Happy 6th Birthday to Tyler!

We can't believe our baby is 6!  We loved celebrating Tyler.  Happy birthday, dear Ty - we love you to pieces.

September keeps us busy...

September has kept us busy!  We started off with a neighborhood block party to give summer a proper send-off.  Our kids have so much fun running around with all the other kids on the block all summer long.  Erik and I really enjoy the casual get-togethers with all the other families as well.  (If only we could keep the summer weather going all year round!)

Lawndale Block Party 2018

Tyler had started his first soccer season!  He's having fun and we are enjoying cheering him on.  His bright yellow cleats make it easy for us to spot him out on the field!

Cassidy is beginning her second year of running cross country for SFX.  She really enjoys the sport and performs well!  We've been having fun cheering her across the finish lines.

Cassidy's 6th grade class lead a church service this month that honored all first responders.  We had a few special local firefighters/police etc. in attendance.  The kids did a great job!

We had a family outing down to Wrigley Field to catch a Cubs game.  Nothing like a sunny day at the ballpark.  And the Cubs got a win!

And to wrap up the month, we celebrated Erik's 41st birthday!  His family came in for the day to help us celebrate.  He was gifted a new Christmas tree skirt for his special Star Wars tree, and of course it was a hit (I mean, it lights up and everything!)!  We also had the special treat of having Erik's long-time friend Kai and his 2 daughters over to visit, as he was in Chicago for a few days (from Texas).  We stopped by the lakefront for a bit and snapped a photo.  Lastly, the Neals hosted us for an afternoon of watching some Bears football, and they surprised Erik with a birthday dessert (and superhero mask!)

3 birthday boys, all in a row!

We are wishing Erik a bright, happy, healthy year ahead!

Weekend in Indy

We recently spent a weekend in Indianapolis, meeting up with extended family and enjoying the city. It was a beautiful weekend outside and Indy is such a lovely town. We spent the first day at the Indianapolis Zoo!  That was loads of fun.  It’s an impressive zoo and we’d never been before.  We had a great group dinner out that evening as well.  The next day, we explored downtown Indianapolis.  We found some paddle boats and decided to give it a try.  They are very fun!  And they give your leg muscles a real workout.  Erik’s phone managed to fall into the water as he was climbing into the paddle boat, which made for some good entertainment as we watched him try to fish it out with a “grabber” stick the staff had on hand (apparently he’s not the first to do this, haha.  They said it happens multiple times a day).  It took some group problem solving and teamwork but we got it out!  And, it still worked! Phew.

Penguins!

Penguin photobomb!

Cousins, and also some cousins’ cousins!

This orangutan was amazing to watch!

The Brown and Burkholder crew

Beautiful Indy!

Go Bears!

Our household is ready for another Bears season!  Erik, Gavin and Tyler are avid fans; Cassidy and I are along for the ride, haha.  We took the kids to a preseason game at the end of August and they had a great time.  We joined the always-festive tailgate of some family friends and the Bears brought home a nice preseason win.

Back to School! The 2018-2019 School Year Begins

Cassidy, Gavin and Tyler headed back to school to begin 6th grade, 4th grade and Kindergarten!  We are excited to see what this new year brings.  Good luck, loves!

4th Grade!

Kindergarten!

6th Grade!

Wrapping up Summer ~ Pearl Jam at Wrigley

Well, we've made the most of summertime, and now we look towards the start of a new school year.  Erik, I, and the kids have all enjoyed some fun times with friends over these past couple weeks.  A real highlight for Erik and I was attending an epic concert at Wrigley Field - Pearl Jam!  One of our favorite bands for 20+ years now.  Our longtime friends Matt and Kate joined us, and it was a great way to cap off summertime!