10-10-10

Good luck to all those runners participating in the Chicago Marathon this weekend! A big shout out to Heather Glynn, Steve Goldhaber and Jennifer Childe. You will be amazing this weekend! Run hard and stay strong, we will be thinking about you! Best of luck!

Pickin' Apples

One of my favorite fall traditions growing up was picking apples. Every year towards the end of September we would head to a local orchard to pick the best golden delicious apples! I knew this was one of the traditions I would carry on with our children throughout the years. This year, golden delicious apples were ready shortly after we came home from the hospital with Henry, but I knew apple picking was something I didn't want to miss; even 8 days after having a baby. Matt and I thought taking just Ethan would be a fun thing to do, just the 3 of us, so Henry stayed home with my mom and dad. We headed to Kuipers Family Farm in Maple Park for a hay ride, apple picking, cider drinking and doughnut eating!
After waiting in line for over an hour (one of the disappointing things about the orchard), we hopped on the tractor trailer (a bit hit with Ethan) for a hayride out to the orchard.

Ethan taste testing one of the few varieties available!
Reaching up high!
Picking an apple for Henry!Driving the tractor before having some apple cider and a doughnut!

I am really looking forward to continuing this tradition as Ethan and Henry get older. I hope they have as fond memories of fall and apple picking as I do. Our years of heading to the orchard are something I will always remember. I can only hope my boys feel the same way someday!

Big Boy Bed

After about a month of hard work by my dad, Matt, and Mr. Tim (a builder friend of my mom's) Ethan's "big boy" room is in the finishing stages. We decided that there was not a better time to transition Ethan from his crib to his bed than a long weekend at home. Plenty of time to get some rest, if needed and hopefully a few weeks of transition time before the baby arrives! So last night, after a lot of talking up his big boy bed, we took the plunge and put Ethan in his new room. We would definitely call the first night a success!

We put Ethan in his room around 8:30 after his normal bedtime ritual of a bath, a couple of books and a little bit of milk. I made sure he had all the comforts of his crib (blankies, books, pacis, his monkeys, cars, Goofy, and Mickey....all the important things) and knew we would be right downstairs if he needed us. After asking for his crib a couple of times, Matt and I shut the door and walked out. He whined for just a little bit and fell to sleep. We went to check on him before we went to bed and all though he was laying down the short way of the bed, he seemed to be sleeping peacefully! We didn't hear a peep from him until about 5:15, where he whined again and little bit and fell back asleep until 7:15! Whew!
I know that a lot can happen the next couple nights, but the first night went better than expected. We are so proud of our big boy!!! We will see how nap time goes this afternoon!

Day Out With Thomas

A couple of weekends ago, we went to the Illinois Railway Museum to spend A Day Out With Thomas. We bought tickets for the first ride of the day and headed straight to the train once we arrived. There was already a huge line to get on the first car behind Thomas so we decided to find the shortest line at the last car in order to ensure we all sat together.

Katie and Jack getting ready for the ride!

The whole group!

After the train ride, we decided to take in some of the sites at the museum. The trains they have on exhibit are impressive and just huge! One seemed to be more amazing than the other. Ethan and my dad had a great time exploring the inside of old cars and just running around the various halls.

Ethan in front of an old train wheel. Very dark, but look how massive it is.

Ethan and Jack...ready for a ride!

Ethan and Papa waiting for the street car to cross!

They also had a fire truck and firemen there with a working fire hydrant. Ethan loved this and we had a hard time getting him away from the firemen. Nothing a little bribing didn't take care of, as he was promised a toy from the Thomas shop if we could leave!

In all honesty, the train ride was not that great, definitely not worth the $18.00 a person! We all decided it was probably the most unimpressive exhibit of the day. Next year we will definitely be going back to visit the museum, but not riding Thomas. A picture with the engine might just have to do!

My Buddy and Me

We are so far behind on posts, it is not even funny! I am hoping to be caught up by the time Christmas gets here on Thursday and do a better job in the New Year! We will pick up where we left off when we returned from the farm....
The weekend before Thanksgiving, the Berndt's stopped by for lunch on their way to a party in Plainfield. It was an unseasonable warm November day so we took Alex and Ethan outside to burn off some extra energy before nap time.
The boys had a great time on the swings and the slide and loved chasing each other around the yard. By the end, they had both figured out how to climb up the steps and use the slide by themselves. After lunch and running around, the boys were exhausted and ready for a nap. This gave us adults some time to watch football, have a few beers, and catch up! It was so good to see Jaime, Mike and Alex. We can't wait to meet their newest addition in just a few short weeks! Thanks for making the trip out to Glen Ellyn!

Family Photos

On Sunday we had some family photographs taken by an amazing photographer, Carley Slater. Even though the weather was a bit chilly, we decided to brave the cold and head outside for some shots. I stressed all week about what we were going to wear and where we were going to take pictures, but finally came up with a plan the morning of the shoot. After Carley arrived, we decided to take a different, less matchy-matchy approach and I could not be more thrilled with how the pictures turned out. I am having a hard time deciding which ones I like the best because they are are beautiful!

Carley posted the pictures below on her blog, along with a few others, but you can see them all on her website. I will post all the information below the pictures. If you are ever looking for a great photographer, I highly recommend Carley. She was really enthusiastic and did a great job of working with Ethan and capturing some amazing photos!

To view our additional photographs, go to Carley Kay Photography by clicking here.

Click "Enter Site"

Then "Clients" in the upper left

Password: hunt1206

Lake Ellyn

On Sunday, we took advantage of some nice weather and visits from both sets of grandparents with a walk around Lake Ellyn. The colors around the lake were just gorgeous; vibrant orange, yellows and reds like I have never seen before.
Ethan had a blast seeing the ducks on the lake, hearing the leaves crunch under his feet and walking around with nanny and grandma. We also tried to snap a few family photos while we were there.
Ethan also discovered the fun in running down a hill. As you can see from the expression on his face in the picture above, it was something he loved doing and was repeated several times. He was a little tuckered out after that and had to take a little rest on papa's shoulders!
We had such a fun afternoon just enjoying the fresh air and time with our families. Nothing beats gorgeous scenery, beautiful weather and great company. More pictures from our walk here.

Fun with Jack

The day after we went to the pumpkin patch, we drove downtown for a delicious dinner with Katie, Dana and Jack Rice. Katie never fails to disappoint with her outstanding cooking skills and this time was no different with bruschetta, stuffed shells, and a delicious salad. I love getting Ethan and Jack together since they are so close in age and play extremely well together. This allows Katie and I have have a few glasses of wine and catch up and Dana and Matt to enjoy a few beers and talk sports, sports, sports. The boys left the Rice's house looking like a tornado had passed through, but I know they had a great time running around, pulling out all of Jack's toys, and eventually pushing each other around on various carts and trucks. Thanks for a fun evening and yummy dinner!

It's A Celebration

After apple picking 2 weekends ago, we celebrated my Uncle David's, Grandma Marie's, and Mom's birthdays. My mom and dad outdid themselves again with a delicious dinner of brisket, twice baked potatoes, zucchini casserole, and blue cheese coleslaw. We topped it off with a yummy Dea cake my aunt brought and a Bear victory! While it was great to see everyone, we were thrilled that Megan was going to be home from school that weekend and decided to stay for dinner. And Katie and Adam were going to be there....love seeing my cousins!

Here are a couple of pictures from the party....

Ethan showing off his new trick..."TOUCHDOWN." Perfect timing for football season! Go Bears!

Happy Birthday to everyone that celebrated in September! Here's to another great year!

Parades, Parties, and Picking Apples

We had another busy, but very fun weekend. Shannon, Mike, and Libby arrived pretty late on Friday night so we visited for a few minutes and then headed off to bed. This past weekend was Glenbard West's homecoming so we thought it would be fun to take Ethan and Libby to see the parade Saturday morning. Since this is our first year in Glen Ellyn, we had no idea what the parade would be like. Well, it wasn't what we expected at all, lasting just 14 minutes, but there was plenty of candy to be had!


After lunch, we put Ethan and Libby down and Shannon and I drove over to see the Glynn's. Kasey is ever changing and has grown so much in the two weeks since I saw her last. You really forget how much babies change daily; she is such a doll. We had a nice time just sitting and catching up with Heather....something I feel like the 3 of us have not done in forever. I think all the boys, both at the Glynn's and our house had the chance to rest a bit.

We headed home to freshen up a little bit and then made our way over to the Gibson's to celebrate Anna's 2nd birthday. It was such a gorgeous afternoon for a birthday party and we had a great time seeing the Gibson's new house, meeting the Cranley twins for the first time, watching all the kids run around, and eating some great food. Oh, how I love the thumbprint cookies Claudia and Mike always bring from Peoria. In the hustle and bustle of getting out of the house, I forgot our camera, but Matt's mom, Claudia, captured a pretty funny picture of the kids after the party started to wind down.

We were sad to see the Barron's leave on Sunday, but excited about what we had planned for the day. Matt stayed behind to study, but Ethan and I drove up north to Crystal Lake to meet my mom, dad, and sister so we could go pick apples at Oriole Springs in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin. I have not been apple picking in several years and I couldn't wait to introduce Ethan to one of my favorite fall activities.

Ethan had the best time running around the orchard, grabbing apples, and taking big bites. This was his first experience with whole apples and he did a great job and seemed to love them. I think we might have a new favorite food!

Our main objective while we were there was to pick Golden Delicious apples, but we did also pick up some Jonathan's and McIntosh. I have full intention of using some of the apples to try my hand at my Grandma Betty's infamous apple pie. I am pretty sure I will not be able to make a pie nearly as delicious, but I am going to give it a try. We also bought some yummy donuts, apple cider and a cider shake!

Here are some of my favorite pictures from our trip:

I am sorry that Matt had to miss Ethan's first trip to the apple orchard, but we had a great day nonetheless. The weather was absolutely perfect and it was fun to see Ethan really enjoy himself and all the fresh fall air. I am looking forward to making apple picking a fall tradition for our family, it truly is the beginning of changing leaves and crisp air.