Gillson Park Picture Day!

In August, we had an old college friend who has become a photographer drive up to meet us at Gillson Beach to snap some family photos. We had a day full of sunshine (which is actually not great for the photos, but fun for us to play in!). Thought I would post a few pictures from our morning. Some of these photos have become my favorites that I will really cherish as the kids grow older!

August Photos, Afterall!

So, in my post a few days back I mentioned that our camera took an unfortunate dip in a pond, so we lost our photos from the first half of August. Grammy to the rescue! She sent along some great pictures from the kids' time with her and Grandpa Brown while Erik and I were away for our anniversary weekend. The kids had a blast. They visited Cantigny (American History/Tank and Nature Park) and went to the "Dog Days of Summer" as well. Thanks, Grammy!

Grandpa's under there! :)

First Day of School!

Cassidy and Gavin had a great start to pre-school this year! Cassidy is in a Jr. Kindergarten class (all 4-year olds that will head to Kindergarten next year) and Gavin is in a "Turning Threes" classroom with a group of adorable little 2-year olds who are learning how to play with friends, how to share toys, and that "mommies always come back." Cassidy is especially excited to take part in "lunch bunch" 2 days per week. We pack her lunch together in her "suitcase" (her word for her lunch tote) and she has so much fun eating at the lunch table with her friends. At home, they are both often found humming and singing songs they've learned at school. Gavin wakes up each morning singing "Five little mon-keys jumping on the bed! One fell off and BUMPED his head!" and Cassidy belts out "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine!!!" We're having fun!

Here's a sampling of the various "first week" pictures we took...

Final Weeks of Summer

We made the most of the last few weeks of summertime! In early August, Erik and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary by spending a fun weekend in Chicago - we went to Lollapalooza Music Festival! Grammy and Grandpa Brown took wonderful care of Cassidy and Gavin for the weekend so we could get some R & R. We always appreciate having a little break and are always so happy to see the kids again when we return. The next weekend, we took the kids to Chicago's Botanic Garden and enjoyed the miniature railroad exhibit (they added some fun Thomas characters this year - the kids were mesmerized!). We took a nice walk and sat on some concrete steps that lead down to a big pond on the garden grounds. Some cute baby ducklings came swimming up to the edge, and in a matter of seconds Gavin excitedly lunged forward, Erik and I grabbed him back, he kicked his legs in displeasure and our little point-and-shoot camera that was sitting on a step took a dive into the murky pond water. Uh-oh! We gave it our best rescue efforts, but Erik's arm kept getting nibbled by fish and the kind worker with the net couldn't find it after scooping all around. So - we promise the first few weeks of August were lovely, we just don't have any pictures to show for it. :) As we told the kids who were feeling sad about the lost camera - accidents happen! We just need to be thankful for the things that really matter. So, it was a life lesson day!

Next up, we visited Grandma and Grandpa Reder for their August birthdays and for the family get-together over Labor Day. Always a good time! Here are some pictures from the fun: