleaning up. But her very favorite part was answering the phone. The phone would ring sporadically and every time it did, she would stop what she was doing and run to the phone, then listen as the person on the other end placed their order. So cute!

 

Thanks for a great day Mr. Dan!

Our last week of June was consumed by High Five, Harvest's summer day camp for kids. Daddy was in Indiana for the week, but the kids and I spent most of our waking hours that week at church. It was a blast though and the kids can't wait to do it again next summer!

All ready for a week of High Five!

Heading in to Police Academy training

"Flying" around the world with her friend and learning that Jesus is the passport to heaven - He is the way, the truth, and the life. (John 14:6)

Here's the team Micah worked with to build a box car

High Five ~ where else would you get to play with shaving cream?! What fun!

Time to paint

Crazy girl! Loves to climb trees!

Testing for his badge on the last day of Police Academy

Micah receiving his badge from Mr. Riddle

Now it's time to race the car ~ Micah's team won!

Thankful for a great week learning God's Word and having lots of fun!

As soon as we finished up High Five, it was time for a birthday party; a wild west round-up to celebrate Micah's birthday.

The boys getting ready for target practice

Time to test their skill with a wild west shoot-out

While the boys were lining up for an obstacle course, the girls were getting the water darts ready.

Waiting to begin the obstacle course, zipping down the zip line

At the end of the course they had to pull the rope to ring the cow bell ~ and at the other end of the rope was a bucket of water. Micah pulled and braced for what was to come.

Time for a cowboy cake

What?! I'm wanted? Happy birthday buddy!

 

And then on to the next day... our anniversary. We celebrated with a boat ride on Lake Michigan and dinner in Chicago!

And the day after that was Micah's birth day, so of course we had to continue the celebration. This year he got a frappuccino to go with his Breakfast Birthday Cake.

Enjoying a birthday call from a friend

Then after breakfast we headed out to one of the forest preserves and rented a rowboat. Micah got to see first hand how much work it is to row across the lake.

After leaving the lake we had a picnic and Micah decided to collect firewood. Not sure why he thought it would be a good idea to have a fire - it was steaming hot that day!

For the 4th of July we made it over to our local village parade. It's been a while since we've been to a parade so I totally forgot about kids getting candy at parades. I saw several kids carrying around large bags and realized there would be candy coming so we managed to find a bag for them. I was shocked that they came home with 2-3 pounds of candy! For some reason everyone wanted to throw it right at them. We still have some of that candy in the house!

Waiting for the parade

Enjoying a rose that was handed out from a local florist

That night we headed over to a lake to watch the fireworks with a friend.

And then came Nana!!!! It was a short visit as she traveled through Chicago on her way to the East Coast, but we love every little bit we get to spend with her.

For the 3rd year in a row, we were with Nana for Cow Appreciation Day!

Excited about a new Minnie shirt from Nana!

We spent Saturday at Cantigny Park, the estate of Robert McCormick. What an amazing place that he left for the public to enjoy!

The kids loved climbing on the tanks outside the military museum!

And the next day it was on to the Chicago Children's Museum on Navy Pier. I think their favorite thing was the rope tunnel they climbed up and through. It reminded me of the Noah's Ark exhibit at the Skirball Museum.

Practicing crawling on the ground in a smoky building

Ashlyn loved sliding down the pole!

Micah and I worked together to build a skyscraper

Enjoying our lunch in the Crystal Garden

While Nana we here we took advantage of another opportunity to have a date. This time we went on a Segway tour of Hyde Park. It was so much fun!

Although we had lots of hot weather, we only made it to the pool twice. Ashlyn grew a lot in her comfortability with water in those two visits. She was actually willing to get her face wet this year.

We were thrilled to have a few visitors in the middle of July. We saw several So Cal friends within about 36 hours. How fun to live in a city that so many people pass through!

Enjoying a midwest thunderstorm with Gary

Thanks for taking the time to hang out with us Gary! It was great to see you!

It was wonderful to see the Sedy family again! So thankful for the opportunity to reconnect in person!

And it was fun to hook up with the Athertons at Giordano's as they began their midwest vacation.

 Checking out the Sweet Home Chicago exhibit at Elmhurst Historical Museum. Did you know that Chicago was once considered the candy making capital of the US?

Checking out the old fashioned vending machine

Watching I Love Lucy at the chocolate factory

So fun to have Mrs. Riddle join us for a day out!

As they finished out their last days of summer, the kids wanted to use the face paint, and playing army was a good excuse to put on face paint. Once the paint was on, Micah became the drill sergeant and starting running Ashlyn on drills around the yard.

But once he got his buddy involved, Micah stepped it up a notch. Army is now the favorite game to play. The boys love getting camo-ed up and running around acting like snipers.

We were thrilled to be invited out on a boat with some new friends! It's been years since Nathan or I got behind a boat, so we were excited to actually get up again on skis/wakeboard. It was a beautiful day! Ashlyn wasn't about to get into the water, so she was quite content with "driving" us around. Micah, on the other hand, jumped out of the boat every time it stopped. He loved getting pulled on the tube!

And we ended our summer with a trip to Wrigley Field. What an amazing stadium! So fun to step back in time several decades and watch a game. And what a treat that we got to see the Giants play here in Chicago!