Well, we are back from our whirlwind trip to Chicago. We took the kids on the ferris wheel at Navy Pier Friday afternoon. It was a provided a great view of the city. The weather was actually decent at that point too. The kids were more interested in the Phineas and Ferb episodes on the iTouch. Silly kids!

Saturday, the kids had a snowball fight on Michigan Ave. This was Courtney's first experience with snow and she was throwing snowballs like a pro. Then, we went to the Lego store and Americal Girl doll store. The kids were happy with their surprises (aka bribes to behave at the wedding). The wedding was nice. Courtney slept through the ceremony, but woke up in time to have some gorgeous pictures taken. The kids were absolutely wonderful that evening. They looked great all dressed up.

Sunday, we hit the Field Museum after a family breakfast with the Reids/Gibbons bunch. Ben's teacher reccommended the museum because they have an Ancient Egypt exhibit and the class studied Ancient Egypt and Ancient China this year. We ended up getting a family membership and Courtney is cherishing her Field Museum tote bag. She was adorable walking around the museum with it. It was too funny. After our museum adventures, we headed to Naperville where the kids spent time out on the playground while I worked on school stuff and getting everything ready to fly home.

We had to jump right back into the swing of things Tuesday morning. Everyone was exhausted, but happy to be home. The kids were thrilled to toss the winter coats and wear shorts once again. It is getting nicer day by day. Today it was 75. It was perfect weather for Ben's field day. I also managed to get both of my papers done for class, which was a challenge with all of our outings this weekend.

Unpredictable Children

Oh, my poor unpredictable unworthy children. Of course, isn't that what makes them so cute?

After all of the concessions that we have made over the years, it's just a shame that those same people don't value relationships as much as we have. My days of being predictable and making concessions are over. At least it will free up my vacation and holiday schedules. Too bad, so sad.

Final Basketball/Cheerleading and First Soccer games

Zack lost his first tooth!

On February 23, Zack and I were sitting in the orthopedic surgeon's office waiting for an update on his arm. They did an x-ray and basically told us to come back in 3 weeks after we sat there for 30 minutes. While we were there, I noticed Zack's bottom teeth looked like they had shifted. I asked him to open his mouth so I could see what was going on. I was surprised to see another tooth coming in behind one of the bottom center teeth. The top of the one next to it was also poking through. He didn't even know it was loose. He came home from school the next day and was obsessed with getting it out. He wanted the tooth fairy to bring him some money. It was really wiggly when I had to leave to take Courtney to cheerleading. He wouldn't use a washcloth to get it out for me, but after I left, Andy convinced him to try it. He had it out before I even got to St. Peters. He was so proud. Andy said he handled it very well. He will probably pull tooth #2 in the next day or so. He also got a haircut 2 days later so his hair doesn't look as messy.

Lion Country Safari field trip

I went to Lion Country Safari on February 20th with Courtney's class. The kids had a great time. We even fed a giraffe!

Zachary's broken arm

Zachary broke his arm on Valentine's Day! After Ben's birthday party, they were playing in the backyard. He hopped on a Razor scooter for a minute and fell. He has a greenstick fracture in his right arm about 2 inches from his wrist. He was so brave at the ER. They put an iv into his left arm to give him pain meds. Unfortunately, this put both arms out of commission while we were there. Things have changed since I broke my left wrist back in 1983. They don't put a hard cast on anymore. They gave him twilight, re-aligned his arm, and put him in a splint. It's still bulky, but the sides are an ace bandage meant to allow for any swelling. Luckily, Monday was a holiday so he got a day to stay home and rest. I also took him to Build-a-Bear. I promised him in the ER and he was ready to go first thing Monday morning. Tuesday, I got him out of school early to go get his hard cast at the orthopedic surgeon. They kept joking with him about cast colors and he was not amused. He ended up with a blue one. He'll get it off on March 16. They will put a short one on for a week or two. He's done very well with it.

February 2010

We had a very busy February. Here are some more fun activities including basketball, cheerleading, and St. Peter's CEC V-day dance.

February 2010

Well, I guess I've been bad at updating the blog. Ben celebrated his 9th birthday on February 13, 2010. We had his birthday party at the Greenacres Bowl on February 14th. It was fun. We had a great turnout and the kids had a blast. Ben and his friends had a great time bowling, eating, and playing in the arcade. Even Zack, Courtney, and the little cousins had fun. After the party, we came home. Ben opened his birthday presents.