Chicago Trip, Round 3

Final round of pictures!

Kate's birthday is August 11, and she really took a liking to one of Mary Claire's toys, and Tyson not only bought one for Kate for her birthday, but one for Nancy too!

Thursday we went to the Children's Museum in Napverville. We had so much fun, despite behavior issues with the kids. While we were gone, the Children's Museum opened here in Greenville; I am very glad we got our museum fix in Naperville! It's $12 to go to the museum here in town!! Even for a one year old! Okay, done complaining...

In the water exhibit, they had tons of bubbles and stuff, including one you could get inside of. Kate finally got the hang of it!

After the museum, Tyson had to return home to get Reid, but the four of us stayed in Naperville for a little while. We grabbed some lunch at a Mexican restaurant (Nancy singing "if you're happy and you know it say "AMEN!" very loudly) and we wandered around the riverwalk they have downtown. I couldn't get enough pictures of the girls together. I was having one of those moments that I knew I'd remember forever, and we'll look back on these pictures and remember our trip, how small they were and hopefully how they have always loved being sisters.

Our last morning in Aurora, and Sean snuggled up with the girls still in their pjs. Mary Claire loves shoes, and puts them on first thing in the morning!

I love kids in pjs!

Nancy and Mary Claire "coloring". Nancy really just makes marker fingers and giggles. Mary Claire followed her lead.

Wednesday we went to a nearby park. It was beautiful, and Ryan went for a run while we picnicked with the kids. Sounds great, right? Nancy whined the entire time, she threatened to step into the water and mud at the edge of the pond; Kate complained of being hungry, Mary Claire refused to listen to Tyson, Reid wouldn't eat his lunch, and Ryan got lost running and ended up running for 50 minutes instead of 30. Moments like these are why we call this a trip, not a vacation. Real life follows us wherever we go, no matter how picutresque the scenery is!

Tyson with Reid and Mary Claire.

Tyson and me; Kate did a pretty good job taking the picture!

One final stop: the giant Cabela's store off exit 2 in Indiana. We spent a brief 45 minutes looking at the stuffed menagerie of animals, camoflauge and even a talking deer head with target practice. Our trip was officially complete.

Chicago Trip, Round 2

On Tuesday of our trip to Chicago, we went to the Brookfield Zoo. It was absolutely amazing! It really does have every animal you would expect to see in a zoo, and more. Tyson's mom Mary (or GrandMary to the kids) kept Reid so we were gone all morning til naptime. She and Sean's mom came back the next day and kept all 4 of the kids so that the four of us could go on a double date in Naperville together. I know they had their hands full, but they fed and pj-ed everyone like professional grandmothers. Thank you GrandMary and Grandmommy!

Looking at the camels. Actually, the kids are looking at the camera, we are looking at the camels' rear ends. Real camels, not dromedaries. Kate informed us real camels have 2 humps; Dromedaries only have one.

Outside the marsupial slash Austrailian exhibit.

Talking to the monkeys.

Nancy loved watching the gorillas. I loved watching her watch the gorillas.

Kate's finally getting the hang of looking at the camera and smiling.

I had to get a picture in front of these flowers. I thought of my mom, she would have loved them! You can't really see the flowers for the cute girls, but that's okay.

In the children's zoo part, where you can pet some animals and feed them. A goat really did grab Kate's dress in it's mouth and start to eat it for lunch. She was nervous and a bit frightened, just because the goat would not let go! It was really funny; and she's still talking about that goat at the zoo that thought her dress looked delicious.

One of Kate's favorite parts of the trip: riding the carousel. And she's really riding the flamingo in the background, not the praying mantis.

Tyson and Mary Claire.

Chicago Trip, Round 1

Here's Round One of many from our trip to see our friends the Bradshaws in Aurora! When we pulled into their driveway, we fell out of the car and I said "Kate, we're in Aurora! Do you think Sleeping Beauty lives here?" Kate immediately said, "No, Mom. She lives in Disney World." Oh, silly me. I forgot.

We had several milestones happen while we were gone: our car (named Cleo by Kate) rolled over to 100,000 miles on the odometer. Kate lost her first tooth on the Sunday we went to church with the Bradshaws. I ran 3 full miles without stopping and had my first elliptical experience at the gym with Tyson. She and I also had hour-long massages at the spa at their gym, so it was my first real massage - by a man named Arturis. "Vud chew like a peelow?" And I also finally experienced what most of my friends are addicted to: the Gilmore Girls. Now I feel like a real woman.

Nancy, ready for the trip. This was on our first leg, somewhere between Knoxville and Lexington, KY.

Tyson, holding Nancy. I'm holding Reid, who is 10 months old, and Mary Claire, who turned 3 August 5, is beside Kate.

Nancy didn't fall asleep in the car until after 11. We stopped at 11:30 in Richmond, KY.

Kate falls asleep instantaneously, anywhere.

Watching tv in the morning in the "helltell" (my bro used to call it that; we still do). One of Kate's favorite things was eating the continental breakfasts at the hotels we stayed at. I can't blame her!

Halfway between Indianapolis and Lafayette, IN, traffic was at a standstill. There were people walking their dogs and skateboarding on the highway. Luckily, we were right beside a rest area with plenty of grassy space to play. We got out, ate some peaches and climbed trees til the traffic cleared. I think we avoided a major catastrophe being stuck in the car in traffic!

There are 3 kittens living under the porch of Tyson & Sean's neighbor's house (the neighbors no longer live there) Tyson's heart is full of mercy for anything that has a heartbeat, so she feeds the cats twice a day and sits and waits for them to come out. She's trying to get them used to people so they won't be so skittish and could possibly be adoptable. Most of the time, I was just focused on the gorgeous, humongous hydrangeas.

Big Kahuna, Cat No.1.

Sean, showing Kate how to use the motorized Lightning McQueen.

Kate LOVED driving the car. I love the squeals of joy.

Kate's first tooth! After she lost it, she said "Mom, I know you and Dad are really the tooth fairy. Are you going to put some money under my pillow tonight?" PS: do NOT call her "Snaggletooth". She doesn't like it.

We brought Mary Claire an early birthday present. She wore her fairy wings all day that day!

Bathtime together!

Mary Claire & Nancy dancing in MC's room.

A Preface

Why did we go to Chicago? Actually, we were in Aurora, IL. Chicago sounds glamorous. Let's face it: we drove 2 days, 750 miles with 2 kids in a station wagon loaded top to bottom with our stuff and met our friends the Bradshaws at their home in Aurora, in the suburbs about an hour and a half West of the city. The closest we got to downtown Chicago was going to the Brookfield Zoo, still about 30 minutes outside the city. We were more about hanging out with our friends than seeing the sights. We had an amazing time!

Mary Tyson has been my best friend since we were 13. We've known each other since we can remember, and really became close in middle school. We make each other laugh and cry and I have always thought she is the smartest, most beautiful person I know. She moved to Naperville, IL the summer before our sophomore year in high school. She came down to Furman for college, and despite the distance we have remained kindred spirits.

Kate asked me how I knew Tyson, since she lives so far away. I told her we were friends at church when we were students, and then her dad got a new job and they moved away. Kate said "I bet you were sad." Talking about it with Kate, I realized that time in our friendship is still a huge marker for me in my journey. It really was one of the hardest things I have struggled through, and Tyson and I still mourn together sometimes the sadness we both feel of missing each other.

All that to say, this trip was monumental for me and our family. It was fun to go to the zoo, Children's Museum and go on a double date with Sean and Tyson. But it was even more fun to eat breakfast in our pjs together, go to church together, go for runs and the grocery store, watch Gilmore Girls and eat popcorn and even have to discipline our kids in front of each other. To get a taste of their real life was such a blessing!

I've scanned some old photos of Tyson and myself, mainly for her to get a kick out of it; hopefully it will give you a glimpse of why we decided to take a trip to the suburbs of Illinois for our vacation this summer!

Me, Tyson and Tyson's sister Jennifer (on the sofa). Tyson and I are in the 7th grade here. We have no idea who that little girl behind us is. Our jeans are pegged, and, wow. I just feel sorry for the 13 year old "us"es. I know it was some kind of holiday party (hence the red), and I don't know what's on the tv. Ghostbusters? Beetlejuice? A Prize to who can guess it.

On the beach at Holden Beach in NC.

My 15th Birthday. Tyson surprised me before school with a pancake breakfast. That was a big deal, because she went to Eastside, I went to Riverside. Remember when it was cool to wear burgandy, hunter green and navy? We still didn't look cool.

Tyson was my maid of honor in my wedding, and she got married just 5 weeks after Ryan and I did. It was SO much fun to see that much of each other! And I am very, very thankful that we seem to age well.

Our New Nepher is Here!

No, I did not misspell. Nepher is a shout to my dear friend Allison Rickard, who 7 years ago told us her new "nepher" was born; it makes me laugh every time I think about it, but I think I am the only one who laughs...I digress.

Spencer Raymond was born July 2 to my brother and sister-in-law! He spent 8 days in the NICU before they were able to take him home, and we are so thankful that he is well now! These are all the pics I have of him so far; shortly after he was born, all 3 of us got sick and had to stay away, then we left for 9 days for Aurora, IL, and now they are at the beach. Hopefully we'll get to hang before the little man can drive. Although I do hear he's enjoying the occasional steak already; like father, like son....

Camping with the Fullers

We went camping again this year! If you remember, we went with the Osborns last year, and it went well if you don't count the fact that Nancy slept only 6 hours. For some reason, we were talking with the Fullers at a wedding about camping and got the crazy idea that we'd try it together. Crazy not because it's weird we wanted to hang out with the Fullers; not even crazy that we talked about going camping. Crazy...because last time, Nancy only slept 6 hours. And we got to park right beside our car last time. And there were grills, and real potties.

But, we were far enough removed from July '08 that we were willing to try it again, and everything is an adventure with the Fullers! We went on June 26; Greta was choosing to be excited and not stressed, since she claimed she never camped before, except she did, for a whole week in high school. She says that doesn't count, but it's longer than all my camping experience put together, so I say it counts. And since I said it counts, it counts. Right? Oh, and from here on out, Ryan and Stuart will thus be referred to as OutdoorsMan #1 and #2, respectively.

We caravaned up to Pisgah National Forest in Brevard, arriving around 7pm. The thought that other people would be crazy enough to camp never crossed my mind, until we found ourselves still driving around looking for a campsite at 8:00! OutdoorsMan #1 finally asked a ranger where we should go, and he said we could camp off the side of the road anywhere we could find a spot as long as it was 1000ft. from the road. So, against all my rule-follower instinct, we parked dead in front of a "NO CAMPING" sign and began to unload. It was a creepy mideval looking kind of woods, which looked like it had been planted for logging purposes, and there is no water source or close hiding places to go potty. But since there was an existing fire pit and signs of previous campers, we'd be totally safe (so says OutdoorsMan #1). Remember, we had to be 1000ft. off the road, so we make several trips back and forth from the car to the campsite. We unroll the giant 2 room tent and begin to stake it in the ground, and the Fullers have their tent up and ready. A fire is started, and we are hungry (it's around 8:45). Then the rangers drive by and stop, and we watch OutdoorsMan #2 run back to us (would he be running if it were good news?) to tell us the rangers said we are too close to the road, and if we go to the left 25 yards we'll find a campsite.

I begin to gather our tent poles that are splayed out all over the ground like giant pick-up sticks and lead our families deeper into the woods. Sure enough, about 25 yards over (down a slope), there is a flat (albeit rocky and stump ridden) campsite beside water (a very small brook) and a fire pit (on the edge of a drop off into said water). We are hauling kids, coolers, pillows, bug spray, a pack & play, tents and chairs down the hill and trying desperately to beat the fading daylight. We do not succeed.

We discovered that the fallen branch cutting across the campsite makes it impossible for us to set up our 2 room tent, which one room would be Nancy's pack & play since she is not trustworthy enough to stay still in a bed, let alone out on the ground. But we have no choice, we set up our 2 man tent and hope Nancy stays still and falls asleep. While we try and keep the girls from falling off the edge of the hill into the water below, my OutdoorsMan is racing back & forth to the car with our gear, I am setting the tent up in the dark, Kate and Ella and Macy are half-heartedly searching for sticks for the fire, Greta's OutdoorsMan is trying to get a fire goin, and Nancy keeps tripping over all the stumps scattered around the site. She busts her lip, her shin, and even leaves with a scratch on her bottom; I don't know how that happened through her diaper and all that fanny-padding. Eventually I plunked her in a chair and told her if she got up, she'd have a consequence, and she chose to stay put.

We lose a lantern, and the firelight is not strong enough to light much of the site, so it is so very dark as we begin to heat up our supper of hot dogs and beans. It is 10pm at this point, and we still have to make s'mores! After dessert, we wander through the woods and take the kids potty and put them in bed. Kate's asleep before we zip the tent shut, but Nancy is still wiggling around trying to get comfortable. OutdoorsMan #2 found our lantern, which we hung in the tent for a nightlight, and we hear Nancy giggling and clicking the light off and on like a strobe. We go in 4 times in an hour to get her to be still and quiet. I eventually lie down with her until she falls asleep, which is unnatural for us both (we Burnses like our space and solitude when we sleep) and by the time I emerge from the tent, Ryan and the Fullers are done with their heart-to-hearts and are ready for bed!!

We go to sleep around 1am, and Nancy is up by 6:30. I won't go into all the details of how often I woke up and what it was like to sleep in a 2 man tent with all 4 of us in it. But I will say, I did enjoy snuggling with Nancy during the night and listening to my family breathe peacefully, all lying down together making a memory.

The morning came quickly, but we had coffee and the kids had such a good time exploring our little area. It really was perfect - if the water had been bigger, I would have been nervous. They hopped around on the rocks, plopped rocks in the water, climbed trees, picked moss and flowers, and walked in the cold water. It took 2 hours to get our breakfast of eggs and bacon made and by then, it was time to pack up and head out!

We did go to the Cradle of Forestry park and go on a pond-scum insect hunt. The kids really enjoyed it, looking for bugs in the muck with tweezers and dropping them into buckets of water. There was a field guide there to tell us what to do and what all the insects were. I think Macy enjoyed it the most.

We were so exhausted, but I'd do it again. It was so much fun to do it with great friends, and I wish I could have seen the experience through the eyes of our kids. Did they have fun? Were they miserable tired? Did they experience any of the chaos I felt in my heart as I tried to take care of my family in the woods in the dark and totally out of my comfort zone? Did they think it was an adventure? I'd consider it one! OutdoorsMan #1 said it was great practice for when we actually do go camping when the kids are older; I say, let's just wait til they really are older!!! But I'll make no promises we won't have a similar, and possibly longer, story this time next year!

Nancy and me returning to the car through the creepy woods. Way in the background where the trees get dark is where our 1st campsite was.

The girls examining dragonfly larvae.

Nancy with her flashlight; she doesn't look like she only slept 6 hours, does she?

In the "river".

I love how excited the girls would get over simple things. Rocks, for example.

Our dinner. It does not look at all as dark as it really was. Can you see how tired Kate looks?

Al fresco dining. Macy is always ready for a party with her red shoes on. I think that's baked beans on Nancy's chin, but it really may be some dried blood.

There was one photo I desperately wanted to post, but out of respect for our friends, I'm keeping it a secret between the Fuller Family and Burns Family. Let's just say, it is Classic Stuart (OutdoorsMan #2). We love you guys! Let's do it again!?!

Summertime Playtime

We did playgroup again this year with the same families from last summer, except there was only ONE Wednesday all summer long that all 5 of our families were together. It was spent downtown in the Children's Garden, attempting to play in the fountains by the river (they were turned off for maintenance), picnicking by the water, and finishing at Spill the Beans for ice cream. There are 13 kids and 5 moms; actually, now there are 14 since the T family added their number 4 on July 27! We love our friends and are so thankful for them!

Yes, Sender is shirtless. Much easier with ice cream!

Nan checking out Evan. Hee! When I cut Nancy's bangs too short at the beginning of the summer, Kate told me her hair looked liked Evan's. Bows it is for our little one, then!

We also picnicked with the Osborns; this is Belle, keeping her suit clean with her giant bib on.