IPhone Faves & My 3 year old on Facebook?

The heat wave continues and we feel like we've spent more time in bathing suits than 'real clothes.' The girls are loving every minute by the pool, evident by the rosy cheeks and long naps! My camera continues to be in the hands of Best Buy's Geek Squad, so this blog is dedicated to some favorite buried iphone photos enhanced by my new favorite app: Instagram. The girls are growing faster than ever and have begun the countdown to the 4th birthday--11 days. They're wish list varies daily and today included a bathtub with jets like grandma's. They've spent time at dance camp and vacation bible school over the last couple weeks, giving me some much needed time to prep for fall semester. However, their adventures have led to asking questions about jesus, death, heaven and hip-hop music. They are learning something new everyday. Sometimes I don't answer the questions and wait to hear how the other explains things. Addy always seems to be the most literal of the two but listens to every word I say and processes to herself only to revisit the topic days later. Questions are usually is tied to when she'll be able to do certain things--like chew gum, drink wine, get her ears pierced, drive a car, etc. So, nothing should surprise me, but yesterday I was surprised, when she said, "When I'm old like you, can I facebook?" My how the world has changed....

Addy & Lilly take Chicago

Conversation last Spring

Me: "So Abby & Dave's wedding will be in the middle of July in Chicago, should we take the girls?"

Jeremy: "To the wedding?"

Me: "Oh, god, no, to Chicago, you know, go up early with them to see the sights: Navy Pier, Shedd Aquarium, Lincoln Park Zoo, Bloomingdales..."

Jeremy: "Yea, that sounds like fun, but a lot of work...I'll go if my mom will go."

So the asks began. Jody agreed to travel to Chicago with us, be our extra set of eyes for 3 days and even entertained the girls while we went out for and adult dinner with some of our favorite Chicago residents. (Chicago Mission: Part 1 accomplished). Then I needed my mom to meet me 1/2 way home to keep the girls from Friday through Sunday while we attended the wedding and all the festivities that went with that. She agreed. (Chicago Mission: Part 2 accomplished).

Have I mentioned before on this blog how good we have it?

It was awesome to see the city life through their eyes. They loved the experience and are at a perfect age to really begin traveling with them. We hit the highlights and pictures below prove we didn't stop! When asked what their favorite part of the trip was, Addy said without hesitation the aquarium.

Lilly's response? Her first taxi ride.

. Road trips are better with grandma!

Talking football with Dad as they walk outside Soldier Field

Quick stop at a park that looked too fun to just walk by!

Outside of Shedd Aquarium

Dora & Diego in 4D at Shedd--maybe one of the coolest shows I've ever seen!

Walking lakeside

Off to Navy Pier & the Children's Museum (LOVED)

First taxi ride

Checking out North Beach

After the switch-er-oo, we headed back to Chicago for adult fun while the girls checked out Fair Oaks Farms with Grandma Linda (also LOVED)

Addy takes her turn!

A pit-stop outside of HARPO studios

Wedding fun!

The Ash family--so lucky to share this event with some of our favorite people!

Not sure if it's been mentioned, but my beloved Nikon D90 is in the shop for diagnostics...outlook isn't looking good, so most of these photos were taken with my mom's point & shoot. For BEAUTIFUL pics of the actual wedding, taken by another guest visit here!

Summer Fun

We've been having a blast this summer, but it is flying by! The girls are telling everyone that will listen that they are ALMOST 4. I can't get over the fact that I'm planning their 4th birthday party and how much they've changed in just the last few months. I'm working on a post from our Chicago trip, but found these favorite photos from Father's Day, that I couldn't pass up posting. They love their daddy (and their grandpas)!

Jeremy celebrates 9 years with his company this week (he's the only person I know still working for the company that hired him out of IU) and I'm getting ready to take on my 4th academic year with Gamma Sigma Alpha. We are planning our final summer trip and first long road trip on September, so we still have a lot of summer in us. Enjoy the photos!

How does your garden grow?

Sometime last winter, I was washing and slicing an 'old fashioned' carrot--you know the kind with a stem and dirt, not the ones that come peeled and perfectly ready to eat in a bag. Lilly came up to me and asked me how it got so dirty. I told her it was dirty because it grew in the ground. She didn't believe me...she honestly laughed...out loud. "Then who puts them in the bags at the store?" Whoa--wake up call to me--and we try and eat pretty healthy around here, but at this moment, I felt I'd steered her wrong. I made the decision that day that we'd make our first attempt at gardening in the Spring.

Most of my friends and husband laughed, as I've never been able to keep a house plant alive and the first real Christmas tree we ever bought was dead by December 15th. However, we have some green-thumbs in our families and I was determined. I bought "Square Foot Gardening" and read some advice from quad mom extraordinaire. My hope was to save some money on produce, but that hope was dashed when we purchased the seeds, seedlings, and soil for the garden. Don't get my husband started on the kid-sized gardening tools and matching gardening gloves I bought the family. Perhaps the money-saving comes next season?

Anyway, we've been pleased, the garden HAS grown. We planted carrots, cucumbers, snap peas, squash, tomatoes, radishes, lettuce, eggplant, cantaloupe, peppers and green beans. The squash & cucumbers seem to have taken over most of the 'squares', but that's okay, we are rookies, so we'll learn as we go. Here's what we've seen so far, meanwhile if you have any cucumber recipes besides a boring old salad, send them my way!:

Addy--always a good helper!

Cucumbers--this is about 1/10th of what's growing!

Squash

Snap peas

Pepper

Radishes--our first pick back in June--the girls were unimpressed that these were the first product of the garden!

Today's bounty--squash, cucumbers (4), snap peas (a few handfuls), and a pepper!

Fourth of July for (almost) 4 year olds

Going to the lake, 3 bottles of sunscreen, ice cream cake, tubing with daddy, swimming at the pool with mommy, chasing Baby Owen, dancing to a rave with Savannah, turtle hunting, mocktails at the tiki-bar, driving the boat, hot dogs, Uncle Joe's Birthday, making peanut butter ice cream, nature hikes, new friends, old friends, foregoing fireworks (there is always next year!)...coming home exhausted!

On the way home, we stopped to see our favorite bulldog and Uncle Jon and soon-to-be Aunt Maggie!

In the lake with their favorite girlfriends!

Hugs with Savannah (sweaty girls--it got near 100 degrees)

Laughing on the boat

Addy--a laker girl in every sense!

Mommy on the tube with the girls

Daddy's turn...


Meeting a little turtle

Hanging with the boys