Happy 35th Birthday to Daddy!

Today is Erik's birthday!  He got a great birthday surprise early this morning - a friend offered him 2 tickets to the Ryder Cup that happens to be in its final day today over at Medinah Golf Course!  With my parents driving in today to help us as we welcome baby #3, the timing just worked out perfectly for Erik and my dad to enjoy a day of golf.  The kids also picked out a special birthday present for Daddy - an electronic nerf gun, of course!  Happy Birthday, Erik!!!

Birthday Fun!

September and October are big birthday months for the Brown Family!  We got together at Grammy and Grandpa Brown's house to celebrate birthdays for Erik, Mel, Grammy, and Aaron.  We had a delicious brunch and later some cake from our favorite bakery (Sweet Mandy B's!).  The kids had fun playing outside with the bubble maker and kiddie roller coaster.  Next year, we'll add another birthday to this mix with baby #3 (due Oct 1!).

Bring on Fall!

For the Brown household, yesterday felt like the kick-off to Fall!  Not only did the Bears play (and win!) their season opener against the Colts, but we took a morning drive up across the WI border to go to Apple Holler Apple Orchard.  We met up with the Vlach family which made it all the more fun!  We started the day off with a round of apple cider donuts, then went on a hayride through the kid-friendly "enchanted forest" where they have classic fairytale characters made out of painted wood hiding in the trees for the kids to spot.  We were dropped off in the orchard and picked lots of sweet Gala apples to bring back home.  We rode the hayride back to the front of the farm, where we had apple cider and a big country-style breakfast buffet.  We ended the day at the kids' area, where they had a petting zoo and playground (the pigs wearing bright bandanas around their necks and chomping on apples were the kids' highlight).  To make it officially seem like fall, the day started out at a chilly 55 degrees, but the bright sun warmed it into the 70s by the time we all headed back to our cars to drive home.  Once we got home, we were all ready for a nap, and then the afternoon was spent...how else...putting up some fall decorations around the house!  I let the kids pop open the large bin from the garage and pick out spots for all of our favorite Fall items.  It's probably a little early for this, but with baby coming in just a few short weeks I figured there was no time like the present.  Needless to say the kids had a blast and are now counting the (many) days until Halloween!  Below are some photos from our fun at the orchard.

Go Blue Unicorns!

Cassidy had her first-ever soccer game this morning, bright and early at 8am!  We scrambled out of the house to get to the field by 7:45am so she could "practice her moves," as she says.  The kindergarten teams play 4 vs. 4 with no goalie.  So, the little group of 4 girls from each team chased after the ball in a little clump and cheered happily whenever the ball happened to find a goal (even if they scored on their own goal...no matter!).  The oranges at halftime were a big hit and they loved running through the "tunnel" at the end of the game (all the parents line up across from each other, hands outstretched and cheer them on as they run though).  We are proud of our little #2...go Cassidy and team Blue Unicorns!

Warming up

Gametime huddle

Taking the field

Time for kick-off

Game time!

Our girl!

Gavin starts his school year!

Today was Gavin's first full day of 3-year-old pre-school!  We had some meet-and-greet days last week where I snapped a few photos, and today he marched in on his own to start his routine of spending 3 mornings a week in Miss Sasso's cheerful, fun classroom.  We are so proud of our big boy!

On the school steps with Mommy

Ready to go in!

Playing trains with his buddies is always a highlight of the day

Sitting in his cubby

Showing me how he washes his hands by himself before they start their day

We are looking forward to a wonderful school year!!!

Grandma & Grandpa Reder Come to Visit

In August, we were treated to a wonderful visit from Grandpa and Grandma Reder.  We planned lots of fun activities for their time here and enjoyed the very pleasant end-of-summer weather we had during their stay.  Here are some photos of the fun!

  Celebrating Grandma and Grandpa's August birthdays

  Lego Land with Grandma (Erik and Grandpa enjoyed a great round of golf)

Practicing baseball with Grandpa in the backyard

A fun afternoon at Gillson Beach - we played by the shore, watched the dogs at the dog beach, caught a glimpse of the Chicago Air & Water Show, had a picnic and played at the park!

Next up was an afternoon of bowling followed by pizza at The Big Tomato

 And...lots of great time spent reading books with both Grandma and Grandpa!

We are so happy that their next visit is only a few short weeks away; they'll be back at the end of September to hold down the fort at home while baby #3 makes his/her debut!