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: