Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore

It was a freezing day, yet so crystal clear you could see the entire Chicago skyline. The girls loved running in the sand though and Valerie has been asking to go 'back to beach' ever since. The wind was so nuts that it was hard to get any shots without hair in front of Val's and Grandma's faces so we did the best we could. I just wanted one great picture of the four of them.. but I think I got a few! We went for a decent hike in the woods afterwords and stopped at Coldstone on the way home. Can't tell a two year old that ice cream when it's cold out isn't fun, right? (or me) :)

haha.. look at mom's face

Fun in the City

One day during our trip, Grandma and Grandpa took us to Chicago to Millenium Park! Poor Grandpa survived 45 mins smashed between two car seats in the backseat (sucks to have the smallest booty, huh?) :) We had a great time--

Sprinkler Pics!

First off, Happy 30th Anniversary, Mom and Dad!!

Today has been so beautiful. We needed to get some things taken care of outside so I washed the dogs, washed the cars, and the girls played in the water! Valerie washed her play car and tricycle and the girls LOVE to run through the sprinkler. Judging from the expressions on their little faces, we will definitely be doing this all summer long!!!

P.S. Thank you Grandma Shirl for the Dora suit for Val. It's quite big, but she wears it at home with pride!!

Water fun with the Lough's!

Sarah and I have been chatting through a parenting site for a couple years and finally got the chance to meet in St. Louis. We have so much in common and was so happy she came to meet us before we met up with the Monahan's! Her kids are super adorable and they all got along so well. We ate lunch at the park and the kids took it upon themselves to run in the fountain. Val got down to her underwear by the end! Poor Valerie came down with the flu that morning so Sarah actually had to meet us at Target where I was cleaning out the puked-in car and buying new clothes for Val. What good sports they were. We figured, atleast if we are outside and she throws up, we're good to go. ;) Afterwards we took a stroll through the botanical gardens before it was time to say goodbye! There are a lot of photos, these are my favorites. We spent the entire day taking pictures so it was pretty hard to narrow it down!!

The Monahan Clan

Lots of pictures for one day, ay? This is what happens when we are up until 3am with jet lag. While we didn't get to see all of our family and friends, we tried to see those that we couldn't get to over Christmas first! It was so fun to reconnect with our friends who moved from Sicily last summer! The Monahan's are very special friends to us and it hasn't been the same since they left the island! Julie graciously took me under her wing and showed me around the island, such as how to get to the Catania market, as well as introducing me to my bible study group. They kept Valerie while I had my c-section with Ellie and were more help than they will ever realize. Valerie and Henry have always had a little love affair since they met almost two years ago in the church nursery! Unfortunately I just wasn't thinking and didn't pull out the camera too much :( I very sadly have no great pictures of baby Andrew!!! We will have to do a re-do of the zoo and parks next summer!! P.S. Sorry for bringing the flu bug with us :)

Fair Oaks Dairy Farm

Fair Oaks Dairy Farm was one of our first trips in Indiana. Located between Crown Point and West Laf/Purdue area, it's just off I65 and easy to find if you live nearby! I think it was about $10 for an adult which was a bit steep, in my opinion, but the kids were free so it probably balanced out. They have a large barn that includes a children's museum type area to learn about milking cows, a play area with a slide and ball pit, a 3D movie theatre, and a big traffic light which lets you know when a cow is about to give birth. Outside they seem to be building a new playground and some little attractions, such as a rock climbing wall that looks like a gigantic milk jug. You can walk down to the birthing barn where several babies are born each day. We witnessed one, although Valerie was pretty grossed out. I think her words were, "Ew, Mom. " Also included is a bus tour which takes you through several barns of cows and also to the milking facility where you get out and watch the cows being milked. Notice I have no pictures of actual cows, they aren't for touching at this farm as to protect them from germs and contamination. We tried some ice cream in the cafe afterwards and had a great day! Here is the site for anyone interested in something else to do in Indiana! : http://www.fofarms.com/