Bowling!!!

We decided to take the kids bowling for the first time. What a hit! We walked into Wilmette's small family-friendly bowling alley on a Sunday afternoon, having never been in before - and the kids were in awe of the dark lanes and black-lighting that made the whites of their clothes, shoes and teeth shine brighter than they'd ever seen. Then the glitter ball started to turn, and they were sold. Bowling was fantastic. We got our special shoes on and set up the gutter bumpers and ball "slide" that allowed the kids to get plenty of pins down with each attempt. They loved everything - from the special air dryer at the end of the lane for your hands to the magic ball return that somehow delivered your ball back to you in seconds flat. We will be repeat customers!

Fun Times with Grandparents!

We have gotten to spend a lot of quality time with all 4 grandparents this spring! We've had trips to their homes, and they've made trips to ours - we love our time with them! Here are some highlights...

Reading with Grandpa Reder during one of his mid-week overnights.

Gardening with Grandma Reder at their house in Rockford.

Playing trains with Grandpa Reder in their basement - a favorite pastime.

Planting this year's fairy garden with Grammy Brown.

The finished product - Cassidy adores it!

Hanging out with Grandpa Brown by the backyard sandbox.

Enjoying a special day with Grammy Brown at Cassidy's school, where she read a book to the class and prepared a gardening lesson. So exciting!

The Great Outdoors

This spring has brought more rain and less sun than we're used to in Chicago, but we're playing outside every chance we get. The kids have had lunchtime picnics, done lots of gardening, and even helped Erik mow the lawn. Here are some photos of our fun times outside this spring!

Easter 2011

The kids woke up bright and early on Easter Sunday! They ran into our room shrieking with excitement and started pulling our arms to get us out of bed and go check out the family room to see if the Easter bunny had come while they were sleeping. They were beyond thrilled to find that he had, in fact, been there! They each found a basket filled with goodies, and that tricky Easter bunny had hidden plastic eggs filled with jelly beans all around the house. Once they were all sugared-up, we got dressed in our Easter clothes and drove to Grammy and Grandpa's house to spend the day. We started with a wonderful church service and then found that the Easter bunny had visited Grammy and Grandpa's house, too! They found special treats hidden all over the house. Such fun! We had a delicious dinner, joined by that time by Aunt Mel, Uncle Aaron and Cooper. We were grateful to spend such a special day with family.

Preparing for the Easter Bunny

In the days leading up to Easter, the kids had a lot of fun preparing for the Easter bunny's visit. We decorated eggs, had an Easter egg hunt at church, and even got to hug the Easter bunny in person after the hunt. We made a special cake in the shape of the Easter bunny to bring to Grammy and Grandpa Brown's house on Easter Sunday. The kids loved decorating the cake with candies - most of the candies went directly into their mouths rather than on the cake. By the time Easter Sunday rolled around, they were ready!

Brown County 2011

Last month, we took our annual trip to Brown County, IN to catch up with our best friends from college! We got together with Jamie, Meg and Tara along with their husbands and kids to enjoy 4 days in a beautiful cabin in the woods. We took turns making big meals for the group and at night once the 8 kids were fast asleep we broke open the wine and whipped up some desserts to enjoy while we lounged on the couches or out in the hot tubs on the deck. It's so fun to see all the kids playing together and it's wonderful to get to catch up with everyone in person. I just love my girlfriends and get so excited each year when this trip rolls around!

Our Latest DIY Project

Last weekend, we decided to tackle the installation of a backyard playset for the kids. It came with a 60-page manual and roughly a zillion parts to assemble - eeek! Erik spent probably 12-13 hours on it in total, and we had some great help from his parents for the final few hours. The Sunday that we finished it, it happened to be a beautiful 80 degree day and the kids played on it for hours - made the project feel well worth the effort! Erik and I are looking forward to the many years of backyard playtime that lie ahead for the kids, and it always feels good to work hard on a DIY project and see it all come together in the end. Now, we just need to bring on the warm weather (we woke up to snow today - isn't it mid-April?)! Anyway, lots of fun in store for the kids this summer!

The empty spot where the playset would eventually go

Erik and his best helper starting the assembly

The assistant crew!

The final product

Casiddy loves the "big kid" swing...

...and Gavin loves the toddler bucket swing. Happy kids!